Richards mum came up on the Saturday before his 40th birthday. She was going to look after the boys for the 3 nights we were away but mum and dad had to take over the Tuesday as Ed had an op so couldn't come and Belinda had to go collect him. We were lucky we could have a few nights away on our own. It has been a surprise trip but then I thought I better tell Rich on the Friday that we were going away so he could pack. Me, Richard and Belinda went to Beaconsfield for a dinner to celebrate his birthday to Brasserie Blanc whilst my folks sat with the boys. On the Sunday we celebrated Rich's birthday with cake and dad brought us to Luton airport. We landed at 2.50 and got the tram to the city centre. After walking to our B&B which was about 10-15 min walk from the tram stop, we checked in. We were on the ground floor and the room was small but nice. We then headed out and walked up to Carlton Hill as the sun was setting and it was quite busy and there were police about. Someone seemed to have added graffiti to the monument. There was the Nelson and the national monuments. There was a look out to Arthur's seat and a church, St Mary's Cathedral. It was very pretty. We then went to the Boozy Cow for dinner which had been recommended but we hadn't booked a table but luckily we could sit up on the side, it did all types of different burgers and dirty fries. I had a chicken one and Richard a beef burger. We stopped in a pub for a drink on the way back and I enjoyed a flavoured gin. It was a good first night for us.

On the Monday, this was Richards 40th, he opened some of this birthday cards from us and the parents. We had a yummy big breakfast at the B&B. You could have a big fry up, eggs and salmon and porridge with honey and whisky. I decided to try their porridge with a little whisky and cream which was quite tasty followed by a full breakfast. We did the open top bus choosing the multiple circuit routes. I think it was about £38 each. We went to St Andrew's Square to get the bus. Some people tried to push in but another older couple were not having it and pushed us along to get on as we were first. My kinda people. First stop was the Royal mile which was near the palace of Holyroodhouse and Scottish Parliament. We got off at a stop by Holyrood Park which was near Arthur's seat which looked like a serious climb up into it. So we decided not to try that as had limited time to cover everything. We walked to the next bus stop which was Dynamic Earth. This was a centre dedicated to engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with an understanding of the earth and environmental sciences. We then got back on the bus and got off at the Edinburgh museum which was in Lauriston. This was a fantastic museum and was free but we made a donation. It was very light and big with lots of interactive features. Scotland still wore masks indoors compared to England which was starting to drop them. We got off at Edinburgh castle but there were no tickets available to purchase. In hindsight we should have bought on the bus but we didn't know that was an option until the next day. We wandered around then walked down to grass market and found a cafe and had some toasted sandwiches and I had a yummy hot chocolate for around £20. The bus then took us around the outskirts and sea front. We popped to look in the John Lewis at kitchens and other bits and bobs. We then went back to the hotel and Rich tried the complementary whiskey.

Later that night we went back to get freshened up and to head out for dinner. I had booked an Indian restaurant at the Indian Lounge for 6.45, that had good reviews for dinner. It was very busy and the food was yummy. We had chicken tikka and pakora to start. I tried a saag curry and lamb dansak. It cost around £70 and we headed back and went for a drink in a hotel bar on route home. Rich had a red wine and I had a gin. There was a big Christmas tree lit up so they were soon getting ready for Christmas even though it was October. I think Rich enjoyed his day and night, well I hope so.

On the Tuesday, we went for breakfast, I had the eggs and salmon. We decided to quickly squeeze in the other bus route whilst it was covered (24 hour ticket). It did the outskirts but we didn't get off. We walked through the Princes street gardens which runs alongside the Main Street and was very pretty. There was a big elephant statue sat down and various water features. At the end there was a church and graveyard. There was a statue of George IV when he visited Scotland. We then popped to Primark to take a look at a few bits but didn't have much space in the luggage to buy lots. We then headed for our spa treatment. Rich got a 45 mins massage and I had a massage then facial, it was absolutely lush! Really should do it more often. We had gone separately for a pulled pork bap which had been recommended whilst we waited for the other to finish. It was a rainy day and we decided to go to the cinema down the road and watch the new James Bond with some snacks. It was nice to be able to go cinema as had been a long time since we went. We went for an Italian at the end of the road, that was part of a chain it was delicious. It's not something we eat often, Italian but it's very nice when we do. I had a calzone and Rich had a seafood tagliatelle and it was about £62.

Wednesday morning, we had our last yummy breakfast, I had pancakes with bacon and blueberries. We then walked to the tram to head back to the airport. The tram went past Murrayfield Stadium. All was on time and we headed back in an uber home to see our little boys. It was a Wednesday so the boys were at home with my mum and dad. Rich opened his presents and other cards with Thomas. It was a lovely break away to spend some quality time together not chasing our little mini people.