My parents returned with my Aunt Jill and Uncle Bill for their second trip across the pond! My Mom and Jill kept a diary going, journaling about all of their
adventures during their trip. I
thought this would be the perfect way to sum up our trip to Edinburgh & St.
Andrews with them, as well as their stay in London. Enjoy!
Trip to United Kingdom – September 2012
Day 1 - Friday, September 14 – Edinburgh, Scotland
…Went back to the flat and waited for Kristin and Grant to
arrive.
Day 2 – Saturday, September 15 – Edinburgh
-After the men cooked us breakfast, we ventured out to tour
Edinburgh castle, where we saw the Scottish crown jewels (not as impressive as
England’s, but still amazing, of course), St Margaret’s Chapel and the Mons Meg
cannon and the One o’clock Gun, fired almost every day since 1861.
-Then we went to Deacon Brodie’s Tavern for lunch. It is named after Deacon William
Brodie, the man who inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, Strange Case of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Brodie lived a double life, developing an expensive
lifestyle including mistresses and gambling that he could only support through
a secret life of crime.
-The guys went golfing at Duddingston golf club, while we
girls joined in on a Mercat tour – Secrets of the Royal Mile, where we learned
about the town, old and new sides, the closes (alleys), wynds, courtyards and
homes of Old Edinburgh.
-After dinner, all of us (including the boys, much to their
dismay) took the Mercat Hidden & Haunted tour to hear about Edinburgh’s
sinister and unsavory past, and people, and experience the famous haunted Blair
Street Underground Vaults by candle-light. Because of their good behavior, we
rewarded the boys with a few pints after the tour :)
Edinburgh Castle
The whole gang at the top of the castle
View from castle
Mons Meg
Mercat Cross of the Royal Mile - central meeting place where Royal proclamations and other official announcements were read
Sir Walter Scott Monument
Day 3 – Sunday, September 16 – Edinburgh
-Started the day off with a climb up Arthur’s Seat - the
remains of a volcano that erupted under water during the Carboniferous period.
Although only 250m in height, Arthur's Seat is a notable landmark, dominating
the city. Known also as the Lion's Head, Arthur's Seat is the highest of a
series of peaks, which take the form of a crouched lion. The views were spectacular, and the climb was an adventure...much tougher than it looked (nice to get some exercise though!).
-After our morning workout, we took the bus out to Leith to
eat at The Ship – right on the shore.
Our menu consisted of oyster shots, pots of mussels, and delicious
seafood chowder. Grant made history, as the only person in The Ship to actually
count the number of mussels in our pots…this is a great piece of knowledge
folks…in a large pot of mussels, there are usually around 132!! Not
only are we more knowledgeable now, but he provided some nice entertainment to us and the wait staff as well. We then
walked over to view the impressive Royal Britannia Yacht to end our day in
Leith.
Off we go to tackle Arthur's Seat
My Dad and I took the long way up...
Ruins atop Arthur's Seat - St Anthony's Chapel
How we all felt once we finally made it to the top!
Oyster shots!
-Arrived in St. Andrews via bus, and got settled into our
cozy quarters at St. Nicholas’ Farmhouse B&B, which is right on the beach.
-Made our way into town for lunch, then split as the boys
went golfing and the girls went shopping! We soon found ourselves in a
torrential downpour though, so opted to catch a cab back to the farmhouse to
enjoy afternoon tea.
-After a lovely afternoon of tea and gossip, we went to dinner at The Doll’s House, which was delicious, and then headed back to the B&B to sip on more scotch and wine. The boys couldn’t stop talking about
how they golfed in the “Mecca”!
My furry little friend at St. Nicholas' Farmhouse
Day 5 – Tuesday, September 18 - St. Andrews
-Had breakfast cooked by Bill & Anne, the owners of the
farmhouse. We learned a few things about the farmhouse during breakfast, such
as…it’s haunted, and over 500 years old. The farmhouse was part of a leper
hospital & St. Nicholas helped the children - how the place got its name.
-We walked along the beach to the cathedral ruins, and
climbed the St. Rule Tower to view the grounds, cemetery, Bishop Castle and
ocean.
-Walked down Scores Street alongside of St. Andrews
University (where Will & Kate went to school!). Reached the Royal & Ancient clubhouse (men only), and only
members can go inside. Again, the boys were in heaven! We slowly walked by the
course, and headed over to the Old Course Hotel where we went up to the 4th
floor bar to enjoy a beverage, while overlooking the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes.
-Afterwards, we crossed holes 17 and 2 to get to the
“Himalayas” St. Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club. We putted 18 holes alongside the
old course, which was pretty cool! Props to Kim for being the only one in our group to get a hole in one!
