A Return to Scotland – Part 1, Edinburgh

Ah Scotland – the place where my heart feels alive.

We found ourselves back in Scotland in November, arriving early Thanksgiving morning. Except this time, we were meeting Jason’s parents at the airport for a 10 day trip around the country much in the same fashion we did the very first time we explored it in 2017. There was one big difference this time: no one night stopovers – that’s crazy. Don’t do that.

We spent Thursday and Friday in Edinburgh exploring the Royal Mile. As always, that first day is brutal if you don’t sleep on the plane (we never do). So, I packed the itinerary full that day to keep us vertical and moving. First up, airport coffee while we waited for his parent’s plane to get in. Next, a cab into the city to drop our bags off at Fraser Suites and then, breakfast. We walked down the Mile to Loudon’s for breakfast. I figured this was a good bet since they usually have a little bit of everything… gluten-free, dairy-free, American breakfast, Scottish breakfast. Everyone was happy. The next time you’re in the area be sure to stop in, you won’t be disappointed.

After breakfast, we wandered to the bottom of the Mile for a tour of Holyrood Palace. They had just decorated the palace for Christmas, so it was a very festive affair. It was a windy, brisk day, so we were thankful for the indoor tour, but the quick walk through the garden was also beautiful in a bleak, colorless way (truly). Then time for more tea (I think this was my third) while we waited for our next tour at the Chocolatorium about halfway back up the hill.

The Chocolatorium tour was highly recommended to us by our students in May, so we thought we should check it out. We had a great, high-energy guide who taught us about chocolate making throughout the world, let us taste what seemed like an infinite amount of chocolate, and helped us create our own unique chocolate bars. I am happy to report that they can accommodate a dairy-free diet for all the tastings (aka dark chocolate). Unfortunately, while chocolate alone does not have gluten, they could not guarantee the processing plants did not have cross-contamination, so Sandy decided to sit the tastings out.

By the end of the chocolate tour, it was dark, at 4 PM (very short days in November). So, after depositing our cocoa winnings for the day back at the hotel after checking in, we headed out for an early dinner at Byron’s Proper Burgers – always a staple on our visits because they, too, accommodate a variety of diets. They also have a good craft brew menu with both beers and ciders, if you’re thirsty. Bellies full, we wandered back up the hill to our beds to call it an early night. I think we were all in bed by 8 PM, had our Sleepsana shots, and were out like lights to prepare for the next day (even if the beds here were really hard).

The next morning, we found a cute breakfast spot on the way to our Edinburgh Castle tour – Deacon’s Café. They, too, were able to accommodate all our allergies (see, it’s not that hard to eat in Scotland!) and we had a lovely fortifying breakfast. This was a good thing because as we walked up the hill to the castle, the wind blew harder and harder, and it got colder and colder! We spent most of the time dodging in and out of buildings and museums and missed a lot of the view from the castle. The wind was just plain icy on top of that ancient volcano! We did manage to catch the 1 PM gun on this trip. For as big as the gun is, and as loud as it is standing there, we’ve never heard it before on all our trips to the city (also, Jason didn’t hear it in the cafe that was about 20 yards away). Unfortunately, the Honors of Scotland were removed for refurbishment the week we were there, so we didn’t get to see them again.

There’s always much shopping to be done in Edinburgh. We do our best to find authentic shops and stay out of the plethora of shops toting cheap Scottish paraphernalia made elsewhere. This is also true of the nicer clothing, so if you’re looking for Harris Tweed or Scottish cashmere, make sure you’re buying the real thing. We rounded out this time in the city with shopping, wandering the city streets, and admiring the Christmas Market lights from afar. We didn’t venture down to the markets because of the brutal wind that day. That was a bit of a bummer. Instead, we found a great Mexican street food tapas place for dinner – yes, Mexican in Scotland. We were so curious, we had to try it – El Cartel. Phenomenal. We ordered a little bit of everything on the menu and ate more tacos than I ever have in my life. #wheninscotland…? We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and back to the hotel to pack up and get some sleep. In the morning we were headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car and head out into the highlands – my favorite!

Next week!