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Our SPECTACULAR Scottish Journey!!!
Hello everyone,
We returned from Scotland on June 15, and we had a fabulous time!!! The weather was gorgeous, the scenery is spectacular, the food is delicious, and the crowds weren’t too bad, even on Skye! First I want to thank the following people for helping me plan a spectacular journey and for their restaurant recommendations: Janisj, MaiTaiTom and his two trip reports, Gardyloo, British Caicos, Bilboburger, katherinebw, dfourh, ANUJ, Jean, Barbara-in-FL, Jackie44, Tom-mn, memejs, morgana, chepar, and Nelson. I apologize if I left anyone out. This trip was 16 nights on the ground. We used Star Alliance miles and flew out of Boston, via Frankfurt, on May 29, and arrived in Edinburgh on May 30. We flew home via Chicago on June 15. Not a very convenient flight home but it saved us a lot of money. 😊 On this trip we traveled with our friends, Roger and Joanne. The 4 of us have been friends for a long time and traveled together in Spain so we invited R and J to join us on this trip. We had a lot of fun together and a lot of laughs, but my husband and I realize that except for traveling with our children and grandchildren on beach vacations, we prefer to travel alone. You have to compromise when traveling with other people, and we are not good at compromising on our vacations. We had what I was told unusually beautiful weather: no rain, sunny every day except for some mist one morning on Skye, and temps ranging from the low 60’s to mid and high 70’s. Because I read on this forum and Rick Steves that it would be wise to make restaurant reservations in advance, due to this being a busy season and restaurants are short-staffed and some have shorter hours, I made dinner reservations for every night except two. We don’t usually do this but I didn’t want to risk waiting an hour or more in line or walking from restaurant to restaurant looking for a place. We liked/loved every restaurant we ate at except for one, which I will mention later in my report. When I was making reservations, I noticed that some restaurants are only open 4 or 5 days a week. We did not make lunch reservations. This was our itinerary: Edinburgh – 4 nights – Ibis Hotel on St. Andrews Square Anstruther on the Fife Coast – 2 nights – The Waterfront Hotel Nairn (30 minutes from Inverness) – 3 nights – Sunny Brae Bed and Breakfast – this was our favorite accommodation! Portree on Skye – 4 nights – Viewfield House Glencoe – 2 nights – The Glencoe Inn Near the Edinburgh Airport – 1 night – Dakota Edinburgh |
May 29 and May 30, 2023: Leaving Boston and Arriving in Edinburgh
We flew from Boston on Lufthansa and had a 4-hour layover in Frankfurt. While in Frankfurt, we received a message from our friends that their non-stop Delta flight to Edinburgh was cancelled while they were sitting on the runway. So they had to spend the night at a Logan Airport hotel, and were put on a morning flight to London, and then on to Edinburgh. So they didn’t arrive in Edinburgh until 11PM. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. Price was reasonable. I know a lot of people like to take public transportation to their hotels, but at our ages, we don’t want to deal with luggage on trams or buses, and we like the door to door service. We really like the Ibis St. Andrews Square! It is in a very convenient location, within walking distance to restaurants and everything we wanted to do. Our room was small but clean; the staff were efficient and friendly, and we like the included breakfast buffet. So, after checking in, we walked to Dishoom for lunch. The restaurant was very busy, but we were able to get seated right away even though we didn’t have reservations. I think that’s because there were only 2 of us. The food is delicious, very fresh, and very well-prepared! I didn’t write down what we ate because we were still bleary-eyed from our flight. I noticed when we left Dishoom that a line had formed at the entrance. They take lunch reservations but not dinner reservations. I highly recommend Dishoom! From here we walked across the Waverley Bridge to the Royal Mile to find the Mercat Tower where we were meeting our Mercat guide the next day. Our walk felt very festive; the sun was shining, people were sunning themselves at the Princes Street Gardens, and music was playing. I had made dinner reservations at Café Royal for 7PM for 4 people, so I changed that to 9PM for 2 people. After taking a much-needed nap, we walked to Café Royal. It’s very pretty inside with beautiful stained glass. First we shared a haggis starter; for our mains, my husband, Ed, ordered a fish pie with roasted kale. I ordered beef cheek and seaweed pie. The food is very good but the beef cheeks were a bit tough. For dessert we shared a sticky toffee pudding. Absolutely delicious!!! One of the best on our trip. We arrived back at our hotel around the same time that Roger and Joanne arrived, finally making it after their long journey! |
Along for the ride. Nice to put a face to the name too :)
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Karen, so glad you enjoyed yourselves. Looking forward to the rest of your report!
