In 2012 my sisters, mom, and my cousin went on a 16 day girl’s trip to Ireland, Scotland, and Paris!!! If you have been reading along, then you have already heard all about the Ireland and Paris portions of our trip.
I had been dying to go to Scotland since 2002 when I started reading the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. The Outlander Series is set in Scotland in the 1700’s. Our trip in 2012 did NOT disappoint and we are headed back there in June to see the parts of Scotland that we didn’t get to see last time!!! This time we are starting in Ireland again, then London and 2 more nights in England on our way north to Scotland. Then, back to Dublin for one more night before we head back to the US.
After a week in Ireland, we few over to Edinburgh, Scotland on Aer Lingus for only €1.99+ tax!! Yes, you read that right!!! Overall, it cost us about $30 after the taxes. Why can’t US air travel be this cheap?
We arrived mid-morning, picked up our minivan rental and headed to Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile for some exploring and shopping!!!! I love all the historic architecture.
Edinburgh Castle is amazing!!! Definitely not to be missed on a trip to Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle is set up on the top of volcanic rock overlooking the entire city. The Royal Mile is full of great shopping and restaurants that lead you up hill directly into the castle.
Once you enter the castle, there’s a wonderful gift shop and you can spend hours wandering around the buildings and the battlements. From atop the battlements are the most amazing views of the entire city!!!
The rooms are all very well preserved and filled with tapestries, swords, and amazing furniture. It is easy to imagine this enormous castle as the home of the Scottish royalty for years and the center life in the city. I am an enormous history buff and love to read and learn about life in the past.
After we absorbed all the sights of Edinburgh Castle, we headed back down the Royal Mile, stopping for shopping here and there. We finally settled for some pizza at a little Italian restaurant called Rocco. I know, why pizza? For one thing, the restaurant was not busy, so we were seated and served right away. Plus, we needed a change from the pub food and fish and chips for one night.
We decided to stay just outside Edinburgh at Dalhousie Castle!!! Gorgeous does not even begin to describe this castle hotel. We had 4 rooms for the 6 of us. I loved the 4 poster beds and huge bathrooms. The rooms are spread all over the levels of the castle. Sarah was way up on the top floor!! There are no elevators, but the bell man helped us drag our luggage up the huge flights of stairs. We arrived a little too late for dinner in the dungeons, but we did make time for a lovely drink in the library.
After a great night’s sleep we had an amazing, full Scottish breakfast in the parlor that overlooks the grounds, packed up our luggage and headed out for a full day of castle exploration!!! Dalhousie Castle has a falconry on the grounds. So, make sure you stop by there to see the amazing owls and falcons on display.
Stay tuned for further tales about our 2012 trip to Ireland, Scotland, and Paris!!!!
