The end is in sight, we fly home tomorrow...
(Note: picture uploading is taking forever at this hotel, it'll have to wait until we get home...)
Here's a recap of the last few days... On Sunday, we went to Scone Palace, the place where kings and queens of Scotland were crowned for centuries. The palace itself was nice, as were the extensive grounds. Our visit happened to overlap with a big multiday music festival of 80s music, so we had a little background music as we enjoyed the grounds. We went for a very long walk around the property, met all sorts of animals (peacocks, furry highland cows, a donkey, ponies, etc.) got lost in a giant hedge maze, learned what a pinetum is, and learned how the Scottish view North American geography (hint - they think New York is where Atlanta really is...).
On Monday, we left our Edinburgh base and moved west to the Fort William area where we took the Jacobite steam train (as seen in Harry Potter as the Hogwarts Express) north to Mallaig. The drive to Fort William was pretty with all the mountains and lochs, but those roads are really narrow! I will be happy to be back driving on familiar roads ago soon... It was a beautiful train ride both to Mallaig and back, though Mallaig itself isn't the most exciting of villages... We stayed at a large bed and breakfast that seemed stuck in the 70s. It is not a place I would stay again, the musty smell was unpleasant...
Today, we took a ferry out of Oban to the aisle of Mull and visited Duart Castle, home of the MacLean clan. It was high atop a cliff overlooking the sea in a very pretty locaction. The castle itself wasn't super exciting compared to the others we visited, but the island was lovely and the ferry trip there and back was also quite nice.
We then drove back to Edinburgh for our final night before we fly to Lindon and then Boston tomorrow. I will probably go back later on and write more extensive recaps of each day at some point...
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
July 17-19
Greetings from Scotland! Our group has grown to now include Steve.
When we left off, we were in York. We went to the National Railway Museum on Thursday morning - dad had a delightful time exploring all of the train engines. They were quite impressive and I was much more interested in everything there than I was expecting.
We then headed north to Edinburgh. Our car GPS (nicknamed "Her Majesty") took us off the highway and onto one lane roads for much of the lengthy journey. It was a very pretty drive, but a bit of an adventure in many places with narrow roads and crazy curves. We took a little detour to see Hadrian's Wall. We didn't quite realize what it was until we drove by, though (there wasn't really anywhere to pull over and stop). It pretty much looks like most of the other walls all over the place. The big, famous part of the wall was on the western side of the island. We got into the apartment and met up with Steve.
On Friday, we went on a bus tour of the city and spent time at Edinburgh Castle. It is quite the mighty fortress with all sorts of neat things to see, perched high above the rest of the city. The crowned jewels were lovely. These included a huge sword, practically as tall as me. We also got to see the Stone of Destiny! This is the stone used during the coronation of British monarchs and it has a very long history. It's a really big square stone, it looks quite heavy. We also got to see lots of fully kilted guys playing bagpipes on street corners, which was highly entertaining.
Today, we headed out of the city to see some old buildings. It's been the first day with less than ideal weather - foggy and rainy, but somehow fitting for Scotland. First, we went to Roslin to see Rosslyn Chapel, made famous in The DaVinci Code. It was a neat but strange little chapel.
We then headed east to visit Tantallon Castle, on the coast. It's all ruined now but was open for exploration. It was pretty cool, especially with the weather the way that it was. We lunched in Dunbar at some little shop, which was yummy. Sadly, we didn't get to see the home of our famous ancestor Black Agnes. Alas.
When we left off, we were in York. We went to the National Railway Museum on Thursday morning - dad had a delightful time exploring all of the train engines. They were quite impressive and I was much more interested in everything there than I was expecting.
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| Awesome sign at the train museum... |
We then headed north to Edinburgh. Our car GPS (nicknamed "Her Majesty") took us off the highway and onto one lane roads for much of the lengthy journey. It was a very pretty drive, but a bit of an adventure in many places with narrow roads and crazy curves. We took a little detour to see Hadrian's Wall. We didn't quite realize what it was until we drove by, though (there wasn't really anywhere to pull over and stop). It pretty much looks like most of the other walls all over the place. The big, famous part of the wall was on the western side of the island. We got into the apartment and met up with Steve.
