Phoebe is well renowned amongst our family for giving the most fabulous and thoughtful presents for birthdays and christmas .. she really thinks about the gift whether it be for her brothers my mum or me .. theres always so much love and consideration behind each purchase.. so as you can imagine on my 50th birthday my surprise and joy when Phoebe told me she’d booked for us to go to Edinburgh for two night and three FULL days … excited is an understatement.
We arrived super early .. in time for breakfast so after a quick wander around we were lucky enough to stumble upon the wonders of Victoria Street .. it really is rather special .. it is also here that we found .. just as our bellies were rumbling .. a rather lovely café .. of course porridge was consumed .. when in Edinburgh and all that .. I have to say it was the best I’ve ever tasted.
Once refuelled we set off again .. not with any plans of places to visit .. I like the joy of discovering areas that you wouldn’t necessarily find if you had a “plan” .. we did this throughout the day .. stumbling upon little gems of buildings and streets .. when we finally checked into the hotel our feet were very tired …. We were on the 3rd floor .. which for tired feet & legs was a slow plod up the stairs .. but once we got there the view from our room was so worth it … pure amazing .. with a perfect view of the castle .. and the hustle and bustle of Princes Street .. you really couldn’t ask for anything better.
Once rested (I needed more than Phoebe .. who has endless energy) we set off again for a wander around the Princes Street Gardens where we had read about Ross Fountain .. there we found the fountain … but sadly it was without the water .. still rather lovely .. and it was there that Phoebe assisted a couple by taking their photos .. and in return they took ours .. I was definitely more excited about this than Phoebe .. I think she was in the more embarrassed camp (I mean if you can’t embarrass your teens in public when can you !!) .. then it was time for food (again) .. we decided to have a quick easy meal was we were both very tired after a super early start .. pizza it was .. and oh it was delicious.
Day two brought more structure .. we had googled places to visit .. among them obviously insta places, favourite stores and of course restaurants .. it was after all my birthday treat ..
We were incredibly lucky with the weather on day two .. It was truly glorious .. no coat required kind of weather .. so off we set with a shades and a spring in our step .. first point of call was coffee for me .. I had been told that Deans Village was a very beautiful place to visit .. and it was truly amazing .. almost like stepping back into medieval times .., it was every bit the insta dream .. the only noise was the trickle of the river .. on from there we went to Stockbridge .. full of the most wonderful Georgian buildings .. ones that I could very much imagine myself happily living in! .. there was so many gorgeous shops & cafes .. it had a real village feel to it.
Whilst in Stockbridge we took the opportunity to visit Circus Lane an insta famous cobbled street with a pretty amazing view .. I could have taken about a million photos here .. but our tummies were rumbling and and the need to mooch was great so we headed back toward George Street .. for those who do like mooching this is most definitely the place for you .. it was actually just rather lovely wandering along the street .. walking past restaurants that had seating areas in the street .. we decided (after a good mooch) that we would have a late lunch / early dinner .. in preparation for an evening out at a cocktail bar, we saw a lovely Spanish restaurant which was serving tapas & paella amongst other things whilst in full mooch & decided to head back to it .. we sat outside in the glorious sunshine beaming down we could have been in the Mediterranean .. oh the food was utterly delicious.
After a very long leisurely lunch/dinner we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready to go out for a few drinks ..
Our last day arrived .. and on the list was the Botanical Gardens and St James Quarter ..
The Botanical Gardens were wonderful .. the Victorian greenhouse was spectacular but sadly closed .. however we did stumble on upon the most fabulous Botanic Cottage Gardens, full of wild flowers .. the most wonderful house and fruit trees full of apples and pears .. it had such a French feel to it and I could have stayed all day .. however Phoebe had other plans .. St James Quarter, the new shopping centre .. she takes after me on the shopping front !
We stopped on the way for lunch .. deciding to eat a good meal earlier as our flight was later in the evening, it had been suggested that we go to a French restaurant called Chez Jules (on Hanover Street) .. as you step through the door you are transported to Paris .. I was in heaven .. with music playing that I have on my French playlist on Spotify and the most delicious food .. we left feeling full and très content … we then headed to St James Quarter to work off the lunch in proper professional shopper fashion .. & boy we did ourselves proud!
Edinburgh is one amazing city, it has relaxed pace of life, the most wonderful buildings and scenery .. and to have the opportunity to explore it with Phoebe really was special, spending those three days with her before she embarked on her university adventures was wonderful .. its something that I will always treasure .. and more so the fact she was happy to spend time with me having bought the trip for my birthday will always make me feel one very lucky mum.
Niki xx
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