Chicago

We took a spring break trip this year!  We wanted to make sure we got to Chicago while we still live fairly close, so we hit up the windy city.  Here is how we did it...

Where to stay

The Silversmith Hotel (I got a great Groupon deal.)  Great location.  Just two blocks from Millenium Park and the Art Institute!

Where to eat

Miller's Pub- Just one block from The Silversmith Hotel.  Old Chicago family owned restaurant.  Has an awesome and historic Chicago feel.

Hank and I wanted to find the best Chicago style hot dog and the best Chicago pizza!  The best Chicago dog we found was at a little stand by the lake outside of the Field museum...

 



Now there are a lot of awesome Chicago style pizza places, and we only tried two: Uno's and Gino's.  Both soooo so good.  I think our favorite was Gino's at the original location off of Michigan and Superior.

Places to see

The Art Institute of Chicago- They had so many famous paintings there.  I've never seen so many in one place!  Recognize any of these??

 

The Field Museum:

with the infamous T-Rex "Sue"

Wrigley Field:

Millenium Park:

The Bean

Will have to come back in the summer sometime to see a concert here!

Lake Michigan and Navy Pier:

Blue Man Group: Such a fun and awesome show!

We had such an awesome week, and it definitely did not seem long enough.  We'd love to come back one summer when I'm not preggers;)  Between all of the above and walking the Magnificent Mile(awesome shopping), my feet couldn't take another museum.  But we really want to come back and see the Museum of Science and Industry along with lots more of the city.  What are your favorite Chicago spots?

Empire Quarry

Ever since I saw the movie "Breaking Away", I have wanted to visit one of Indiana's old limestone quarries.  It looked so beautiful in the movie with the clear aqua blue water and smooth rocks...  A couple of weeks ago, one of Hank's professors gave them a map and an assignment to explore some of these quarries.  I was so excited.  It was on my Indiana bucket list to see one of these before we left.  The map was hand drawn, reminding me of a treasure map.  And to my surprise, it totally was.  We drove from Bloomington down towards Bedford, which is a pretty drive...

And then the map said to turn into an old cemetary.  It is illegal now to trespass onto quarries, so the cemetary was supposed to have the best view of what is called the Empire Quarry.  I asked Hank where it got its name.  He smiled and said it's where the Empire State Building came from!  I couldn't believe it.  We walked past some beautiful old headstones in the cemetary towards what looked like a cliff.  As we got closer to the edge, I saw the most beautiful aqua blue water.  No wonder people trespass to swim here...

 

(I'm 6 months along now:)

 

It is amazing to think that this...

 

came from this...

 

I definitely consider this one of Indiana's hidden gems:)

Touring Scotland

During the semester that Lyd and I spent abroad in Edinburgh, we had the opportunity to travel all over Scotland.  This is another post for the Travel blog covering some other must-see places in this beautiful country...

 

The Highlands

When you visit Scotland, you have to take a drive up through the Highlands.  This picture does not do it justice.  I think I was so captivated by it all, I really didn't take too many pictures.  It is a vast mountainous landscape of pure beauty.

Dingwall

Tucked away in the Highlands is a small town called Dingwall.  This is a perfect place to stop for a peaceful evening surrounded by true local Scottish life.  In a word, adorable:)

As we walked around this cute town, we saw a black sheep!

Loch Ness

Of course if you're all the way up in the Highlands, you have to stop and see the famous Loch Ness!  This is a picture of Urquhart Castle on the loch. 

A fun place to stay is The Loch Ness Inn, located in the cute village of Drumnadrochit.  The village is close to the castle, loch, and has a little museum dedicated to the Loch Ness Monster.  So cool to see! 

Loch Ness... monster?  ;)

Dundee

Dundee is a fun city, a quick train trip from Edinburgh, home of the University of Dundee, and is located right on the North Sea (seen above).

The RRS Discovery ship in Dundee is a must-see.

St. Andrews

St. Andrews is home of the University of St. Andrews where Prince William attended.  We loved getting to walk around campus with high hopes of seeing him;)  The old golf course is really beautiful to see, as is St. Andrews Castle shown above.

 The Southern Borders of Scotland

You cannot leave Scotland without visiting the southern areas like Ayrshire and Arran, and Dumfries and Galloway.  There are endless small villages just filled with images like above.  It was beautiful and so peaceful with rolling green hills full of sheep farms and ancient rock walls. 

The next time I go to Scotland, I plan on seeing the Isle of Skye.  I ran out of time on this trip, but it is definitely on my bucket list.  What are some of your favorite places or dream destinations in Scotland?

Edinburgh, Scotland

In college I was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad with one of my best friends, and we were swept away for an adventurous semester in beautiful Scotland.  We lived, studied, and worked in the magical city of Edinburgh.  It always seemed so magical to me because no matter where you are in the city, you can look up and see Edinburgh Castle staring down in all its majesty.  On top of that, you are surrounded by ancient old stone buildings, bag pipes on corners, rolling green hills encircling the city, and the coolest accent transporting you to scenes from movies like Braveheart.  I loved every second of my time in that city; every shortbread filled second.  Here are some of my favorite and must-see places in Edinburgh...

 

Edinburgh Castle

This picture was taken by a very special man who became like a grandfather to Lyd and I while we were there.  We fell in love with the Scottish people, who are so kind, welcoming and friendly.  In the picture you can see the castle towering over the city, and in the forefront are the Edinburgh art galleries.  Touring the castle is a must.
 

 Greyfriars Kirkyard

Here is a view of the castle from the Greyfriars cemetary.  We loved hearing the story of Greyfriars Bobby, a dog who was said to have guarded his masters grave for 13 years after he died.  There is a statue there in honor of the dog.

 

The Fringe Festival

If you have the chance to travel to Edinburgh in August, you will be surrounded by this annual monstrous festival.  You can kind of compare it to Mardi Gras.  There are costumes, tons of color, music, food, and concludes with an amazing fireworks display at the castle.  You also cannot miss the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is an awesome show of Scottish bagpipes and drums performed by an enormous military band that make their way up the royal mile and into the Castle courtyard.

 The Royal Mile

This is the old brick street that stretches from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Palace, which is the queen's official residence in Scotland.  This street is so much fun and full of ancient history.  You will find the home of John Knox, St Giles Cathedral, lots of historical statues... and then you have your Scottish pubs, coffee shops, souvenir shops... you name it.

And you always see something fun going on... band playing for this couple that just got married.  That big guy playing bagpipes on the left was in the movie Gladiator!  He was the guy at the beginning that threw the head onto the battle field...

St.Giles Cathedral

Beautiful to tour.  Lots of Reformation history here.

Carolo Secundo statue behind St.Giles, located close to the hidden burial spot of John Knox.

Buccleuch Free Church of Scotland

This is the steeple.  Beautiful, old, traditional Scottish church where Lyd and I "worked":)

Edinburgh Botanic Gardens

 

 Now we get into some good hiking spots around Edinburgh....
Arthur's Seat

The Craigs

Calton Hill

The National Monument is here along with lots of other monuments.

Blackfoot Hill

Princess Street

To this day, Princess Street has some of the best shopping I've ever seen.  Full of fun modern stores mixed with history, like the rest of the city.  You can see Scott Monument towards the right, which is the gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott.

I hope you all have the chance to visit Edinburgh if you haven't already.  If you haven't, put it on your Bucket List!  You will fall in love with this city:)

View behind are house:)

Highland cows (or as the Scottish say, Highland coo)