A Winter Getaway in the Cape Breton Highlands and Beyond

Since mid-December, I've been working overtime - 14-hour days - and desperately needed a break when the text came through.  It was my sister and she proposed something I couldn't say no to.

A few days before receiving the text, my other sister arrived from Alberta for a visit and to celebrate our father's 80th birthday and to celebrate her and her twin sister's birthday the following week.  I had planned to take them out to dinner that weekend but they had other plans: A last-minute getaway to the Cape Breton Highlands to do some skiing, snowshoeing, skating and relaxing in a country cabin away from the craziness of home.  Of course, I said yes.  I didn't even have to think about it.  This was the break I had been dreaming about for months. 

The cabin was an Airbnb in Dingwall, about 30 minutes from Ingonish and the ski hill.  We arrived late in the evening after picking up a pizza and settled in right away.  The place was all wood, cozy and perfect for a winter weekend away from home.  My little nephew loved it from the start, too.  That first evening was spent playing hide and go seek and after he went to bed, it was drinks and chats for the adults. 

The first light of morning was the true reveal.  A huge deck overlooking the water with the rolling mountains of the Cape North area in the background.  It was so beautiful it almost looked like a painting!  

We got ready and left before 9, stopped for breakfast at the only cafe we could find open and reached Ski Cape Smokey before 10.  After getting our passes, we headed up the gondola to the top of the mountain where everyone else did some downhill skiing and I ventured off into the forest on snowshoes.  

The trail I embarked on was 4 kilometers and I honestly didn't think I would complete the entire thing. There was a lake at the end and I really wanted to make it that far.  Two other people came off the trail as I was arriving and I saw no one else after that.  I had the entire forest to myself and it was magical.  The temperature was warm, the skies were clear, the sun was bright and there was lots of fresh snow and scenic vistas all around.  

It was hard going for the first little while and some of it was uphill.  Every time I thought I was too tired and should turn around but I kept going.  Finally, I did make it to that lake.  I relaxed and took in the views for a while and headed back down the trail towards the gondola.  

I was hoping to see some wildlife but all I saw were some bunny tracks.  But I was fine with that as long as I got to enjoy some time in the forest surrounded by nature and peace and quiet. 

Back at the lodge, we grabbed some snacks and headed back to our cabin where we made some supper and just hung out together in our cozy little hideaway.   

I hated to leave the next morning.  We drove to Ingonish and planned to stop at the outdoor skating rink before driving home.  Unfortunately, it was closed but by that time, it was starting to snow and we wanted to get ahead of the storm that was headed our way.  

The snow got heavier and heavier and by the time we got to Sydney, the roads were covered and we had passed a few fender benders on the highway.  We stopped to grab a pizza before that magical weekend came to an end and I have to say, I felt quite relaxed heading into work Monday for another marathon 14-hour day.  I think this is something I should do more often! 

 

A Late Summer Trip to the Mainland

I know I should explore the rest of Nova Scotia more.  I love Cape Breton so much that I rarely leave it to see the rest of the province.  This past summer, I got the chance to go to the South Shore for a weekend getaway.  I wouldn't normally plan a getaway like this this time of year because summers are so amazing in Cape Breton, but someone gave me a gift certificate for a bed and breakfast in Mahone Bay.  Since it would otherwise go to waste, I called up the property and made a reservation for a weekend in mid-September.  Then I called up a good road-tripping friend and off we went on a journey to the other end of the province. 

The drive from Cape Breton to Mahone typically takes about six hours but it took us much longer.  When you take into account that we got lost, took a few wrong turnoffs, stopped for food and bathroom breaks and made a detour to visit Peggy's Cove, it took closer to nine or ten hours. 

By the time we got to Peggy's Cove, it was late afternoon.  I was expecting it to be deserted due to it being so late in the day and late in the season.  But that wasn't the case at all.  There were people everywhere.  They were in the shops, lined up to eat, wandering around the lighthouse itself, walking down every street in the little village.  I could barely get through the crowds at times and I was only able to get one decent picture of the lighthouse and it still had strangers in it.  

Peggy's Cove was not how I remembered it.  I was very young the last time I was there and all I remembered was a few shops and the lighthouse.  Maybe it was a huge tourist trap back then too, but I just never noticed as a child.  The shops are nice and there are good options for food and drink and some interesting things to look at, including the lighthouse, of course.  But, in all honesty, I can go down to Low Point Lighthouse five minutes away from my house in New Waterford and see one that is just as beautiful, if not more so. 

