Travel Day/England Day 1

Early on Saturday morning, we finally made it all the way up to Edinburgh Castle.  By now, the temp had dropped considerably and was a chilly 13C compared to yesterday's 25C.  Brr!  Standing on the top of the rock probably didn't help things as it felt like we could get blown away. 

We headed back to the car (thank Bert and Ernie for the Edinburgh parking spot!) and drove out of Edinburgh.  We stopped at the border for pictures as we said good-bye to Scotland and hello to England. 

One last Scottish photo :)

Edinburgh, Day 2

Joan fed us all up with a big breakfast and then marched us out of the hotel for the day.  The sun was splitting the heavens and it turned out to be a very warm day, no idea of the temp in F but it was 25C and toasty.  First stop for a photo was at St. Giles cathedral.  We then decided we should take a bus tour around the city and let the children see all the hot spots. 

 Headed back in the direction of our hotel (this was the view from the lobby) and started our tour. 

This turned out to be one of the very few photos I snapped of Holyrood House (the Queen's official residence in Edinburgh).  We couldn't get any closer that day as a member of the Royal Family was in residence.  

Salisbury Crags

 Above and below are the Scottish Parliament buildings. 

 One of our "must sees" in Edinburgh was Greyfriar's Bobby. 

I'm not sure who this is, but the photo was by Chloe.  Castle in the background. 

After we did 2 laps on the bus tour (we don't like to miss anything!) we got off at Princes Street.  First stop on walking tour: Princes Street Gardens. 

 Cole was fascinated on the bus tour as, in addition to the audio channel that gave a commentary on the areas of interest, there was also a channel called "Horrible Histories".  It told tales of people being tortured and hanged, murdered or beheaded.  We had to walk down to the area that was notorious for having its graves robbed. 

Then over to see Bobby, up close. 

And on to the "birthplace of Harry Potter" as it proclaims itself.  This is the cafe where Jo Rowling started to write Harry Potter. 

We walked back to the Royal Mile (Cole was on a mission to buy Edinburgh Rock) and the girls tried on hats. 

Past John Knox's house. 

And up George Street. 

Finally, we made it back to the Royal Mile, just in time to catch the last of the sun at St. Giles, before we found somewhere for dinner. 

Edinburgh, day 1

This turned out to be a busy day. We dropped Annette at the airport, and then went to Belfast to get the HSS ferry from Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland.  This was the first time the children had been on the car ferry. 

Joan brought a picnic. 

 Gorgeous weather in Stranraer with good views of the Ailsa Craig. 

 Finally we stumbled across the Holy Grail.  We'd planned this part of the trip to be able to see the Electric Brae, outside Ayr.  We spent quite a while freewheeling "uphill". 

 This is the view from the Electric Brae out towards Ailsa Craig. 

We drove up to Glasgow, before heading over to Edinburgh. 

Our hotel was right around the corner from the Royal Mile so we were bang in the centre of the city. 

 Practically all of my parenting dreams came true when all 3 were excited to stumble across an entrance to the Ministry of Magic!  How'd I get so lucky to have 3 kids who all love Harry Potter?! 

I am sure there were a few Muggles wondering why children were posing at a phone box! 

 These are the horses from the riding school where the girls go to ride on the weekend. 
 On the last day of Annette's holiday, we took a quick run over to Downpatrick to shop see where St. Patrick is buried. 

North Coast

 It took a few days to recover from Dublin.  Well, more like 24 hours as we spent Saturday over at Hillsborough, walking around the lake.   We managed to escape with only 1 child as the girls had gone for a riding lesson.  Saturday night, we went for an Indian for dinner and then hit the town.  As in, Ballynahinch.  Haha.  We partied it up in Cloisters. 

 Lots of people called for the craic over the weekend. 

 We posed in my mum's new kitchen. 

 Look, Michele!  A MN blanket!

After the weekend, we were in serious need of some fresh air, so along with Joy, Ken and Granny G, we set off to drive up the north coast.

 The Vistitors' Centre at the Causeway is undergoing a revamp so we set off on a path that was new to us. 

 Same good views though. 
I don't know what this child is doing without her coat, it was a pretty windy day. 

Funky Stones

  

 We have these photos from years past, but somehow every time you see it, it's as impressive as it was the time before. 

Group shot at the Giant's Boot.

We had a picnic lunch (thanks, Ken!) right at the water and then set off for the drive home.