Today, we headed out of the city to see some old buildings. It's been the first day with less than ideal weather - foggy and rainy, but somehow fitting for Scotland. First, we went to Roslin to see Rosslyn Chapel, made famous in The DaVinci Code. It was a neat but strange little chapel.
We then headed east to visit Tantallon Castle, on the coast. It's all ruined now but was open for exploration. It was pretty cool, especially with the weather the way that it was. We lunched in Dunbar at some little shop, which was yummy. Sadly, we didn't get to see the home of our famous ancestor Black Agnes. Alas.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
July 14-16
Whoops, it's been a few days since I've updated. I'm not so sure anyone is reading this anyway, but that's ok...
On Monday, we picked up the car. Dad has been doing a good job of mostly driving correctly. Better him than me... We did almost hit a bicyclist, but that's because he inexplicably fell off his bike and fell into oncoming traffic. That was really scary, but thankfully there was no one in the lane next to us when we swerved over... Driving in London is a pain. It seems like to get to any place on the other side of the city, one must drive through the city. That process takes about 60-90 minutes alone. It's painful...
Anyway, getting the car took awhile, so our initial plans to go to Dover were scraped and we went to Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry VIII and many others. We didn't go inside due to time, but it has extensive gardens that were beautiful that we explored . There was also a hedgerow maze, which was fun to go through.
On Tuesday, we again ventured through the city by car, this time to go to Windsor Castle and then to Stonehenge. Both were very impressive. I could have easily spent more time at Windsor exploring the castle and looking at all of its various treasures. We even got to have our picture taken with a palace guard!!!
Stonehenge was also very impressive. It is just sitting there in the middle of the fields. Very cool.
This morning, we left London for good and drove north to York. Thankfully, we didn't really have to go through London, so most of our trip was on the highway. In York, we went to a Viking museum. It was small but had a bunch of skeletons and artifacts from the Jorvik settlement that existed in that location. York itself (at least the old city) seems like a neat little city, with a lot of older things that would be fun to explore. Alas, we do not have the time. Tomorrow we are off to the National Train Museum (dad's excited about that one) and then onto Edinburgh for the next several days. Steve joins us tomorrow, as well.
On Monday, we picked up the car. Dad has been doing a good job of mostly driving correctly. Better him than me... We did almost hit a bicyclist, but that's because he inexplicably fell off his bike and fell into oncoming traffic. That was really scary, but thankfully there was no one in the lane next to us when we swerved over... Driving in London is a pain. It seems like to get to any place on the other side of the city, one must drive through the city. That process takes about 60-90 minutes alone. It's painful...
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| Driving over Tower Bridge |
Anyway, getting the car took awhile, so our initial plans to go to Dover were scraped and we went to Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry VIII and many others. We didn't go inside due to time, but it has extensive gardens that were beautiful that we explored . There was also a hedgerow maze, which was fun to go through.
On Tuesday, we again ventured through the city by car, this time to go to Windsor Castle and then to Stonehenge. Both were very impressive. I could have easily spent more time at Windsor exploring the castle and looking at all of its various treasures. We even got to have our picture taken with a palace guard!!!
Stonehenge was also very impressive. It is just sitting there in the middle of the fields. Very cool.
This morning, we left London for good and drove north to York. Thankfully, we didn't really have to go through London, so most of our trip was on the highway. In York, we went to a Viking museum. It was small but had a bunch of skeletons and artifacts from the Jorvik settlement that existed in that location. York itself (at least the old city) seems like a neat little city, with a lot of older things that would be fun to explore. Alas, we do not have the time. Tomorrow we are off to the National Train Museum (dad's excited about that one) and then onto Edinburgh for the next several days. Steve joins us tomorrow, as well.
