First Evening in Edinburgh

Getting lost in any city is always interesting. Making the wrong turn when we left our hotel was truly the beginning of an amazing evening.

Our Hotel
The Channings Hotel Edinburgh is made up of a series of renovated  townhouses. The top floor suites are named after the Antarctic explore, Sir Earnest Shackleton and his exploring team. 






After a power nap, we decided to explore Dean village, a charming residential area along the Leith river. It's a hidden surprise only a 15 minute walk from Princes Street and not far from our hotel (even with our misguided sense of direction)
This is where we took our first wrong turn. We were saved by a very friendly local who asked to see our wee map. He informed us we were holding it upside down and insisted on walking with us to get us on the right path - a staircase that led to the highroad along the creek. Beware the biker riders, joggers and dog walkers.

   

Under the Dean Street Bridge

Dinner at Ryan's
A short walk up a hill led us back to Queensferry Street and dinner. Nothing fancy, just a glass of wine and loaded veggie baked potato for me and a sandwich and local beer for my husband.

After dinner we noticed a small group had gathered across the street. Something was going on. Why was there a red carpet and those handsome pipers outside The Caledonian?

Apparently, there was a charity event. And Outlander fans - I was told I had just missed Scott Kyle. Everyone was waiting for James McAvoy (Professor X from X Men) and Eva Longoria. They didn't show up while we were there, but the pipers were very gracious and took photos with anyone who asked. www.getapiper.com

Me with piper James Nicholl

While I was waiting, I got this shot of the Edinburgh castle which we plan on exploring tomorrow. If we can find our way there.

www.zeldabenjamin.com

Family, Friends and Food in San Diego

The best part of traveling to places where you have family is the insiders information they can share. Not only the local places to eat, but the best times to visit local sites and avoid the crowds. It's like having your own Disney Adventure guide which is a wonderful experience. But that's for another blog post.

When our son moved to San Diego it immediately became a frequent vacation favorite. I never tire of visiting there. This time we brought some friends along. One who's photo you'll never see on social media due to her own request. That doesn't mean she didn't have a great time.

First stop is usually Torrey Pine State Preserve. We are avid hikers and enjoy the stretch after a long plane ride. The trails in Torrey Pine https://torreypine.org are easy, less than one-mile hike with views of the ocean, sage scrub and tafoni.   

Tafoni - cave like sculptors in rocks.

This trip we arrived late and were unable to hike Torrey Pine. No problem. Our next favorite thing to do in San Diego is eat. First stop for dinner on our trip was Ironside Fish and Oysters. I sat across from a wall with a view of piranha skulls. It's not as threatening as it looks. The green lipped mussels were the best I had since my last trip to New Zealand.

Every trip to San Diego includes a visit to the Midway. http://www.midway.org If you've got that kid who says, if it's about social studies, I'm not going... take them anyway.  If they don't enjoy the audio scavenger hunt get them to the flight deck and they will change their mind about the entire experience. 

This trip we ventured a little north of San Diego and visited Temecula.  Found a great Groupon - $30 for a 2 hour tour with ten tastings and five pairings at Miramonte Winery. Great tour guides and lots of fun. After 10 tastings everyone is family. Make sure you make a reservation. Our favorite from the  tasting was the White Sangria - sent home 6 bottles.

http://www.miramontewinery.com

Family, old friends and new friends

The list is endless, but here's a couple of local favorites.
 Liberty Station http://libertystation.com was a former Naval Training Center in Point Loma. There are restaurants, shops and galleries there now. It's a nice place to visit for a couple of hours. Buy lunch and sit outside where you get an amazing view of the underbelly of the planes taking off from Lindenbergh Field.

I'm always on the lookout for a new and interesting form of chocolate and found this at one of the shops.

https://bakerandolive.com

If you're near Little Italy between 7am and 11 am, stop by Xtraction Craft Cafe - located in front of the Downtown Works Building at the corner of West B and India Street. They started out serving Cold Brew and have expanded their menu.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but everyone with me said it was the best cold brew they've ever tasted. I did have a Kombucha and it was really good. It's one of those local finds you wish you could take home with you. 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/xtraction-craft-café-san-diego-4

Sunday Market -Little Italy

San Diego is great for family vacations. Even big kids love it.

Flat Stanley at a Padres game

                                                

                                                       Lunch at Old Town.

For more information about Zee visit her website www.zeldabenjamin.com