Edinburgh

Nobody knows exactly how it happened, but somehow we snagged an upgrade to the penthouse turret suite. Could it have been the 7 month old who screamed through the entire check-in process? Or the fact that we were also traveling with grandma?? Either way,  it   was    awesome. 

Our hotel was smack in the middle of the royal mile which put us equal walking distance from the Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace.  We spent all our time in Old Town and were amazed how quickly three days can go by! We enjoyed a fellowship meeting, the laundry mat and a couch our first day. 

On day two, mom and I were ready to do some exploring but Tyce let us know he was staying put. So we took turns running up and down the mile while the other sat watch over the sleeping baby. 

Eventually, we bundled him up for a trek down to Holyrood Palace. We didn't go in, but stared longingly through the palace gates.

On day three, the sun was shining and we had plans for a special coffee date. 

We also wandered through St. Gile's Cathedral

and of course, Edinburgh Castle...

Tyce was not nearly as impressed with the armory as we were. 

He was, however, mesmerized by our tour guide. Couldn't have been his strong Scottish brogue. 

Looking out over the Firth of Forth

On the morning of day four we boarded the train at Waverly Station. Headed for London Kings Cross. 

Grandma was ecstatic. Tyce was not.

It was a 6 hour ride with only a few minor delays. All in all, not too bad. We took way too many pictures in London so I might need a few months worth of nap times to sort and put those together. So don't hold your breath for an update :)

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Typical, right? That's how our entire trip through Scotland went. When planning, I knew we wouldn't be able to do it all but I couldn't bare the thought of skipping Skye. It did not disappoint. Spectacular scenery, nail-bitingly narrow roads and crazy unpredictable weather. 

We crossed a bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to get onto the island but decided to ferry from Armadale to Mallaig. It was so fun to take Tyce through the tide pools.  It felt a little bit like SE Alaska...other than the nearby castle, of course.

From Mallaig we drove on to Fort William and stayed a night at the base of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. The next day we headed to Stirling, by way of Glencoe and Callander. We followed our rental car's GPS, or 'sat nav', which consistently took us the back roads. It may have taken a little longer to get around, but the views were worth it. 

We spent an afternoon on Castle Hill touring Stirling Castle. Unfortunately, mom isn't here while I'm writing this so I can't remember most of the history...something about the Stewarts and multiple Kings named James. Sorry Mom! 

Just kidding. I do remember a bit more than that. But mostly, I remember being amazed.

The grounds were beautiful and the view, spectacular. You can almost see the entire span of the lowlands from East coast to West. 

From Stirling we headed to Falkirk where we spent a quick night before continuing onto Edinburgh for a 3 night stay. Tyce was so happy to be done with his carseat! Jason had some commitments in Edinburgh, but mom and I were able to catch up on rest and enjoy the room service!