Category: Recent Travels

Edinburgh

Edinburgh

by Karen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Edinburgh holds a special place in my heart as my entire family is from there. I have visited every year or so since I was born. I’ve seen the town in all seasons and done all the touristy and local things I can find. Each time I visit, Edinburgh keeps getting better and better. This passed winter I was able to take Paul there for the first time.

See + Do

This list can get extensive and there is something for everyone to do. Most sites are within walking or bus distance so a car is not needed. With all there is to do, I often recommend that first time visitors start with a double decker bus tour. They are the ultimate in tourist attraction but you can see a number of sites and decide which ones you want to check out and which ones to skip all in just a morning. The tour company pick up from Waverly Bridge and cost about $20. You’re able to hop on and off all day as well, making them a good choice for your day’s transport if you know there is something you want to see further outside of town.

Edinburgh Castle is likely your starting place. It sits in between the old and new towns and has spectacular views especially if you get a sunny day. The Castle is one of the oldest fortified locations in Europe with buildings dating back to the 12th century. There are many different spots to check out throughout the grounds including the National War Museum of Scotland, the National Was Memorial, the Honours of Scotland, and the Great Hall. I’d recommend picking up an audio tour at the entrance and wander through anything that sounds exciting. If you get a nice day, walk through Princes Street Gardens as you leave. There you will also find Scott Monument, a massive 200 ft tall Victorian Gothic Tower built in honor of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. These days you are required to take a guided tour in order to climb it, but we had no issues being able to wander each leave for as long as we liked.

Another place well worth a visit is the National Museum of Scotland. The building features a new tower addition to the original 17th century hall with a stunning glass roof. The building alone is worth a look. There are exhibits on science, technology, history, and archaeology, many of which are interactive making it fun for adults and children alike. My dad, who was born in Edinburgh, visits the museum every time he is back in town. Entry is free and there are helpful greeters throughout the building who can suggest exhibits of interest. One thing to definitely check out is Dolly – the first successfully cloned mammal, who’s stuffed body is on display. There is also a roof top deck on the new side which provides lovely views of the surrounding area.

Right across the street is Greyfriars Kirk. On your way, stop by a rub the nose of Greyfriars Bobby – the statue of a dog who was said to have spent his days guarding the grave site of his owner after he died. The Kirkyard (Scottish for church yard) contains an old cemetery with many notable residents of Edinburgh from days past. The cemetery has regained popularity in recent years as it is said that J.K. Rowling got many of the names of her characters in Harry Potter from the headstones. These days it is hard to mention sites in Edinburgh without mentioning Harry Potter. You can make a tour of places associated with the books, though be warned, one cafe claims to be the “birthplace of the novels”; however, J.K. Rowling has clearly stated that she created the story long before going there and only occasionally wrote there (so skip the expensive tea and biscuits there). George Heriot’s School next to the churchyard is said to be the inspiration for Hogwarts, but please remember that it is an operating school so be respectful and do not try to enter the grounds. Nearby is Victoria Street, a row of shops down a curved street which many consider the original Diagon Alley.

There are numerous other museum to see throughout the town including the National Portrait Gallery, the Writer’s Museum, and the Surgeon’s Hall Museum. Surgeon’s Hall is a particular favor if you like the weird or macabre as it contains a vast collection of pathological specimens… and by that I mean diseased body parts in jars. If you enjoy the darker side of history, you can join a tour on the Royal Mile to go underground and see the vaults where many of the poor in the 17th century were forced to live. At night these become ghost tours and focus on the crimes of Burke and Hare, Edinburgh’s famous serial killers.

If you prefer to stay above ground, you can stop in the stunning St. Giles’ Cathedral and wander your way down to the Scottish Parliament building and Holyrood Palace. Holyrood is the Queen of England’s residence in Scotland and was the historic home of Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th century. If you want to go well above the city, climb Arthur’s Seat or wind your way up to Calton Hill.

Eat + Drink 

While Scotland is not exactly known for its cuisine, you can get some seriously good food in the town. You won’t have to venture far to find a pub that will provide a full Scottish breakfast or haggis. There are also plenty of cafes around for a cup of tea and a bite to eat. If you’re on a budget, avoid anything on the high street as those are around all the tourist attractions. I will say that just off the high street we stumbled on a cute little cafe called the Edinburgh Larder which served a delicious breakfast and a coffee shop by the name of the Milkman. However, in this area you can find chippies, which will allow you to get a cheap plate of fish and chips or a deep fried Mars bar (its as good and as sickening as it sounds).

