Blogs from Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

I stayed at the Hub by Premier Inn near Haymarket Station. I chose this hotel due to the inexpensive price and mostly good reviews. It also seemed to be close enough to everything I wanted to see. I did know ahead of time the rooms were compact and my room may not have a window. Fortunately I did have a window and everything I needed in a room. For one person, this room was plenty. I had a double bed and a bathroom which included a large shower. Due to the size of the room the tea/coffee facilities were in the lobby, accessible 24/7. I am not sure if there were larger rooms if traveling as a couple. I would think the room too small for two people plus luggage, but if you don’t mind close ... read more

Started the day off with a hearty breakfast and then headed for the train station. Today’s destinations, Stirling and Linlithgow. The trains here are super easy to navigate. You can buy a ticket through the app, using one of the machines in the stations or by visiting one of the helpful information folks. I went the in-person route as I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing. Tickets can be one way or return and allow you to get on and off at any station in between the origin and destination. The ticket can also be used at any time during the day, which is super helpful when you do not know your return time! The trip from Haymarket to Stirling is about 50 minutes and the train I took made a few ... read more

Crossing another country off my bucket list! Technically I have been to the UK before when I was one and a half but I have never been to Scotland. Castle ruins, abbey ruins, amazing scenery and the Scottish accent are the reasons I have long wanted to visit. SAS had a great sale where I was actually able to fly into Edinburgh for not a lot of money. I booked the flight back in August and finally the day arrived to leave! Original flight plan was O'Hare to Stockholm, 11 hour layover which would allow me to get out and explore a little bit and then on to Edinburgh. However SAS changed the itinerary and here is how my travel day went. I worked until 2, did some last minute stuff at the house and then ... read more

Today we decided to catch the hop on hop off bus, which is just a block from our hotel. Now I’ve ridden this bus line more than once, and had an idea of the route it should take. I noticed right off we weren’t taking any particular route. It seemed like we were just randomly driving around. Eventually the driver announced that there was a big event in town and several of the roads were closed. I honestly thought the bus company should’ve had a disclaimer on their website before people bought their tickets. We certainly saw some parts of town that I’ve never seen before. I will say no matter where are you go in London there are beautiful buildings and gardens to look at. Actually, some of the prettiest decorated buildings are the pubs. ... read more

Today our cruise ship stopped at South Queensferry in Edinburgh. After getting off the ship we had to take a shuttle into Edinburgh. I booked tickets in advance to see Edinburgh Castle but somehow could not find the tickets online. So instead, Renata and I decided to walk the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile The Royal Mile is a street that runs between two significant locations (Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse). Along the Royal Mile, we 1. Took some pictures with Owls 2. Stopped by the Writers Museum, 3. Entered St. Giles Cathedral 4. Passed Tolbooth Tavern (Now a Scottish Pub. The building used to be a toll collection station, a Council Chamber, a Police Court and a Prison.) 5. Visited Bakehouse Close (the site of Alexander Malcom’s print shop and where Jamie and ... read more