We headed straight for the lighthouse first and then headed back to the village where we grabbed something to eat, browsed the shops and admired the scenery. When we were done in the village, we drove to a spot a few minutes away where there was a monument set up for the people who were lost in the Swissair disaster that happened in the waters just off Peggy's Cove in 1998. 

From Peggy's Cove, it was smooth sailing all the way to Mahone Bay except for one construction zone where we were stopped for a while. 

We arrived at River Ridge Lodge around 7:00 PM and the owner Frauke came right outside to greet us and get us settled in.  We retreated to our room, unpacked and organized a little before heading out to find somewhere still open to grab something to eat. Unfortunately, that didn't happen as planned.  Everything was closed, so we grabbed some food from the grocery store and just had snacks back at our room. After the long drive and running around looking for food, we were ready to hit the sack fairly early that night.   

The next morning, we got on the road early with somewhat of a plan for the day.  Our first stop was Oak Island and the setting for the popular television reality show centered around finding the treasure that is said to be buried there. 

We crossed the causeway and pulled up to the gate where a woman was waiting.  As it turned out, we wouldn't be seeing much because the cast and crew were inside the area filming and the interpretation centre was closed.  We parked in the parking lot and just took some pictures of the memorial and kept going towards downtown Mahone Bay. 

It was a pretty morning to take a short stroll around this pretty little town.  After speaking with some nice ladies with Tourism Nova Scotia and getting some directions on how to get on the scenic route everyone was telling us about, I grabbed a coffee for the road and off we went toward Lunenburg.  Of course, we got lost but eventually found our way.  I have the worst sense of direction, even when a GPS is guiding me along!

The drive to Lunenburg was a nice, relaxing one.  We arrived in the colorful little town to discover that some festivities were going on and The Bluenose was in town and open for free tours. We parked quite far away from the waterfront because there were very few parking spots left anywhere.  The walk to the waterfront was all downhill and the fact that that meant the walk back would be all uphill wasn't lost on me. 

There was music, food and face paintings and a number of antique cars were lined up for everyone to see.  After a tour of The Bluenose, some hotdogs and a rest overlooking the water, we walked up and down the streets for a bit checking out some of the shops and then headed back to the car to continue our journey.   

We were told that we would have to board a car ferry at some point to cross to LaHave.  We arrived when the ferry was on the other side loading cars so we had a little wait.  According to several people we have spoken to since our arrival on the South Shore, we needed to stop at the LaHave Bakery which is only about a minute from the ferry dock on the other side. 

We pulled into the parking lot and were both surprised at the size of the place and the fact that it appeared to be more than just a simple bakery. The first thing that hit me was the smell of freshly baked goods and the second thing that hit me was the old-school look and feel of the place.  It was like I stepped back in time. There were artifacts, ornaments and pictures all over the walls and any space that could hold something.  There being so much to look at made it seem more like a museum than a bakery!

I took my place in line to get some goodies and settled on a slice of vegetarian Mediterranean-style pizza and a Nanaimo Bar.  Both were delicious and the price was right for something made on-site from scratch. 

We took our food outside and ate on the deck overlooking a view of the harbour. When we were done, we went back inside and looked around the gift shop and bookstore.  I was on the hunt for something suitable for my 3-year-old nephew for his upcoming birthday but everything was too breakable for his rambunctious age.  

I'd heard about Crescent Beach and its sandy shore and crystal clear water and always wanted to go there and see it for myself.  As we pulled into the parking area and I gazed at the expansive stretch of coastline before me, I was impressed with the width and length of the beach and the fact that the water felt quite warm even for that late in the season.  I was not, however, impressed with the fact that cars are allowed to drive on the beach.  I like my beaches quiet, natural and car-free. 

We didn't stay long.  I contemplated going for a swim but the air was a bit too cool and I didn't want to catch a chill.  We next stopped at a beach called Resser's Beach Provincial Park and this one was more like my kind of beach.  Wild, remote, natural and surrounded by nice scenery.  

We walked the beach from one end to the other and moved onto the beautiful boardwalk and walked the entire length of it as well.  There was a food truck set up by the common area where the bathrooms and other facilities were and I thought what a great idea that would be if someone could do that at my favorite beach back home.   

By the time we left Resser's Beach, it was getting close to supper time.  I didn't want to be driving around the area at dark because I'd already almost hit a deer on the way into town the night before.  Also, since we didn't get to have a very good supper the night before, we wanted to get back to Mahone Bay to find a nice restaurant to sit down and have a hot meal before everything started to close.  It was Sunday after all and I didn't know what time anything closed on Sunday evenings. 

