Day 9 and 10 (Edinburgh Royal Mile, Preston, England and Home)

We checked out of our hotel in Edinburgh on Monday morning and went to McDonalds for breakfast so I could use the free WiFi internet connection. It worked until my computer ran out of juice just before I published my last post with pictures. We went back to the Royal Mile to shop and pick up a few souveniers since the first time we were there most of the shops were closed.


These pictures were taken in front of the Dalmahoy Marriott where we stayed in Edinburgh. It is an old Scottish manor turned into a hotel.


We drove from Edinburgh, Scotland to Preston, England where we checked into another hotel for one night. We stayed in Preston so we could catch our flight in Manchester the next day.

This is our rental car the we crammed 7 large pieces of luggage in.
This is the Preston Marriott. It reminded us of a mental institution. In fact, when we drove in there was a young girl in a white hospital-like gown sitting on one of the lawn chairs looking confused.

Before we went to watch Transformers II (which by the way is a total bomb) I went to the business suite to get on the computer and check us in for our flight the next morning and I noticed that the seat assignments that we had had been changed and now our seats were unassigned. We made an international roaming call to Delta and were fighting on the phone for about 30 minutes and still did not have the issue resolved. When we checked in our bags at the airport we were told that we had been upgraded to business elite. We were so spoiled on the 6 hour flight to Atlanta! We were reclining with thick blankets and full size pillows on an airplane! We had drinks and food the whole time, in fact, I didn't want to sleep in case I missed one of the snacks or drinks. The food was all served on dishes and a warm wash cloth was given to us before each meal. It would have been better to not know what we have been missing out on. We were back in "coach" from Atlanta to Salt Lake and seemed to be more miserable than usual.


We got home at about 9:30 pm last night and it was so good to see the kids! They were excited to see what we brought them. McKay loved his mace, ball and chain and his Knight costume that we picked up at Warwick Castle. The girls loved their wallets and purses we picked up for them in Scotland. It feels so good to be home in our own bed and not living out of a suitcase. I love vacation but I love to be home sweet home.

Thanks especially to my Mom for watching the kids for 11 days and taking such great care of them. They had a really great time and did so many fun things. Thank you also to my brothers, sister and sister in laws for stepping in when needed and helping out. We had such a great time and made some great memories. Thanks again!