Hi, guys! I am so sorry that I have a bit busy and was falling behind on my travel blog posts. I know it has been a while and I have promised 1,000 times to tell you more about my trip to Scotland. Scotland is a such beautiful place to spend your vacation. I was so happy that we decided to go there. We had 7 days to explore this wonderful land, so here is what we did:
Day 1:
As soon we arrived to the airport, we rented a car and drove to Edinburgh. Driving was a bit stressful due to the traffic laws that require staying on the left side. We were also constantly encountering roundabouts at every turn. If you plan to have your vacation in the UK, make sure to read their rules about the speed limits as well. Since we arrived a bit late, we were only able to wander around the old town, and stopped to have dinner at Tower restaurant.
Old Town at night
Tower Restaurant
Day 2:
The next morning, we enjoyed an early visit to Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill, climbed to the top of the Scott Monument, and did a quick stop at Victoria Street and Greyfriars Memorial & Kirkyard. As for lunch, we got a table at the famous "The Witchery" restaurant. I truly liked the interior. The food was okay, and the service wasn't great either. The presentation of food was excellent, but we left a bit disappointed. After we picked up our luggage at the International Guest House, where we had spent our night (btw, definitely advise you to stay there. They have delicious breakfast for 11 pounds per person, cute rooms and their staff are super friendly! They even kept my package that was delivered there after we left. Better to call them directly to get a discounted rate). Since we woke up early enough, we drove to the next location. I did pretty good research on Scotland. I wanted to see a famous sculpture of horses' heads in Falkirk. The Kelpies were majestically huge. You can see them even from the highway. I wish we had enough time to spend there and enjoy the park. As soon as it got darker, we drove to our next location to spend our night.
Edinburgh Castle
Greyfriars Memorial
International Guest House
The Kelpies
Day 3:
For the next day, we had an ambitious plan to see as much as possible. We got up quite early to drive to Wallace Monument. We wanted to see the monument and famous William Wallace sword (as we heard from the staff of museum, that sword is original), who is a national hero of Scotland. We climbed 246 steps up, which opens to a fantastic view over Stirling. After, we stopped at Stirling Castle. To be honest, I loved Stirling Castle more than Edinburgh. People might not agree with me, but a 12th century castle impressed me more from architectural standpoint. Maybe I am just spoiled. After a few hours of Stirling Castle, we finally drove to the next art installation that I couldn't miss. It is a Mirror Man 'Still' statue in Loch Earn, next to the Four Seasons Hotel. Isn't it fantastic?! The drive from Sterling to Loch Earn was truly beautiful. I definitely recommend you drive over there and stay in a local hotel. Since we didn't have enough time, we continued our journey to our next destination - Oban. Oban is a resort town by the bay. Surprisingly I liked this town a lot. People were friendly, charming buildings were plentiful, and we even checked out McCaig's tower before our departure on the ferry to the Isle of Mull. You would ask me, why the Isle of Mull? What to do on this small island? I wanted to spend a night in colorful Tobermory. So funny, when we told Scottish people that we are going to Tobermory, their faces were confused. All they knew about Tobermory is "Balamory," a Scottish live action film for pre-school kids. I think Tobermory is the most instagramable place in Scotland ;) Don't you agree? My advice: book a B&B or hotel in advance, because it can get pricey. Just to reiterate, it is small town! We finished our night with delicious sea food by the shore. I never ate such delicious scallops in my life! If you are a sea food lover, it's worth visiting just for locally-caught scallops and fish & chips!
Wallace Monument
Stirling Castle
McCaig's tower
Tobermory
P.S. Read my second part here.
Day 1:
As soon we arrived to the airport, we rented a car and drove to Edinburgh. Driving was a bit stressful due to the traffic laws that require staying on the left side. We were also constantly encountering roundabouts at every turn. If you plan to have your vacation in the UK, make sure to read their rules about the speed limits as well. Since we arrived a bit late, we were only able to wander around the old town, and stopped to have dinner at Tower restaurant.
The next morning, we enjoyed an early visit to Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill, climbed to the top of the Scott Monument, and did a quick stop at Victoria Street and Greyfriars Memorial & Kirkyard. As for lunch, we got a table at the famous "The Witchery" restaurant. I truly liked the interior. The food was okay, and the service wasn't great either. The presentation of food was excellent, but we left a bit disappointed. After we picked up our luggage at the International Guest House, where we had spent our night (btw, definitely advise you to stay there. They have delicious breakfast for 11 pounds per person, cute rooms and their staff are super friendly! They even kept my package that was delivered there after we left. Better to call them directly to get a discounted rate). Since we woke up early enough, we drove to the next location. I did pretty good research on Scotland. I wanted to see a famous sculpture of horses' heads in Falkirk. The Kelpies were majestically huge. You can see them even from the highway. I wish we had enough time to spend there and enjoy the park. As soon as it got darker, we drove to our next location to spend our night.
Victoria Street in Edinburgh
Lunch at The Witchery Restaurant
Calton Hill
International Guest House
The Kelpies
Day 3:
For the next day, we had an ambitious plan to see as much as possible. We got up quite early to drive to Wallace Monument. We wanted to see the monument and famous William Wallace sword (as we heard from the staff of museum, that sword is original), who is a national hero of Scotland. We climbed 246 steps up, which opens to a fantastic view over Stirling. After, we stopped at Stirling Castle. To be honest, I loved Stirling Castle more than Edinburgh. People might not agree with me, but a 12th century castle impressed me more from architectural standpoint. Maybe I am just spoiled. After a few hours of Stirling Castle, we finally drove to the next art installation that I couldn't miss. It is a Mirror Man 'Still' statue in Loch Earn, next to the Four Seasons Hotel. Isn't it fantastic?! The drive from Sterling to Loch Earn was truly beautiful. I definitely recommend you drive over there and stay in a local hotel. Since we didn't have enough time, we continued our journey to our next destination - Oban. Oban is a resort town by the bay. Surprisingly I liked this town a lot. People were friendly, charming buildings were plentiful, and we even checked out McCaig's tower before our departure on the ferry to the Isle of Mull. You would ask me, why the Isle of Mull? What to do on this small island? I wanted to spend a night in colorful Tobermory. So funny, when we told Scottish people that we are going to Tobermory, their faces were confused. All they knew about Tobermory is "Balamory," a Scottish live action film for pre-school kids. I think Tobermory is the most instagramable place in Scotland ;) Don't you agree? My advice: book a B&B or hotel in advance, because it can get pricey. Just to reiterate, it is small town! We finished our night with delicious sea food by the shore. I never ate such delicious scallops in my life! If you are a sea food lover, it's worth visiting just for locally-caught scallops and fish & chips!
Wallace Monument
Stirling Castle
'Still' - Mirror Man
McCaig's tower
Oban
Isle of Mull
Tobermory
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