It is astounding to me that buildings older than my entire nation just exist in normal function. Even a bus ride around town was fascinating because we passed beautiful building after beautiful building the entire time.
We also spent an entire day at the National Museum of Scotland and STILL didn't see everything. It's free, huge, and amazing. There was something interesting in there for all of us! It is a great day out for kids and adults alike, and very family friendly with some interactive activities especially for kids.
We also took a day trip to Sterling Castle [also mentioned here], the Falkirk Wheel, and the Kelpies. Sterling Castle was my favorite castle we visited - in fact one of my favorite places over all.
The Falkirk Wheel was...fine. My parents & I have differing opinions on this particular outing. Yes, the wheel is cool. The history & ingenuity is fascinating. BUT I thought the ride itself was so. boring. However, I was COLD. We had stood outside in line to get on our boat & boy was my water resistant coat not water resistant enough. I was soaked and freezing so my opinion of the experience might be tainted. I loved watching the wheel work, I loved the shop & environment, I loved that the man selling tickets had been to Portland, OR and liked my Trail Blazers shirt [go Blazers!]. I did not love how so very slow the boat trip was & how very boring the recorded info was. It was interesting for about 15 minutes and then it was repetitive. I did not love that the ticket man trapped me in a conversation about his dog and made me look through his ENTIRE Facebook album of his pet. I may be too nice to strangers.
Overall I did think it was interesting and a neat experience both for adults and children - just make sure you wear weather appropriate gear! My parents both really enjoyed seeing the wheel & learning how it worked. They also had a full cafeteria with awesome macaroni & cheese. Side note: I do not want to hear any more flack about American portion sizes because my mom and I shared a single meal nearly every time we ate out & it was PLENTY of food. Honestly, so much food.
The Kelpies are pretty great, I can see why they're beloved. Full disclosure, we did not walk up to them because we went after the wheel and homegirl was frozen solid. I exaggerate, but I was very cold and it was still pouring out & I was still soaked. We did however drive by a few times & even at that distance I get it. They are pretty awesome - I mean, giant horses? Sign me up.
We managed to drive from Edinburgh to Stirling Castle, to the Falkirk Wheel, make a quick stop at the Kelpies, and back to Edinburgh in one day. You've seen me mention it before, but we did a lot of driving. We all wish we had scheduled more time to do Stirling Castle - we spent about 2 hours there and didn't get to see everything and our time there felt rushed. We also didn't make it to the nearby William Wallace Monument because of the time crunch which I deeply regret. Something else to add to my list for next time.
My next post will start to chronicle our trip South from Orkney - Fort William, Glenfinnian, Glencoe, and Loch Ness.
As always, thanks for reading!
Netti
