More about our hotel: This was my first Conrad experience, so naturally I was excited!! The hotel is in a prime location and is very, close to all the things we wanted to see. \240Right across the street is the tube, which also made things easier.

(A small caveat: I work for Hilton and a lot of the hotels I stay at are part of the family. Therefore, I will never say much, outside of how delightful they all are! \240I will also never really talk about price because we get work perks.)

The iconic hotel below! There is always a good feeling about arriving to your destination after an all night flight (especially when you didn’t sleep much) and you can finally drop off the luggage you’ve been transporting.

Since we arrived before check-in, We stored our luggage and then made our way to St James Park. I’ve found that jet lag is helped with lots of fresh air! \240We grabbed a takeaway coffee from the underground for the walk. The day was a little blustery, but as soon as the sun came out, it was actually quite lovely.

Photo: Views from the park included the eye.

Photo: Flowers in bloom.

Photo: views of the park from near Buckingham.

Photo: Marvelous gates at Buckingham.

Video: St James Park from the blue bridge.

Let me take a moment to introduce you to my travel buddy, Paul. Paul is one my colleagues and dearest friends. About a year ago, I was trying to think of places I wanted to go for my birthday (which is in October). I was initially planning to go to Paris, but I thought maybe the Uk would also be fun - plus going to Scotland has been a dream of mine for some time. I checked our travel website for Hilton team members, saw that there was availability for the Waldorf in Edinburgh, and then proceeded to book rooms around the UK based on this. In conversation it came up that i was going and Paul Instantly asked me if he could join me. The rest is history making this trip a year in the making. This was also Paul’s first time across the pond, so his enthusiasm the whole time really made the trip.

Photo: Paul and I outside of the Palace (did I also mention we’re both obsessed with the royals?)

Photo: The gates were by far my favorite feature.

Photo: me in front of the palace. Taken in portrait mode.

Photo: The Canadian Memorial.

We continued to walk through Green Park as far as the Wellington Arch before we were to make our way back to St James for the horse parade and changing of the guards.

Photo: Wellington Arch

Before that however, we had to stop for iconic photo shoots with London phone booths. (PS - they are very smelly inside).

Whew! Just in time for the horse parade. What a beautiful procession.

We literally had to jog down the road to keep up with them.

Photo: horses on parade.

Photo: the pretty horses and uniforms.

Photo: The 🐎 are gorgeous - I couldn’t stop taking photos of them.

Photo: look at those white feet!

Photos: Paul and I in front of the procession. Taken in portrait mode.

Photo: the new guard. Soon they will be taking over.

💕💕

I really do love ceremonial and traditional things.

Video: the red guard is leaving and letting the blue take over.

Photo: archway

Photo: facade from a different angle.

I don’t know that I ever realized how many “famous” people are buried at the abbey or that so many royals lay to rest here. There are \240beautiful side chapels, where Mary and Elizabeth lie and the tour even ends with the poets corner. What I do love about the audio tours is that you can go at your own pace, linger over certain areas, & listen to as many extra tidbits as you want.

Photo: the interior courtyard

Photo: maybe this is considered the front entrance, but this is where the tours let you in.

After the Abbey tour was done, we decided to walk by Parliment and search for Big Ben. We didn’t realize until we were literally right there that Ben was under severe renovations. That was a slight let down. But what are you going to do? 🤷‍♀️

Photo: Big Ben under construction.

Photo: parliament

Photo: view down the river Thames

As you can tell, I’m super excited about the bottle we’re about to throw down.

I want the art that hangs from the walls.

Photo: a geeked out somm.

Let’s talk about Pinot Meunier for a second. This is the third grape grown in the champagne region. I always feel that it is an understated grape since it is typically thrown into a cuvée as a blending grape to provide body and richness. In the states it is rare to find a champagne made of 100% - naturally this always intrigues me and those that I have tried, I have loved. (Even though I am a Pinot noir champagne girl as much as anybody).

We tried the Christophe Mignon 100% Pinot Meunier - it averaged about 50£. I paired this with some corn dogs, while Paul ordered a Rueben dog. All I can say is yum!!!!

I mean 🥂🥂

Photo: the pink sign is everything.

Side note: the chef who owns this also has a restaurant in the back. And that restaurant is a Michelin restaurant. If I ever go back to London, I will be eating there (and then going out for champagne).

