Edinburgh Trip - Day 1

We took the first flight to Edinburgh and arrived just before 10am in the morning. This is my second time to the city, the first being 13 years ago. I don't remember much of it apart from the castle because it was a very short trip then.

The bus ride to the hotel was rather depressing. Not only did the sky look so gloomy, most of the buildings are so grey, dull and dirty too. My mood was however lifted by a kind soul who directed us to our hotel (A had gone off to work) when he overheard me telling the bus driver where we were going.

As it was still early, I wasn't sure if we would be able to check-in. A quick enquiry at the front desk after, I was told the room's available and ready. The girls and I were so relieved. We were so tired having woken up at 5am. The account manager took us up to our room (castle view!) and the girls were eager to explore around. Before we unpacked, I quickly took pictures of the still-tidy-and-nice room.




The rooms were refurbished recently and everything looked so new and clean!  I was very impressed by how polite and helpful the hotel staff were and this is definitely a bonus.




I love the bath, walk-in shower and toilet cubicle.  Very well designed and so spacious.  It seems like this is the trend now for a lot of hotels.












Love these pull-out drawers!









Lavigne on the enormous bed.  Evidently very pleased and thrilled.




Stuff which helped keep the girls entertained.




Louisa playing with 'Rush Hour'.  Trust me, this is highly addictive!



Lavigne was so excited when she discovered the mood lighting.  She called out to Louisa, 'Chehcheh!  Look what I found!'  Their favourite colour?  Turquoise.  




View from our room - Edinburgh Castle and Lyceum Theatre.




The girls always play with these whenever we leave and return to the hotel.







Now you see what I was talking about?  The sky and buildings.








A nice playground at Princess Park.




The famous shopping thoroughfare - Princess Street.  We were going to Marks and Spencer to get some lunch.  The store was right at the end of the street.  It sure worked up our appetite.















Why didn't I think of going up the departmental store to take pictures of the castle until I came home and started editing the photos?  But I'm rather certain it's not allowed.  More on that later.
















We didn't do much on this day.  Had lunch in our room, rest and relaxed before going for a swim at the very nice pool, an activity we did almost everyday.  It's nice not to have to rush around during a holiday.  We really enjoyed the leisurely break, good for the girls.  

Next up - Day 2 of our trip.  Better weather and proper sightseeing.