If you are looking for something fancy, you can find high tea at the Balmoral Hotel, the Caledonian Hotel, or the Tower Restaurant. The Tower has a wonderful dinner menu with lovely views of the Castle. The Witchery is another beautiful spot for special meal. Otherwise, head over to George Street where you’ll find great restaurant like Cafe Andaluz which had true Spanish tapas. Nearby is a great little bar with amazing craft cocktails, called Bramble. Its almost impossible to find, set in a basement off Queen Street, but trust me, its worth it.

If you are looking for something on the cheaper find, there are plenty of take away options for any global cuisine you can think of. I highly recommend grabbing a curry. There are also a number of chain restaurants such as Nando’s or Pizza Express that are delicious especially after a long day of sightseeing.

Local Insights

Edinburgh has a large tourist industry, which means there are plenty of options on where to stay. If you are a first time visitor and you want to hit a lot of the hot spots, you can find endless hotel and Airbnb options around the Royal Mile to fit any budget. Most recently, we opted for a holiday apartment just off the high street that allowed us to walk to everything we wanted. It had a nice sized kitchen which allowed us to save a bit and get coffee and breakfast at home the morning. I would certainly recommend an apartment as affordable breakfast spots are not that common and many do not open until 8am or later.

Twice a year Edinburgh also gets VERY busy. In December, there is a Christmas market in Princes Street Gardens. Christmas markets seem to have spread throughout Europe and are not full of ride, carnival games, and overpriced trinkets. Many locals hate the Edinburgh Christmas market and with good reason – it make the area incredibly busy and full of light up rides, detracting from the beauty of the town. In August of each year is the Fringe Festival. It is the largest arts festival in the world with performances and exhibitions of all kinds. For 25 days, there are tons of street performers all around town and tickets to the stage shows are coveted for month. While it is a very cool festival and creates a great vibe in town, it raises the prices of accommodation and makes moving around really difficult. For that reason, I would avoid August in Edinburgh until you’re looking to book your accommodation and events at least a year in advance and are ok with the upcharge.

Have you visited or do you live in Edinburgh? We’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations on what to see, do, eat, and drink in the comments! 

Portland, OR

Portland, OR

by Karen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

About this time last year, we headed up to Portland, Oregon for a friend’s wedding. It’s safe to say that most Arizonans have an obsession with the Pacific Northwest. It’s probably something about the rain and actual greenery. It has certainly been on our “to check out” list for a while. The wedding was set to take place in Downtown Portland so we opted to stay in that area. We had friends coming from all over the states, so we piled everyone into a airbnb with far-less-than-advertised beds for 2 days of exploration. 

See + Do 

Karen’s Pick – Donut Tour! Ok, so this wasn’t really an activity we could find but as two donut lovers, we made up our own. Not knowing the Portland areas, we stuck to places that were within walking distance of our apartment downtown. The itinerary was Coco Donuts (a local chain), Blue Star, NOLA, and Voodoo. Voodoo is of course a Portland institution, at least for tourists. My favorite was likely Blue Star. It had a minimalist, industrial vibe with some interesting flavor combinations. Overall, this was a fun activity to introduce us to Portland. It had us walking all over downtown and allowed us to get a real sense of the city… which was surprising quiet for a Friday morning. A Google search showed that a couple of companies do walking food tours including some with a focus on donuts. They seem to be right around $30 to $50 and include some interesting information on Portland. If you don’t want to spend too much time googling and mapping options, these companies may be a good choice. However, we found it easy to identify a ton of options around us and on the plus side our tour was free! 

Paul’s Pick – I also loved our home grown Donut Tour! Karen did an amazing job finding a few donut shops that were all within walking distance. We got a quick introduction to Portland and ate our haul in a park on the river side. Overall it was a wonderful day and we had leftovers to bring to our companions staying at the apartment with us. My favorite was NOLA donuts, we got amazing beignets with a plethora of different dipping sauces. These folks really knew what they were doing and had plenty of other pastry options and coffee. This location was also closest to Powell’s Books which we took some time to visit in for a while during our stay and you can read more about in the “Of Note” section. 

We may have gone a little overboard at Voodoo.

See + Do Of Note – While donuts ranked highest on our list of activities in Portland, there was no lack of cool things to do. We managed to stop in to Powell’s Books twice during our short weekend here. The flagship store was short walk from our Airbnb and though we’d already been the friends we were with wanted to go back. It is a neat place to look around and maybe pick up something good to read. The staff was friendly and helpful even to browsers like us. Be sure to head up to the 3rd floor to check out the rare books collections. Another spot we enjoyed was the Japanese Garden. Just a short light rail ride from downtown is this wonderful garden on top of a hill. Though busy, it still seemed very calm and boasted amazing views of Mt. Hood and a stunning collection of very old bonsai trees. We had wanted to get in hike or forest walk while we were here but with limited time and no wish to pack yet another pair of shoes, we opted for the Japanese Garden. It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours outside. 