We drove straight to where we were staying and got changed and headed to town.  It was quite late and by the looks of it, many things had already closed.  We drove around downtown looking for an interesting place to eat and once we decided on a place that had been previously recommended to us, we parked the car and started walking in the direction where we had been told the restaurant was.  

We were told Betty's at the Kitch was open late and it was only a few minutes on foot from where we were parked.  The part about being open late was true but it took more than a few minutes to walk there!  More like 15 minutes and being as hungry as we were by that point, we were not too happy having to walk so far.  We just kept walking and walking and at one point, I thought we had gone the wrong way because we still get to it.  Finally, I saw people standing outside a building and then I saw the sign.  

We were given a seat for two by a window where we could look out onto the night street.  The place was cozy, warm, quiet and inviting.  Everything one could want in a late-night meal.  The service was amazing and the food was perfect!  Delicious, well-portioned and served at just the right temperature.  We took our time eating and savouring our first meal of the trip.  The walk back didn't seem to take as long.  It never does when you're going back. 

After such a long day of exploring, I fell asleep not long after getting back to our room.  The next morning, I awoke early, packed, had a quick breakfast and took a walk around the grounds and across the street where there was a little boat house on the river.  

Before check-out, we took one last drive into town to get coffee and visit a bakery that had been recommended to us.  I had some quiche and a cinnamon roll before taking a drive to the other side of the harbour to get some pictures of the Three Churches.  Before long, we were checked out and back on the highway for the long drive home.   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

A Summer Day Trip From Jersey Cove to Ingonish

It's nice to have friends with trailers and summer homes in nice places.  It's especially nice to have a great friend who has a trailer in beautiful Jersey Cove, Cape Breton.  That's because it's the perfect place to enjoy a quick summer getaway.  It's scenic, it's quiet, it's relaxing and it's centrally located near all the places I love to visit.  Baddeck is only 20 minutes away and Ingonish is less than an hour away just to name a few of those places.  Most importantly though, this friend spends much of her summer there in her trailer and loves when company stops by.  Sometimes that company happens to be me.  One such day this summer, it was me.

 One of the best things about Jersey Cove is it's less than an hour away from my house so it's the perfect place to head to if I want a quick getaway.  I arrived at the trailer mid-morning and after we unpacked the car, we headed straight to Ingonish for the day. Our plan was to recreate the perfect day we had the year before at Black Brook Beach. It didn't quite turn out that way but it was still a great day!

We drove to Black Brook as I thought for sure the beach conditions would be perfect on such a perfect day.  As we walked down the hill to the beach area, we realized that there was no beach!  The tide was so high and it was so windy that the water was coming right up to the grass.  There was no way it was safe or ideal to swim there that day.  Off we went in search of another beach. That beach ended up being the little patch of soft sand by the wharves in Ingonish known as The Point.  The water was clear, warm and free of jellyfish and debris. It was lovely. 

Supper that evening was take-out by the ocean.  After a walk along that beautiful beach at North Bay, we headed back to the trailer at Jersey Cove. It was a clear, warm night so stargazing and sitting around the fire listening to music was in order.  The closer I am to nature, the better I sleep and that night I slept like a baby to the sounds of the trees rustling and the waves gently rolling ashore. I awoke to an adorable little hummingbird staring at me through the window right next to my bed. 

I Seriously Think Travel May have Ruined my Life

I Think Travel May have Ruined my Life....but in a Very Good Way.  Or in a very bad way depending on how you look at the way I live my life and travel in general.

I've been thinking about travel a lot lately.  Well, more than usual because I'm always thinking about travel.  Maybe I've been thinking about it more lately because it seems like it's been forever since I went anywhere outside of Canada.  Many years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would go somewhere outside of my home country at least once a year. This year, I broke that promise.  I opted for a staycation due to a number of factors, including financial limitations, work obligations and the simple fact that we had a phenomenal summer here in Atlantic Canada and I wanted to enjoy every second of it!. The furthest I went was Newfoundland for a week.  If you are not up on your Canadian geography, Newfoundland is only an hour-long flight or 6-hour ferry ride away and is right next to my home province of Nova Scotia.

But now, as I sit here on a cold winter night and come to the realization that the last time I left my comfort zone and explored a different part of the world was in September of 2016 when I went to Scotland.  That's a long time ago.  At least it is to someone who has a travel addiction and has not fed that addiction in over two years!

