Wednesday our journey across the pond officially began. Chad and I started the day at 3:30am and got the the boys up at 4am! Otto was so excited he jumped right out of bed, Flynn took a bit longer to realize what was going on.
Since a family is coming to stay in our house we had to have it turnkey ready so we had the boys sleep in sleeping bags! 😜
Overall we are so thankful the morning went really smooth and we made it to the airport with plenty of time. Thankful for our friend Logan who took us to the airport.
I have always been a huge fan of PDX Airport and even during construction we had a flawless check in and TSA experience. The new terminal “E” concourse includes the cutest kids area sponsored by Tillamook.
The flight was quick, surprisingly it’s only 1.5 hours from Portland to Calgary. The surprise win of what I packed was the boys new stainless steel bento boxes. The night before I packed their favorites and a few treats. But the best part about these boxes is that they open completely and fit perfect on the airline tray!
Once we arrived in Calgary we originally thought about heading to downtown Calgary via Bus since we have an 8 hr layover. Once we saw Customs Line we aborted that plan and decided to stay at the airport. There is a cute little play area in the “Calgary Stampede” theme. The only reason I know what is from my girlfriend who was just here for a work trip!
Surprisingly our 8 hour layover went by fairly quick. The only thing I wished I would have prepared myself for more was how “off” our boys schedule and sleep was going to be. We tried a few times at the airport to have quiet time but they we’re just too pumped to travel. They did get about an hour of sleep before we took off!
When we finally boarded in the evening Chad and I were wiped out but we knew we were in the home stretch. Our 8 hr was flight was LONG. The boys we’re so tired but not wanting to sleep and got really tired of sitting after a few hours. Flynn would watch some shows on the flight entertainment thankfully they had PJ Masks and Mickey Mouse Playhouse. Otto just wanted to focus on the flight map and update us every chance he got on how much time was left 🤣.
Thankfully I restocked there Bento boxes at the Calgary Airport before we left because boredom turned into I’m hungry really quick. The flight crew was amazing they we’re so sweet to the boys and gave them extra snacks!
We had a few meltdowns the last few hours, the boys just reached their breaking point with needing sleep and figuring out how to get comfortable.
Once we landed the process to getting through the Airport was really quick. Customs was very fast and they have a very efficient taxi pick up and before we knew it we were on our way to our hotel!
We couldn’t check into our hotel for a few hours so we hit up the grocery store and picked up a few things. Being so sleep deprived I accidentally excited the emergency exit setting off the alarm. 🤦🏻♀️ The security guard had a good laugh.
Our hotel had a little playground and picnic area so we had an easy lunch from food from the grocery store and played for an hour to wait for our room.
Once we checked into our room about 2pm Local time we had realized we had been up for over 24 hours with only a few hours of sleep. We took showers and laid down for a nap. Our room is small but we all have a place to sleep and we have an amazing view of Edinburgh Castle and the port!
After our nap we all felt so muck better. We took a taxi and went to explore downtown. The taxi system is very popular and very efficient.
We had the nicest taxi driver and he gave us a recommendation for a great pizza place. We had an amazing dinner and the boys loved the dough balls and cheese pizza. We learned that Lemonade is not a thing in Scotland but the boys loved Lemon Schweppes Soda Water.
After dinner we walked towards the castle and just explored the area. We noticed how dead it was and then we realized it was 9:30pm local time. Our first impression of Edinburgh is how beautiful the architecture is at every turn. This City is filled with so much beauty history. We walked for about an hour and then took a taxi back to the hotel. When we got back to the hotel is was about 11pm and we all hit the hay!
Yes, we are so tired and Jet Lagged but we are so happy to be here and feel so lucky to be able to experience this!
We check into our Home Exchange the next day!
Its Libby Time 