Aug 19, 2009 - EDINBURGH

Checking in with Ryaniair was a piece of cake. Edinburgh is awash with tourists as its the Festival time- lots of buskers and entertainers line the streets. ... Our 3 days in Edinburgh were relaxing and fun, we enjoyed the Tattoo, the street theqtre and walking around and up the Crags- about the same height as the Mount. ... Of course we will see Cathy again when she comes down to stay with us in December after the birth of the next grandchild.Checking in with Ryaniair was a piece of cake. Edinburgh is awash with tourists as its the Festival time- lots of buskers and entertainers line the streets. ... Our 3 days in Edinburgh were relaxing and fun, we enjoyed the Tattoo, the street theqtre and walking around and up the Crags- about the same height as the Mount. ... Of course we will see Cathy again when she comes down to stay with us in December after the birth of the next grandchild....

Aug 16, 2009 - Fringe Dwellers

Home sweet home. Anyway, the plan had originally been to return to Edinburgh after we had completed the Coast to Coast walk but, Laurence and Paul, having got wind of this, encouraged us to come back in August rather than September so that we could experience some of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. ... The Fringe is the biggest and most successful arts festival in the world, germinating from an idea to bring alternative and less ‘rigid’ events as compared to those of the ‘snootier’ Edinburgh International Festival. ... It attracts about 1 million people to the city transforming the Royal Mile and surrounds into a log jam of happy people enjoying shows of all genres from early in the day to, well, early in the day.Home sweet home. Anyway, the plan had originally been to return to Edinburgh after we had completed the Coast to Coast walk but, Laurence and Paul, having got wind of this, encouraged us to come back in August rather than September so that we could experience some of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. ... The Fringe is the biggest and most successful arts festival in the world, germinating from an idea to bring alternative and less ‘rigid’ events as compared to those of the ‘snootier’ Edinburgh International Festival. ... It attracts about 1 million people to the city transforming the Royal Mile and surrounds into a log jam of happy people enjoying shows of all genres from early in the day to, well, early in the day....

Jul 27, 2009 - Edinburgh, day 1

I just got back last night from an AMAZING weekend in Scotland! I'm at work right now, but apparently my boss isn't coming in at all today, so looks like I have plenty of down time to write a blog update :) On Friday, Emma, Matt and I took the day off work and left realllllly super early to make our 6:50am flight to Edinburgh. ... Our guide's name was Mike, and he was a recent grad of the University of Edinburgh, originally from England, and was a fantastic guide. ... Might not sound the most appetizing if you don't like to see the animal you're about to eat, which I usually don't, but it was the best pork I'd ever had! Mike also told us some Harry Potter trivia that I hadn't known, like that JK Rowling wrote the first book at a cafe in Edinburgh, and that Hogwarts was inspired by a real school there. ... We wandered around some more, found a pub (drinks in Edinburgh are surprisingly much cheaper than in Dublin, even with the exchange rate!) for some drinks, did some souvenir shopping, etc. ...

Jul 27, 2009 - Edinburgh, day 3

First we visited Edinburgh Castle, where the lines were horrendous, but the views were pretty great. ... I can't decide, but I think I might like Edinburgh more than I like Dublin. ... not that they are rude or mean in Dublin, but the people in Edinburgh smiled a lot more, which I guess I didn't realize I was so used to. ...

Jul 25, 2009 - Edinburgh, Scotland

The most memorable part of Edinburgh was the dramatic weather! Several times we went from cold and wet, wearing our fleeces and wet weather gear, to hot and sunny in the span of 30 minutes. ... We enjoyed a day trip to South Queensferry, outside of Edinburgh, with Lamma resident Lorna acting as our tour guide. ... A deluge upon arrival back in Edinburgh left us soaked as we climbed steps down which water ran like a river. ... More of that changeable Edinburgh weather. ...

Jul 24, 2009 - Edinburgh July 21-24

Having taken an early flight from Gatwick to Edinburgh, and finding our hostel at the second attempt, we made the most of the typical British weather (rain) on our first day to head up the Mile to the grand Castle. ... The Castle is set up on a hill at the far end of the main road through Edinburgh's centre and it proudly looks over the city. ... The shared showers of the dorm rooms were next door so we used those! From there, we decided to head out to Leith to see the Royal Yacht Britannia, which has been retired to Edinburgh. ... By the time we got back into Edinburgh, it was raining some more so we quickly headed into Hard Rock for lunch (and the obligatory magnet!). ... Whilst not fitting with the historic centre of Edinburgh, the building was interesting nonetheless. ...

Jul 12, 2009 - MacBeth Country

To be honest, cities are not our favourite destinations with some notable exceptions such as Paris, New York, Berlin, Sydney, Kabul and a couple of others We have visited Edinburgh a number of times since our daughter Laurence (yep that is a female name in France where she was born) and her partner Paul moved there a few years ago. ... It is a city hard not to like and is made for those such as us trying to get some serious walking miles under our belt before hitting the trails later on in out trip.To be honest, cities are not our favourite destinations with some notable exceptions such as Paris, New York, Berlin, Sydney, Kabul and a couple of others We have visited Edinburgh a number of times since our daughter Laurence (yep that is a female name in France where she was born) and her partner Paul moved there a few years ago. ... It is a city hard not to like and is made for those such as us trying to get some serious walking miles under our belt before hitting the trails later on in out trip....

Jun 16, 2009 - Edinburgh and Glenkinchie

This morning, after a cold buffet breakfast in the restaurant, we were back on the coach heading to our final distillery, lowland Glenkinchie Distillery, about a 45 minute drive out of Edinburgh. ... After the tour was over, we got back on the coach again and headed back into Edinburgh. ... They had a tour opening in an hour, so we booked that, and decided to go for a coffee and pastry at a little café right next door to the youth hostel were Amanda stayed when she first moved to Edinburgh. ... The view of the skyline, with Edinburgh Castle and the other Georgian buildings high on the Royal Mile, was stunning, especially with the gardens below and the steely grey clouds in the sky. ...