Eat + Drink 

Karen’s Pick – I’m going to sound like a broken record here and it may come as no surprise but my pick goes to donuts! One donut in particular stood out and that was the Blueberry Bourbon Basil donut at Blue Star. This thing was amazing and I still have dreams about it. You can actually taste the basil in it. The flavors were complex and it was just the right amount of sweet. Even if you don’t have time for a tour, I recommend stopping by Blue Star for one of their tasty creations. 

Paul’s Pick – We had an amazing brunch our second morning in Portland at a local stop called Tasty n Adler. This was an american brunch restaurant that specializes in small plates. The six of us sat outside on a beautiful August morning. We shared everything from potatoes bravas to sausages to korean fried chicken. It was all delicious!  My personal favorite was the bim bop bacon and eggs. Be sure to get there early as the line starts forming before they even open! 

Peaceful little spot at the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Eat + Drink Of Note – It may be clear at this point that we love food! We aren’t traditional foodies with impossibly high standards. We’re more the type who watch way too much Food Network and want to eat everything we can find. Portland was a wonderland of good spots. Our first night in town, we waiting for hours to get into Luc Lac Vietnamess Kitchen. It’s easy to see why this place stays so busy. It was amazing. It has a strange set up where you have to ask for a table (they don’t take reservations) and then wait for your party to be called. From there you order at the counter and you are taken to your table to wait for your food. It was super tasty… just don’t try to go on a Friday night with 10 people if you don’t like to wait. Portland also has a huge food truck culture. On our ride from the airport, we noticed a full city block of food trucks next to our Airbnb. We didn’t manage to make it here while these trucks were open, but a collection of trucks were parked on a little square a few blocks in the other direction. By this point, both of us were suffering from a huge sugar rush and were desperate for something savory on our way to the Japanese Garden. We opted for the grilled cheese truck and sat and ate it at some little tables nearby. It was a nice lunch break that allowed us some good people watching. The trucks seem to always be set up in groups so there are always plenty of options to try in one place. We got some more outside time and caught up with our friends in the area when visiting a cool rooftop bar at the Nine’s Hotel. Here we spent a few hours catching up with old friends enjoying the Portland skyline. Something we were really interested in but weren’t able to swing was Multnomah Whiskey Library. This super exclusive whiskey bar boosts a huge collection of different whiskeys and serves a smaller selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and food. Typically, Multnomah requires a membership of $650 for access. They do allow walk-up reservations but it is no guarantee you’ll get in, especially with a larger party. Alternatively, you can buy a “hall pass” for $25 and request a reservation 72 hours in advance. There are limits on the date, time, and capacity, so you’ll have to be flexible. With a large group and limited time, we weren’t able to organize a trip Multnomah Whiskey Library. We have a soft spot for speakeasies, so this place will be on our list for next time!

Local Insights 

We stayed in an Airbnb in the heart of downtown Portland. It fit our needs and was only a few blocks from the hotel where the wedding took place; however, it wasn’t the nicest area for tourists. Friends of ours stayed at another Airbnb on the east side of the Willamette River that runs through town. This side boasts the neighborhoods of Hawthorne, Belmot, and the Central Eastside. While they had more traveling to get to the venue and other areas of attractions and nightlife, there were plenty of cute coffee shops and eateries around them. When we make it back to Portland, we will aim to stay on the eastside. Airbnbs in the area run from about $75 to $250 per night. The hotels are almost all in downtown or the Pearl district. There is an almost unlimited selection of hotel brands and boutique options to fit any budget. 

Views of Downtown from the Japanese Friendship Garden

Portland’s airport is pretty far outside of town and the cab or rideshare into town is not super cheap. However, there is not a ton of parking in much of Portland either. We wouldn’t recommend renting a car unless you are intending to head out of actual Portland. Once actually in Portland, there are plenty of options for public transport like the light rail, tram, and busses. We also saw a huge number of rentable scooters. Though they were banned for a period since our trip (and tons of other cities are looking to curb these companies operations), they have since been returned for a pilot program. The number of units will be limited and you are supposed to wear a helmet under certain laws. With the number of train tracks and cars, especially in downtown, we would hesitate to rely on this method of transport too heavily. Look for public transport and ride share as better options. 

Have you visited Portland or live in the Portland area? We’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations on what to see, do, eat, and drink in the comments!