Check them out here

After dinner we decided to walk to a gin bar. A google search turned up three options, but we found ourselves at the Gin Club. We didn’t have reservations, but they were able to seat us after 20 minutes. The menu was huge and Paul and I really wanted to try different Gins than what you find here. The menu was divided up Into the different characteristics of gin and listed with the garnish. I asked the server what she recommended and I ended up with bathtub Gin, which was spicy like Cardomon. They serve each shot of gin with Fever Tree tonic. I ended up paying a pound so I could buy the menu - that’s how robust it was.

Photo: bathtub gin with tonic

We walked for a bit in the neighborhood before calling an Uber and getting back to the hotel, where we laid out clothes and plans for the next day. And then we crashed.

Photo: Dress for your Day: later that day we would be heading to the Harry Potter tour, so I had to represent my 🐍 house for the duration of the day.

We headed out for a morning tour at The Tower of London. It was high on our list of places to see. The tickets were around 28£. We decided to take one of the Beefeater tours so that we could enjoy the benefits of an in person guided tour.

Photos: a little cheese before we go in.

Our guide was Beefeater Dave and he took us to three different spots within the walls of the tower, including the Bloody Tower, aptly named because of its gory history. \240Because I’ve always loved the history of Anne Boylen and the Elizabethan area, wandering around those grounds was in some ways surreal and super educational.

The tour was informative and left me absolutely fascinated with the beefeaters, who, as it turned out, have all served in her majesty’s army and have a distinctive rank and history of good conduct.

Photo: Beefeater Dave below.

Standing in view of the white Tower, which is thee tower.

The white tower below from another angle.

Photo: Tudor style residence where the queen used to live and is now home to the yeoman warden.

Tower bridge in the background.

The Crown Jewels rest here! \240Remember, you’re not allowed to take 📷

Photo: Paul and I in front of the white tower

Ps - there are actually 21 towers at the Tower of London. Who knew?!

And in order to get to the market, we had to cross London Bridge (which did not fall down)

The sights, the smells, the sounds.

We found an oyster bar - it took us a hot minute. We managed to find a seat at the bar, ordered some English sparkling wine & enjoyed a meal of these three oysters. All from Ireland or English shorelines.

Photo: oysters!

The Irish ones were so creamy - never tasted anything quite like it before. One of the English ones tasted of the sea.

Photo: oyster carnage

Just as we were starting to leave, the sky opened up and it was raining. We took an Uber back to collect our luggage and made it to the train on time to head to Watford

Photo: rainy streets

Special note: The afternoon was spent getting to Watford so that we could do the Harry Potter tour, which was scheduled for 5 pm. We had to take the underground to the overground, then took a taxi to the hotel. For more on the Harry Potter experience, please check out my Harry Potter travel log.

Once we landed, it was time to pick up our rental car for the next three and a half days to drive north. I should mention that our plan to fly into Glasgow was based on driving north to the Stirling area for a few days before making our way to Edinburgh via St. Andrews. Having a car made these logistics so much easier.

Since I’ve had experience driving on the left side of the road, Paul designated me as driver (which works just fine for me). It took some time to remember what I was doing and man, getting out of the airport, and through the first 3 roundabouts was rough, but eventually I picked it up again. There may have been an incident later down the road with a certain emergency break and a passenger, but let’s just say we both survived.

*Overall we counted 100 roundabouts in the course of the time we rented. For those who are from the states, you have to remember to enter the roundabout from not only the left side, but also counter-clockwise. It’s tough, but I have to say I do love zipping around them, flying by the seat of my pants at each one.

Video: starting the drive up north.

Video: the wheel in motion

You can take boat tours from this site, but Paul and I were content to just walk up the hill and walk along the canals. Here, we could take in the views and enjoy the fact that we were in Scotland!

Photo: view from the canals at the bottom of the wheel.

Photo: The view from the top below. You can see how the wheel rotates up to this point and then the boats are free to float down the canal.

Photo: and here they go!

Photo: here we are at the middle point between Glasgow and Edinburgh

The kelpies shown here are 30m high sculptures of these mythical creatures. They are in the middle of a park called the Helix. It did seem like you can take tours and go inside the structures. Paul and I just decided to take some photos and marvel at the shade the kelpies seemed to be throwing at us.

