London/Berlin ’24 – Day 1

Day # 1 Synopsis – Okay… this is the day where we want everything to run smoothly, as it sets up the rest of the trip. Delays on the way back, when nothing is really scheduled, are easy. However, problems on this day, impact your time away… not good. It’s a day of “double-checks.” Passport (valid/signed/with you), Phone/Charger/UK AC Adapter, $$$ (Cash/Card). If we focus on making sure we have these essentials, we can surely find anything else in this city of almost 9 Million, and we should land in London on a Saturday as ready as possible.

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Here’s how this really rolled out! We woke up to an email several days prior to departure from WestJet and, with sunken hearts, were notified of a potential “Strike Action” 🥹. Just what we didn’t want to have happen. Decision time… to be reactive or proactive! As the day passed, with little to no follow up notification from company and media reporting that highlighted the “abrasive” nature of talks, we opted to alter to a flight that might at least depart prior to the looming strike deadline. It required a bit of a late-nighter and lots of time on hold (“We are presently experiencing higher than normal call volumes” – I bet!!!) but, in the end, we made it work. Really have to say the folks at WestJet were most helpful. End result… we made lemonade and added ourselves a new starting destination… Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. With a next to reckless itinerary scramble… it was fingers crossed the flight would take off unimpeded.

Thus, our story begins with Day 1 becoming two days… and we’re off ✈️! With “The Team” convening in Cloverville, all rallied for goodbyes, passport double-checks, hands on iPhones / chargers, and off for the commute to Halifax / Stanfield aboard the Rav4. It was all rather efficient and with a buzz of excitement! Lots of inquiries from the girls at the airport in regard to security, what is allowed, how it should be packed… good questions. On our last visit we booked a security time with YHZ Express, but it was unavailable having hours from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This being the case, we opted to be as early as possible on this busy travel week knowing this was our first time travelling with two youngsters (other than ours) under the age of majority. We had paperwork in place, but very much wanted to be on top of that should issues arise.

Nicely… smooth sailing and the girls had packed perfectly! Inside security and at our gate we hunkered down to several hours of prep (including tech tuning of Airalo/Carrier Apps/Pics & Blog Entry) and boarding was super smooth with flight departure as scheduled… huge sigh of relief 😌. Just prior to boarding I read that the Minister of Labour had mandated an arbitrator… it seemed a full on strike may be averted. Regardless, we were still happy we chose to have been proactive… better the control when one manages the conditions as opposed to being forced off the road by bad drivers!

The “red eye” is always a tough situation for comfort and sleep, but as flights go it was pretty painless. We knew we’d all be stung a bit at days end, but put on a brave face and did our best to at least close our eyes. Josie and Paige gathered a couple of dramatic pics at sunrise! Actually, a little bit of medical excitement mid-crossing when a passenger walking between us passed out in the aisle 😳. The announcement for a “medical professional” summoned a volunteer that brought balance and supported the stewardess. A brief delay for EHS at the gate, then all things forward!

With all hands on the ground (except for Josie waving) we ran the gauntlet. UK 🇬🇧 customs was damn friendly… it’s almost entirely completed electronically now, except for me! Unfortunately, my passport wouldn’t scan. I asked him why it wasn’t working, and he winked at me and said “user error”. Girls, once again, did great! This was the first visit to Scotland for everyone, and with the flight scramble I wasn’t feeling the level of preparedness I usually have when landing in a new country. Mercifully, language barrier wasn’t an impediment and the customs / entry practices are similar throughout the UK. In essence, the day would be a “wee dram” of the Capital of Scotland.

The march toward “Airalo App Activation” began almost immediately. This is the tool we use to “secure” access to data and all our internet services. The eSim can be tricky, but we hoped to stop momentarily and link to data provider, utilizing the airport wi-fi if necessary. I could feel the grip on my neck as I knew the girls were keen on being connected as well. Gradually, from flight landing to mid-morning, we wrestled the tech issues whether on the tram or at coffee shop, and kept trying until all was solved! Speaking of tram… The Edinburgh Tram into the city from airport was quick and easy. At £9.50 return each, from Airport to City Centre, we thought it a decent bargain.

Simply put, we found Edinburgh “easy on the eyes”! The streetscape felt ancient and commercial in the same breath… bustling with entrepreneurialism amid a breadth of history unknown in our short North American experience. Our initial stop landed us at the National Galleries of Scotland. A manageable collection, robust in Renaissance works of masters such as Goya, Rubens, and Rembrandt. We were particularly drawn to the collection of Scottish paintings by McTaggart on exhibit. The upper level boasted an Impressionist selection from the likes of Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin and Cezanne. A great place to kick the tires on some pretty terrific art, in a fantastic setting, for everyone to appreciate (no fee here by the way).

Quick tip… lucked into this today, but may be an idea someone can use! With hotel location in the other direction and check in at 3:00 PM, we were destined to have an issue storing our “luggage”. However, we stumbled into a great storage trick for left luggage 🛅. In short, we jammed our gear into a couple of lockers at the gallery for the day. What would’ve cost £20 at a baggage store was shrunk to £6 on these premises. Bingo!

At this point we embarked on a lap of the Royal Mile. St. Giles Cathedral was our first visit… a grand and ancient stone house of worship that maintains a warm and inviting core. Of recent note, on 12 September 2022, the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II was brought to the cathedral for a “Service of Thanksgiving”. We relaxed, basked in the architecture and even managed to huddle up and spring everyone’s Airalo to life. Such an impressive space! We then toured the remainder of the Royal Mile. Inclusive was a viewing of the guard change and pipers at the gates of the Scottish residence of King Charles, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, all the way to the heights of Edinburgh Castle, world famous icon of Scotland and part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site. The area bristled with tourists… too many in fact, but the cobbled streets rose to the occasion.

As the visit progressed we sauntered the many “Close”, backstreet alleys and worn stone staircases, exploring the Grassmarket and Waverley neighborhoods. Monuments and historic plates are prolific… there is much pride in the history of a people here. Monuments to Adam Smith, Sir Walter Scott, and the Blackwatch were just a small sample of those we stopped to commemorate! Paige snapped this great photo while walking up to the Scott monument. As an aside, good shoes are a must here and we averaged some 15,000 steps with one often finding cobble streets / sidewalk areas and hilly terrain. Really the only time we touched transit were the trips in / out of city centre to the airport and our commute to the overnight accommodation.

In an effort to stave off the hangries, we came to rest after a brief google search, in a light rain, at the back of a short line, in front of Makars Mash Bar. Blindly, we had walked by at least three times prior in our dashing about the Royal Mile, but this time stopped with purpose. We had a great mug up at this popular, often reviewed, gluten free house of potato just off the main drag. It was a bit of an extravaganza… flavoured mashed spuds, scotch egg, salad, leek & potato soup, bangers… a “head-on” comfort food dining experience. Big thumbs up was the review from our gang, but drove all hands towards thoughts of check in and calling to end a marathon travel day.

The PM faded into a reflective return tram trip and check in at a conveniently located Hotel Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh Airport (secured with Scene+ Points no less)! The girls crashed hard. Janie and I mustered some courage to plan, and experienced our first “cashless” business… wouldn’t accept paper money/coin of any sort! We also partook in the hotel’s off front desk family friendly setting and, in particular, found delight in eyeing the brood of toddlers that played hide and seek under our table. Paige and Josie hit the bunks hard and the iWatches told a story of almost 12 hours of solid sleep! We were pretty happy to have resurrected what felt like a collapsing itinerary into another powerful day of travel and learning!

… London/Berlin ’24 – Day 2