Europe Trip, Part V: Edinburgh

And then we went to Scotland...

Micah and I flew into Glasgow and rented a car for the last portion of our trip. On our drive to Edinburgh, we took a detour south, passing through Dalry and Kilwinning, two very small towns in North Aryshire. My dad's side of the family has roots in this area, and it was meaningful to me to be able to experience just a touch of the landscape.

We might have been slightly distracted as we were driving around though, given that we had just rented a car and, oh, were driving on the wrong side of the road with occasional snow flurries and terrifying roundabouts.

We stayed with a friend of a friend in Edinburgh and again it was nice to have a local's perspective. We enjoyed Indian food at Khushi's our first night. As we walked back to where we were staying, we were caught in a snow fall. It was dark and quiet. The snow fell quickly and reflected the street lights. Pretty magical.

The next morning we caught a double decker bus up towards Edinburgh Castle.

There she stood, tall and mighty.

She was magnificent.

Edinburgh Castle was the most interesting and breathtaking of all the castles I saw. It was not only apparent the time and energy that has gone into preserving such a historic landmark, but the pride that is taken in doing so.

The Scottish Crown Jewels, which consist of the Crown, the Sceptre, and the Sword, reside in the Castle. They alone could have made the trek up to the Castle worth it, because they are incredible to see. However, the Castle was beautiful and the views of the mountains and the ocean were stunning.

From the Castle, we walked down the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral, visited John Knox's statue, and went to the Museum of Scotland.

The museum is somewhat a mishmash of historical artifacts and storytelling of eras gone by. It most definitely requires the use of the museum map to find your way around as the many floors and exhibits can be confusing.

We finished our walk down the Royal Mile and then took a spontaneous side path which led us up to Old Calton Cemetery. In the cemetery there is a statue of Abraham Lincoln, which although perplexing, we later found out was erected to celebrate the defeat of slavery and to commemorate Scottish Americans that fought for the Union in the U.S. Civil War.

Edinburgh was a beautiful city, surrounded by mountains and ocean, and rich in history. I'm sure there was much more to be seen that we didn't get to (we were only there for a day and a half), but I'm also glad that we left when we did so that we had more time to enjoy the Highlands!

Up next: The Scottish Highlands.

Walking the Bridge.

This weekend Micah's cousin came to visit us. As always, when we have visitors, we get to enjoy some of the more "traditional" SF sites. And of course, the most iconic of those sites is the Golden Gate Bridge. This is fine by me, because it gives me an excuse to take more pictures of my favorite bridge.

We only walked about half of the bridge. We were on a time restraint with a flight to catch.

And, wow, I had forgotten how frightening it is out there, wind blowing, cars zooming by you, great heights and monumental threats of falls. Oh, and the bridge physically shaking.

But, goodness. It is beautiful.

Golden Gate Bridge.

Last weekend, Micah and I went to Mill Valley to visit some friends. Mill Valley is North of San Francisco, so our most likely route was over the Golden Gate Bridge. I love the this bridge. It does not matter how many pictures I take of it, I always want to take more, whether I'm crossing it or viewing it from a distance. And believe me, I have no shortage of pictures of this bridge.

It is majestic. It shines. It has this power that takes over me and makes me want to keep snapping pictures to try to capture it's greatness. And yet no picture ever seems to do it justice. No picture ever seems to demonstrate the contrast of such a single, massive structure to the thousands of buildings, large and small, that make up the San Francisco skyline.

I seriously wish I could do this bridge justice (perhaps if I were using a fancy camera and not just my phone). I think it's just one of those things that you have to witness in person. In reality, I don't see the bridge as often as one might think for a person living in SF. But, I guess that just makes it extra spectacular when I do.

It's a Woodstock Thanksgiving, Part I

This year was the first year for my family to celebrate a holiday at a "kid's house." My sister and brother-in-law hosted in Illinois and we dubbed the occasion "It's a Woodstock Thanksgiving" (sounds like a great title for the next big blockbuster holiday movie).

We started out the festivities with a day in Chicago. We went to lunch at Karyn's on Green. My sister and I split a couple dishes, the BLT sandwich and the sausage and broccoli pizza. In my opinion, the pizza was better than the sandwich, but both were tasty. I also got the Southside cocktail, which was great, sour, but great. I would definitely recommend the restaurant to all those vegan and not.

