Hiya, blog!
I've taken a bit of a hiatus. Her name is Nova.
Now that the first trimester is almost finished--she's 12 weeks tomorrow--I'm mostly back to my regularly scheduled programming. I won't be fully back until we night wean, but who knows how many months or (prayerfully NOT) years that will be.
This week, took our family of four on Nova's first trip. And where did we go? Scotland!
I have an extremely detailed, careful way of picking out destinations and planning trips--not. My method is simply to pick something easy and go with it.
I chose Scotland because UK, yay, and who doesn't want to go to Scotland. Edinburgh was our destination because all we had to do was drive to Peterborough, hop on a train, and boom, we would be there. (I'm skipping over the agony of driving, finding parking, hauling children, and all the gross, gritty, exhausting parts of travel. But don't fret, that part definitely happened.)
The train ride there went beautifully. Landon is still under five so we didn't *have* to buy him a ticket...and we didn't. I can't say I recommend this method, but we found an English mum and her two young sons on one side of the aisle and a pair of Australian grandparents on the other side of the aisle. Landon sat on Stephen's lap, between his friends, and finally across from the grandparents once the train cleared.
I was in extrovert heaven, chatting with the Australians, as we discussed the geographical, cultural, and political differences of England, the US, and Australia. Nova locked her blue eyed gaze on any face that would look at her, and Stephen patiently parented Landon and hid away on his phone (sweet introvert) when he could.
Off the train...
The rule of travel is that something will go wrong. The variables are how many things and how much of an issue it causes. I thought we were in the clear when we tried to jump on the wrong company's bus. I, however, was wrong.
When I booked the hotel, I was 10 days post partum and a bit brain hazy. I definitely did not check where our hotel was on a map, assuming Stephen would. I just went for a lower price point. Stephen double checked with me that our hotel was "by the zoo" and I shrugged and agreed. I knew it was *somewhere* in the general vicinity, and Booking.com kept assuring me it was near. So when our bus pulled up to a Holiday Inn *right* next to the zoo, we all sighed happily.
We were there.
Except we weren't.
After I tried to check in at the nicer-than-I-had-assumed hotel, a kind hotel worker gently told me that I was at the wrong Holiday Inn. We needed to take two buses or a taxi to the *correct* hotel. I quickly agreed to a taxi, and Landon finally collapsed on the floor started sobbing that he was SO HUNGRY THAT I AM STARVING TO DEATH AND YOU WON'T FEED ME. Stephen, poor man, gave me one of the cold blue stares that his daughter inherited and muttered that this is why I hate traveling. This last point is important because a glare and a muttered obvious statement is how S shows that he is incredibly stressed. So, I started giggling. Because whatcha going to do?
The correct hotel...
Eventually, though, we did arrive at the correct hotel, and I was thrilled that there was a Sainsbury's adjacent to it. Zoo. Sainsbury's. Not the same thing, but I was happier about the latter. The room had two beds and we stuck one kid with one parent per bed and it worked so well. Landon also discovered his new favorite restaurant.
KFC.
Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken--except they insist the chicken is British, lol. Somehow our California born child had to wait until he visited Scotland to try KFC. He is in love. He also insists the chicken strips are fish fingers, and if any of you tell him otherwise, I will have words with you.
Okay, back to the interesting part - the city.
I hate it when people visit a place and come back proclaiming it's their new favorite place ever and they know everything about it, but...
Edinburgh is gorgeous. Something about the dark spires and turrets against a back drop of rolling hills and glimpses of the sea make this city seem like something out of a carefully curated and designed movie or game. The cobblestone streets are hilly, and you never know what you will find below each drop or above each summit. Edinburgh Castle is proud and imposing, much more fortress than ruin, and the shops seem inviting in their mystery.
To say we are obsessed in an understatement. Like I mentioned above, Edinburgh is hilly, and a trip to the zoo felt more like a hike with exotic (and safely caged) animals. The air felt remarkably crisp and clear for a city--I suspect the influence of sea and being farther North than usual (for us).
We hiked up Calton Hill and then the 143 steps of the Nelson Monument for an eagle eyed view of the city. It was absolutely worth it, although Stephen had to lug Landon for part of the way. If you're not lugging small children up 100 feet to see a city they don't care about, are you really traveling and parenting?! I think not. ;)
It's hard to pinpoint just why we loved Edinburgh so much. It might be because it was different (Scotland vs England), but still familiar. It might be because the city is truly gorgeous with its hills and dark structures. It might be because Saint Giles is truly a stunning cathedral. Or it might be because the sound of bagpipes in the background make trekking through those hills an adventure rather than a drudgery.
Whatever the reason, we are absolute fans of Edinburgh and can't wait to go back to explore more of that city. And, hopefully, more of the country itself.
Since we traveled with kids, I feel as if I should add what we brought and how they fared. We packed lightly for this trip: a backpack for the three walkers and a mini rolling suitcase because, well, diapers. The only other thing that I brought was my Tula, which I wore Nova in the entire time. No extra beds or strollers or baby containment devices. Landon mostly walked and only needed help up the steepest parts of our trek. He LOVED the castle (big guns), and we never had issues finding a bathroom. (Thank you, Paris, for scarring me for life with that one.) We usually make him walk when we sight see, so he's fairly conditioned to it. He doesn't like it, but he survives. ;) Nova, at 11 weeks, is so stupidly easy that I sometimes forget she's strapped to me. I highly recommend this age for traveling. She'll be an adorable nightmare in a year.
I've taken a bit of a hiatus. Her name is Nova.