I may not have traveled much lately but I certainly go on a lot of adventures even if they are within two hours of my house.  I had an incredible summer and found lots of new places on Cape Breton Island and explored some unfamiliar territory.  But now that the beach days and long summer nights are long gone and winter has set in, I am thinking about all the places I have yet to see in this world.  And when I get thinking about travel and the traveling I'm not doing, my mind shifts to the travel I already did and how those adventures shaped my life.  It also makes me realize how I feel a little bit sorry for the people around me who have never traveled, have no desire to travel and will never experience the benefits of immersing oneself into a new land and a new culture.  They have no idea why I am so crazy about packing a suitcase, jumping on a long-haul flight and traipsing around a place far, far away where I know no one and have no real reason to be there.  When my brain goes into overload thinking about these things, I also get an urge to try and persuade as many people as possible to join me on an adventure so I can show them what they are missing.  I imagine myself doing this in much the same annoying way they try to persuade me to grow up, give up traveling, have a normal life and settle down. 

Over and over again, I see my friends and family making comments on social media about how some places are so dangerous to travel to and how the world is such a scary place and blah blah blah.  They berate me with stories of how women are raped and murdered when traveling alone and how terrorist attacks are becoming more frequent.  The more I roll my eyes, the more persistent they become in their quest to change me into a domestic homebody who has no desire to go anywhere except to the grocery store. 

I cant think of any negative effects travel has had on me except that I miss it like crazy when I'm not doing it.  Travel has had profound positive effects on every aspect of my life.  It has broadened my way of thinking, it has made me smarter and it has made me look at the world in a whole new way.  It frustrates me to no end how no one else sees this.  All anyone sees is me going on vacation, wasting time and procrastinating the "adulting" stage by "running away from real life".  If they only knew the positive effects travel has actually had on my adult life!  The thing is, the things I see as positive effects on my life, are actually seen as negative things by the modern society that subconsciously limits us to a robotic life that is set up before we even begin living it. If I can change just one person's mind and make them see that they don't need to be trapped in that cycle.  If I can encourage just one person to buy a plane ticket to a far away land and have them see what they are missing and how travel can positively change their life, I've done my job.  

My first real big trip as an adult was the one I took with my sister to Las Vegas.  No one batted an eye at the announcement of this trip.  I presume it was because I wasn't going alone and I was traveling to a country deemed safe in most people's eyes.  However, upon our return, I got some real funny looks and comments when I told people about how we rented a car and drove around in the desert for several days.  I realized then and there that any travels taken off the well-beaten path in unconventional manners would be frowned upon by pretty much everyone. I also soon realized that being a woman who travels alone raises a lot of eyebrows.

The fact that I am a woman who travels alone to far away places is not the only thing that gets a negative reaction from people.  I live what I consider to be a very unconventional lifestyle compared to the majority of people.  I do my own thing.  And I do it at my own pace. And a lot of the things I do revolve around planning my next big trip.  For some bizarre reason, many people have a problem with this! I don't know if they are jealous or mad because I'm not joining the herd and carrying my weight the way I am supposed to in their eyes or if they just like to try to control others.  Perhaps they are miserable in their own lives and want me to join them, but who am I to judge. I don't see anything wrong with living a minimalist lifestyle.  I don't see anything wrong with cutting certain unnecessary items out of my budget to save for a trip.  I don't see anything wrong with not having fancy ornaments and material objects around my apartment.  I don't see anything wrong with living in a small apartment!  I don't see anything wrong with turning down invites to dinners and expensive outings that I don't like participating in anyway and I don't see a problem with spending some of my hard-earned cash on something I enjoy doing. But time and time again, I am faced with insulting questions and attempts to change my life around to suit others rather than continuing on in a way that's suitable to me.

When I announce that I am going on a trip, I get two different responses: 1) "Wow that sounds fantastic, enjoy! OR 2) "You are going away again.  Where do you get the money to go on these trips?  Don't you think you should be thinking about settling down?"  The majority are in the second group, unfortunately.  First of all, due to work obligations, I only get the chance to go away on a big trip once a year.  That's not a lot.  Second of all, I tried settling down, it's not for me. Maybe I need to be paired with someone who likes to travel and live a non-materialistic lifestyle rather than spend their life keeping up with the Jones'. These people are hard to find.  I work, my chores get done, I'm responsible. I just don't get what the problem is!