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| Sheep seen from the window of my hotel room. Baa! |
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Weekend #1 - July 12 & 13
Yesterday, we visited the Warner Brothers Studios for a tour of the Harry Potter sets. That was very cool - they had everything from the movies, from buildings to costumes to props so detailed you'd never see them on screen to models and on and on and on. It was all very impressive. We took the train out there and accidently got on the local instead of the express - oops! But we made it there eventually and a fun time was had by all. Plus, butterbeer! So yummy!
We had dinner at a burger place in Canary Wharf - very yummy!
Today we started at the Tower of London and got to see the Crown Jewels and the Bloody Tower. We wandered around a large area of the complex - it is much larger than I expected. There is an entire village within the walls of the castle.
We then took a river bus to Greenwich and made the very steep climb to the top of the hill where the Royal Observatory is, but we didn't get a picture on the marked prime meridian because we didn't want to lay the entrance fee for that one thing. But we did get some remarkable views and stood on the meridian outside the gates. The whole town is quite cute and seems like it would be a great place to spend the day.
It's an early night for us - we are all beat and have some busy days coming up. Tomorrow we get our rental car. I'm terrified of driving in London...
We had dinner at a burger place in Canary Wharf - very yummy!
Today we started at the Tower of London and got to see the Crown Jewels and the Bloody Tower. We wandered around a large area of the complex - it is much larger than I expected. There is an entire village within the walls of the castle.
The White Tower at the Tower of London
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| At Tower Bridge |
We then took a river bus to Greenwich and made the very steep climb to the top of the hill where the Royal Observatory is, but we didn't get a picture on the marked prime meridian because we didn't want to lay the entrance fee for that one thing. But we did get some remarkable views and stood on the meridian outside the gates. The whole town is quite cute and seems like it would be a great place to spend the day.
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| View from the top of the Royal Observatory |
It's an early night for us - we are all beat and have some busy days coming up. Tomorrow we get our rental car. I'm terrified of driving in London...
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Friday, July 11
A day filled with lots of history today...
We started at Buckinham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. Lots of pomp and ceremony with that, thought it was bit hard to tell what was going on. My favorite part - the band playing John Williams music. There's nothing like those fancy guys in their jackets and black fuzzy hats playing the themes from Indiana Jones and Star Wars...
We then walked to Westminster Abbey. That's a magnificent building. Jeremy Irons narrated our tour. Sadly, the tomb of Edward the Confessor was off limits, but we did get to see Queen Elizabeth I's tomb as well as many, many others. The whole building was definitely an awe-inspiring sight to behold. And who can resist flying buttresses!
We then made our way to the British Museum, where we saw lots of really cool old things - the Rosetta Stone (bigger than I expected), the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon (give them back to Greece!), and many other neat things. We didn't get to see nearly enough of what the museum holds, but we did get to see the main highlights.
Today we are off to the Harry Potter studios!
We started at Buckinham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. Lots of pomp and ceremony with that, thought it was bit hard to tell what was going on. My favorite part - the band playing John Williams music. There's nothing like those fancy guys in their jackets and black fuzzy hats playing the themes from Indiana Jones and Star Wars...
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| Buckingham Palace |
We then made our way to the British Museum, where we saw lots of really cool old things - the Rosetta Stone (bigger than I expected), the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon (give them back to Greece!), and many other neat things. We didn't get to see nearly enough of what the museum holds, but we did get to see the main highlights.
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| Rosetta Stone |
Elgin Marbles
Today we are off to the Harry Potter studios!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Thursday, July 10
Yesterday was Sophie's day. There were two things she wanted to see in London - the London Eye and the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. We started the day at the museum. Walking into the main hall felt like walking into the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The building itself was beautiful.
We saw many dinosaur skeletons, which were all very cool. Sophie was quite impressed be the animatronic T-Rex. She also very much enjoyed looking at the various minerals and crystals that were on display. She did not enjoy walking past the entrance to the "Creepy Crawlies" exhibit since they had a very large poster of a very gross spider. Can't say I blame her there...
