For the first time since moving, we were able to host family in our new home. My mom and sister came to visit just after Christmas, and they explored everything about Newcastle that we fell in love with. We started the week by showing them around our neighborhood and trying some of our favorite restaurants & shops. They got to try traditional English biscuits, tea, Sunday Roast, and Christmas party crackers! We also got to celebrate New Years Eve together at a Japanese restaurant, following with our regular Jincks-family NYE hibachi tradition :)
(Click on the gallery images below to enlarge)
(Click on the gallery images below to enlarge)
We then took a tour of the medieval castle that stands at the center of Newcastle, which first opened in the year 1080! Inside, mom got a kick out of the "plumbing" system. Hah! From the castle rooftop, we saw some of the best views of the Newcastle City Centre.
For the last two days of their visit, we ventured up to Scotland. We explored the Glasgow city centre (downtown), did some wee shopping in the Princess Square, and ate at an authentic Scottish restaurant.
The next day, we took a train to nearby Balloch, where we hopped on a guided tourbus to see/hike Loch Lomond and the Tressachs National Park. Exhausted at the top of Conic Hill, we enjoyed Scottish whiskey and shortbread while we overlooked the loch and "inches" (islands). The next hike was a bit shorter, but overlooked a beautiful countryside and the smaller Loch Voil. We estimated that we had hiked a total of 15km by the end of the day!
This week has been such a blast! It was just this morning that mom & Michelle left to fly back home, and Ron and I are already missing the company. Our door is always open for anyone who would like to come visit our beautiful new city, or to join us as we continue to explore the U.K.!
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