The Lake District

A few weeks ago, Ryan had two days off, so we headed down to England to the Lake District.

It was beautiful and one of my favorite trips that we've taken since we've been in Scotland. Here are a few pictures, if you'd like to see....

The Jacobite Steam Train

My parents have been visiting for the past ten days and while they were here, we planned a little side trip...

Stonehaven

Mondays are our days for adventuring so yesterday we headed up the coast to Stonehaven. Day trips are slightly different now that Everett is around. We try to leave right around his morning nap time (9 am) and hope that he sleeps the whole way to wherever we're going. He used to be a really good stroller sleeper and would fall asleep anywhere, but now he's way too interested in whatever is going on around him to sleep! We also try to plan our departure from wherever we are around his afternoon nap time....which means that we don't get tons of time anywhere, but it's better than a cranky baby. Here are a few pictures if you'd like to see....

Glasgow

Earlier this week we headed to Glasgow for a night which was a Christmas present from my aunt - a babymoon! Here are a few pictures, if you'd like to see...

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Edinburgh Favorites

We live only about 30 minutes from Edinburgh by train so we go into the city quite a bit and by now we've accumulated a list of favorites there. Here are a few if you're planning a trip:

There are a lot of castles in Scotland but Edinburgh's is by far the most extensive and best maintained. Perched above the city (you get a great view), you could easily spend a whole day sightseeing there, but our favorite stops are the prisons and the crown jewels.

Holyrood Palace, where the queen still stays when she visits Edinburgh, is a working palace that you can tour. The audio tour is about an hour long and is great - very informative without being too much information. It's located at the opposite end of the castle on Edinburgh's famous street, the Royal Mile.

And, speaking of the royal family, the Royal Yacht Britannia, is another fun tour. Permanently moored now in Edinburgh Harbour, this tour gives you a fun glimpse into royal life.

The best burger that I've had in Scotland was at 9A Holyrood - plus, located right near Arthur's Seat (see below), it makes a perfect lunch stop after a hike.

When my cousin was visiting, I met her for dinner one night at The Dogs which had the coolest ambiance and the best goat cheese and asparagus risotto.

One of my favorite areas in Edinburgh is Grassmarket which is lined with tons of traditional Scottish pubs, including The Last Drop which is super cozy and has good food in addition to good drinks.

High tea at The Dome was one of my favorite experiences this year. The tea was the best I've ever had and their sandwiches are to die for. The best time to go is at Christmas, when they're decorated to the nines.

While we're not going out for drinks these days quite like we used to, we did venture into The Devil's Advocate with friends the other week, and I have to say, I would definitely go back post-pregnancy. There's a very cool vibe there and the bartenders make all sorts of specialty cocktails in fun glasses.

And, when we crave Mexican food - which in Ryan's case is quite a lot - we head to Miros Cantina on Rose St. which is tiny and has the best Mexican food we've had, outside of Colorado.

Arthur's Seat is a great little hike in the middle of a city (rare) and if you make it to the top, you'll be awarded great views of the city, the sea and beyond.

Of course my favorite thing to do in cities is to wander and in Edinburgh, my favorite area is Grassmarket which has lots of little shops and cafes that are fun.

Although if you want a more Scottish experience, wander the Royal Mile instead. While it can be a little touristy, it's also the perfect street for finding any souvenir you're looking for - many Christmas presents this year came from the Royal Mile!

And, for the ultimate whiskey experience, visit The Scotch Whisky Experience which is on the Royal Mile, right next to the castle. You'll learn about the different regions that produce whiskey in Scotland, taste a few and visit the largest private whiskey collection in the world (!!). To be honest, we were a little skeptical at first because we had already been to several smaller distilleries and learned about whiskey making there, but this tour really summed everything up and turned out to be really interesting.

8 Things to do in Scotland

While I wouldn't recommend visiting Scotland in January, if anyone is planning a trip for the summer months, here are a few things that we would recommend seeing and doing while you're here:

Scottish Borders

Last week we went on a little adventure....

Winter Travel Ideas

The winter months aren't usually associated with travel due to the holidays, the cold, the snow, etc. but they can be some of the best months to take a trip, especially if you go to the right place. Here are four travel ideas for winter that we've loved:

1. Go skiing - Ski vacations are obviously the most popular kind of winter trip, but see if you can take one in January; the crowds will be less and so will the prices, especially after Christmas and New Years which are usually the most popular times for winter vacations. We were lucky enough to live in Cortina for four years which is one of the best winter resort towns around (our winter tips for Cortina are here) but there is great skiing all over Europe, especially in Italy, Austria and Switzerland. Ischgl is at the top of our list for another trip....and don't be put off by the lack of English - if it's a large and popular ski resort, there will be plenty.

2. Rifugio hop -  Not a big skier? The rifugio culture is big, especially in Northern Italy and Tyrol. Rifugios are typically cabins in the mountains or woods that serve food and drinks and often have beds where you can sleep for the night and cozy fires that you can lounge by. One of our favorite things to do in the winter is to go to a rifugio for lunch or dinner - the food is all homemade and very typical of whatever region you're in and the atmosphere is so cozy. You can get to the rifugios on foot often, or you can ski or snowshoe to them. And if winter sports really aren't your thing, someone from the rifugio can come pick you up in a snowmobile.