Like all the shade!

More shade.

Photo: pizza with artichokes and prosciutto.

Once we had a full stomach, it was time to taste some local scotch. I had picked the Heritage tour at Deanston Distillery, which included a small walking tour of the village along with the tasting. I think it was about £50 give or take and was meant to last two hours.

The distillery is right next to water (which is important for distilling). Later on the tour we would find out that the river Teith was the second fastest flowing river in Scotland. It is responsible for the entire production and energy efficiency of the Distillery.

Video: distillery with river

Photo: river Teith

We crossed this bridge several times over the next few days. This view right here is what I imagined Scotland to be. Bonnie!

Now let’s go taste some Scotch!

Deanston Distillery

The Heritage tour, as I had mentioned is a cultural tour which not only gives you a glimpse of the whisky operation, but also the surrounding village. The building of the distillery was once a mill and the village was built to house all the workers so it still resembles that of a settlement. \240Here is the clock tour that was built in the 1920s in memory of Lady Muir of Deanston (a popular local figure).

During the tour, a local man who may have been a bit into his cups, interrupted with stories that I could only understand every other five words or so - his Scottish accent was so strong. It added quite the local flair to the tour.

After the walking tour, we were treated to the actual distillery tour. We were not allowed to take photos of the stills save in one spot (because of the heat I guess).

Photo: barrels stored outside

The beautiful stills 🥰

They still keep these rooms locked for inside is a treasure worth a pretty penny.

The best room in the building.

We then were moved to a small room where our tour guide Alex led us in a tasting of three drams, which is included in the tour price.

He ended up pouring us an additional one because of the local man interrupting our tour.

My favorite of the whiskys we were poured was the Virgin Oak, one of their staples. I also enjoyed their 18 year old.

I was waiting for the tour guide to notice my shirt. Bourbon does go with everything, including scotch!

We classy! \240

Sometimes it’s amazing how things come full circle. During the tour I found out the parent company also produces Amarula, which is the cream liqueur from South Africa that I used to pour at tastings years ago. Now I’m drinking their Scotch. Small world.

There were bagpipes playing as we pulled up. I’d like to say they were just for us, but there was a wedding going on when we arrived. Which made parking not so fun and set us both in a slight temper. To be fair, it had been a long day and we had been up since 4 am.

Look at this view !

I mean - this is something out of a movie. And I really tried to embrace our arrival experience despite the parking situation.

The cookie 💕

My first Scottish beer on the trip!

We were going to eat in the restaurant at the hotel - the chef is award winning and this was listed as one of the top three restaurants in the city of Dunblane. The hotel was busier than we had anticipated that Sunday evening because when we went down, there were no reservations available. We decided to call it a loss and go eat in the bar instead. Same chef. Almost the same menu. I ordered steak with a whisky peppercorn sauce. I don’t remember what Paul had.

Both of us were feeling pretty spent so we decided to order a dram and take it upstairs. We discovered google box, a television show where people are filmed watching tv. It’s pretty amazing.

Isn’t this hotel just gorgeous!

The stags 🦌

After a full Scottish breakfast, complete with my first taste of haggis, we were off and running. The plan for the day was to drive to Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, about an hour away from Dunblane.

This was our first view of the Scottish countryside up close.

We ended up in a town called Balloch, which is at the base of Loch Lomond. We were attempting to find a visitors center so we would know what to find around the lake and stumbled into this town by accident. \240

The river leven

The town of Balloch.

We went to the visitors center and picked up a map of the region.

Photo: Paul posing between trees

Photo: the entrance into the walled garden. I was having some secret garden moments as we walked through.

Photo: I tried not to edit these photos because the sun was still rising and part of the garden was still in shadow.

Photo: you can see where little pops of fall color are starting to spring.

Photo: like this little guy.

Photo: among the “wildflowers”

Photo: now we need some sunglasses.

Video: around the walled garden

Photos and Video: just taking in this scenery.

Perhaps one of these mountains is Ben Lomond ?

Photo: that’s where we are going.

Photo; the lake of Monteith. This is Scotland’s only “lake” (vs a Loch). Most think this was just a map spelling error.

Photos: what remains of the priory.

Video: the nave of the priory.

Video: the island is so still and quiet, it really does feel like sanctuary. All you could hear are the birds.

