Up for hotel breakfast buffet, same as yesterday. We leave for the Borders via the bus. The Borders lie in southern Scotland, just
above England’s border. They don’t speak
any Gaelic but are known for ‘olde’ Scottish dialect. This is a wealthy farming area with rich
soil. Lots of cattle, sheep and fields of
barley. It’s very beautiful with huge
hardwood trees and high rolling hills and many streams. This area is known for their abbeys. We drive to Jedburgh Abbey that sits in the
town of same. Beautiful picturesque
village and river running through. The
Abbey is in ruins but very imposing still.
We get some very good pictures here.
There is a sample of dry dyck wall building, a vertical sample
supporting a horizontal sample. We head
on to the next Abbey, Melrose, set in the town of same. Another beautiful medieval abbey made of gold
and red sandstone. The earliest portions
of the Abbey are gone but outlined in the grass. What is left is very imposing with some of
the window shapes still intact. This is
where Robert the Bruce’s heart is buried.
The grounds show outlines of more areas of the earlier stages of the
Abbey. Many old gravestones, very
ornate, surround it as well. We decide
to climb to the roof of the Abbey. It is
a column about 18 inches wide with spiraling, narrow stairs going straight
up. At times we are in near
darkness. The only thing to hold on to
is a thick knotted rope running up the side.
The view is great but not sure it was worth the stress and strain! We walk around the village and it is very
lovely and quaint. Neat as a button with
a high street of shops and many pots of brightly colored flowers. Pat stops at one of the charity shops and
finds a really cute crystal thistle vase, very tiny. Try to shop National Trust or charity shops
when we can. Bus back to Edinburgh and
traveling on to the Royal Yacht, The Britannia. This is the last royal yacht that was
commissioned and used by Queen E and family for affairs of state and family
functions. It was decommissioned in 1997
and Edinburgh won the bid to keep the yacht for tourism. It was not as ostentatious as we thought it
might be but it has many natural products used in its building so demands a lot
of upkeep. We saw the Queen and Prince Philip’s
bedrooms and the honeymoon suite that Diana and Charles used. Pat had tea in the grand salon before leaving
the boat. The yacht is moored on the
Firth of Forth (the estuary of the Forth River) It is a tidal area of the North
Sea. An oil rig platform sits in the
Firth. Back to the hotel and free
time. Pat and Chuck walk back down to
Grassmarket to the Bee Hive Pub. We have
dinner in the back garden. Scottish beef
burger, Steak and Ale Pie are the choices.
The Fringe Festival continues and we happen into an improvisational
comedy on Freedom of Speech. Thought
provoking but not everyone’s cup of tea.
Back to hotel and getting ready for tomorrow. Today was partly sunny with a few occasions of
light rain, (mostly while we were in the bus). We will be on the road and only
stay for one night for a couple nights for a few days. We are heading for the Highlands. First stop St. Andrew. Luggage out the door by 7:45 and leave hotel
8:45. Nighty Night
Welcome
Scot - Lond 2015
Rambler’s Blog – Scotland London – Scot-Lond Adventure (August 19 September 16, 2015)
Trip Preparations
Scottish Gaelic Cheers! Sláinte (slancha)
London Cheers! Bottoms Up
A word about this blog…. It has been our goal in recent years’ lengthier travels to record for posterity a diary of travel stats, pictures, and personal reflections. So, when we can no longer indulge in trains, planes, hiking, RV’s and automobiles we may relive fond memories. We invite you to ride along through these personal writings risking exposure to our bad puns, spelling errors and sore feet.
* We may not have daily access to Internet so updates may be delayed, but once they appear they will be in sequence.
* The blog includes pictures based on the day’s blog.
* A map of our route appears on the Homepage.
Why these destinations and why now? We have spent a lot of time visiting and living in the UK. Over the years, the great and fun city of London has been a destination for work and play. If there is an opportunity to visit her we will take it.
Primarily we are returning for a Scotland trip. We lived in Glasgow for a year and a half. The kids completed part of their primary education there and we became a part of the local community. We have fond memories of our Glasgow experience and kind friends. Scotland is not a large country but very diverse in geography with remote lands, mountains, islands and endless shorelines. It lies in similar latitude with Alaska but the fact they are an island and the warm ocean currents make them less extreme, but they experience similar daylight changes. Scots are a friendly, generous bunch with wry senses of humor which adds to the landscape! We decided on a bus trip so we wouldn’t have to drive on the left, fight over roadmaps and make ferry connections. The idea is to just relax and sit back, which is very different from our usual micro-managed trips. Yet, there is a fair amount of walking, underground and train trips involved. This time we will visit a selection of islands that we were never able to see. Part of our time will be spent in Glasgow staying at friends Marion and McLean Ferguson and visiting our house, school, church and favorite haunts. We hope to catch up with Kathleen and John Revill as well.
Onward and upward. We will enjoy knowing you are with us in spirit. We will lift a glass, eat haggis and try a dram just for you! (notice it’s all about eating and drinking, LOL)
Pat and Chuck
Rambler’s Blog – Scotland London – Scot-Lond Adventure (August 19 September 16, 2015)
Trip Preparations
Scottish Gaelic Cheers! Sláinte (slancha)
London Cheers! Bottoms Up
A word about this blog…. It has been our goal in recent years’ lengthier travels to record for posterity a diary of travel stats, pictures, and personal reflections. So, when we can no longer indulge in trains, planes, hiking, RV’s and automobiles we may relive fond memories. We invite you to ride along through these personal writings risking exposure to our bad puns, spelling errors and sore feet.
* We may not have daily access to Internet so updates may be delayed, but once they appear they will be in sequence.
* The blog includes pictures based on the day’s blog.
* A map of our route appears on the Homepage.
Why these destinations and why now? We have spent a lot of time visiting and living in the UK. Over the years, the great and fun city of London has been a destination for work and play. If there is an opportunity to visit her we will take it.
Primarily we are returning for a Scotland trip. We lived in Glasgow for a year and a half. The kids completed part of their primary education there and we became a part of the local community. We have fond memories of our Glasgow experience and kind friends. Scotland is not a large country but very diverse in geography with remote lands, mountains, islands and endless shorelines. It lies in similar latitude with Alaska but the fact they are an island and the warm ocean currents make them less extreme, but they experience similar daylight changes. Scots are a friendly, generous bunch with wry senses of humor which adds to the landscape! We decided on a bus trip so we wouldn’t have to drive on the left, fight over roadmaps and make ferry connections. The idea is to just relax and sit back, which is very different from our usual micro-managed trips. Yet, there is a fair amount of walking, underground and train trips involved. This time we will visit a selection of islands that we were never able to see. Part of our time will be spent in Glasgow staying at friends Marion and McLean Ferguson and visiting our house, school, church and favorite haunts. We hope to catch up with Kathleen and John Revill as well.
Onward and upward. We will enjoy knowing you are with us in spirit. We will lift a glass, eat haggis and try a dram just for you! (notice it’s all about eating and drinking, LOL)
Pat and Chuck
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