Epic Adventure Day 14

Today we took the train from Edinburgh to Uddingston. It took about 75 minutes and it was nice to see some countryside. Caroline's dad, sister and brother met us at the train station and took our luggage to the hotel. It was an easy walk from to get to the place we would call home for a few days. 

We are staying at Redstones Hotel and it is a quaint place not far from Main Street or Caroline's house. 

After getting our rooms started to head out but were stopped short as Caroline's mom dropped by the hotel asking offering to do our laundry. How nice was that?!! We sent a few things her way after she insisted. We then headed out for some lunch. Went to a place called Angels which also had good food. 

All male members of the wedding party went in to Glasgow to get fitted for their kilts. Mom and Dad went to the Ryan's and visited and the rest of us made our way to Bothwell Castle. 

It wasn't far so we made our way down Main Street, stopped in the local sweet shop for some treats and continued our walk. The Castle is a historical ruin but we really enjoyed it. Maybe that is because there wasn't a lot of people and it was quite but regardless we spent most of the afternoon there. 

We returned in time for a late dinner so we just grabbed something at the hotel and called it a night. 

Epic Adventure Day 13

Began the day attending mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh. These churches are so beautiful. 

We needed to grab some lunch after church so we headed over to Waverly Mall and went to the food court. 

After lunch we got tickets to the Edinburgh Dungeon. It's part haunted house, part amusement part ride and part theatre. It was quite fun. 

The next part of the day was like herding cats. Trying to get 17 people moving in one direction is no small feat. Between the bathroom stops, food stops and varying patterns of movement we are lucky we got anywhere. 

Headed to a store in hopes to grab some jackets but had no luck. While we were inside it started pouring rain. Some of us managed to miss being outside in it and some of us got soaked. 

Did a little more walking about and then Kevin recommended that we eat at wagamama. I think we are a scary bunch of Americans and feel sorry for our wait staff. 

After dinner some us walked through an amazingly old and beautiful cemetery. Loved reading all the stones

Ended the day with a stop at Martin's ice cream shop. 

Well, not really...day was ended at the pub. 

Forgot to mention that we have a lovely flat that we are staying in.  Only drawback is the 75 steps and no lift. Needless to say we are all getting a workout. 

Epic Adventure Day 12

Got up bright and early to catch our flight to Edinburgh. After dropping off our bags we had lunch at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Lovely spot and great way to kick off our trip.

While I have no green thumb myself, I do love, love, love Botanic Gardens. Edinburgh did not disappoint. While I wandered, others napped. Appears getting up at 3:30am caught up with them. 

We stayed close to our penthouse as we waited for all the Archers and Wenzels to arrive. 

Everyone was hungry so we ventured out to find a place to eat. Finding a table for 17 is difficult but we found an American spot that had room so we ate there. The girls are thrilled to be with their cousins. Makes my heart happy. 

Epic Adventure Day 11

Grabbed our continental breakfast at a different cafe this morning. Yuk! We had to stop the one we went to yesterday to get something for Keara and myself. 

Yesterday was hot but today was even hotter. The heat is doing me in. We had an reservation at the Vatican today and I was happy to hear we would be indoors. 

Oh my gosh! The Vatican Museum was unbearably hot and so many people. Mom and Dad warned us but I really didn't imagine it to be as bad as it was. All we could do was move with the crowd. We actually had a guided tour and we had the most long winded tour guide you could have. With the crowds and hear I don't think we appreciated it as much as we could have. 

At some point we couldn't take it all any more and went ahead. We were in desperately in need of water. We found a crowded cafe and braced ourselves for the crowds in the the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. 

The Sistine Chapel was BEAUTIFUL! I think you could spend weeks there because there is so much. That said, the crowd pushed us on. 

The Basilica was a surprising reprieve. Because it was so big and the crowds could fan out, it made it more enjoyable. I don't think the girls are appreciating this opportunity but maybe someday they will. 

After spending way too much time in the gift shop we headed to lunch. Saw a "self-service" cafe which we thought would get us an inexpensive lunch but no  such luck. We grabbed a bunch of random items which tasted awful and paid out the nose. 

We decided to head back to the room. The kids needed some down time and so did the adults. Zeb and I dropped off the girls and went strolling around. 

Came upon a singer/guitar player entertaining in a local square and we sat and enjoyed his music for s while. Took our time getting back to the girls and saw some neat little streets. 

The girls didn't want to go out so they raided the local market. Zeb and I enjoyed  wonderful dinner together in the plaza while listening to musicians share their talents. It was a perfect ending to our stay in Italy. 

Kailei-ism's

Epic Adventure Day 10

Continental breakfast at a local cafe started our morning. We tried to be cool and drink cappuccino but no like. 

Took a taxi to the Colosseum. Wow, pretty amazing place. The teenager didn't last long before she wanted lunch and headed back to the room. :(

Had a very expensive lunch and then headed to Palatine Hill and the Forums. It was very hot out but we managed to see most of it. Quite spectacular. 

We rested a bit and got to listen to some great music. Made our way to Victor Emmanuel taking more steps then I'd like to count. We also went to the very top for an amazing view of the city. 

Squeezed in the Pantheon which was beautiful. Grabbed a cheap dinner and headed home. 

Epic Adventure Day 9

Took a shuttle into Rome after our last breakfast on the ship. 

I was a little worried when I saw the outside of the hotel but the inside was lovely and the staff was great. Very helpful. Our room wasn't ready yet so we headed out for some lunch. After walking around in circles we settled on Cago and Gago. Zeb and Kailei shred a pizza and Keara and I had pasta. I ended up really liking the pasta. 

After lunch we ventured over to a church which was meh on the outside by really nice on the inside. We also made our usual gelato stop for the girls. We sat in a park for a while and waited for a text about our room. I struggled with a headache all day so sitting in the shade was nice. Good people watching. 

After getting into our room, we ventured out again. At least Kailei, Zeb and I did. We took a taxi to the Spanish steps and then walked to Borgasie Gardens. Piddled around there for a bit and walked down some street. Ended up stopping at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner because Kailei was desperate to go to the bathroom. Service was slow but our hamburgers were good. 

After dinner we headed over to Trevi Fountain. As expected there were tons of people. Beautiful!