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Really looking forward to your report! Whenever there is a teeny ray of sunshine Princes Street Gardens fills up with sun bathers and it looks like you had glorious weather.
Glad I was able to help . . . |
Looking forward to learning more as I am planning a trip to Edinburgh for the beginning of October and will definitely check out this hotel and your restaurant recommendations. Still in the research and plannng stage
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Looking forward to continuing reading your report. We very much want to travel to Scotland and this is such a tempting starter. Thank you!
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Karen, so happy the weather gods smiled for you and made your vacation extra special, am
aling for the ride! I have been planning a Highlands trip since before Covid, though we’ll probably go with Rabbies as I don’t like to drive and not too happy about DH doing so on those windy narrow roads. Waiting for the subsequent installments… |
Looking forward to more. Thanks for all the photos, they add so much to the report.
Scotland has always been on my radar. |
Thank you, everyone, for your nice comments!
Geetika, I understand what you mean about driving on the one-track roads. I was fortunate in that I didn't have to do any of the driving. My husband, Ed, and Roger's wife, Joanne, shared the driving. It wasn't all that bad, according to them. They got accustomed to driving on the left fairly quickly. The one-track roads with potholes and a very tight, tricky car park were challenging, along with the roundabouts. I do all the trip planning and I made all the reservations for the 4 of us, so I got to enjoy the ride!:) We also reserved a car with an automatic; a lot more expensive but that was what Ed and Joanne requested. And the two couples shared the cost, of course. |
May 31 – New Town, the Royal Mile, and Edinburgh Castle
The breakfast buffet at the Ibis is your typical buffet that many hotels offer. It’s tasty and filling: hard-boiled eggs, hot porridge, a selection of meats, cheeses, yogurt and pastries, and coffee and several juices. So, after filling up on breakfast, we spent the morning wandering around New Town. We walked to Drummond Place and along Queen Street by the Queen Street Gardens. I don’t remember what we did for lunch today; it’s possible we skipped lunch because we were full from breakfast. We then wandered over to Old Town to meet our Mercat tour guide by the Mercat Cross for our 1:00PM tour. I chose the Royal Mile tour that included tickets to Edinburgh Castle and an introductory tour of the castle. I highly recommend Mercat Tours. Our tour guide was awesome. She was very knowledgeable, warm, and friendly. I think a tour of the Royal Mile is important so that you learn some of its history and important sites. The Royal Mile is not just gift shops, bars, and restaurants. Our guide gave us some history of Edinburgh. For people who are not familiar with the Old Town versus the new Town, Medieval Old Town was very poor, squalid, and overcrowded. Plans for the New Town, to alleviate the overcrowding, were drawn up during the 18th century. Old Town is a medieval maze and has many important historical sites. Edinburgh is located on a series of volcanic hills, and several hundred years ago the land between the hills was very boggy. These were eventually filled in, such as where the Princes St. Gardens are now located. Some of the sites we saw are John Knox’s grave marker by St. Giles Cathedral. He was a Scottish religious reformer who was buried in a graveyard by the cathedral. However, that graveyard is now a parking lot! Our guide gave us some history about St. Giles Cathedral; she showed us the oldest house in Edinburgh; took us down a close (narrow alleyway) that is still residential. We saw the statue of David Hume, the philosopher. Tourists rub his big toe for good luck! We saw many red telephone booths throughout Edinburgh, and our guide told us some have been made into ATM machines. Repurposing – what a great idea! It was convenient that we booked the castle tour, too, because we didn’t have to wait in line. We visited the Prisons of War Exhibition, where we learned that wealthy political prisoners were housed in luxury apartments while common criminals and pirates were housed in underground dungeons at the castle. We visited the Palace Apartments where the Scottish crown jewels, sceptre and sword used at Mary, Queen of Scots coronation, are housed. We visited the small St. Margaret’s Chapel. Queen Margaret was a beloved Scottish queen who fed and clothed poor children, so when she died, she was canonized. Our dinner this evening was at the Mussel’s Inn Restaurant, within walking distance of our hotel. We had several pots of mussels, scallops, oysters, sea bass, and sticky toffee pudding. We all liked our meals; everything was fresh and nicely prepared, but we thought the sticky toffee pudding was only ok. The Café Royal does a better sticky toffee pudding! For some reason, we didn’t take any photos of our dinner. I guess we were tired. It was a long day! And still getting over jetlag. |
