Since my mom and aunt were going to be in Edinburgh for a week while we're in Europe we decided to take the opportunity to meet up with them. We flew EasyJet (a decent discount airline) from Prague on Sunday morning Oct.26 and within 2 hrs we were there. The change in weather was the first thing we noticed...it seemed the temperature had dropped 10degrees and it was windy and damp (compared to the dry moderate temperatures we had for the first half of the trip) We hopped on the efficient AirLink bus that took us to Waverly Bridge in the center of the city and walked 2 blocks over to The George Hotel- where we had the pleasure to spent the next 7nights- thanks to my mom ;) The next 7 days were filled with lots of laughs, fun, and love. We visited the Edinburgh castle which sits atop an old volcano; hiked through the beautiful green pastures up to Arthurs seat; walked up to Calton hill for breathtaking views; strolled along the gothic streets of the Royal Mile; saw the well known play "Crime & Punishment"; climbed 277steps up the Scott Monument; tried local Scottish beers & cuisine (haggis is actually not that bad!); went on a "ghost bus tour" on Halloween night; and toured the unique underground vaults that lie beneath the streets of the old town. We also got to learn about the various spots that inspired J.K.Rowlings Harry Potter novels (my mom is a huge fan)

It was a nice surprise to be reunited with family and we had a great time spending the week together.

* I forgot to mention before one of the best parts- getting to have a mini-Christmas together! All over Edinburgh stores and buildings were already in Christmas mode, even though it was still October. (And we thought the States over-did it) Most of the time we laughed seeing this but The Dome was the exception. Luckily for us it happened to be right across the street from our hotel so we got to see it all the time. We went inside for drinks one night and marveled at the gorgeous elaborate decorations- including the giant tree on top of the bar. Since it was so magical we had to return one night for dinner to gaze at all the splendor once more ;) (And do an hour long photo shoot LOL)