To the Kilt: Our Scottish Adventure

Arthur's Seat in low light, as viewed from Calton Hill

Though I've taken my son on many adventures (He's a well-traveled kid.), I'd never taken him to Europe. And hubs and I last visited Europe way back in 2012, when we vacationed in Rome. Since then, we've traveled widely domestically, as well as visiting both Canada and Mexico. 

With my son turning 17 soon, we figured it was time to take him across the pond. We settled on Scotland as a destination because there was no language barrier, the landscape looked amazing, and the history was immense. I'd been to Scotland once before, shortly after graduating from college, for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but I'd stayed in Edinburgh for the entire trip and hadn't returned to Scotland since. 

Pretty Victoria Street

Coming up with our itinerary took some doing. For a small country, Scotland takes some time to get around (windy roads, mountains, etc.), and there was so much we wanted to see! We finally settled on an Edinburgh>Inverness>Isle of Skye>Glencoe>Glasgow route, and there were still some really cool things we knew we'd miss! Read on for the details on how we did Scotland to the kilt!

Days 1-3

We'd booked American Airlines flights (with British Airways as a partner airline) to take us from Jackson to Dallas to London to Edinburgh. This was one of the simplest airfares we could book from our home airport. We took off from Jackson and landed in Dallas, where we made our way straight to the gate for our connecting flight by 6:15 p.m. (about an hour before boarding). Though we'd checked into our flight schedule in person at our home airport and had printed boarding passes for all flights, gate agents in Dallas asked that we re-verify our documents, and we did so. 

When called to board in our group (group 9), however, the facial scanning device flagged all three of us (as well as about 20 other passengers on this flight). So, we all got back in line with the gate agents to re-verify our documents. Though gate agents worked hard to re-verify passengers, the process took time for each customer. Thus, when the boarding door closed, about 15 of us were still in line for document re-verification. So all of us were denied access to the flight we'd paid for.

We were directed to a different gate/desk to re-book, and by the time our family got to the front of that very long line, it was nearly 9:30 p.m. We were unable to be re-booked to Europe until the following day, and even the itinerary were were able to get was with a seat class lower than what we'd initially paid for. In addition, gate agents told us they were "out of" vouchers for overnight hotels and meals by this late hour. So we were on our own. 

The National Monument atop Calton Hill at dusk

Luckily, we were able to book one of the last rooms available at the Grand Hyatt DFW (located in the airport), where we bedded down for the night and got breakfast the following morning. (There were other passengers in our predicament that weren't so lucky. They either couldn't find an available room or couldn't afford the room they *could* find. Those poor souls had to try and get comfortable overnight in the airport somewhere.) 

The next day, our flight schedule took us to Austin, then London, then Edinburgh. It's worth noting that, though our DFW>Austin flight was on time, the other two flights were further delayed, meaning we had to re-re-book our London>Edinburgh flight. We *finally* arrived in Edinburgh nearly 30 hours after our initially planned arrival. (At least our bags made it.)

Walter Scott Monument

NOT an ideal start to our vacation. I am now in the process of trying to wrangle reimbursement from American Airlines for the costs I incurred in Dallas due to their imposed delay. (Prayers appreciated.)

At any rate, when we at last arrived in Edinburgh, we caught a cab to our hotel. (We'd emailed the hotel ahead of time to let them know we'd be a day late and to make sure they held the remainder of our reservation for us.) We had reserved a suite at Wilde Aparthotels in the Grassmarket area, and I was very pleased with our room. We had a foyer, a kitchenette, a living room with a fold-out couch (for my son), a full bath, and a separate master bedroom. We'd asked for a room with a view of Edinburgh Castle, and my son could see it clearly from his bed. Just lovely.

This hotel is in a great location, both for restaurants and shops (which are all around it), and also for attractions. (Edinburgh Castle is a short walk uphill, and Dean Village and the Water of Leith Walkway is a short walk downhill.) That first night, we walked a block or so to Cold Town House to get an early dinner. I had a pizza, hubs got the loaded fries, and my son had fish and chips. This place fit the bill - close, quick, and open. It had a fun atmosphere (I think they have live music here at night.), but we were honestly too tired to enjoy it much. We finished our meals and went back to the hotel for a quick nap.