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Exploring New Town in Edinburgh - plans were drawn up during the 18th century https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...15c1ef505.jpeg Exploring New Town https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...873e3fe4f.jpeg A New Town neighborhood https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...574cd0eb3.jpeg New Town https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ac2e6e44f.jpeg Gothic Monument to Sir Walter Scott in Princes St. Gardens https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...11083aaba.jpeg The ubiquitous bagpiper https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8b5c560bf.jpeg Walking to the Royal Mile https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...115aabff8.jpeg Red phone booths are everywhere! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...11b4ae4f7.jpeg Meeting our tour group at the Mercat Cross. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...82657b905.jpeg The Royal Mile |
Yo KW,
That shot of Cockburn Street was fan-tastic! I am glad that things went I am done. the kilt |
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St. Giles Cathedral https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fc4fbf238.jpeg A close where people still live https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2dd18c3b3.jpeg Residents' apartments https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...acc5d1292.jpeg This store is located in the oldest building in Edinburgh https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4e5970bb7.jpeg Statue of David Hume, a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6dacd04ad.jpeg Entrance to Edinburgh Castle https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...825a65daa.jpeg Panorama of the castle https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...291b06eb6.jpeg Edinburgh Castle https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8ae3aba90.jpeg The Royal Palace where the Scottish crown jewels are housed https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...284a8213b.jpeg Edinburgh Castle https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9d4d500b8.jpeg Stained glass of St. Margaret https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bbb8454ae.jpeg St. Margaret's Chapel at Edinburgh Castle https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3dbc12fd0.jpeg St. Giles Cathedral https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bc80403df.jpeg Stained glass window at St. Giles Cathedral https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d1545469b.jpeg St. Giles Cathedral |
Originally Posted by zebec
(Post 17478462)
Yo KW,
That shot of Cockburn Street was fan-tastic! I am glad that things went I am done. the kilt |
Enjoying your trip report!
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I'm so glad you had a great time and wonderful weather during your trip. Scotland is one of my favorite places to travel to and your trip report and pictures are really making me want to plan a return trip soon.
But I think it will have to wait for a bit - I'm already swinging through London this December. I want to plan a trip again in 2025 to catch the V&A Bowie exhibition that's supposed to open sometime during that year so I think that might be the trip to visit again. |
Hi-karen! I remembe ryou talking about Scotland when we met you in Greece -- nice TR and making me want to go back to Scotland.
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Thanks for a great report and stunning photos. Very enjoyable.
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Thank you for taking the time to share your trip with us through your report and photos, Karen. I'm enjoying following you through the streets of Edinburgh and look forward to more.
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Originally Posted by ANUJ
(Post 17478510)
Enjoying your trip report!
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I am really enjoying following your trip report!
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Yay!
I am so happy to be reading another one of your delightful trip reports! The photography is gorgeous and it is an added bonus to see the lovely photos of you and Ed with that fantastic background! I am glad you had great weather and the driving wasn't too challenging, I remember you expressed concern about that. I appreciate your comment about traveling with another couple. It is always a lovely evening full of laughter, but the days can be long and frustrating with different paces and interests. |
Originally Posted by coral22
(Post 17478639)
Yay!