The most insulting is the questions about money.  The people around me seem to have this misconception about me and money.  Either they think I am rich or I go into debt using credit cards to travel.  The reality is neither is true.  The same people who ask me how I can afford to travel are the same people who shop for new clothes every other week, smoke cigarettes, go out to expensive restaurants and clubs every weekend, gamble and buy expensive electronics and knick knacks that they don't need.  I shop for clothes once a year and more than half that shopping is done in thrift shops.  When someone invites me to go shopping, I try to think of ways to play dead or disappear as I would rather shoot myself in the left foot than spend a sunny summer day in a mall dipping into my travel fund to buy things I don't need.  Speaking of the travel fund...that's another sore spot with many people.  They are appalled that I even have this!  To them it's appalling that I would have a fund put aside for travel but none put aside for my future kids' education (meanwhile, I don't have kids and don't plan on having any) or for a down-payment on a house (what do I need a house for when I'm alone and move around so much!) I don't smoke or drink excessively and my outings on the weekend involve hiking or snowshoeing or going to the beach and I bring a picnic. I might eat at a restaurant once or twice a year.  My one trip that I take each year might cost 2000 dollars at most and that is on the higher end.  Now, If I sit down and add up all the expenses that many of the people who question me have (and yes, in my frustration and confusion, I have sat down and done the calculations), they spend THOUSANDS more on material things than I do on experiences. No material thing has done for me what my travel experiences have.  I wouldn't trade those memories and experiences for anything! And anyway, after seeing how happy many people in this world are with so little, I realized long ago that money and materials are not the key to a peaceful life.

I feel that I have everything I need and at times, I feel like I actually might have too much.  I am constantly downsizing to have more space and less things to drag around with me.  I live in a small apartment that is the perfect size for me and it's nice.  At least to me it's nice. To others?  Not so much.  I have furniture but it's older and mismatched.  I have a bed but it's well-worn and has claw marks from where my beloved kitty scratches in the middle of the night for me to pick him up and put him in the bed to cuddle with me.  I have dishes and appliances but they are not fancy, modern shiny things.  They work and do the job I need them to do and that's fine with me! I don't have lots of ornaments and pictures and pretty things scattered about because I am trying to keep my life simple and as less cluttered as possible.

My cherished possessions are my cat, my family photo albums and cherished items that belonged to my mother who has passed away.  My laptop is pretty important too as it helps me to indulge in the things i love - writing, blogging, photography and travel planning.  But when certain people come to my house, they loudly and rudely proclaim their distaste at my lifestyle. They say things like "how can you live in such a small space?" or "you know you can get matching sheets and affordable modern furniture at Wal Mart" or how about "you certainly haven't honed in on your womanly domestic instincts".  Now, I have to mention...MY APARTMENT IS CLEAN AND UNCLUTTERED WITH WOOD FLOORS AND A LOVELY KITCHEN AND COSY LIVING AREA!!  In other woods, it's far from a dump!  I have a busy, active life.  I work hard and play just as hard.  I have more important things to worry about than whether my sheets match or my towels don't have a few frays in them.  The people who make these comments to me, on the other hand, have next to no hobbies, spend all their free time cleaning and watching TV and gossiping about how they don't like the way other people live their lives. Not that that's a problem for me, everyone has their own idea of fun and are free to live their life how they want.  I wonder if it occurs to these people that I am hurting no one by living my life this way and I never make insulting comments to them about their lives.

The people around me often criticize me for being frugal and saving money for travel. I don't have a whole lot of money as it is, so I like to save a little so I can do some of the things I enjoy.  Travel happens to be one of the things I enjoy.  Why would I go shopping, eat at a restaurant, go to a movie, go out drinking or go to a casino when I don't particularly enjoy doing those things. I do them from time to time in order to spend some time with friends (even though they rarely bend and do things I enjoy...I can just imagine the reaction I would get if I suggested to have a picnic in the park rather than go to a restaurant!) and show that I am willing to be flexible.  They laugh at me when I make my own coffee at home or take my own lunch to work rather than eating out.  They roll their eyes at me when I refuse to join them at the mall for the latest sale that "can't be missed" or when I use coupons when buying groceries.  They question my sanity when I say I don't subscribe to cable, satellite, Netflix or any other television service.  They call me a cheapskate, hippie and weirdo.  They think I'm downright nuts when I work every hour of overtime that is offered to me so I can bank a little more money for my next adventure. But I can see the jealousy written all over their faces when I tell them I just booked a sunny beach vacation in the dead cold of a Maritime winter.  All those extra savings allow me to travel this vast, beautiful world of ours that I just can't get enough of. 