Photos: close up of the nave windows

Photo: while some of it is under restoration, it doesn’t take away from the beauty of the priory.

Photo: this was to the kitchen I believe.

Photo: now I’m just getting artsy.

This made a pretty view! \240Some couple was sitting on that bench for a long time. I waited patiently for them to move just so I could take this photo.

Photo: view from the dormitories.

Photos: we decided to take a short walk around the island, which took less than 15 minutes.

Photo: views of the priory as we are leaving in the boat.

It’s still chilly, but I decided a little wind wasn’t going to hurt me.

I don’t know that I’ve been on a horse since I was a wee one (maybe 7 or 8)- Paul had never been. I think we were both a little nervous and I was super excited (maybe more so than Paul).

Video and photos: scenery from the horse farm.

We were matched with our horses: Paul with LB; me with Ella (a beautiful Irish Cobb). The guy explained to me how riding English saddle was different than Western, but I don’t know that I would know the difference since I’m not a rider. I can tell you that it was a lot harder than I imagined. I’m pretty sure my guide was getting annoyed with me because i couldn’t get Ella to move (by pressing my thighs against her side to say move)

All Ella wanted to do was eat and I can’t say I blame her. I’d take eating over exercise any day. We did end up adjusting my stirrups and it helped but I will not be taking up riding anytime soon.

But this is exactly what I was dreaming of.

We did spot some red deer on the trek - far off in the distance. And as we got closer to the end, Ella had no issues moving because she knew it was time to eat.

Riding pretty much wiped us out, so we decided to stop at the Wool Centre to pick up souvenirs and then have some pints at the Faerie Tree.

Photos: all about the fireplace and product placement.

The cathedral and cemetery (two of my favorite sites). This was truly beautiful. The cathedral was closed by the time we walked to it on the other side of town.

Photo: view of the town from the cathedral

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but you will notice that I really do love cemeteries, especially the older ones. When I lived in Boston, Not only would I go to the several along the Freedom Trail, but used \240to walk though Mount Auburn cemetery at least once a week.

Video: views of the cemetery

We found a restaurant that overlooked the churchyard and was on the second floor of a hotel called Old Churches House. I had a small bottle of sparkling wine, Paul did some G&T. I went for the duck and haggis bon bons. The server talked us into onion rings & fries. And then I had a sea trout with lemon sauce. I was a little concerned because I was afraid sea trout would taste like salmon, which i can’t stand. When it arrived, it was trippy. It looks just like salmon BUT tasted just like trout. It was delicious and even though I hate mashed potatoes (I swear I’m not a fussy eater), it was one of the more memorable meals of the trip.

We ended the night with a dram of this local scotch: Glengoyne. And while we couldn’t get google box to come back on, we found some equally fabulous shows to watch before crashing (and another early morning).

Another early morning rise so we could drive to the north side of Loch Lomond-Trossachs. Destination for the morning: Falls of Falloch.

As we were driving along the countryside how we, we stumbled into this gorgeous scenery. It looks like something right out of Harry Potter.

After some online research, I discovered this spot is called Glen Ogle and this is the viaduct that runs through it. A similar viaduct up in the Highlands is actually where they filmed the train scenes from HP, but we can still pretend.

Video: surrounding scenery

The Falls of Falloch

The falls were located a little over an hour away from Stirling. It’s a surprisingly little area because the turnoff (while somewhat marked) sneaks up on you. There is a small lot to park and the falls are less than a 1/2 mile walk. It’s strange to think something so beautiful can be that close to the road.

(Usually the waterfalls I encounter are in the mountains and i have to hike there)

Photo: fall selfies

The Gaelic name for this waterfall means - hidden.

One of the reasons I upgraded my phone this year was just so I could do travel photos in portrait mode. This looks just a little like a senior photo session, but I love it.

The leaves are just starting to turn color here. I bet in mid-October, it’s amazing.

It’s quiet and serene here.

There is a little footbridge that runs to an overlook where there sits some poetry by \240Dorothy Wordsworth (younger sister to William).

The bens in the backdrop.

And now an entire photo shoot of the Highland coos 😍😍

He’s got style.

But first: scones at the Buttercup Cafe in the village of Doune.

