Edinburgh

I was supposed to be in Edinburgh the weekend of the 4th with Andrea, my kindred spirit, for a much needed girl's weekend away.  Sadly the inescapable presence of snow made it difficult for Andrea to fly up as the airports were opened and closed and opened and closed, and we had no way of knowing if they would be open so she could get there, and even more importantly, open so she could get home again.  So in the end, as a result of the hotel I had booked for us being rather wonderful and upgrading my double to a family room, at no extra cost, I went to Edinburgh with all my menfolk!  We had a lovely time even though it was truly, truly freezing cold.  The trip up was fairly painless as the train was remarkably empty, until of course just before we arrived in Edinburgh when both boys threw up!!!

trying to escape the camera!


We arrived in at Waverly Station and the boys were thrilled to be greeted by the Christmas market and funfair.  We headed straight to the Ferris Wheel and had some stunning views over Edinburgh, which Sam and Tom both loved.  Steve loved the views but was less enamoured by the fact that we had to be so high to get them ;-)

We had a little wander about the market but then the kids were hungry so we set off to find somewhere to eat, somewhere that would meet the needs of both boys  (1. bacon sandwich and 2. chips with one of those "long skinny things").  Easily done you would think, but nooooo.  We finally found a pub which looked set to, more or less, suit our purpose.  We went in, found a table, took all the kid's layers off, sat them down, got our coats and scarves and gloves off, and sat down.  We had just picked up the menus when one of the staff came over and said, "I'm sorry we aren't licenced to allow children under the age of 5!!!!!!"  To say Steve and I were fuming is an undestatement.  They waited until we were all sat down and unwrapped before they came over.  The kids started to cry when we had to get their coats back on again (they were cold and starving).  There were no signs saying they didn't serve children under 5, the only sign said "no small children after  8pm".  I was very, very, VERY cross.  So if you happen to be in Edinburgh, on Rose Street, looking for somewhere to eat or have a drink, steer well clear of The Rose and Crown, they are truly crap with appalling customer service.

... anyway!  We decided then to head up to the hotel and get some food there.  It was hard going in the ice and snow, especially with Tom who kept slipping and nearly pulling my arm out it's socket when he did!  But we made it to Bread Street and saw the hotel towards the end of it. As we walked towards it we spotted, just across the street, a cafe that suited every body's taste requirements!  We all stuffed ourselves silly and then waddled off across the road to check in to the Point Hotel.  The boys were beside themselves with excitement, I think the hotel was the best thing of the trip for them!

We spent the afternoon on a guided hop on hop off bus tour, had a look what there was to do the next day and then finished up about 4pm, and then it was back to the fair! we had all decided that we would have a go at ice skating at the bottom of Princes Street Gardens... until the boys spotted the bubble pods!!!!!!!! Basically like giant hamster balls which are filled with a child, blown up, sealed shut and plopped onto a small pool. The kids had an absolute (pardon the pun) ball and it was laugh out loud to watch them!

After that we headed back to the hotel.  It was after 6, very, very, most extremely cold and the boys and I had wet socks, so we decided to get take away pizza to eat in the hotel room.  Got the boys warmed up in the bath, ate tea and then into bed.  At which point Steve went out to watch football and I stayed in... hmmm, not the way my weekend was supposed to pan out!!

After a fairly decent night's sleep we packed up, paid up, had breakfast at the cafe and then went to wait for a hop on hop off bus to take us to the Dynamic Earth.  We were hoping to spend the day at the Zoo, but at 10am they didn't know if they were going to open because of the snow and on the advice of the receptionist at our hotel decided to try the Dynamic Earth.  It was excellent!  Really interesting and so well done.  Sam, Steve and I thought it was fantastic, Tom was less impressed.  If you are up Edinburgh way it is worth a visit.   

We were back in Princes Street for just before 2 and with some last minute purchases -travel sickness tablets, (called Traveleeze, work brilliantly, and kids can use them from age 2, highly recommended) some books for the kids and a few items from the Disney Store (puffle number 4 and a toy story torch!) and we were on a 3pm train back home.  Sam slept most of the way to Newcastle and Tom, well, of course, he didn't sleep at all.

It was a wonderful wee trip, and I thank my lovely fellas for keeping me company :-)