Our Visit to Edinburgh, Scotland - Day 2 - Family and the Lake House

Our second day in Edinburgh, Scotland started off with a fantastic breakfast at our Premier Inn Hotel. I made sure to start off with coffee and was having fun trying all the different kinds of coffee options! Also, many rooms in Scotland have room for four people, but we had five in our party. So during most of our hotel stays, we booked two rooms and sometimes they were on different floors. It worked out great for space, showers and comfort. Most times, I had the girls and Jon had Henry. We weren’t sure how it was going to work, but it went really well! I felt completely comfortable and safe and our hotel was affordable which made it financially doable.

Breakfast in Scotland. The kids ate croissants and Nutella every morning…

We made sure to have our raincoats on, because…well, when in Scotland…

Buuuuuuut then we had to remove our coats, because everywhere in Edinburgh is either up or down. It’s not a flat area by any means.

…aaaaaand coats back on. LOL!

We made it to the Edinburgh Castle!

Jane pretending to be royalty…

We didn’t do a guided tour, but there were signs to read to inform us of all the history.

What a view! The kids holding up Jane because it had occurred to us that she couldn’t see any of it! Bahaha!

This cannon is called Mons Meg and it is one of the largest cannons in the world. It was built in 1449 and it could fire a 330 lb stone ball up to two miles!

There was so much to explore…

St. Margaret’s Chapel was a favorite of mine. This is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh and was once one of the most sacred places in Scotland. Robert the Bruce saved this place from destruction as he destroyed the rest of the castle after the English had taken it over! So crazy!

The Crown Jewels…

A Pet Cemetery…

After visiting the castle, we headed down another hill to go to Waterstones for coffee…

But first a few stops along the way.

The outside of the castle from over yonder on Princes Street.

Eliza being an awesome big sister.

We made it to our destination – A bookstore/coffee shop with a view of a castle!!!! What more do you need?!

The lattes were AMAZING! 10/10!

Jane looking at books… I said, “Look at the castle,” she then said, “What castle?” Ummmm..the HUGE one right in front of you, girlfriend! LOL!

She claimed she didn’t see it. Bahahaha!

We decided to grab a ride to hike up to Arthur’s Seat! There was always something to look at!

Holyrood Palace!

The hike up to Arthur’s Seat. This was a last minute decision while in the coffee shop, but totally worth it! It was about two miles roundtrip and pretty easy and the views were lovely.

I LOVE this pictures of Jane!

Lookin’ good, Jon!

Loving the moodiness of the sky in these pictures…

We made it to the top!

Don’t mind my hair, but I was cracking up that I carried some books all the way to the top and back down. LOL!

We may have taken an alternative route on the way down because we were looking for a different path via our phone app.

There were dogs EVERYWHERE in Scotland!!! I loved it so much. They were all extremely well-behaved, welcomed in all stores, some roamed with their owners unleashed. I had asked about the well-behaved dogs and someone told me that everyone does doggy classes in Scotland. It was amazing and made me want a dog that much more!