st. giles' cathedral & balmoral castle

This weekend, we went exploring with B's parents in Scotland. We stopped at our favorite castles and restaurants on the way to Edinburgh, and then made our way to the Royal Mile. We were pleased to see that the beautiful St. Giles' Cathedral was open and crowded and we made our way inside.  We paid a 2 pound charge to take photos (worth it) and listened to a group of children singing near the enormous organ. The Royal Mile is jam-packed with the usual tourist traps -- whiskey tasting, cashmere stores, Scottish gift shops -- and while that's fun, I recommend taking a breather to visit the inside of the church.

scottish borders: kelso abbey, gypsy palace, floors castle

This weekend, we took a trip to the Scottish Borders and stayed with B's co-worker's (mentioned in this post) parents. Since the weather was perfect (unheard of in Scotland), we were able to squeeze in quite a bit - including a round of golf. I suck!

This is Kelso Abbey, in the small town of Kelso, Scotland. The Abbey was built in the year 1128 (hard to imagine) so it's mainly ruins today. B and I love the ruins of Scotland (castles and cathedrals) because they have so much character, and make for a breathtaking photo.

photo(s) of the week: cliff trail & dunnottar castle

This coastal trail (lots of cliffs!) from Stonehaven to Dunnottar castle has beautiful views of the North Sea and if you're lucky, you'll even see seals and puffins floating around. 

Dunnottar is one of our favorite castles in Scotland because of it's placement on the edge of a massive cliff, and because the ruined fortress has a lot of character and many rooms to explore. I highly recommend a visit.

photo of the week: eilean donan castle

This Scottish castle in the western Highlands is absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately we were not able to go in (closed for winter), but the view from the outside was worth the visit.