I am so happy to be reading another one of your delightful trip reports! The photography is gorgeous and it is an added bonus to see the lovely photos of you and Ed with that fantastic background! I am glad you had great weather and the driving wasn't too challenging, I remember you expressed concern about that. I appreciate your comment about traveling with another couple. It is always a lovely evening full of laughter, but the days can be long and frustrating with different paces and interests. |
Chepar, I hope you are able to visit Scotland again in 2025! I chose Cafe Royal for one of our dinners because of your and Gardyloo's recommendation. The interior is gorgeous with the stained glass and the sticky toffee pudding is to die for!!
Yestravel, so nice to "see" you again! You have a good memory; we did discuss Scotland when we had dinner together in Nafplio. Treesa, Tripplanner001, and Willowjane, thank you so much for your nice comments. I enjoy writing trip reports and going through the photos because I get to re-live the trip again! |
So glad to see you had a spectacular trip. Looking forward to more. Loving your photos, they are very immediate in the sense that I instantly feel what it was like to have been in those places.
I was surprised you called me out as someone who helped in your planning. There I was listed amongst all those Scottish expert dignitaries. :nervous: I had no idea what I had offered and went back and found my post. No matter if you used any of that dated info, but thanks for remembering. Beautiful photos of you two! |
June 1, 2023: Hello Dolly!, a Famous Race Car, and a Vintage Fashion Shoot
Our destination today was the National Museum of Scotland. Joanne wasn’t feeling well this morning, so she stayed at the hotel to rest. So it was the three of us heading off to the museum. We walked there from our hotel (about a 20-minute walk). This museum is awesome!!! Roger doesn’t like to spend a lot of time in museums but he enjoyed this museum so much that we ended up spending most of the day here, including lunch in the café. So that tells you how fantastic the National Museum is! This museum is a combination science, natural history, world cultures, and Scottish history museum with so many interesting and unique exhibits. The main Grand Gallery is architecturally beautiful with a soaring ceiling and lots of light. Some interesting items we saw are Dolly the cloned sheep! Remember her? I couldn’t believe it! For those who might not remember Dolly, she was the first mammal cloned from an adult cell! She was born in 1996 and died in 2003, and is now at peace in the museum. We saw Mary, Queen of Scots, harp; Jackie Stewart’s race car; chessmen from Uig that were made of walrus ivory sometime in the 12th century; prayer wheels from Tibet; a Thunderbird Dancer; and a gorgeous green metal water fountain that was made in Glasgow. And the best part is that this museum is free! You can certainly give a donation, if you wish, but I think it’s amazing and wonderful that such a gem doesn’t charge admission. Luckily, Joanne was feeling better and she was able to join us for a delicious dinner at Makar’s Mash Bar. The meal was awesome and this is one of our favorite restaurants. You should definitely make reservations. There was a couple who entered just before us and they were told they would have to wait one hour for a table. Good thing we had dinner reservations! We shared a Haggis, Neeps & Tatties starter and Scotch Egg. I had grilled sausage with sauce and mashed potatoes; I think the men had grilled lamb and Joanne had grilled chicken. For dessert, Ed and I shared a peach dessert and Roger and Joanne had a parfait. Ed loved his Talisker whisky so much that we made reservations for a Talisker Distillery tour and tasting for when we were on Skye. There were only two openings left for the days we would be on Skye. |
Just about I am thinking a trip to Scotland, you trip report popped up in the forum.
I always like your trip reports. I am tagging along too. Thanks! |
I posted my report for June 1 but it is currently in moderation for some reason. Hopefully, the moderators will post it soon. My photos might appear before my report about the National Museum of Scotland.