After lunch at the museum, we headed over to the London Eye and rode the very large Ferris wheel. We got some excellent views of the city from up there. It was a nice way to see things. Sophie then played in the playground for awhile before we began to make our way back to the apartment.
We had dinner at an Asian place inside the big shopping complex near our apartment. It was good. While the Tube itself is very easy to use, we are having some issues with the sizes of the stations - the amount of walking we have to do to transfer lines is crazy and then once we make our way out, it is a bit confusing as to what way to go or which exist to use, but we're slowly figuring it out.
On tap for today is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum to see things like the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles stolen (!) from the Parthenon. I'm very excited about all of these.
I'm currently sitting around waiting for the apartment owner to show up to fix the washing machine that doesn't work. She was supposed to be here 45 minutes ago and I got up early for that reason alone. Zzzzzzzz.......
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| The entrance to the museum |
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| Dad is apparently still learning how to use a camera. Every single one he took has his fingers in the shot... |
We saw many dinosaur skeletons, which were all very cool. Sophie was quite impressed be the animatronic T-Rex. She also very much enjoyed looking at the various minerals and crystals that were on display. She did not enjoy walking past the entrance to the "Creepy Crawlies" exhibit since they had a very large poster of a very gross spider. Can't say I blame her there...
After lunch at the museum, we headed over to the London Eye and rode the very large Ferris wheel. We got some excellent views of the city from up there. It was a nice way to see things. Sophie then played in the playground for awhile before we began to make our way back to the apartment.
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| Sophie climbing around at the playground with the London Eye in the background |
We had dinner at an Asian place inside the big shopping complex near our apartment. It was good. While the Tube itself is very easy to use, we are having some issues with the sizes of the stations - the amount of walking we have to do to transfer lines is crazy and then once we make our way out, it is a bit confusing as to what way to go or which exist to use, but we're slowly figuring it out.
On tap for today is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum to see things like the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles stolen (!) from the Parthenon. I'm very excited about all of these.
I'm currently sitting around waiting for the apartment owner to show up to fix the washing machine that doesn't work. She was supposed to be here 45 minutes ago and I got up early for that reason alone. Zzzzzzzz.......
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Greetings from Great Britain!
We are alive and (mostly) well in London! Our flight was uneventful, though cramped - they really do squish as many seats together as possible... We arrived in London on Wednesday morning having gotten very little sleep - I think Sophie got the most with maybe 3 hours. After a long cab ride to our apartment that seemed to take us close to many, many landmarks, we settled into the spacious and perfectly adequate apartment before then setting out on our first adventure. We thought taking one of those hop-on, hop-off bus tours around the city would be a good way to get the lay of the land and see things as a start, plus we needed to make sure we stayed awake so we could adjust to the time change. I think the bus ride was something like 3 hours long. Most of my pictures are on my real camera, but I got a few on my phone to include here.
We weren't as successful at staying awake. Dad slept a lot (shocking, I know...), and Sarah and I also dozed off at one point. We made our way back to the apartment (the tube is very easy to use) and had a quick dinner of packaged food from the grocery store (don't judge, we were exhausted...) before going to bed. I just woke up after 10 uninterrupted hours of sleep. Guess I was tired...
 St. Paul's Cathedral |
Tower Bridge
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Sarah and Sophie being silly...
We weren't as successful at staying awake. Dad slept a lot (shocking, I know...), and Sarah and I also dozed off at one point. We made our way back to the apartment (the tube is very easy to use) and had a quick dinner of packaged food from the grocery store (don't judge, we were exhausted...) before going to bed. I just woke up after 10 uninterrupted hours of sleep. Guess I was tired...
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Flight Info
The big day is fast approaching...