Doune Castle: home to The Duke of Albany (also known as Earl of Menteith), but as mentioned above, known more for being a film site to Monty Python & the show Outlander.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet, but it is an excellent travel trip. If you are spending 3-7 days or more in Scotland, you need to look at buying the Explorer Pass -the pass gives you access to over 70 different historic sites. If you plan to go to more than three while there, it is definitely worth it!

Photo: Bonnie Scotland flag flying over Doune

Photos: exterior of the castle

Photo: I just had to get a photo of me standing in ye old kitchen

One of the awesome & amazing things about this tour was that it comes with an audio tour narrated by actor/writer Terry Jones. He not only spoke about all the history and happenings at the Castle under the Duke, but also had bonus snips from Monty Python (different in each room of course).

Photo: this is where they would sharpen the kitchen knives.

The great hall: where they eat ham, jam, and spamalot. (Knights of the Round Table)

Video: Above the kitchen is this bedroom where Mary, Queen of Scots used to stay.

The Privy.

Views from the second floor.

This is the scene from Swamp Castle.

Audio tour selfies.

Views of the courtyard.

Outside, they are doing some restoration.

Pretty sure Terry is saying something hilarious.

The wall on which the taunting Frenchmen sit

“I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal-food-trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries.”

(You may have figured out I’m a huge. \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 Monty Python fan)

History note: the original duke of Albany passed this to his son Murdoch in 1420. Very soon after, when King James I returned to Scotland, Murdoch and his two sons were held for treason (although the reason is still a little murky for me). Either way, this Castle has some great historical significance aside from being a great place to film movies and shows.

This was a highlight of mine for certain!

Photos: exterior of Castle & upper gardens.

Panoramics from Paul. On the right is the battlefield from Battle of Bannockburn

We didn’t make it to the battle site visitors center, but the castle provides the arieal view. This battle led by Robert the Bruce saw the castle once again under Scottish rule (and I guess technically would perhaps be the last scene of Braveheart - technically).

Photo: forget me; look at that fortress!

This picture is 👌

Actually this one is my favorite from the trip. (Maybe it’s because I look tan, but I just think I’m in my element; Scotland agrees with me - must be in the blood).

Views of the town cathedral and cemetery

Far off in the distance is the Wallace monument, near Stirling Bridge (important, but I’ll fill you in later)

Videos: to see the scenery beyond.

And more of the battlefield.

From the courtyard.

Those cliffs I mentioned earlier:⤵️

Photo: replicas of the Stirling heads made by one of the castles restoration artists.

The Stirling Heads Gallery: one of the highlights from the castle. These heads are a sign of the wealth of the royal family (I believe these were created for one of the James). These wooden carved heads (suspended from the ceiling of the Kings inner ball) are made up of royal family members, Greek gods, Roman emperors and even the court jester. When the ceiling of the original hall collapsed, the heads ended up dispersed across the nation. What could be recovered is now on a special display at the castle.

Photos: gargoyles (some to represent Greek mythology).

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Because the monument is on top of another crag, the two options for touring are to take a tour bus up the hill or to walk it. We opted to walk as a chance to get more fresh air, more steps in, and a chance to walk out to the overlook to see all of Stirling (overlook below).

We arrived at the monument slightly out of breath (them steep hills). And began our ascent up the stairs. The monument has a winding staircase (which is not meant for big groups of people to pass one another), which stops into three different exhibit rooms, perfect for taking a break before climbing more stairs.

Bust of Robert the Bruce in the Hall of Heroes.

The sword of Wallace.

Once you reach the last stair (roughly 293 according to our count on the way down), you walk outside on the top platform in order to see these views. You are able to see the Bridge of Stirling from the top, which is one of the most famous battles that Sir William fought and won.

It was quite chilly once we reached the top, but these views are worth it.

Here I go again: the gothic ceilings are my favorite!

Trying some more Irish and English beers.

Dinner @ Brea. This was a favorite meal of ours.

I started out with Venison Carpaccio. Delicious.

Paul’s: Lamb Chops

Katie’s: surf & turf with both peppercorn & whiskey sauces.

Capturing some of the local architecture .

The Laphroaig with the bleu cheese was 👌

Cheers!!!

From Dunblane to St. Andrews, it’s roughly an hour and a half. The countryside we drove through was a lot more farmland and smaller towns. When we arrived to St. Andrews, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the sun was shining. We had read that it can be difficult to find parking, so we made our way to a side street off the main road and lucked out.

