Beachin’ It

This last weekend (June 21-22) was amazing mostly because of my friend Lins and her husband Richard! Anyways after the Royal Highland Show on Friday, I grabbed a quick bite to eat along the Royal Mile and a beverage for a congratulatory week 4 and RHS in the books. I soon made my way home around 9 p.m. that evening and passed out!

Saturday Lins came into town to pick me up. We were soon off to her house out in the countryside in Haddington. I love where they live. Their farm cottage is on a larger farm estate complete with a nice garden and fields swarming with rabbits. I loved on their yellow lab for a while before we were off to the BEACH!

The views were to die for as you can see from the photos in this post. It was a bit of a walk through the marsh and over the sand dunes, but once I could hear and smell the sea I was absolute heaven. I love the SOUTHLAND more than anyone especially Arkansas, but I do think I need to look into finding myself in a southern non-landlocked state. I love the beach, the atmosphere and everything that comes with it.

The water was pretty chilly though. Some kids were splashing around, and I even saw a van with a logo on it about surfing. We all know when you’re a kid though you have no senses whatsoever especially about water. If it is available you are more than likely in it, no matter the temperature. I had the DSLR and iPhone so I used both to snap images of the beach, water and their pup Duke. I could’ve stayed there all day!

We were soon off to a local lookout point where there is a monument for a local military man. The views were outstanding. You could see from miles around. Edinburgh was instantly visible thanks to Arthur’s Seat. You can often see the clouds hanging over Edinburgh from Haddington anyway. This day is was bright and cheery though. I took some good pictures here too. Sheep were near by, fields all around, and a view to kill. I am thankful they took me here.

By this time, we were famished. We headed back to have a BBQ. Richard willingly put the grill together while Lins and I snacked on Pringles. We had a nice little picnic set up complete with candles, blankets, and cushions. Sadly, it began to sprinkle outside so we had to move our picnic inside. We had chili burgers, salad, and veggie kebabs. YUM! We ended the evening watching Monuments Men and sampling some toffee fudge cake. I highly recommend both. 🙂

 The next morning we lounged around the house, watched some TV and Richard even cooked us an amazing breakfast. I needed this relaxation. I have never felt more at home away from home than at Lins’.

We headed off to Tantallon Castle. Here is the link. Check it out. Ahh-mazing. It is a ruined castle along the coast. I have seen some pretty sights so far, but I think this one tops them all. This place will take your breath away! A ruined castle, cliffs, water, the Bass Rock in the background, an old WWII lookout nearby…. I was in heaven. We climbed and climbed up the ruined castle where we were actually standing on what were once the walls of the castle. Needless to say I held onto the rope and railing a lot to get up and down the stairs.

We spent a good deal of time at the castle with me walking the grounds and snapping pics that an afternoon tea/coffee stop was in order. We ran into people Lins and Richard knew, and they pointed us in the direction of Steam Punk near town.

Retro, quirky and industrial is how you could describe this place, and I love every inch of it. I even took pictures of the bathroom! I ordered a macchiato, which my friends is not your average everyday Starbucks macchiato. God bless, this was pint sized shot of espresso pretty much. If I am going to be taking a shot of anything, it sure as heck would not be espresso so I kindly returned my shot for a cappuccino.

Along with coffee/tea comes cakes and biscuits (cookies) as I have learned. I ordered a raspberry and white chocolate brownie that was gluten free by the way. Best. dessert. ever. OR since I have been here. Perfect complement to my now cappuccino. 

 We took the road along the coast back to Edinburgh. I loved going this way. I was able to see multitudes of golf courses, old WWII tank barricades on the beach, old towns and the sea. It was a nice, calming way to end the weekend and get ready for the work week. I was soon back at my flat getting ready for the busy weekend ahead, but I sure did have a weekend to remember.

I had a smile on my face for quite a while after this past weekend, and I am so thankful for Lins and Richard having me over and toting me all around to see the beautiful sights! We have a few more things planned while I am here, and I cannot wait to go on more adventures with them both!