Day 43 – July 1, 2025 – Florence, Italy to Edinburgh, Scotland

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Day 43 – July 1, 2025 – Florence, Italy to Edinburgh, Scotland

We enjoyed a great last breakfast (and cappuccino!) in Florence and then had a taxi drive us to the airport. Our flight to Amsterdam was supposed to leave at noon but we were delayed taking off. Apparently, Florence only has one runway, so they alternate letting planes leave and letting them come in. It was a great and easy flight, but we were concerned because our connecting flight in Amsterdam was scheduled to leave at 3:55 pm which would not leave us much time to make the next flight. Luckily, we were told near the end of our flight that our connecting flight was delayed too, so we had no issues.

Once we landed in Amsterdam, we headed towards our gate and since we had some time to spare, we walked around to see what they had as far as shops. We boarded on time, and it was an uneventful flight of a little over one hour to Edinburgh.

John rented a car to pick us up and take us to our hotel, the  Ceilidh-Donia.  It is in a great location as it is only about 1 mile from the city center. We checked in about 6:30 pm and met Kelley, who mans the front desk. He gave us some great information about using the bus and a few restaurant recommendations. We got checked in, dropped off the bags and headed for the restaurant (The Salisbury Arms) a few blocks away and had a great first meal in Scotland! No pasta or pizza, lol! We all ordered a beer and Michelle and I both got a crispy chicken burger and the guys got regular burgers. Good food and good service so we were happy. We walked back to the hotel and the guys each got a scotch, and we sat and chatted with Kelley for a bit. We were all tired from the long day of travel so called it a night.

Tomorrow, we have a tour of Edinburgh Castle at 3 pm so we will do some exploring around before that. A great first part of the day in Scotland!

My last yummy and beautiful cappuccino in Italy!!!!
Vance trying to get comfy, lol!
Around the corner from our BNB – the former St. Stephens Church that located in the Stockbridge district in Edinburgh. Constructed 1827-1828 and was one of the largest halls in Edinburgh, with a seating capacity of nearly 1600. It is now known as St. Stephens Center, where it transitioned from a church to a community arts and events venue.
Dinner, here we come!
So happy to have fries and a chicken sandwich, lol!
Salisbury Green House (Historic Mansion) built originally in 1780 and then remodeled in the mid-19th century. Although it looks like a castle, it is actually a country house turned university residence/hotel. We passed this on our walk back from dinner to our BNB.
A Monkey Puzzle tree, not native to Scotland, but to the Andes mountains of Chile and Argentina. They are among the oldest surviving tree species on earth (over 200 million years). Their lifespan can exceed 1000 years and grow up to 90-130 feet high and the name came from an Englishman in the 1800s who joked, “It would puzzle a monkey to climb that.” I think they are spectacular!
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