We decided to begin at the Cathedral & Castle since it was still early.

I’m in love with the cemeteries here. And the sky on this day was the best!! 🙌

St.Andrews Cathedral

The castle Ruins

The sun is coming out and up.

Video: Views from the Cathedral grounds

The audio tour was one of the best I’ve had. The woman who led it is a volunteer and has been for the last decade. She and her husband relocated from the states.

What a beautiful day!!!

More views of the courses

Golfers: apparently this place is so popular, it’s hard to get in!

During the tour

Love this guys outfit!

You can see the 18th hole Swilcan Bridge in the background.

The clubhouse.

🙌

All I can think of is that my dad will be jealous!

Fore!!

The bridge was initially built to herd sheep over the water as they grazed between the different holes.

It’s an iconic moment to cross the bridge as you play your last hole of the old course. And for those who pay for a walking tour, you get your photo op moment.

People playing on the beach

I’m feeling very much in my element.

Of course, it also helps that the weather was perfect this day. While windy, it was the warmest day we had climbing up Into the late 50s.

I really think the Scottish air agrees with me.

I did learn that because it’s close to the sea, St Andrews doesn’t get a lot of snow. I could live with that.

This advertised itself as a gin distillery - we saw the sign as we were driving and said why not?

Paul tasted a gin flight - I did a whisky flight.

I’m very serious about the craft.

Now we just sip and enjoy the sunshine.

This is like a scene out of Glochester Massachusetts

The Wee Chippy is where we landed for lunch. We were able to take it to go and then walked along the pier eating the delicious morsels.

A little time lapse video of our room.

Our room type was for a twin suite. This was a lot larger than anticipated. This was one of three rooms we experienced (as we had some plumbing issues and were moved a few times). I didn’t mind this however since we got to see some beautiful rooms.

And of course, a little welcome gift.

The closure got stuck so it took me some time to get the cork popped!

But drinking champagne at the Waldorf = living the best life ❤️🥂

We booked an evening ghost tour. And decided that this night should be a night we stayed up and drank a lot.

Katie is not taking off the hat.

Loved seeing the old sketches.

Views of the castle from the hotel.

Peacock Alley: used to be the terminal, now the lobby bar.

Cocktails in Peacock Alley.

Followed by Scottish Beers at the Caley Bar.

We had booked the Cadies & Witchery Tour the day before we drove from up north.

Adam Lyal (deceased) was our tour guide along with this little guy (who provided the comedy relief).

The castle at night.

Witches & Debauchery!!!!

I think this is everybody’s favorite street: Victoria Street

In fact, this is definitely the street that I tumbled down, like literally rolled. Mostly because I hit a drain on the sidewalk (not because of the cocktails and beer I consumed prior).

I had a cocktail with Scotch, Cherry, Sherry & Bitters - my kind of jam!!

Loved the ambiance of this place (sadly I think this place has permantley closed)

All lit up!!

We finished out the night back at the Caley Bar - taking advantage of our team member discount to taste through as many drams as possible!

We talked the bartender into pouring us some unique drama that you can’t get in the states, like this Tomatin.

We then went back to our room and ordered some late night room service.

A view of the Parish Church.

My only thought in this early morn is we have to climb up there 😒

The Ross Fountain: one of many monuments in the city.

Views of the city from the battery.

Among the sites to see are the Scottish National War Memorial pictured below here.

Views of the city from the battery.

The Battery

The Royal Palace

The Great Hall

The crowning of Robert the Bruce (although he kind of looks like Neil Patrick Harris).

In the courtyard.

Inside the War Monument.

City views

The oldest building on the grounds - St Margaret’s Cathedral

The outside of the cathedral

Prisoners of War Exhibit: held in the vaults that used to hold pirates and prisioners. This was one of the original doors where prisioners carved their names.

Last Castle of the trip!!!

We see animals like this.

And bagpipers!

The surroundings.

The Hub - which is the Edinburgh Festival Center.

And we saw this little cutie. Yes that’s a real 🦉

Random City Squares.

Victoria Street in Daylight

The Wee Pub

Me on the Royal Mile.

There I go with the ceilings, but how could you not. The Scottish blue and the details of the stars.

