The first of many Ceilidhs

What a CrAzY fun weekend it's been here in Edinburgh! It started off on Friday with an amazing art history discussion in the National Gallery discussing the "Feast of Herod" by Rubens. If that wasn't enough, how about a hike up Arthur's Seat, providing amazing views of the city and surrounding areas? And the fun didn't stop there either! We ended up dancing the night away on Friday at our very first Ceilidh (pronounced "KAY-lee") to celebrate Simon and Judith's wedding. It was SO much fun! All of the men came dressed in kilts, and it was one huge dance party. Even if you didn't know the traditional Scottish dances (which neither Steve or myself knew), they're easy enough that you can pick them up as you go. Steve was sad that he didn't get to wear his kilt, but we're taking care of that this coming weekend when we head to Inverness to pick out the tartan and give his measurements to our kilt-maker friend. Next Ceilidh we go to, Steve will be arriving in style! We were both exhausted on Saturday morning, but we were really excited to get the day started because we had another visitor to our beloved city - Grandma Simms! The cruise she is on right now docked in Edinburgh for a day, so we got to show her and her friend, Emily around for a few hours before bidding them farewell on Saturday afternoon. It was a jam-packed weekend, but we loved every minute of it!

This is a terrible picture of the National Gallery, but at least you get a taste for what it looks like.

Climbing up Arthur's Seat

Steve came. Steve saw. Steve conquered.

The view of the city and surrounding area was breathtaking. Saturday was the perfect day for such a hike.

This is the church where the Ceilidh was held - pretty cool, eh? Great music, delicious food, and dramatic lighting set quite the stage for a party.

Behold - the kilts!!!

Having fun on the dance floor

I'll never own one (moving death traps, in my opinion), but it was fun to pose next to one!

Welcome to Edinburgh! We spent a lovely morning/afternoon with Grandma Simms.

I was worried I'd be slightly homesick for the autumn leaves up East Canyon, but then they started turning here - the city looks beautiful right now!

This is a small sample of what the Ceilidh was like - we can't wait to go to another one!