Here's the meal info for our flights (VS012 eastbound and VS011 westbound). Not sure how up-to-date this is though, since it was last revised in 2013 and our flight time over was pushed back by a couple hours to well after normal supper time. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose. It does look like we get bedtime hot chocolate :)
We do get a little amenity bag on the flight, with eye mask, ear plugs, a toothbrush, and a pen. And blankets and pillows are provided, based on their website. Looks like lots of good movies/tv options as well...
Here's the meal info for our flights (VS012 eastbound and VS011 westbound). Not sure how up-to-date this is though, since it was last revised in 2013 and our flight time over was pushed back by a couple hours to well after normal supper time. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose. It does look like we get bedtime hot chocolate :)
We do get a little amenity bag on the flight, with eye mask, ear plugs, a toothbrush, and a pen. And blankets and pillows are provided, based on their website. Looks like lots of good movies/tv options as well...
Monday, June 2, 2014
I keep forgetting to check comments on old posts...
So I am posting a new post about this, so hopefully I remember. I *FINALLY* heard back from wb. It is a 10 pound total cost to change the harry potter booking, so that we can do. I was looking at where this studio is, and it appears to be pretty far outside of London - there are ways to get there without a car, but they seem tricky & time consuming, so I was thinking we should change Harry Potter to the first day we have the car, and maybe drive around over there a bit? I am sure we can find something else to see in the area. So does that work for everyone? Switch Harry Potter to 1pm on 7/14?
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Car Rental Notes From Steve
He did not find a better rate via his employer, however he did find a better rate at Thrifty than at Enterprise. Using the code WEBTCR, he got a rate of £657.82 for 7/14-7/23 for an automatic "Full Size People Carrier". This does include a £12/day charge for drivers 70 and over...
Monday, May 19, 2014
little things...
just a few little things...
1) after some brief, major panic because my passport was entirely MIA (but has now been found - it was still in the glove compartment in the car from when i went to verify my employment eligibility at tufts. so glad i finally remembered; we never would have found it there.), i entered all of our passport info into the virgin website. steve also did his outgoing seat selection. we will do the return seat selections in the next few days, when they open up.
2) the robeanne house B&B, where we are staying around york, has a new website (http://www.robeannehouse.co.uk/) since we booked just a week or so ago. very exciting, i know. but the place looks nice - and i think includes breakfast, as far as i can tell (which i guess makes sense, since the 2nd B in B&B is for breakfast).
3) one of our cocoons hatched into a bee-youtiful black swallowtail butterfly today. fly free, dill2! don't get eaten by a bird!
1) after some brief, major panic because my passport was entirely MIA (but has now been found - it was still in the glove compartment in the car from when i went to verify my employment eligibility at tufts. so glad i finally remembered; we never would have found it there.), i entered all of our passport info into the virgin website. steve also did his outgoing seat selection. we will do the return seat selections in the next few days, when they open up.
2) the robeanne house B&B, where we are staying around york, has a new website (http://www.robeannehouse.co.uk/) since we booked just a week or so ago. very exciting, i know. but the place looks nice - and i think includes breakfast, as far as i can tell (which i guess makes sense, since the 2nd B in B&B is for breakfast).
3) one of our cocoons hatched into a bee-youtiful black swallowtail butterfly today. fly free, dill2! don't get eaten by a bird!
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Car Rental
After a little bit of digging, I have to do the rental - the name on the credit card has to match the name of the indicated driver.....
So, unless someone has a better idea, I'm going to call Enterprise to see if their cars have GPS systems (I don't see them listed or even available) and, if they don't, I'll buy one. Renting one from the companies that don't include them costs $10/day ($160 for the trip), buying a "transatlantic" version (US & Europe, with lifetime US updates) TomTom costs $172 from Amazon. So it seems like a more or less even break)
So, unless someone has a better idea, I'm going to call Enterprise to see if their cars have GPS systems (I don't see them listed or even available) and, if they don't, I'll buy one. Renting one from the companies that don't include them costs $10/day ($160 for the trip), buying a "transatlantic" version (US & Europe, with lifetime US updates) TomTom costs $172 from Amazon. So it seems like a more or less even break)
Friday, May 16, 2014
THE MOST EXCITING NEWS EVER!!!!!