-After a few more hours wandering around the courses, we
made our way back into town for dinner at The Glass House, and then continued
onto the B&B for a nightcap.
-While we were enjoying a relaxing evening in Kim &
Scott’s room, Kristin kept seeing the lights in the hallway going on and
off…she was definitely spooked, and thinks the ghost was out there making the
motion lights turn on and off…(I was seriously freaked out! I love a good ghost story, but this was a little too "real" for me! haha)
Cathedral ruins
View from St. Rule Tower
View of the castle ruins
View of the Old Course from the 4th floor of the Old Course Hotel
I'm going to assume that face means I had a great putt :)
Day 6 – Wednesday, September 19 - St. Andrews to Edinburgh
to London
-We all made our way back to London…Kristin by plane, and us
by train (G unfortunately had to head out a few days earlier, to get back to work). We settled into our flat
in Chelsea, and met up with K&G for dinner at their favorite local Italian
spot, La Pappardella! After
dinner, we headed back to our flat for more wine and beer out on the rooftop
terrace.
Day 7 – Thursday, September 20 – London
-Day 1 in London!
-Took the Tube to St James's Park and walked by Trafalgar
Square, down Whitehall, passing by the Horse Guard Parade, 10 Downing Street, Big Ben,
Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.
-Took a river cruise from Westminster down to the Tower of
London, for a quick tour.
-After a few pints, we made our way to Bermondsey to meet up
with Grant for dinner.
Tour Guide Kristin always puts you in the right spot at the right time...Queen's Life Guards passing by St. James's Park - just another day in London!
Posing with one of the Queen's Life Guards...how on earth do they keep a straight face all the time?!
Tour of London by boat!
Aunt Jill with a couple of the Beefeaters at the Tower of London
Day 8 – Friday, September 21 – London
-Started our day off by heading over to Abbey Road…stopping
traffic in order to get the famous shot, walking across the street, and then
walked by Sir Paul McCartney’s house.
-Had a pint at a local pub, and then went to Borough Market
for lunch. Kristin introduced us to Applebee’s in London…MUCH different from the American version...a delicious fish shop
serving up the best fish wraps in town! We proceeded to buy our dinner that night at the market as well…cheese, salami,
olives, mushroom pâté, pesto, bread and chocolate!!
-Walked by Buckingham Palace, and onto Trafalgar Square to
have a pint at K&G’s favorite pub, Chando’s Opera Room.
-Made our way to Covent Garden, where there was a market and
street entertainment.
-Enjoyed our amazing picnic dinner at the flat.
The famous "walk"
Day 9 – Saturday, September 22 – London
-Boys went to the West Ham vs. Sunderland football
game…while the girls walked to South Kensington – over to the Prince Albert
Memorial and music hall, Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, Princess
Diana’s Memorial Fountain, Italian Fountains, and the Peter Pan Statue, which
was placed in the park one night unbeknownst to anyone, then announced the next
morning as a gift for the children.
-Headed home for afternoon tea, then met up with the boys at
The Duke of Clarence for dinner…our evening ended at our flat, where we found
ourselves playing drinking games, taught to us by K&G...the night was full of an endless amount of entertainment :)
Day 10 – Sunday, September 23 – London
-G&K wanted to introduce us to our first Sunday Roast,
so we ventured up to Camden for the day.
Walked along the canal, through the market, and up to Primrose Hill,
which has a great view of the city.
-Spent the afternoon at Colonel Fawcett’s for a delicious
Sunday Roast.
-Lazy night at K&G’s…pizza, games, and movies...the perfect way to end a rainy day in London.
Day 11 – Monday, September 24 – Last day in London :(
-Went to the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese for lunch…the pub was
destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and rebuilt the following year – the best
representation of the oldest pub in London.
-Walked by Dr. Samuel Johnson’s house (wrote the first
English dictionary -150 years before Oxford) and then toured St. Paul’s
Cathedral.
-Took the Tube to Harrods, where we saw the Diana & Dodi
memorial, and walked around several departments – Toys, Christmas, Pets
(Chihuahuas for $1,700!). Even the elevators were fancy.
-Went to The Troubadour for dinner…many famous bands and
artists have played here like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Sammy Davis Jr, Jimi
Hendrix, Charlie Watts, Led Zeppelin and Elvis Costello.
-And then sadly, said goodbye to Kristin and Grant…it
was a great trip...we saw a lot and had a lot of fun! Can’t wait to go back next year!!
No comments:
Post a Comment