Edinburgh, Scotland

The first weekend of Belles school break found us in Edinburgh Scotland.  We took the train up and stayed at the Old Waverly Hotel.  (thanks Gloria for the recommendation) After a 5 hour train ride, we were ready to walk around and find somewhere to eat.  We landed at the Hard Rock Cafe!  Yes, they had Ranch Dressing for their salads.  It is a wonderful thing that no matter where the Hard Rock is, it is the same food.  After dinner, Belle made the comment that our waiter sounded like he was from America.  After thinking about it, I realized she was right.  I didn't struggle with a Scottish Brogue accent.  We asked, and found out he is actually from Canada, working in the Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh!  I guess we should have asked why, but we didn't.  I think it is funny that the 6 year old noticed the lack of an accent before we did.  :)  We walked around the "new town" area and then went back to the hotel, rented a movie, read and went to bed.  My kind of evening!  

The next day, Sunday,  we took 3 different bus tours, went to Camera Obscura and went to the castle.  Belle fell off one of the canon's and landed flat on her stomach and face!  When she started crying,  I at least knew she was alive, although hurting.  When I got her up, her nose was swelling on one side and she was bleeding from that nostril.  Thankfully I had a tissue with us and took her over to the side to sit down.  Meanwhile, Dan had paid for an audio tour and this involved headphones on his head.  He walked over to us and LOUDLY asked "is she ok?".  And I mean loud!  You know how it is,  we always speak louder than we need to when we think no one can hear us because we can't hear them well?  LOL  We moved on from there, and later that day she had a two little shadows under her eyes, but it never got anymore worse than that thankfully.   We went to lunch that day at Garfunkles on the Royal Mile.  It was very American also.  Yummy.  We had a 4:00 appointment at Mary King's Close.  This is a warren of hidden "closes" where real people lived, worked and died.  What is left of these homes and closes are below the Royal Mile.  Years ago as they began putting new buildings along the Royal Mile, they just lobbed off these homes and built the new buildings on the footings of these old homes.  As they kept building, they also created arches underneath and put in the new road.  So there is literally homes and little streets under the Royal Mile.  It was one of the most awesome things we have ever seen!  We were not allowed to take pictures, so I don't have any to show you!  Sorry.

Monday we slept in and then headed out sightseeing again.  Another bus tour, we saw the Queens boat the Royal Yacht, Brittania.  We found an awesome Mexican restaurant on the Royal Mile.  Panchos.  (thanks Miranda for the heads up)  It was wonderful, authentic Mexican food in Scotland.  Then we went on a search for some Starbucks coffee mugs.  I collect them everywhere we go and after going to 3 different coffee stores, we found them.  Then it was a race back to the hotel, collect luggage and make the 3:00 p.m. train back to Peterborough.  There it is !  Scotland in a weekend.  Easy to do when living in England!  

The Scott Monument - Across the street from our hotel

Princes Street

Edinburgh Castle - built on old volcanic rock, great for defense

Church in "old town" Edinburgh - the headquarters of a yearly festival that takes place in Edinburgh.

Up in the castle looking over Edinburgh - notice how you can see the sea in the background.

Belle sitting on canon balls

Caleb by the canon up on the hill next to the chapel

Sister's surgery

This is my sister Molly.  She is younger than I by 13 months.  I have greatly missed her while here in England.  Dawn, whom most of you have met, (another sister) dared me to post this picture.  Molly is at the hospital this afternoon (her morning) and she is having Carpal Tunnel Surgery on her elbow and wrist.  I thought it was worth posting, as I believe that she looks like an artist getting ready to paint a masterpiece!  I wonder if she let this get taken before or after the happy drug?    :)  Love you Mols!

Malta Slideshow

Malta

Dawn and I on the Dingli Cliffs

Pam descending into the Catacombs

The family walking in Mdina

The courtyard of the villa looking to the house

Pam and Dan, Belle (6), Caleb (13) and Ben (18)

Just a quick note on our trip to Malta.  We had a wonderful time.  We were told that the people of Malta were very nice and they were.  We were always greeted with a smile, candy for the kids, and little old men who would show us "empty" parking spots and then want a "little" something.  You gotta earn your money somewhere on those small islands!  Really, really nice people though.  The island of Malta has been Roman Catholic since St. Paul shipwrecked there.   The people of Malta loved Paul, and their faith is shown all over the island with churches and shrines everywhere.   On Malta, divorce is illegal and english is the chosen language.  

The island was so small, that we were only 5 minutes from the airport and about 10 minutes from the capital, Valleta, which was on the other side of the island!  This being the case, we were able to see and do a lot more than was expected.  Our village of Zurrieq, was on the southwest side of the island and near the sea.  We stayed in a villa that was a 300 year old farmhouse/mill that had been converted.  It was like a mini castle.  A cold mini castle!  From the outside, you just saw a stone building and a red door, but open the door, and all kinds of beautiful things awaited.  It really was set up with the bedrooms surrounding a central courtyard with a pool and jacuzzi.  The crime is very low in Malta, and we felt very safe there walking around at night.  We weren't used to the "siesta" when stores closed from 12-4.   Because we went during an off time, not during a high season, two nights we went without a dinner of sorts.  One night we drove clear across the island to Valletta in search of somewhere to eat.  Valletta is on a hillside, and by the time we saw somewhere to eat, we were past it and couldn't figure out how to get back!  lol  Crackers and cheese that night!  

We saw temples older than the pyramids, mountains, caves, old cities, cliffs, more Bays than you can shake a stick at, the Hypogeum, sheepherders on the road with their sheep and of course, wonderful hillsides filled with blooming color!  If you get the chance, go to Malta, see the many hues of blue color in the sea, and experience history like you have never seen, heard or walked it before.   A wonderful place to visit!