From Karyn's on Green we headed over to the Willis Tower (formerly Sear's Tower). My sister had 4 free tickets that she had been trying to use for the last 3 years, and we decided to see if they still worked (Spoiler Alert: they did). Thankfully, we didn't have to wait in too much of a line. And, we got this winner of a photo from the lovely employees at the tower.

It was clear skies at the top, which made for great views.

Chicago is a really pretty city, with the lake right there and the river running through it. Whoever was the genius behind, "this looks like a good place to build a city," deserves some major props.

I love how this red building pops.

There are some seriously great views from the top.

We also took the opportunity to take a few family pics.

On the skydeck there are three glass skyboxes that overlook Chicago and if you have a fear of heights they will terrify you to even get close to them.

Micah was the most brave, stepping all the way out for longer than 30 seconds.

You can't tell, but this is Micah.

My sister and I, on the other hand, could only muster up enough courage to step out long enough for a picture to be taken.

As we were leaving, the sun was dropping and light was streaming in.

It was a great visit into Chicago and to the Willis Tower skydeck!
Stay tuned for Part II!

seattle.

{This here is post no. 9 in the month of july. Wahoo, that's a personal record for me this year.}

Saturday (7.17) was sightseeing day, and a lot was packed into a 24 hour time period. Some how we conned our way into getting a ride into the city from Micah's uncle (who actually grew up there). He took us to a park in the Queen Ann that showed an amazing view.

And, the zoom on my camera isn't too shabby.

Some friends, Jon & Elisa, picked us up and we were off. First stop was brunch. I don't have any pictures, but it was good, greasy breakfast food in humongous portions. I'm sure you can imagine what it looked like.

From there we went to the Fremont neighborhood, shopped around. I bought a watch, a real, big girl watch. Ok, well maybe not too big girl, it does have a picture of a cat on it. But it's not plastic, which is a large improvement since the last time I owned a watch.

We visited the Fremont troll. He hides out under a bridge. He looked lonely and sad, so Micah and I took our picture taken with him.

Jon and Elisa got there's taken too.

From there we got on a boat. Well, a large ferry to be exact.

It's a beautiful and relaxing ride over to Bainbridge Island.

And, Bainbridge is just as cute and seaside village like as it could possibly be. I took a lot of pictures of the boats in the harbor.

For some reason, this lopsided one is my favorite.

And, we actually got a group shot, even if Jon's expression is ridiculously absurd.

There's always a couple photo shoot too, right?

And, then I guess some lady felt sorry for us, so she came and took our picture.

Soon enough everyone was hungry, so we headed back on the ferry to Seattle. We did the touristy thing and had dinner at one of the seafood restaurants on the pier. We had to wait awhile, but we were just in time to watch the sunset.

snoqualmie falls.

One of the most beautiful places I've been.

After trekking up to Seattle and meeting up with Melissa and Andrew (who were passing through on their summer road trip), Micah and I headed out to his aunt and uncle's house a little outside the city. Micah's uncle played tour guide, taking us to dinner, around some of the area's wineries, and finally to a well-visited little spot called snoqualmie falls.

Just the drive up there was absolutely mesmerizing. The green forests seem enchanted.

When Micah's uncle said he was taking us to see a waterfall, what came to mind were all the pretty (and small) ones I had been to before. I had no idea that this waterfall would be breathtaking. That the power of the water would be visible as it rushed over the rocks' ledge. And yet, there would be a gentleness to it, felt as its mist rose to meet the onlookers.

I can't even accurately describe the beauty and the pictures don't come close to doing it justice.

Nature often seems simplistic, but really, I think it is more detailed than one could recount.

I tried to soak in those moments of tranquility as I stood there overlooking the strength and goodness of nature. Even though I know deep down inside I will probably always be a city person, there's something inspiring about being far removed.

We stayed there as the sun set, and the dusk added yet another layer of whimsical attraction.

It got a little cold, so I was glad Micah's uncle came prepared with a blanket.

I'm ready to go back. And lucky for everyone (and by everyone, I mean really rich people), there's a spa/hotel right above the falls and who wouldn't want to relax and wake up to that sight in the morning?