Monday, October 31, 2011

Girls' Weekend!


This past weekend, four of my friends and I headed to Nancy, France.  This pretty city is just about 3 hours away from Stuttgart.  Although we got stuck in some awful traffic on the way there, yummy treats, fun conversations, and just being with friends helped the four plus hour drive go by quickly.  Our hotel, although budget, was in a great location.  We went out to dinner for our first night at a brasserie I had found online.  I had salmon because I love the way the French cook salmon.  I was not disappointed.  Crème brûlée for dessert and dinner was a success!  The next morning after breakfast, we walked around the city.  The center of Nancy is said to be the most beautiful in all of Europe.  It was lovely.  We had found a spa right around the corner from our hotel and booked treatments before our arrival.  I had a prenatal skin treatment/massage.  It was amazing.  We had dinner at a bistro, very yummy, and headed home the following morning.  The weekend was just perfect, fun time spent with friends, good food, and an afternoon spent at the spa!  Thanks Kristen, Stacie, Jennifer, and Lindsey for a wonderful weekend!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Edinburgh

The view of the city from the Castle
This Columbus Day weekend, we headed to Edinburgh, Scotland.  What an amazing city!  The people were so friendly and I loved the ease that comes when traveling in an English speaking country.  Of course, I could still barely understand what they were saying, with their Scottish accents and all!  Their trams are nonexistent, but they have a great bus system.  The people were just so friendly and helpful.  Each time they saw us with a map or my guide book, they would stop and ask us if we needed directions or help.  Most of the time, I was just looking up where to eat!  :)
Street performer on the Royal Mile
Our B&B was quaint, serving a lovely Scottish breakfast to us each morning, complete with decaf Scottish tea...I couldn't have been more happy!  I chose our B&B based on the fact that the reviews said that Jill, the owner, made fresh scones for breakfast.  She did and they were amazing!  We spent the first night just wandering around the city and stumbling upon the most amazing restaurant..I had mussels and a rhubarb something for dessert.  HEAVEN, I tell you!  The next day, we toured the castle, complete with a live guide for the first part.  Bagpipes playing, rain sprinkling, it was a great day.  We also toured the Britannia, the royal yacht.  Very exciting for me, but I'm sure Brian was not as into it as I was!  The next day we decided to do some bus tours, with live guides, they were awesome!  We did some shopping and more eating of course!  I've listed restaurants and the B&B info in the Travel Planner section, so be sure to check those out if you find yourself on the way to this wonderful city!