Travels up north

The snow here in England started a few days before we (our family along with Meade's parents, Barb and Don) left on our trip to Scotland- there was still some snow and ice, but not too bad. In a rented van, we drove up to Buxton, a picturesque, small town in the Peak District National Park, which we thought would be about half way to Edinburgh.

As we left Buxton, unfortunately, another storm hit and we drove much of the the 250 miles to Edinburgh in a white-out snow storm. What we did not know at the time was that our sat nav took us the most direct route, which twice meant twice missing the motorway to take windy two-lane roads that were suitable only for scenic drives in good weather with a 4 x 4. It took us 9 hours to get there, but we made it. The kids were incredible troopers through it all. Toward the end of the journey, we told the kids we would be stopping for dinner (or tea as they say here). Aaron emphatically said "We are not having dinner, we are going to our Scotland house (all the more funny in his newly acquired accent).

Edinburgh, as you may know, is a supremely quaint, picturesque, petite city that is bathed in history. Walking along the ancient, winding cobblestone streets with Edinburgh castle looming over the city and countless, gorgeous historical buildings around every corner, one feels as though they have been transported back to another time. This was all more fairy tale-like carpeted with snow.

We stayed right on the "royal mile" in a little apartment just a block or two from the Edinburgh Castle. To get there, we had to climb up 5 flights of a stone, spiraling staircase that probably was over 500 years old. We visited a Christmas fair, the castle, the Scotland museum (see photos above of Aaron and Linnea dressed as traditional Scotts of days past), Arthur's seat (where we had a fantastic snowball fight) and enjoyed just walking the streets. Since Don and Barb were more than happy to stay in at night, each night, Meade and I went out to explore the pubs. There are more pubs per capita in Edinburgh than anywhere in the world, and they are loads of fun. We spent Christmas in Edinburgh. Most everything was closed, so we cooked in and had a mello, nice time. We then headed to York for a night.

York is a medieval city in Northern England. At its heart is the immense minster, thought to be one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world. Our main purpose in visiting was to go to the National Railway Museum. Aaron has this "Big Book of Trains," which is based on this museum, and we always thought it would be great to take him there, as he is very into trains and this book. He was beyond excited, almost frantic in his quest to see and do everything- a real Bullet train, Mallard train, etc. It was too much for him to take it all in. We also visited the minster and explored the town. From there, we headed back home.