Week in Review: Week 25 — Away On The Road

Oct 26

Oct 26 Week in Review: Week 25

Well this week didn’t quite go as planned! Sharleen totally jinxed us last week when she said we’ve been healthy so far on our journey. This week Darrell came down with a nasty infection that had us visiting the hospital on Saturday and extending our trip in Edinburgh by a few days. Fortunately he is on the mend, but we did spend most of the week resting and working on getting him healthy again!

By extending our time in Edinburgh, we had to cancel our trip up north to Inverness. However, this allowed us to stay in Edinburgh and see some of the sights we missed out on while we were in our house sit nursing Darrell back to health. Our week was definitely not full of touristy sights, but we still were able to see some things during our last days in Edinburgh.

Highlight of the week

Sharleen: Hiking Arthur’s Seat. The sunrises and sunsets in Edinburgh have been gorgeous every day we have been here, so I was looking forward to a morning when I could head up to Arthur’s Seat for sunrise. Arthur’s Seat is in Holyrood Park, located in the heart of Edinburgh. It’s a beautiful park with a ton of trails, cliffs, trees and scrubs, and chapel ruins. It is an extinct volcano, and at its highest point sits Arthur’s Seat. There is actually no seat when you reach the top, just beautiful panoramic views of the city and the shore. Sunrise was a great time to visit, and I spent close to an hour up at the top watching the run rise.

Darrell: The Real Mary King’s Close. I spent most of the week in bed or on the couch trying to get better. Thursday was the first day I left the house to do an activity, and that was to go on a tour of the Real Mary King’s Close. It was a great tour through an old close (street) from the 1600’s located near the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The close now sits under buildings along the Royal Mile, and the tour provided a great overview of what life was like for people living in Edinburgh in the 17th and 18th century. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed on the tour.

Least favourite part of the week

Sharleen and Darrell: Darrell not feeling well. This least favourite part of the week shouldn’t be a surprise. Darrell started feeling under the weather last Friday, and by Sunday he was really not doing too great. We took him to the hospital as it was the only thing open on a Sunday, and it was recommended that we go there by our travel insurance provider – World Nomads. At the hospital Darrell had a couple of tests run, saw a few doctors, and was given a prescription to treat an infection. We were there for about 3 hours, and overall it was a great experience – as good as you could hope for when it comes to hospital visits at least! We were also shocked that at the end we had a bill for $0. It literally cost $0 for all of the tests and the prescription. We couldn’t believe it! We have travel insurance to help in situations like this, but we didn’t even need to submit a claim, which was a total surprise to us. We thought for sure it would cost us close to $500 CAD, and that we would need to submit a claim to get reimbursed, so this was a welcomed surprise.

It’s taken Darrell some time to feel better. Wednesday was really the first day he started feeling back to normal. So hopefully he kicks this soon!

It’s worth mentioning that our experience with World Nomads was really positive as well. We bought a plan before leaving – which was a very easy process online – and this was the first time we needed to use their services. Sharleen called them on Sunday morning to explain the situation we were going through, and within 45 minutes they had given us a recommendation for clinics to visit nearby. They also followed up later that day and the next day to see how Darrell was doing to see if we needed help with a claim. It was great to have their support as we tried to work out what to do.

Favourite city/town/village visited

Sharleen and Darrell: Edinburgh. Second week as our favourite city, but for slightly different reasons than last week! We were so happy to be in a major city this week, as there are so many more amenities than in small towns. First, it was great to be near a hospital for when we needed to visit to get Darrell checked out. Our whole experience was very positive, and a few times we talked about how lucky we were to be in Edinburgh when one of us got sick. We couldn’t have asked for a better situation considering the circumstances. Second, Sharleen needed to find a bridesmaids dress for her best friends wedding in July. Edinburgh turned out to be a great city to find a dress, and within one day she found a dress and had it ordered. Again, it was a great experience and we were so happy it worked out so well! Third, considering we didn’t drive while Darrell was under the weather, everything we needed was conveniently nearby – groceries, pharmacies, dog walks, restaurants…everything! It made it really easy to get anything we needed without a car. Not to mention it’s a beautiful city! We felt totally comfortable here, and have really enjoyed settling in during our two-week visit.

Favourite meal

Sharleen: Lunch at the Tea Room on the Royal Yacht Britannia. I went on the Royal Yacht Britannia by myself while Darrell was in our Airbnb recovering. I was shocked at how busy the yacht was. It was full of tourists! So when I came to the Tea Room on the yacht, I decided to take a break and have some lunch. I had a great seat overlooking the water, and enjoyed a delicious root vegetable soup and ham sandwich. It was the perfect peaceful lunch, and a great break from the crowds.

Darrell: Not much really! I haven’t had much of an appetite, so my meals this week have been boring - just a bunch of water, soups, smoothies, and toast. Really exciting stuff! I’m looking forward to getting my appetite back and enjoying some tasty food again soon!

Our two weeks in Edinburgh were great, minus Darrell not feeling well. It is a beautiful city and there is so much to see! We are both quite excited to head to the Isle of Skye though, and are hoping Darrell will feel better soon so we can make our way there in the next few days. It will be our first Isle visit, and Skye is full of fun adventures. It will be nice to be out in nature again, and we are looking forward to the many walks and gorgeous scenery. We are hoping to be on Skye for 8 days, which means we can still take it easy as Darrell works on feeling better!