And we did it, we made it to our last visiting destination for our last 6 days of vacation. Edinburgh started off a little rocky with a rain storm that seemed like it would never end and flooded surrounding businesses, but the main thing that slowed us down for a couple of days consisted of food poisoning and digestion revolts.
Our first two days in Edinburgh were a bit more laid back than we had planned but at the same time it was nice to get a little lazy in there, and we did manage to get out for a couple hours on the second day once my husband’s food illness had subsided (poor guy). I mean heck we got to watch some TV and that is always a treat for those of us who don’t have cable.
So here are some photos of our adventures. Please note that as the vacation went on our diligence with photo taking got worse and worse, but I think we will be able to sum it up nicely with the photos we have.
So here we are in the Grass Market, it is right below the giant hill at the top of which is the castle so naturally we asked some other tourists if they would help us out with a photo in exchange for us taking their photo. That is the hardest part of traveling as a couple, all the photos end up being only one of you or those glorious head shots. But here it is proof that we were both there.
As mentioned on day two we headed over to the Royal Botanical Gardens. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I was a little let down, although it would have been a beautiful place for a run. The paths were gravel and most were shaded, not that sun was a problem while we were there, I just thought it would be a nice place for a run. Here is a giant hedge/tree thing, it was interesting.
In the gardens I did make a little friend. He was friendly considering how rough he actually looked up close, I guess even feral cats need love.
We did some shopping – This I have no photos of but it was alright, we mainly went shopping because I was convinced I would be going to the yoga studio down the street so I needed some clothing to do that in. The studio was cute looking, and provided you with day passes instead of a class pass, slightly more expensive but fun to know you could go all day long if you wanted. But enter digestion issues and although I knew that yoga would probably help work things out, moving that much turned my stomach so I opted for the light activity of walking around and shopping in the rain.
We also checked out the National Gallery which was lovely, and then something a little more modern, Camera Obscura. Camera Obscura although definitely geared towards families and children was a lot of fun. Towards the end there was a mirror maze and probably a giant “vortex” tunnel, which was hilarious. The tunnel totally throws your balance off so walking through it gets a little challenging. Here are some photos we took of the crazy mirrors, and what I will call the space room.
One of the fun things about Edinburgh was that my sister has a friend going to school out there and lucky for us she was incredible. She provided us with a list of places to check out that weren’t in guide books, and she took the time out of her crazy schedule to grab a drink with us at a hidden little bar. Now the bar definitely wasn’t a huge secret because it was completely packed, but you sure did need to know where you were going.
Can you spot the bar? Although slightly easier when there was a door person standing out front, if it hadn’t been for directions from Carmen as well as a waitress at another pub we would have never found it. (oh, it is under the dry cleaners, there are stairs going down, they are going to the bar). Anyways, this place served up some of the most delicious cocktails ever! Here is just one example.
While enjoying these drinks it was stressed to us how much we needed to go and check out this place called Demijohn, and boy are we glad we did. The next morning it was our mission to find this place and taste test some of their homemade alcohols and vinegars. Once we arrived it was so overwhelming and exciting we totally forgot about the oils and vinegars and were captivated by the creativity of flavours, and packaging of the vodka, gin, brandy and scotch. With options like cucumber vodka, rhubarb vodka, cherry, orange gin, and the list just keeps going it was hard to keep your head from spinning off. All of their products were made with the best of the best, sourced and distilled in the regions known for the best of each product, and then brought over to their stores when things were ready for selling. The staff was incredible, and just everything about this place was great, if you are ever in the area definitely stop in.
Now what else? We of course did go and see the Edinburgh castle, but I definitely wouldn’t say it was a highlight, at 16pounds for entry and not being allowed into half of the buildings I would recommend that if you are interested in seeing a castle to go on a tour to the Sterling Castle, which is what we did from Glasgow, but the same tour operates out of Edinburgh if you are interested.
For our last meal before heading home we decided it should be on the nicer side of things and decided to stop off at a seafood restaurant. It looked huge from the outside but only sat probably 50 people. The menu looked great and our server was sweet. Seeing this was our honeymoon we both opted for the lobster, with my husband deciding on the special seafood platter which was WAY bigger than we had imagined.
So that pretty much sums up our adventures. Now it is back to regular life and work and working out, and healthy eating. Which to be honest I am stoked on (minus the work part that is). I am excited to get back to running and yoga, and I am excited to be going to the farmers market and making up delicious and healthy meals for myself and my husband – although I doubt he is as excited as I am about all the vegetables.
Well happy Monday everyone! Have a great week.
gingersneezes 