I lived in Edinburgh for about a year before my savings ran out. And that's also where my journey always begins, interspersed with the smell of whiskey and sheep's stomachs. This time just me and my older daughter Olivia. I wanted to show her my favorite places. Where I tasted whiskey for the first time, when I almost threw up on the bus, where Trainspotting was being filmed. Then I remembered that she is three years old and she will appreciate the person dressing up as Mickey Mouse on the street the most. But the goal is clear, to make it nice for her and at the same time for me. Children should mainly spend time together with us, whatever we do, legal or on the edge of the law.

I have learned over the years that I can no longer fly with the kids at 3 in the morning with three connections, but for everyone's convenience it is better to pay extra for a convenient flight at some decent hour, so we fly at 3 in the afternoon and leave at 9 in the morning. I always choose accommodation in the center, it saves an incredible amount of time, stress and, as a result, money.

But first, let me introduce you to the picture. Edinburgh is a place where the weather is usually always the same and at the same time it can change 6 times in a day from completely clear to blizzard. And it doesn't matter if it's December or August. Well shit. The British, including the Scots, do not suffer much from heating, so I recommend warm clothes for sleeping as well.

Technological teat. I don't understand why, even though seaside towns suffer from the effects of the weather, they are not able to use better materials during reconstruction. While we probably already have four-pane windows here, in Scotland they said to themselves: No, our windows won't even open. I blame it on their minimal skills. They invest their energy in technologies for the production of whiskey and beer. They were forgiven.

Edinburgh is a place with great transport infrastructure. You can reach the center from the airport by train or bus. In the center everything is within walking distance.

Ok, we arrived, we live. What there?

There are a few places I would definitely recommend. And I'll give you some advice. I don't usually do this, but I will make an exception. Maybe I'll start flying there sometime. Every year in August there is a Fringe festival in Edinburgh. This brings with it significantly more fun than usual, but also millions of tourists, fully booked restaurants and full pubs. I recommend traveling in spring or autumn. But we did not let ourselves be intimidated and we are here in August.

The castle, a place that can be seen from anywhere. It stands on an extinct (thank God) volcano. Buy your ticket online and in advance. What usually happens is that you get to the place and it's sold out. But you don't have to regret it, it's not worth it. You will only walk around the exteriors and a few newly built buildings. If you are not deterred, and the tickets are sold out, buy a guided tour online, usually the ticket to the castle is included in the price and you will be supporting the local community, mostly actors and artists who make extra money this way.

National Museum. This is great, lots of stuffed animals, cars, beautiful spaces. There is also the first cloned sheep, but don't worry, it's friendly, dead and stuffed. If it's snowing, wait there until it clears again. Plus it's free.

Calton Hill. For me, the most beautiful view of the city. I recommend going at sunset and a little after. You can see the whole city and maybe even see some artists who do not respect the safety of working with fire.

Grassmarket. In the direction of the castle, you can turn through Victoria street down to the square, where there are many historic pubs and restaurants. One, the Last Drop, legend has it that it was the place where condemned men took their last shot of whiskey.

Arthur Seat is there when you want to keep fit and climb a hill. Cramond Island is there for you when you want to be stranded on a desert island and wait for low tide again. Dean Village for anyone who wants to be in Belgium rather than Scotland. And Leith for those who prefer to be in Poland. But I love it there, and my favorite Nobles Bar.

To make it fun for Oli too, I created a story and a game for her. The evil Loch Ness monster has kidnapped her princess...that is, the doll, and we have to save her. Everything was there, the book, the envelopes, the magic items. I was a little sad when he asked me at the castle when we were going to be at the castle, but that's Edinburgh. There is no other place in the world where you feel like you are in a castle, wherever you are.

It's time to move our story more into nature. I thought for a while that we could do it all by train and public transport. After long seconds of thinking, I preferred to rent a car. And since the whole thing is already quite expensive, I save 400 crowns, i.e. the price of one sandwich, for a manual transmission. Yes, you have to shift with your left hand. Unlike the other analogy, this one is not the least bit pleasant.

There are several options. Take a long journey to the Isle of Skye, a place that seems out of this world. I know from experience that there is little accommodation there. It's also about 6 hours by car. I cut corners. Or maybe on the Isle of Islay, but there is nothing else there except whiskey. Perfect for Oli, but I'd be bored. Or the Highlands, i.e. Cairngorms National Park. Mountains, castles, reindeer, lakes, all inclusive. I'm eating.

The final destination is Loch Ness, someone has to save the princess. We have a few stops along the way, and not just to pee. I hid the clues for our game in bright red envelopes that I sealed with wax. And it's not as simple as it seems at first glance. After the first stop at the elf in the mossy forest, we arrive at Blair Castle. Admission for children is usually free. Nobody believed me when I was 6 years old, so I threw a lollipop at them and we ran away. It is necessary to choose the historical stops well. Everything there looks exactly the same and we are quite used to castles, but for people where their civilized history starts sometime around the 17th century, everything is wow.

Important notice. The British do not eat between two and five in the afternoon. They're probably herding sheep or watching cricket, so we spend our first lunch on the tarmac by the parking lot bins, finishing off our snacks. I look out for the social worker's car and say goodbye to Oli just to be sure. So we change plans and bypass a few partial stops of our adventure. I always try to eat local food. I could last maybe a month on the British one. We take children to foreign kitchens to try pasta with ketchup and chicken nuggets in all world variations. But no, Olivia likes to eat, so Shepard's Pie, Fish and Chips and maybe a bit of Haggis fly into her.

So the first day ends in Inverness. Strategically located just half an hour from Loch Ness. But we arrive very late, so we set up camp and go to sleep. In a normal world I would have gone out, but again I remembered that it was three o'clock and he was supposed to go to bed at ten thirty. I usually take an apartment with my children, so that when they fall asleep, they can spend time somewhere other than in the bathroom on the floor. But after such a nutritious program, not even a clicking keyboard wakes her up.

Loch Ness. The final destination and the place where the menacing monster kidnapped the princess. They have a whole fairy tale about it, that one would even believe it. But we have a task. There is no time to puzzle over who is who... Equipped with a magic wand, a magical bracelet of knowledge, a necklace of power and a wish for luck, Olivia fearlessly searches Urquhart Castle to find the princess, aka her doll that she sometimes sleeps with at home. And since she inherited my reaction to surprise, I got nothing but questions about why her doll was in this castle and where the real princess was. But in the end it turned out well and she was happy. She didn't let go of the doll for the rest of the day.

Next time I would like to go for a longer time and to fewer places. Constant travel, even short distances, detaches us from the real experience. Spend time together.