The Lillas were on the move again today, so after deftly packing our stuff back into the van, we made the short drive to Aberdour. On the way we got to cross the River Forth via the Queensferry Crossing (a bridge not a ferry), and before long we were hunting down our Airbnb.
Some Airbnb’s are very easy to find! This one was not. We drove around the block four times before we decided to pull over and really dig into the owner’s instructions. After putting our reading comprehension skills to the test, we found the trash can lined alley that lead to the staircases, that lead to the flat. The parking this time was “street parking,” and generally involved parallel parking the van on steep grades in a tight spots. Level Up!
After we got settled into the flat, we headed over to my friend Craig’s house. Craig and I connected about 18 months ago after he had listened to an interview I did on The Spaniard Show about the growth of Metro Stars. Afterwards, he reached out to the host, Charlie Brenneman, and asked if he could get in touch with me to discuss his kickboxing school. Well, we hit it off, and have kept in constant contact since!
Prior to the trip when we were working out our schedule with Craig, the stars aligned because we would be arriving at his house on the day of the Cairneyhill Children’s Gala. Like Gretna Days, or Papillion Days, it’s the villages’ annual celebration, full of great food, little rides, bounce houses, and the town tug of war! When we arrived at Craig’s house, it was really amazing to meet him in real life. We’ve only ever spoken via video calls, so this first face to face meeting was very special.
We got a quick tour of his home, and then we were off to the Gala, making a quick stop at their local park:
Craig’s wife, Joy, is on the planning committee and she got all the kids bracelets that would get them on anything and everything. We were even blessed with a “proper” Gala, because it rained on and off all afternoon. The girls quickly made friends with Craig’s daughter Katy and her good friend Charlotte. Charlie and Sam had free reign of the place, and made every minute matter.
The Gala was small town Scotland at it’s finest. Between the Nerf wars, the climbing wall, the bounce house, and the trampolines, everyone was in their element. Then things got better! It was time for the town running races, which were organized by year in school. After getting a lowdown on how the grade level work, the kids were ready to run! Charlie ended up winning his race, Samantha got third, and Juliette also won hers. As they proudly sported their medals, Katie ran her race, did not place, and did not get a medal. She was a little disappointed, but didn’t let it ruin her day.
After the races it was time for the tug of war between the North and the South. Our kids joined the South (since that’s where Craig and Co. live) and promptly dragged the North side through the mud! After this came the Kid’s Karaoke, which Katie gladly participated in. In spite of the fact that they didn’t have the music, she sang “Dear Theodosia” from Hamilton. She did so well that they gave her a medal (and now everyone was happy)!
When the Gala wrapped up we all headed back to Craig’s house for a barbecue. Because of the rain, we were a little iffy on whether or not we would fire up the grill, but the clouds lifted, the sun came out, and we were ready for action! Morag, who works with Craig, came over, as well as Vicky, a close family friend. Liz and I had a blast. Vicky, Morag, and Joy were a riot, and we just enjoyed the company and the conversation. Meanwhile, all the kids had a wonderful time and got along famously. As it started to get dark (sunset is like 11:30 pm in June) we parted ways and headed back to our flat in Aberdour. The drive included more narrow roads, lots of rain, and darkness – Level Up!
The next day we headed back to the Reid’s house so we could all enjoy Edinburgh together. Our first stop on the journey was to get a closer look at the Forth Bridge, which opened in 1889 and is still in operation to this day, i.e. they built it like a tank! After taking a few photos we traveled to the airport to park our cars and take the tram into Edinburgh.
Since the Lillas got off to a late start, it was already lunch time when we arrived. In the interest of time, we all decided it best to grab a quick meal at KFC. Luckily, fried chicken puts our kids in a good mood, and they were mostly ready for some history and wonder! Our route to Edinburgh Castle brought us to the Royal Mile, a stretch of real estate spanning from the castle to Holyrood Palace. Filled with shops and people, it’s a prime spot for street performers, and within 30 seconds the crew had stopped to watch a guy that had himself chained up and in a straight jacket. After he escaped, so did we!
The next interesting site was the Heart of Midlothian, which is patch of stonework in the road in the shape of a heart. Craig informed us that this spot is only place in Edinburgh where it is legal to spit, so we all had a lovely time expectorating on the stones. Katie thought it was really gross, while Charlie thought it was really awesome!
We soon arrived at the castle, where we enjoyed gorgeous views of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. Once again, the castle had a children’s quiz sheet, and that pretty much controlled our tour of the grounds. At the end, as the kids turned in their sheets, the attendant was very serious about grading! After a bit of a discrepancy on a stair count, everyone received their prize and all was right with the world. That night we had a lovely dinner with the Reid family, and then it was back to our apartment to get ready for tomorrow!
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