3. Hit the Christmas markets - There are Christmas markets all over Europe throughout the month of December and they're perfect for anyone and everyone. You can pick out ornaments and stocking stuffers, eat delicious regional food like warm baked potatoes and sausages, listen to Christmas carols and drink mulled wine or hot chocolate. A few of our favorites: Bolzano, Italy; Salzburg, Austria and Munich, Germany.

4. Sleep in an igloo - We did this last winter and it was so exciting (and exotic!). The igloo was at the Hochjochferner Glacier in Val Senales (very Northern Italy) at the Bella Vista Mountain Rifugio. You can ski to the rifugio (or they'll pick you up on a snowmobile) and you spend the afternoon in the hot tub and sauna - or by the fire drinking local beer and playing games like checkers. You eat dinner with other travelers in the rifugio and afterwards, you go out to your igloo and sleep in the warmest sleeping bags. The igloos have strands of lights inside so you can see - we played a few games of Backgammon before we went to sleep - and they truly aren't as cold as you would think. In the morning, someone wakes you up at 7 for breakfast and then you ski down the glacier. It felt very adventurous and was such an experience!

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5 Free Things to do in Edinburgh

We're very close to Edinburgh this year so we've been into the city a few times to explore. I noticed that Edinburgh has tons of free activities which is great because free is usually harder to find in larger cities. Here are five - a few that we've enjoyed and a few we want to try:

1. Walk the Royal Mile. This is the main street in Edinburgh which got its name back in the 16th century when the king used to travel between the castle (at the top of the street) and the Palace of Holyroodhouse (at the bottom of the street). Now, it's filled with restaurants and pubs, all sorts of shops and many of the city's main sights are just off this street. It's great for a stroll, to get a feel for the city, for listening to bagpipes and for people watching.

2. Arthur's Seat. This hill is perfect for climbing (it's a 30-45 minute hike to the top) and the views of the city (and sea) below are stunning.

3. Galleries and Museums. I was looking for Edinburgh tips in my guidebook one day when I realized that many of the major museums and galleries offer free entrance! My mom and I checked out the Writer's Museum a few weekends ago where we learned about Scotland's three most famous writers, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson whose poems I used to love as a child. Other free ones include the National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Fruitmarket Gallery and the Museum of Edinburgh.

4. Calton Hill. Providing another great view of the city (some say even better than Arthur's Seat), this is Edinburgh's acropolis with several memorials dating from the first half of the 19th century.

5. Have a picnic in the park. On a nice day, the Princes Street Gardens are a lovely place to sit. There are plenty of benches and it would be fun to bring a picnic and eat in the park while enjoying the sun. After being in Scotland for three months, I've noticed that when the sun is out, you have to take full advantage of it and soak it up - this would be a great spot to do that.

Paris

The highlight of last week's trip, by far, was our stop in Paris for a long weekend where we met up with my aunt and cousin for a girl's trip...

5 Ways to Travel for Less

Let's face it: the one (major) downside of travel is how expensive it can be. It starts with the big things like transportation and accommodations but it doesn't end there because there are still things like meals and pricey museum tickets to worry about. There have been multiple times over the years when we've gone away for a weekend trip and come back after two days having spent something like $1,000. Now - especially with a baby on the way - we're a little more careful about where our money goes when we travel and we've picked up a few tips to help us save. A new company I recently learned about, Personal Capital, offers free financial software to get help managing and investing your money - and save for your next vacation!

1. Find free activities. If you do research, you'll find that there are always some free (or less expensive, at least) museums. For example, in Edinburgh there are multiple free museums and galleries, including the Museum of Edinburgh, Fruitmarket Gallery and the National Museum of Scotland. Most churches and cathedrals are free as well and usually contain amazing art, architecture and relics. I always think it's fun to get off the beaten path and visit the smaller museums or churches that often get overlooked in guidebooks. Another bonus: fewer crowds.

2. Have a picnic. Meals can be so expensive when you travel, especially if you're paying for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To avoid this, we usually look for accommodations that include breakfast in the price. At lunch time, it's fun to have a picnic somewhere. Many cities have fantastic local farmer's markets which are great for picking up sandwiches or picnic things (my favorite is Mercato Centrale in Florence). This can be done at dinner too - how much fun does it sound to picnic while watching the sunset?!

3. Go for a walk. Instead of booking tours, get out and see things on your own. This is my favorite way to explore a city (especially in Venice, when you never know where the next alleyway will lead you) and it's free! I love not knowing what we'll stumble on - churches, ruins, tiny cafes, local shops, an art gallery...

4. Find deals. Check on sites like Groupon for local deals on sightseeing activities, meals and shopping. We just did this boat tour that I found on Groupon for half price and it was great! Looking through these sites before you head out can save money on things that you wanted to do or see anyway.

