Blogs from Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Today was all about getting around as much of the Tourist spots we can. We defaulted back to the Hop on Hop off Bus and their red line. We chose this for expedience, but tomorrow we had different choices. But before that there was Edinburgh Farmers Market just down the hill from our accommodations. We walked down to see some of their farm produce and maybe get breakfast. Our breakfast was a tale of two cities with Rose selecting a Falafel wrap and the Falafel's were cooked to order. She loved it and it was very good. On the other hand, I was seduced by the whole pig on the spit, but that is where it ended, the pork was bland and soggy, the milk bun fell apart from the moister and I picked the filling ... read more

This morning we walked toward The Edinburgh Castle for a special place Chrissy picked out for breakfast. It was called The Deacon's House Cafe and was known for its traditional Scottish porridge and haggis breakfast sausage. It wasn't supposed to open until 10:00 so we took our time taking pictures and checking out shops that were open (most don't open until 10). When we arrived they had opened early but there was still one table open. We ordered the porridge (which is like oats) and the breakfast platter, which had scrambled eggs, blistered tomatoes. haggis sausage, bacon, beans, and wheat toast. We shared the items we ordered because we wanted to try their scones and shortbread too. The haggis sausage was amazing. The porridge wasn't far behind. The porridge was topped with red fruit which added ... read more

Wow! What a day!! We left our cottage at 8am this morning when it was just 1 degree!! We drove down to Norwich, and of course a light came on in the dash to tell us the air in a tyre was low! We stopped just before the hire car office to put some petrol in the tank and Tom put some air in the tyres - he had to insert a coin!! Air is not free! Anyway, when we arrived at the office, lovely Matthew (who put us in the car the other day) noticed the light still shining on the dash and had to take the car around to the service bay to check the tyre - he returned saying it was fine, but that we would get an email asking us to rate ... read more

We knew we had a long travel day (4 hours) today so slept in a bit in Liverpool. After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we hit the road. Most of our drive today was on motorways. Since today was about driving, here’s what we’ve learned about UK driving. 1. Lane markings are only suggestions. You can wander across the lanes if someone is parked in your lane or it just feels right. 2. Any type of intersection can be called a roundabout. 3. Local drivers have a rhythm as to when to take turns on narrow streets or congested intersections. 4. The left side of the road is closer than you expect. 5. Parking “just down the street” is always farther than expected. 6. The bigger the road number, the smaller the road. The A5414 ... read more

SAT, 17 SEP 2022 - Day 10: Journey to Enchanting Edinburgh - Heading back to the lowlands of Scotland, we stop in Pitlochry before heading to the historic home of golf, St. Andrews. Here, the first games were played during the 1400s. See its famous 18th hole before crossing the Firth of Forth to Scotland's enchanting capital, Edinburgh. Tickets to see the spectacular Edinburgh Tattoo (5-27 August 2022) are included on departures that coincide with performance dates.... read more