Surprising Jo

Well, after testing your patience for a week we feel it's time to tell you about our surprise trip to Scotland.

Jo did know in advance that we were going abroad, but didn't have a clue as to where we were going. So when we arrived at Schiphol Airport on Friday June 9th Jo was genuinely surprised to find out that Edinburgh was to be our destination.

We left at 3pm and arrived at Edinburgh Airport at 3.30pm local time. Hotel Menzies Belford, a four star hotel, was conveniently located 10 minutes from the city center. So we spent the rest of Friday exploring the city so that we knew where to go the next day. Of course exploration always creates an appetite and leads to the drinking of pints (gotta love those pints). A pub, food and pints, the perfect start to a weekend in Scotland.

Saturday was packed with adventure and we were blessed with marvelous weather: sunny and more than 25 degrees. The ideal day to visit Edinburgh Castle, trundle down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace and climb up to Arthur's Seat. First things first of course, Edinburgh's crown jewel: Edinburgh Castle.
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Edinburgh Castle dominates the city of Edinburgh like no other castle in Scotland, and Edinburgh Castle is unequalled in the whole of the British Isles . Over one thousand years of history sit on top of the famous Edinburgh rock and it is easy to see why over a million visitors a year visit Edinburgh Castle.

When you come and visit Edinburgh Castle you will see why the early inhabitants of the area we now call Edinburgh , made their first settlements here, in what is now the city of Edinburgh . People have always sought a safe refuge, and the volcanic rock that forms the base of Edinburgh Castle , has always afforded the ultimate safe and defensive position in Edinburgh.

The City of Edinburgh grew out from the Castle rock, and the first houses in Edinburgh were built on the area in front of Edinburgh Castle , which is now known as the Lawnmarket, and then continued down the High Street and The Cannongate towards the Royal Palace of Holyrood House. These streets collectively form a single street known as The Royal Mile. The Royal Mile acquired its name over the ages as Scottish and English kings, queens and royalty in general, have travelled to and fro between the Palace of Holyrood House and Edinburgh Castle - hence the name The Royal Mile.

(source: www.edinburghcastle.biz)

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Speaking of jewels... The pride of Scotland, also formed the perfect stage for another surprise for my sweet Jodie. After touring the castle we returned to the castle's courtyard, where I strategically positioned Jo on a rock, supposedly for a picture. I did take the picture and then asked her to remain seated. I got down on one knee and brought out a ring... "You're going to do this here!" Jo exclaimed completely caught off guard. "Grab the bags, the bags", were her next words. But, with our bagage safely out of the way a twinkle came to her eyes, a radiant smile appeared on her lips and she said: "Yes! I will marry you!" Silly grins were stamped all over our faces the rest of the weekend.

After Edinburgh Castle we visited Holyrood House and Arthur's Seat. Exhausted from this long walk in the merciless sun we crashed at the world's end. No not the end of the world, The World's End pub! Yet again we succumbed to the call of pints. We ended this day which was packed with excitement at Zizzi's, an extraordinary Italian restaurant in Edinburgh Old Town, to celebrate our engagement.

Sunday proved to be an excellent day to do some more travelling. With that in mind we got on the bus and headed for Stirling to visit yet another castle: Castle Stirling. Here, surrounded by the legend of William Wallace, we marvelled at the the castle that could have come straight out of a book. Our guide proved to be a terrific storyteller and we were even instructed on how to make our very own kilt according to Scottish clansmen's tradition.

With that, a wonderful weekend had passed and we were back on Dutch soil at 11.30pm. Our happy, but still silly grins firmly in place. We returned to the burbs engaged to be married.