5. Don't eat at touristy restaurants. We always avoid any place that advertises a "tourist menu" out front. While these menus may seem less expensive, the food is usually sub-par. And there's nothing worse than spending money on something you don't enjoy, especially when you're on vacation! Ask locals or at your hotel for a restaurant recommendation instead. Small places, not in the guidebook, are usually less expensive because they haven't been "discovered" yet or else the prices are kept low to keep local clientele returning. We always share dishes too - that way you can try more things - and we usually ask the waiter what he or she recommends; they'll know that the chef's specialties are or what's the freshest that day and that way you'll get the best bang for your buck.

**This post was done in collaboration with Personal Capital.  

Fun Apartment Rentals

Do you ever rent apartments when you travel rather than stay in a hotel? Ryan and I were really late to the game on this concept, but last spring, during our month-long trip around Italy, we rented apartments from Airbnb rather than pay for hotel rooms for a month....and we loved it. Now, whenever we go on trips for longer than a few nights, we always look for an apartment to stay in.

You get more space than a hotel room, plus they often come with a washer and dryer for doing laundry, balconies for sitting outside, breakfast...and, depending on what you pick, they can often be much less expensive than hotels. They're especially good for larger groups too, because you can rent a whole house and all be together.

I'm going to Paris on a girl's trip (!!) with my mom, aunt and cousin later in the month and we rented this beautiful one for the long weekend.

Here are a few others around the world that look fun:

In Amerstam, you can actually rent a houseboat! This one looks amazing...

This just looks insane....

You can even stay in a castle!

Or how about a yurt?

Or a treehouse?!

Of course, there are nice, normal - less exotic apartments for rent as well - Ouray is one of our favorite places in Colorado and this gorgeous lake house looks nice for a vacation.

And when we go to London, I'd love to stay here.

And this one, in Bari, was our favorite place that we stayed in Italy last spring. The owner, Enzo, was so helpful and nice - he brought us local pastries to try when we arrived, stocked the kitchen with coffee, tea and milk, and gave us maps of the city where he had pointed out the best shops for fresh pasta, bread and wine.

You can get stuck browsing on Airbnb all day long and there are so many fun places where you could have a great adventure! Any other recommendations?!

Arthur's Seat

We're so lucky that Edinburgh is just a 30 minute train ride away, and we've been taking advantage of that to pop into the city for the day or for the afternoon whenever we get the chance. It's nice to not have to squeeze everything in to one trip and to space it out depending on what we feel like doing that day. On Monday, it was sunny and we felt like hiking, so we headed up to Arthur's Seat where you get incredible views of the city below, and in our case, a rainbow!

Oban

Earlier this week we slipped off to Oban for the night, which is a little resort town on the west coast of Scotland. It was so much fun, despite a very wet day of rain on Monday - here are a few pictures if you'd like to see....(storm clouds and all!):

Anstruther, Crail and Elie

At the beginning of September (yikes, that seems like a long time ago!), we did a little day trip to a few of the coastal towns here. Technically, we were searching for the best fish & chips in the world, but we also found time to walk around and explore a bit too. Here are a few pictures if you'd like to see...

Fort William + Loch Ness

At the beginning of this week, Ryan had a few days off and so we took a little trip out to Fort William and Loch Ness.

Here are a few pictures if you'd like to see....

Steamboat Spot: Bella Vista Estate

The other night, my friend Danielle and I had a chance to go up to Bella Vista Estate to watch the sunset and take a few pictures.

Bella Vista is a vacation rental, used for fun events like weddings and family reunions and it's so beautiful up there. It's on Rabbit Ears pass and has the best views of Steamboat down below. If you're thinking of doing a big group vacation or family reunion in Steamboat, it would be the perfect spot. The property is surrounded by wildflowers and there are so many neat spots to sit outside with a drink or for dinner - including a hammock overlooking the lake below!

 And how amazing is the pool?! They also have an incredible hot tub and a fire pit where it would be so fun to make S'mores and watch the sun set...

Thanks for having us, Bella Vista! The 3rd and 4th beautiful photos are by Danielle.

PS - What to do in Steamboat in the summer and our favorite Steamboat happy hour.

5 Things to do in Rome

Have you ever been to Rome? We've been a few times now and it's always super busy. There is so much to see and do that it can be hard to figure out what's most important. The last time we went, in April, we tried to slow down and enjoy the city without rushing around from one tourist destination to the next.

Here are five things we like to do in Rome that are a little bit under the radar and can help take the pace down a notch.

Highbrow/Lowbrow Boston

Today we have a guest post from my cousin, Isabel, who lives in Boston. Isabel says, "my favorite thing about the city is that you can find highbrow and lowbrow places everywhere." She's going to share a few of her favorites here:

A Summer Weekend in Steamboat

Have you ever been to Steamboat Springs? We're lucky enough to live here in the summers and I've grown to love it. There's a really relaxed, laid back vibe here (perfect for summer) and there is so much to do, for everyone. Here's what we'd recommend for a weekend in Steamboat: