After an uneventful redeye flight (and only about an hour of sleep) we arrived at the Edinburgh International Airport at 11:30 am local time. Sadly we didn't get a stamp in our passport book as the UK uses biometric screenings now. ðŸ˜
One of our first views of Scotland from the air was the Firth of Forth. A "firth" is an estuary of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fifth to its north and Lothian to its south.
Conor and Julia picked us up at the airport and we ignored our exhaustion and excitedly embraced the day. This was our first time traveling on the left side of the road and I will admit to a few gasps of surprise as Conor navigated the roadways. I have never been so happy that I was not the one driving because that would have been super scary! 😱 Our first stop was in the villiage of Rosslyn in the county of Midlothian.
We stopped in the little town and I got some lovely chocolate orange tea and David got us a Queen Vic to share with our first cuppa.
Of course our main reason for stoping in Roslin was to visit the Rosslyn Chapel. This beautiful chapel was featured in The Da Vinci Code movie and made for a huge surge in popularity, but more interestingly (in my opinion) is that the chapel is said to have a connection with the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. Either way, this gorgeous chapel is a historical monument and worth a visit. It's not every day you get to see something built in 1446.
After visiting Roslin, Julia and Conor wisked us off to the cute coastal town of Queensferry. This little town is near Edinburgh and had a number of small shops to explore. This area also offers a great views of the River Forth and the bridge we saw from the air when we were arriving in Scotland. Oh... and we also got a a unique glimpse of Nessie.
After our visit to Queensferry Conor and Julia took us over to the town of Falkirk to grab some scotch pies for lunch. A Scotch pie is a small, double-crust meat pie. It is traditionally made with mutton, but is now more often made with lamb or beef. We ended up with a variety from both Greggs and Baynes because Julia and Conor have a debate going on which establishment has the best pies. Unfortunately, we couldn't decide which was best because I preferred Baynes and David preferred Greggs, but we enjoyed them. We had a traditional Scotch pie, a steak pie, a Mac and cheese pie, and even a haggis and steak pie! We also enjoyed an Irn-Bru, a popular Scottish soda . Lunch reminded me a lot of my Michigan pasties and the pop tasted a little like orange marshmallow cotton candy.
After lunch we headed up high street to do a little shopping. Of course, the shop that was my favorite was The Lonely Broomstick. Harry Potter is alive and well in this neck of the woods! 🪄
I enjoyed Falkirk. It is a lovely town. First of all, it's where Julia and Conor live and that makes it special, but it's also near Helix park which is the home to the Kelpies- the largest equine sculptures in the world. The magical Kelpies are a man-made work of art created by artist Andy Scott. The kelpie is the most common water spirit in Scottish folklore. They are shape-shifting spirits that inhabit lochs and are usually described as a grey or white horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. The Kelpies represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of Falkirk. They were amazing to see up close and in person!
After the walk to the Kelpies, we were running on fumes and had to call it a night. Conor drove us to our hotel (Premier In Hotel in Edinburgh) and we had a quick bite at the Blossom Restaurant and bar before heading to bed. Thank goodness for Conor and Julia! They took care of everything for us all day and that made all the difference in the world. Stay tuned for day 2...
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