The stained glass.

Close up detail

Love the archways!

Walking along the gardens

I went for some soup since it was feeling a little chilly outside and Paul went for a nice goat cheese salad.

Just a fun little establishment!

When we got back to our hotel, we had switched rooms. Below is the view we had - not too shabby, I’d say! \240

I then proceeded to take a nap while Paul went to use the spa.

Views of the castle

Amuse Bouche

We opted in for the Prestige menu with wine pairings & cheese course.

Not on the menu: duck liver pate

Halibut Dish with foam!

tomato dish

Pork Rillettes

A favorite of mine served with apples and an English muffin

John Dory a strange dish I had never heard of until now.

Intermezzo

Beef Tenderloin

Cheese cart!

We selected only Scottish and English

cheeses to try.

Dessert #1

The green portion is the lovage sorbet. I really enjoyed the herbal essence of the dish.

Paul and I after several sips of wine

Dessert #2 and the completion

The smoked ganache was interesting.

We were one of five tables served that night and definitely the last to leave (it was a Thursday night after all)

Truly memorable experience doing the

tasting menu

Naturally I had to stage a photo shoot of me in the luxurious robes at the Waldorf (and I did stage it as I’m fully dressed in my day wear underneath 😂)

Since our train wasn’t leaving for Glasgow until the afternoon, we took a short walk over to Dean Village. This village is just a short walk from the hotel and used to be an old mill town.

We walked through the cemetery first.

It’s very tucked away.

🙌

After the stroll through the village, we collected our bags and hailed a taxi to the train station. Inside of the cab:

We planned to walk to our hotel because it was fairly close - which we did and it was close ish, even though I initially walked us in the wrong direction so it took us a little bit longer.

Once at the hotel, we decided to have an afternoon tea (Paul had lunch). The place recommended to us by the hotel was called Mackintosh at the Willow. They are one of the oldest tea houses in Glasgow, but also just underwent renovations and updates.

We took some mixers to the room however so we could try the many gin and liqueurs of Edinburgh Gin Distillery.

Then a walk around the block to the Butterfly and the Pig for another delicious meal.

Ron Swanson ❤️❤️ (my hero)

Some olives and salad to get us started.

And some damn delicious pork belly with a soy glaze. So good, but so filling so I didn’t do a good job of finishing it.

Of course there were pints.

I loved this place for their food, but their menu was just clever.

The fall colors just continue to pop.

Video of the church square.

And a look inside the cathedral.

The columns and the ceilings ❤️

Here I’m playing with some lighting on my phone camera. \240

Since so much detail goes into how the church and archways are built in the novel, Being inside this church made me think a lot about reading the full in here. King ridge

A little history lesson.

St Mungo (surely the inspiration for JK)

Views of the cathedral from the other side.

This is us standing at the bottom and entryway of the necropolis. The cemetery goes on and up for a few acres.

Lots of Celtic influence in the headstone design.

Paul and I discussing what a necropolis is so in case you ever wondered! \240

Fall 🍁🍂

I was hoping to find some Kerr’s in there since my people are from Glasgow, but this is definitely the rich part of town (and I don’t think my ancestors were of wealthy means).

Views from the top.

And one of the main parks.

Which reminded me slightly of Detroit’s Belle Isle since it has this museum and mini arboretum.

This is built right on the Wharf and the area itself has a lot of history. This is where all the freight ships would come in. It still bears the industrial mark and the distillery is definitely not just a remnant of the past, but designed to be more modern.

Shiny new stills

❤️❤️

Followed by our last dram in Scotland. I still get tears thinking about it.

Goodbye Scotland.

Part of the charm of this hotel is the rooftop bar, which offers amazing views of the city.

Each room has a rock and roll theme. Ours was Mick.

The view from the room.

Our welcome amenity.

The square.

Cocktails on the rooftop.

Angela joined Paul & I for the night. Angela works out of our Watford office and I first fell in love with her during the planning of a global conference. We were kindred spirits instantly - as were both no nonsense types. I was so excited to see her.

Fiesta hotdogs. \240We had the 4th of July hot dog which was bbq sauce and coleslaw, some loaded nachos & Paul ordered a sloppy joe hot dog.

And of course ending it with some fabulous champagne. Perfect ending to the perfect trip.