When I awoke, it was still daylight, and the sun was actually out. (During our trip, the sun would rise somewhere around 5 a.m. and wouldn't set until after 9 p.m. This gave us long days to explore, weather permitting.) I decided to walk the city a bit before I officially went to bed. 

I started at pretty Victoria Street, which was only steps from our hotel. (Some say it was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. It's also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its architectural diversity and historical legacy.) Then, I headed to the Walter Scott Monument. About 25 years ago, a much younger Nicole had climbed to the tippy tippy top of this monument, but for now, I settled for admiring it from the ground. 

City view from Calton Hill 

As the light was getting low, I made my way to Calton Hill (another UNESCO World Heritage site), reaching the top just before sunset.  From there, you can both explore the monuments and enjoy sweeping views of Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat. After enjoying the fine weather and the beautiful evening, I went back to our hotel and slept.

Day 4

Greyfriars Bobby <3

The next morning, I awoke ready for breakfast and adventure! Letting hubs and my son sleep in, I slipped out of the rental and walked around the corner to ZaZa's Coffee House. I had a lovely omelette full of cheese and ham, along with a bit of toast and a large flat white. The sun was shining, so I decided to make the most of it with another city walk! 

I started at Greyfriars Kirkyard, where you can find the grave of Greyfriars Bobby (and his master), as well as the grave of Tom Riddle (which has become something of a tourist attraction due to the Harry Potter books). These graves aside, the kirkyard is a beautiful green space full of history, and when I visited, blooming flowers. 

Next up, I scooted by the University of Edinburgh's New College, where a pretty courtyard frames up a dramatic view, and then strolled the Princes Street Gardens. where workers were planting intricate beds and Memorial Day flowers had been placed lovingly around a WWII monument to America. I strolled the length of the park, all the way to a playing Ross Fountain. 

Then, I walked to the Walter Scott Monument again. This time, I chose to purchase a ticket to climb up to the top! It was a bit different today than it was nearly 25 years ago, when you went up on your own and really did climb to the very top. Now, you're part of a guided tour, and you aren't allowed to go to the highest viewing platform. Still, the views of the city are beautiful, and the history of the monument itself is interesting. 

Soaking up pub culture!

Once I finished up at the monument, I met hubs for lunch at the White Hart Inn, one of Edinburgh's oldest pubs. It's said to be haunted, and it's entertained the likes of Oliver Cromwell, William Wordsworth, and Robert Burns. I had the bangers and mash and a hard cider, and hubs ordered a beer from Belhaven Best, Scotland's oldest working brewery! 

When all of our Edinburgh plans had fallen apart due to flight delays, we'd lost our reservations (and money) for touring Royal Britannia. However, the nice folks at Edinburgh Castle allowed us to shift our paid tickets to the following day. Though it was fast becoming a cloudy, rainy afternoon, taking hubs and my son to this attraction was a priority, as we'd have to leave Edinburgh the following day. 

So, off we went. We all brought our umbrellas, and we needed them to explore the exteriors of the castle. We loved the weapons displays in the great hall. (The king's sword! Cool!) I was also enchanted with the small St. Margaret's Chapel. We stopped by the National War Museum on site to take in the medals, and we also stood in line to see the Scottish Crown Jewels and some more interior rooms. 

After exploring the castle, we stopped by the rental for a quick break before walking to our evening tour of The Real Mary King's Close. This was such a fun attraction! The 90-minute tour takes you underneath the streets of modern-day Edinburgh to see the narrow, historic lanes of the city from days gone by. It's an immersive experience, in which a costumed tour guide takes on the persona of one of the close's residents, and participants learn about the city's history and the impact of the plague on Edinburgh and its denizens. It's hokey, educational, atmospheric, and fun. We loved it. 

This is hubs explaining to the plague doctor that he *definitely*
re-stocked that cabinet of healing herbs for tonight's shift. 
#pharmacyjokes

We were jonesing for dinner by this time. Because all of our reservations had shifted or had to be cancelled due to flight delays and subsequent rescheduling, we were at our liberty for dinner. We ducked into Maison Bleue, and they were able to seat us immediately. We dove into their pre-fixed menu, ordering all kinds of goodies - fried haggis balls, venison, seafood. Sated, we walked back to the rental for bed.

More to come . . .     

Pretty Ross Fountain, with Edinburgh Castle in the distance