Travel runs my life in many ways.  Every time I do go shopping for anything, I make sure to shop where I can get points towards travel with my credit card or Airmiles. At times, I eat less, drive less and work more...all for the sake of travel.

When trying to place an event in my life on a timeline, I often use a trip I took as the reference point.  That's how important travel is to me.  The trips I've taken have all had major impacts on my life and have become important milestones in my timeline.  When I'm not traveling, I'm thinking about travel, writing about travel, trying to come up with ways to travel and trying to convince others to travel more.

If you have never taken a trip outside your home country, I strongly urge you to do so ASAP.  I can't express enough how important it is for us to indulge in new cultures, have a change of scenery once and a while and see new places.  Getting out of the safe zone and venturing out into the big, bad world makes it seem a lot less big and bad.  But don't blame me if you get hooked.  It happens to most travelers who just can't get enough of the beauty of this planet and its people.

The travel bug has certainly messed with my head but in so many good ways!  It has turned my life upside down, changed my perspective, changed my view of the world and everything around me and has made me a better person in more ways than I can count.  I don't see any international trips in my immediate future except in my dreams where I will dream about the next time I roll out my trusted old suitcase and board a plane to yet another far away land. 

Next Stop: Edinburgh, Scotland

*Continued from My Journey to Scotland's Cities, Highlands and Islands http://bit.ly/2k61UAl 

After getting instructions from a lady at the help desk in the arrivals area of Glasgow International Airport (she suggested take a bus/train combination to Edinburgh), I made my way to the front entrance of the airport to find the #500 bus to Queen St. Station in downtown Glasgow. The moment I walked out the door, a blue bus with the #500 was just pulling up. I rushed over and bought a ticket and was on my way. Much easier than I thought it would be and I didn't get lost like I usually do. The trip downtown took about twenty-five minutes and allowed me to see some of the city. Upon arrival and in an equally-easy manner, I was able to find a ticket booth where I bought a train ticket to Edinburgh Waverley Station, find the right train and board.  

I was surprised by how easy this whole process was.  Actually, it scared me a little.  I was almost expecting something to go wrong.  It's rare that things go this smoothly for me when traveling. In less than an hour, I made it from plane to bus to train and was headed for Edinburgh. Although I was dead tired and the seats on-board the train were very comfortable, I was unable to sleep a wink. Instead I drank coffee all the way there which I'm sure didn't help with the jet lag and lack of sleep. There wasn't much to see along the way except homes, industrial parks and lots and lots of sheep.

The train ride only took about an hour and before I even had a chance to settle down and relax, it was time to disembark at Waverley Station in downtown Edinburgh. When I booked my trip, I didn't know if I would be taking the trail but I still sent directions from Waverley Station to the Travelodge on St. Mary's St. where I was staying. once I was off the train, it didn't take long to realize that I would need to access those directions. The station was much larger than I thought it would be and I, very quickly, became hopelessly lost. The directions were of no help.

Waverley Train Station

I wandered around that train station for just over an hour trying to find the right exit onto the right street. When I found it, it took another twenty minutes to find the right route to my hotel. It was during this time that I had my first experience with genuine Scottish hospitality.  Several people who noticed I was lost offered to help me and one person even offered to walk me straight to my hotel! Once I got on track and new what direction to go, I walked another ten minutes.  As I walked, I couldn't help but notice how warm and sunny it was. Everyone back home told me the weather in Scotland that time of year was much like home - cold, damp and horrible. I was wearing my cold weather clothes while walking with all my luggage so I was sweating bullets in no time. I arrived at my hotel room with plenty of time to explore the city on that first day. It wasn't until my arrival at the Travelodge that I realized how central it was - right around the corner from the Royal Mile, the main tourist street in Edinburgh.

Checking into the hotel was a breeze. The only peculiar thing about check-in was the fact that no one at the front desk knew how to say or spell my last name even though MacEachern, so I've always been told, is an obviously very Scottish surname. Oddly, this would not be the first time I'd experience this on my adventure around Scotland. It seems that it's not as common of a name as it is across the pond in New Scotland. Once in my room, I quickly unpacked, grabbed a shower and set out to explore the city. I probably should have caught up on sleep seeing as I was jetlagged and hadn't slept in almost two days but I felt wide awake. I'm not one to let a little jetlag and lack of sleep get in the way of my travels; plenty of time to sleep at home!

My hotel room at the Travelodge in Edinburgh - simple but clean and comfortable.