So I arrived in Edinburgh at Midnight...
Amanda had already settled into the hotel, having arrived in Scotland a few days ahead of me to spend time with her friends after a wedding she had to go to. When I finally joined, I wasted no time in kickstarting the festivities... by turning in for the night.
Our hotel was incredible. Tucked into the St. James Quarter, we stayed in the W Hotel, conveniently across from Edinburgh's historic Old Town and charming coffee spots that we couldn't wait to try!
coffee, food, and drinks
We stumbled upon two "Milkman" Coffee shops nestled just around the corner from each other, made our way into The Elephant House, where JK Rowling wrote the beginnings of the Harry Potter series, had breakfast from "Duck and Waffle," serving exactly what you'd think, drank the three B's - Butterbeer, Bloody Mary's, and Bullet Rye - and had dinner at a solid seafood spot with bottomless mussels.
Some family history
RIDDLES CLOSE
Amanda's Grandma, Granny Nanny, has a great-uncle, George M. Greig (making that Amanda's 3x great-uncle), who was an Edinburgh watercolor artist of the 1800's. Though we couldn't locate his paintings in Scotland, we stumbled upon the very alley he painted, now hanging in Granny Nanny's home. It was hilarious when Amanda spotted it by chance, sparking excitement that drew in other tourists mistaking it for a famous site that should be photographed a thousand times.
Stuart Family ties
Visiting the Edinburgh Castle was pretty awesome. While I had some knowledge of the Stuart family's role in Scottish history, seeing it within the castle's walls was incredible.
Toward the end of the castle's tour, there was a small desk that gave tourists the opportunity to look into their family history and print out posters featuring their family crest and story.
As a new Stuart herself, Amanda found this opportunity intriguing. While she may not have explicitly stated it, the idea of framing the poster and placing that in our apartment was absolutely on her mind. I think we can both agree that will look great as the first piece of art you see when you enter our apartment....
final thoughts?
Edinburgh was a perfect.
I had a couple nights to catch up to the time change and Amanda and I got to connect about the awesome things she was already able to see. What a great way to start the trip. Now off to Dublin!
FINAL THOUGHTS?
Edinburgh was a perfect.
I had a couple nights to catch up to the time change and Amanda and I got to connect about the awesome things she was already able to see. What a great way to start the trip. Now off to Dublin!
