Surprise and a 60th Wee Dram!!!

It was up early as the car had to be returned by 9.30am and we had things to do.. Before Del knew it he was at the station, confused as we were going north when we normally go south!

Another surprise was that we got into the first class carriage (the posh seats) something we just don't do.

Thinking he was going a long way we then got off at Birmingham International and things were starting to click a bit as we got the tram to the Airport.

Al then gave Del his boarding pass and we got on a plane to our destination which only took 40 minutes..
We arrived at Edinburgh Airport and then got the bus into the City.
It was getting dark as we got to the busy Princes Street and were greeted by the Christmas markets.

 It was then a short walk over the Mound to Grassmarket and to our hotel.

When we got to our room Del's next surprise was a bottle of Prosecco on the table with a 60th Birthday card.

The view from our room was amazing as it looked out on the Castle.

So we dumped our bags, drunk the prosecco, and headed out for something to eat..

 This City is amazing, so atmospheric, full of restaurants and pubs, the wonderful royal connection,  and the birthplace of Harry Potter..

We ended up going to Fazenda in the New Town to eat, an experience in itself, and Del even got a little cake..

We then tried out a few pubs (as you do) and made our way slowly back to the hotel to recharge the batteries..

The following morning we could appreciate that view, and following a lovely buffet breakfast in the hotel we made our way to the Old Town.

First off we did Candlemaker Rd and walked to Greyfriars Kirk and the old church with some very unusual grave stones and catacombs.

It was here that J K Rowling got some of the characters names in the Harry Potter books.

There was also Bobby the dog who used to look over his masters grave and he now has his own statue and a pub named after him..

We then walked to the Elephant House café where J K Rowling did a lot of writing, and it is said Harry Potter was born.

You soon get a feel of this as you walk along the street that was the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

From here we walked over to the famous Royal Mile, a road which has loads of nooks and crannies, trinket shops and pubs to explore.

 It runs from the Castle to Holyrood Palace where the Queen lives when she comes to Scotland's capital.

On the return we walked over the mound again on lovely paths with views to Princes St, using Jacob's Ladder.

We then thought it would be a good idea to see the Christmas Markets and grab a Hot Toddy..

We then walked over to Al's only memory of Edinburgh, as when she was about 9 years old she stayed at the George Hotel in George St.

We then walked over to Hard Rock Café opposite and had drinks and nibbles at the bar to keep us going..

We then popped into another pub in Roses St, before we walked back to Old Town and found a nice pub where Del could watch the football and the Grand Prix at the same time, with a bottle of wine of course..

In Edinburgh there is live music going on everywhere and we walked next door and watched with a few more drinks.

This just happened to be opposite the hotel which was very handy and we knew it was the perfect spot to be.