Edited: My June 1 report just appeared. It is post #28. |
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Walking to the National Museum of Scotland - a close-up of the Sir Walter Scott Memorial https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e91ead3e8.jpeg I love these yellow flowering trees! I think it's called yellow rain. Near the Princes St. Gardens https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f577c50a6.jpeg The Grand Gallery at the National Museum of Scotland https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...52afd0c4d.jpeg The beautiful water fountain made in Glasgow https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...080678ef1.jpeg Thunderbird Dancer https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f49f6f96c.jpeg I think these carvings are called "night time dreaming" by an Aboriginal artist from Australia https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1590f8967.jpeg Tibetan Prayer Wheels https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8370e0aec.jpeg Jackie Stewart's car is the car on top https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c408ec52a.jpeg Say hello to Dolly, the cloned sheep! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b98c0119.jpeg These are the Lewis or Uig chessmen, named after the island or bay where they were found. They are from the 12th century and carved from walrus ivory. They were found in a chamber in 1831. Origins are probably Viking. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...246d03b19.jpeg A famous harp - belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...17f64510c.jpeg View of Old Town from the museum's rooftop. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6eb645c97.jpeg Vintage fashion gallery https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bfae8d994.jpeg Beautiful white dress from the vintage fashion gallery https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...500547f4c.jpeg How the heck do you walk in this dress??? https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ef28044de.jpeg More lovely vintage clothing https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ea962bdb.jpeg I love this green dress! |
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Our mini Haggis, Neeps & Tatties starter, and our Scotch Egg starter from Makar's Mash Bar https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0dd2d27af.jpeg My delicious sausages with mashed potatoes and gravy https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ca145c420.jpeg Grilled lamb with mashed potatoes and gravy https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b8cb2ea6f.jpeg Our delicious peach crumble with ice cream https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...18ffd9cd7.jpeg Ice cream parfait |
Good to see Dolly is still around at the museum. Send in the clones. Great report. I might have gotten kicked off the board if I commented on the sausages with mashed potatoes and gravy photo. (: Keep it going. Love, love Scotland!
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Originally Posted by maitaitom
(Post 17478687)
Good to see Dolly is still around at the museum. Send in the clones. Great report. I might have gotten kicked off the board if I commented on the sausages with mashed potatoes and gravy photo. (: Keep it going. Love, love Scotland!
Tom, I loved both of your trip reports and used them to help plan our trip. And thanks for your kind comments about my report. And your comments always make me laugh "Send in the clones" :) |
"My post with the museum photos is under moderation. Second post today to go to moderation."
Weird, but I had the same thing happen on my Mexico City trip report a couple of weeks. Kinda strange to have your own trip reports modified. Patience must be our motto. Look forward to more. |
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17478696)
Well, I wonder if I might get kicked off the board for some bizarre reason:worry: My post with the museum photos is under moderation. Second post today to go to moderation. :toj:
Tom, I loved both of your trip reports and used them to help plan our trip. And thanks for your kind comments about my report. And your comments always make me laugh "Send in the clones" :)
Originally Posted by maitaitom
(Post 17478700)
"My post with the museum photos is under moderation. Second post today to go to moderation."
Weird, but I had the same thing happen on my Mexico City trip report a couple of weeks. Kinda strange to have your own trip reports modified. Patience must be our motto. Look forward to more. |
Your photos bring back so many memories. The shot of the St Margaret window - One year I used my own photo of the window (and the matching one of St Columba) as my Christmas cards.
One time the weather was so nice I ate a picnic lunch up on the museum roof terrace. |
Originally Posted by Moderator1
(Post 17478717)
The post with photos of the museum is now visible. Unfortunately we have no control over which posts are intercepted by the spam filter. It is an automated process and rest assured the moderators are not modifying trip reports or legitimate posts.
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Originally Posted by janisj
(Post 17478726)
Your photos bring back so many memories. The shot of the St Margaret window - One year I used my own photo of the window (and the matching one of St Columba) as my Christmas cards.
One time the weather was so nice I ate a picnic lunch up on the museum roof terrace. |
Really lovely pictures!
An architect/developer friend restored some flats above Tweeddale Court (second and third photos in post no.15) and sold one to his brother and sister-in-law, my BFFs, when they moved back to Edinburgh from some years in Yorkshire. They later bought a house in the New Town and let me stay in the Old Town flat on one of my visits. The Old Town is a great place to visit, but living there? Yikes. |
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