I am so excited to discover this!!!!!!
The Royal Swan Upping will take place from July 14-18 along the Thames!!!!!!
Link here: http://www.royalswan.co.uk/
Our entire itinerary must revolve around this most important event!!!!!! I know that Sarah agrees with me...
The Royal Swan Upping will take place from July 14-18 along the Thames!!!!!!
Link here: http://www.royalswan.co.uk/
Our entire itinerary must revolve around this most important event!!!!!! I know that Sarah agrees with me...
emergency kit, revisited
ok, i am getting ready to revisit the emergency kit, and replenish it with anything we think we might need. any ideas from the peanut gallery? it already has a lot of stuff, but i don't feel like typing the list out. so give me any ideas you have, and i will make sure they are in there (or make fun of you for suggesting something mockery-worthy :p )
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Some alternative plans for Saturday, July 12...
Right now, we are going on the Harry Potter tour that day, but we picked it randomly - there was no reason for that day, in particular. However, it appears that the only day for Parliament tours is Saturday, and also, there is a new West End musical of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory that has matinees on Saturdays (and Wednesdays, which won't work for us) or Matilda (more Roald Dahl), which would be perfect for HRH Princess Sophie. It's expensive, but it would be cool. Anyway, the question is, do we pay a fee to change our Harry Potter tickets (it's either 10 pounds total, or per ticket - I am not entirely clear) and do Parliament & a show, or do we stick with our existing plan, since we are sure to do plenty of cool things, even without these?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Mapmaker, Mapmaker Make Me a Map
I made us a map. It's not the best ever map, but it's a start. I've added various and assorted things we have booked, but not everything. I think I set it up so that we all can edit it (via our google accounts). Feel free to add stuff. And appreciate my Jacobite train route; I worked hard on that ;)
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zvs8IDDJOdGQ.kOwODZQdYIcE
Key:
green stars - points of interest
diamonds - transportation hubs
purple - train stations
blue - ferry terminals
orange - airports
red dots - accomodations
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zvs8IDDJOdGQ.kOwODZQdYIcE
Key:
green stars - points of interest
diamonds - transportation hubs
purple - train stations
blue - ferry terminals
orange - airports
red dots - accomodations
Details to Think About....
We arrive (On July 9) at 7:20 AM; meanwhile, I assume the rental won't be available until some time in the afternoon.
So what do we do with our luggage for the day?
So what do we do with our luggage for the day?
Sunday, May 11, 2014
London Calling
I think it's time we revive our blog...
Looking at things to do during our week in London, here are some preliminary ideas (and links) for things we can do. This is in addition to what we've already booked (Stonehenge, HP Studio Tour):
Some bad news regarding Canterbury Cathedral - it appears the cathedral is pretty much closed while we are there for graduation ceremonies. It probably isn't worth going to Canterbury at all because of that. Is there some other day trip we want to try? Maybe Dover or just drive around the countryside or something? I'm open for anything.
Looking at things to do during our week in London, here are some preliminary ideas (and links) for things we can do. This is in addition to what we've already booked (Stonehenge, HP Studio Tour):
- Royal Observatory & Cutty Sark
- Tower of London
- Westminster Abbey
- Houses of Parliament - only open for tours on Saturdays but we are doing the HP tour on Saturday, so perhaps we can just visit the outside?
- Tower Bridge - I'm not sure if we really need to do this or just go look at the bridge instead
- London Eye
- Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace - the palace itself is not open to tours until late July/August
- Herrod’s
- Hyde Park
- High Tea
Some bad news regarding Canterbury Cathedral - it appears the cathedral is pretty much closed while we are there for graduation ceremonies. It probably isn't worth going to Canterbury at all because of that. Is there some other day trip we want to try? Maybe Dover or just drive around the countryside or something? I'm open for anything.
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