Edinburgh Day Two – city tour day is in full force.

We decided to save some cash and walked into the old town instead of taking the train. It ended up being just 15 minutes ish to walk, so it was pleasant.

On the corner of Prince’s street we stopped into St. John’s chapel.

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From here we ended up getting on a Hop On, Hop Off tour bus – yes, we’re those tourists. But it’s an easy way to get around and it’s fun, so I don’t mind.

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We made our way to the Palace of Hollyroodhouse, which is at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh castle. It’s the official house of the monarchy in Scotland. We did a tour, and heard lots about how the royal family like to stay there in the summer, and how it is more “homey” than other palaces they visit.

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Thankfully the royal family wasn’t visiting so we were able to go inside. The palace is beautiful!

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Inside there were lot’s of displays about the royal family, about the Scottish family lines, Mary Queen of Scots, and the Stuart line. There was the history of the palace, it’s construction and uses. There was also a special display about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding.

We also got to go into the historic Abbey, which was destroyed in the 18th century.

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The surrounding grounds were also beautiful. The royal family holds parties on the grounds when they visit.

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We spent hours there, all morning. It was huge, and really interesting. Plus, me hanging out with the Royal Family (kind of, we’re in the same place) is always cool.

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From Holyrood, and after lunch, we rode to Greyfriars Bobby, a recommendation to my mom from people back home. We also went to Greyfriars Kirkyard, and walked back into the old town.

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we spent our whole afternoon walking around, ending up on the Mile to do a little shopping for gifts and souvenirs. We eventually walked home, getting home a little late, grabbing food from the shop again before packing it in for the night.

Our trip theme seems to just be: “we walked for hours and then stopped for food.” and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.

This was my final day with my mom and grandma, because I had a 6am flight to Athens the next day (through Brussels), so I got back to the airbnb, packed, and went to bed to sneak a little sleep in before my 4am bus to the airport.

It was so fun to travel with my mom and grandma. While I got to see some amazing and beautiful places, I also just really enjoyed spending time with them. Because I live in a different city, I don’t spend that much time with either of them, and haven’t for several years. So it was nice to reconnect a bit.

Plus, I also learned a lot from my mom, but especially from my grandma. Traveling through Scotland especially, made her reminisce about her parents and family, who were from england, and moved to southern alberta after the war. I don’t really know anything about my grandmother’s family, because I never really met her parents and I don’t know her siblings very well, apart from one. So to hear her talk about growing up, about her mom and dad, was so wonderfully wholesome, and really made me feel lucky to come from such wonderful people.

Plus, my family is a hoot and a half, and has a pretty strong sense of humour, so there was never really a dull moment when we weren’t cackling about something. And that made my trip.

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I mean, I think we all had a good time, but I can only really speak for myself – hopefully I didn’t drive them crazy haha!

Parting is such sweet sorrow, but I’ve only talked about 10 days of a 2 month adventure! It’s time to switch countries yet again, and head for a more sunny destination.

Next stop: Greece!

emma.k