Now that the first trimester is almost finished--she's 12 weeks tomorrow--I'm mostly back to my regularly scheduled programming. I won't be fully back until we night wean, but who knows how many months or (prayerfully NOT) years that will be.
This week, took our family of four on Nova's first trip. And where did we go? Scotland!
I have an extremely detailed, careful way of picking out destinations and planning trips--not. My method is simply to pick something easy and go with it.
I chose Scotland because UK, yay, and who doesn't want to go to Scotland. Edinburgh was our destination because all we had to do was drive to Peterborough, hop on a train, and boom, we would be there. (I'm skipping over the agony of driving, finding parking, hauling children, and all the gross, gritty, exhausting parts of travel. But don't fret, that part definitely happened.)
The train ride there went beautifully. Landon is still under five so we didn't *have* to buy him a ticket...and we didn't. I can't say I recommend this method, but we found an English mum and her two young sons on one side of the aisle and a pair of Australian grandparents on the other side of the aisle. Landon sat on Stephen's lap, between his friends, and finally across from the grandparents once the train cleared.
I was in extrovert heaven, chatting with the Australians, as we discussed the geographical, cultural, and political differences of England, the US, and Australia. Nova locked her blue eyed gaze on any face that would look at her, and Stephen patiently parented Landon and hid away on his phone (sweet introvert) when he could.
Off the train...
The rule of travel is that something will go wrong. The variables are how many things and how much of an issue it causes. I thought we were in the clear when we tried to jump on the wrong company's bus. I, however, was wrong.
When I booked the hotel, I was 10 days post partum and a bit brain hazy. I definitely did not check where our hotel was on a map, assuming Stephen would. I just went for a lower price point. Stephen double checked with me that our hotel was "by the zoo" and I shrugged and agreed. I knew it was *somewhere* in the general vicinity, and Booking.com kept assuring me it was near. So when our bus pulled up to a Holiday Inn *right* next to the zoo, we all sighed happily.
We were there.
Except we weren't.
After I tried to check in at the nicer-than-I-had-assumed hotel, a kind hotel worker gently told me that I was at the wrong Holiday Inn. We needed to take two buses or a taxi to the *correct* hotel. I quickly agreed to a taxi, and Landon finally collapsed on the floor started sobbing that he was SO HUNGRY THAT I AM STARVING TO DEATH AND YOU WON'T FEED ME. Stephen, poor man, gave me one of the cold blue stares that his daughter inherited and muttered that this is why I hate traveling. This last point is important because a glare and a muttered obvious statement is how S shows that he is incredibly stressed. So, I started giggling. Because whatcha going to do?
The correct hotel...
Eventually, though, we did arrive at the correct hotel, and I was thrilled that there was a Sainsbury's adjacent to it. Zoo. Sainsbury's. Not the same thing, but I was happier about the latter. The room had two beds and we stuck one kid with one parent per bed and it worked so well. Landon also discovered his new favorite restaurant.
KFC.
Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken--except they insist the chicken is British, lol. Somehow our California born child had to wait until he visited Scotland to try KFC. He is in love. He also insists the chicken strips are fish fingers, and if any of you tell him otherwise, I will have words with you.
Okay, back to the interesting part - the city.
Edinburgh
I hate it when people visit a place and come back proclaiming it's their new favorite place ever and they know everything about it, but...
Edinburgh is gorgeous. Something about the dark spires and turrets against a back drop of rolling hills and glimpses of the sea make this city seem like something out of a carefully curated and designed movie or game. The cobblestone streets are hilly, and you never know what you will find below each drop or above each summit. Edinburgh Castle is proud and imposing, much more fortress than ruin, and the shops seem inviting in their mystery.
To say we are obsessed in an understatement. Like I mentioned above, Edinburgh is hilly, and a trip to the zoo felt more like a hike with exotic (and safely caged) animals. The air felt remarkably crisp and clear for a city--I suspect the influence of sea and being farther North than usual (for us).
We hiked up Calton Hill and then the 143 steps of the Nelson Monument for an eagle eyed view of the city. It was absolutely worth it, although Stephen had to lug Landon for part of the way. If you're not lugging small children up 100 feet to see a city they don't care about, are you really traveling and parenting?! I think not. ;)
It's hard to pinpoint just why we loved Edinburgh so much. It might be because it was different (Scotland vs England), but still familiar. It might be because the city is truly gorgeous with its hills and dark structures. It might be because Saint Giles is truly a stunning cathedral. Or it might be because the sound of bagpipes in the background make trekking through those hills an adventure rather than a drudgery.
Whatever the reason, we are absolute fans of Edinburgh and can't wait to go back to explore more of that city. And, hopefully, more of the country itself.
Since we traveled with kids, I feel as if I should add what we brought and how they fared. We packed lightly for this trip: a backpack for the three walkers and a mini rolling suitcase because, well, diapers. The only other thing that I brought was my Tula, which I wore Nova in the entire time. No extra beds or strollers or baby containment devices. Landon mostly walked and only needed help up the steepest parts of our trek. He LOVED the castle (big guns), and we never had issues finding a bathroom. (Thank you, Paris, for scarring me for life with that one.) We usually make him walk when we sight see, so he's fairly conditioned to it. He doesn't like it, but he survives. ;) Nova, at 11 weeks, is so stupidly easy that I sometimes forget she's strapped to me. I highly recommend this age for traveling. She'll be an adorable nightmare in a year.
Hi there! Quick question that's completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile
ReplyDeletefriendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone4.
I'm trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to correct this issue.
If you have any recommendations, please share. Appreciate it!
I don't. I'm notorious for doing things the hard way, though!
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