This Ain't My First Pink Rodeo: ADVENTURES IN SCOTLAND-PART 1

Hey there! It has been a while! So, here we are at almost the end of March 2026, and I still haven't shared the adventures from the last few months of 2025!

October 2025-SCOTLAND

This adventure will require several posts.....

In early October, my husband and I spent just over a week in Scotland, and I still find it hard to believe that this amazing trip wasn't just a dream!

It all started with a casual conversation about Scotland. Ray said, "Why don't we go?" I hesitated and replied, "We can't just go to Scotland!" But he insisted, "Yes, we can!"

I initially laughed at the suggestion, but our conversation reignited our long-held dream of visiting Scotland—a bucket-list trip for me that we had talked about over the years.

We didn't even have passports, so how could we even think about traveling abroad?

It turns out the passport thing was pretty easy! Ray saw that the library right around the corner from us was accepting passport applications, and next thing you know... we were holding our passports in hand, thinking perhaps it was time for an adventure!!

I immediately began researching flight costs and was pleasantly surprised to find they weren't too expensive. What initially seemed like something only other people did started to feel like a genuine possibility for us! However, there were so many factors to consider.

Will my doctor give her approval? When should we plan to go? Where should we stay? Will I be able to handle an overseas flight with my fear of flying over the ocean? So many questions!

And yet, after talking to my doctor, we decided to go for it!!

We decided that rather than waiting, we should do this right away. We didn't want to wait until winter, when many things would be closed or harder to reach, or until spring either. So, the first week in October looked good??!! OMG....We were going to Scotland!!

Leith, Edinburgh

We decided to stay in Edinburgh and take some day trips from there. After doing a bit of research and chatting with a couple of people who had been to Scotland, we opted to stay in Leith, which is only a quick tram ride from the city center and the Royal Mile. Leith turned out to be the perfect spot for us. We found some really nice surrounding neighborhoods, and the waterfront area was beautiful, with some awesome seafood restaurants.

After our flight, which turned out to be much less frightening than I had anticipated, we arrived in Edinburgh at 6:30 AM. Even after going through the airport, collecting our luggage, and taking the tram to our hotel, we still had plenty of time to spare before we could check in.

We decided to drop off our bags at the hotel, have breakfast, and then take a walk around the area while we waited.

Newhaven Harbour, located just west of Leith, is a beautiful area and was a short walk from our hotel.

This area was breathtaking at night!

Pier House had some amazing fish and chips!

It was also pretty cool during the day!

The Ship on the Shore in Leith was fantastic, and the fish and chips were absolutely delicious. However, I must say that the "mushy peas" are likely an acquired taste and definitely not my favorite!