The Freezing Castle (Edinburgh)

   On September 6th, we took off to Edinburgh. This was the day that I mentioned earlier, saying it was absolutely freezing, rainy, & miserable. That pretty much sums it up, but we tried to make the best of it & ended up making memories along the way!

   Edinburgh Castle is the focal point of Edinburgh. It's at the top of the Royal Mile, which is a mile long street leading up to castle at the top of the hill. The Royal Mile packed with shops & plenty of Scottish tweeds & tartans to go around. That day we got some royal exercise.

Photo Credit: Dad

   We weren't expecting it to be so cold, so we didn't even bring coats! Just to impress on you how freezing it was, Mum bought us two scarves trying to make us a little bit warmer. I already had a scarf but no gloves, so I just wrapped my new scarf around my cold hands. I did take my hands out of the scarf every now and then to take pictures for you guys. Oh the things I do for you . . .

   I will now mention that my family & I came to Edinburgh on our last England trip, back in 2005. Believe it or not, it was 10x more freezing then than it was this time around. All our Edinburgh memories are rather cold.

   The castle itself was fascinating, so it's a pitty I mostly ducked my head & wanted to go inside a building to get warm.

   Here's a before & after picture! Eight years makes a difference. (And yes, that really was me under all those layers. You'll just have to take my word for it.)

Photo Credit: Dad

Photo Credit: Dad

   One of my favorite parts of Edinburgh Castle was seeing The Honours: The Scottish Crown Jewels. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to take pictures of them, but there is one fascinating story about them that I'd love to recount to you. 

   The crown, scepter, & sword of state were used at the coronations of Scotland's monarchs as far back as 1543. When the Parliament of England & the Parliament of Scotland were dissolved in 1707 & the Parliament of Britain was formed, the Honours of Scotland no longer had a symbolic purpose. Therefore, they were locked in a chest in Edinburgh Castle and almost forgotten for over a hundred years. 

   When a group finally went to regain the Honours in 1818 they were afraid the jewels might have been stolen during their hundred year rest. But when they broke into the chest's lock & lifted the lid the Honours were safely inside. My favorite part of the story is that there was one more item found in the chest besides the crown, scepter, and sword of state. It was a silver-gilt wand. No one knows why or how it got there, it's all a mystery. It would make an excellent historical fiction novel!

Photo Credit: Dad

   After we finished exploring the castle we warmed ourselves up with tea at a nice cafe. Then we went back out to face the elements to do a bit more shopping on the Royal Mile. I bought a cute pink cardigan at my new favorite clothing store, Ness! They have the loveliest things.

   The next day was a mix of more walking around the city, resting in the hotel room, & saying goodbye to Aunt Kim & Uncle David. We had such a great time with them & were so sad to see them go!

   We enjoyed our stay in Scotland very much, even if our last day was so dismal. We found Scotland to be very laid back and friendly. Almost all the people, especially our waiters & waitresses, were so kind & went out of their way to give us great service. Definitely hoping I can go back one day!

P.S. On our train to Edinburgh we sat behind a lively group of women throwing a hen party, which is the British version of a bachelorette party. They were quite a boisterous lot with plenty of champagne for the whole weekend! =) We asked if we could take their picture & they happily agreed. Even though it's kind of blurry, it captures the atmosphere of coach rather well. 

Photo Credit: Dad

Tea & Trains (York)

   Early Tuesday morning we left Cambridge for the city of York. Two of my four favorite experiences from the whole trip happened on this lovely day.
   The first of these favorite experiences was our train ride to York. It was about four hours long, so we were able to settle in and enjoy the ride. We got Yorkshire Gold tea & shortbread when the tea trolly came by. (I've always been partial to fruity herbal teas, but I've made myself acquire a taste for black tea since I am in England.) I knitted on my fingerless gloves & daydreamed most of the trip. Train travel is my favorite, it's like a relaxed version of flying. And you get to view pretty scenery.
 

Photo Credit: Dad

   Once we arrived in York we went to Bettys for tea! This was the other favorite experience of the day. Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms was established in 1919 & is world renowned. The food was excellent & the setting charming. If you ever get a chance to visit York you must visit Bettys!

I ate French Toast with bacon! The fluffy toast & savory bacon was a delicious combination.

Dad had a cheese & potato Rosti with eggs, bacon, & the best mushrooms ever (I know, I tried them). He hasn't quit talking about his Rosti for the past week . . .

Aunt Kim got the traditional Afternoon Tea, which must have been good since she ate almost all of it herself. =)

There was also a shop in Bettys, which was simply delightful to browse. Mum spent a good portion of her saved Birthday money on a tea book, a bag, a mug, & (of course) tea!

Their autumn window display was just too pretty not to attempt some pictures! If you can't tell, those are leaf & macaroon garlands hanging up. 

   The rest of the day we spent shopping & sightseeing around York. There is a really old section of the city called The Shambles which is now an ally of shops. Back in the medieval times it was the street where the butchers sold their meat. 

   We also admired the York Minster, a massive & intricate cathedral. In the evening, when we were walking around the medieval wall that still goes around part of the city, the Minster's bells started ringing. It was beautiful to listen to & the songs went on for a good hour.

This is a column that the Romans built when they occupied the area that is now York!

   Overall this first day in York was one of my favorites from the whole trip! A delightful blend of shopping, tea, rest, history, & delicious food!

P.S. I had the most shocking realization at the end of the day. I realized where New York got its name. 

Big Times & Big Ben (London Part I)

   I apologize for my long absence. I've missed you! Last week I had several pressing assignments due for school & this week I've been traveling around the UK with my Aunt & Uncle. But now I will tell you all about our adventures! 

   On Friday, the 30th of August, we went to London!

   Friday morning we hopped on a (rather full) train and rode to Town. I love riding trains, but this one was less enjoyable since it was so full. I will describe a much pleasanter train ride in detail soon. 

   We came into King's Cross Station, which is where platform 9 3/4 is in Harry Potter! Unfortunately we did not have time to find the 9 3/4 sign, but hopefully we will next time. 

   We then walked to our hotel to meet up with my Aunt Kim & Uncle David! It was great fun to have them in England with us. 

   We grabbed lunch and then hopped on a double decker bus for a tour of the city. We saw some fun sights, but we didn't get many good pictures since we were moving, there were lots of tourists about, and the sun was harsh. But I'll show you our few decent ones.

Photo Credit: Dad

Photo Credit: Dad

Trafalgar Square!

We also got to see the BBC headquarters! =D

   After we got a feel for the city (mostly a feel of how big it is) we went to The British Museum. Again, glass & tourists got in the way of many good pictures. Ah well.

   We  saw the Rosetta Stone! There are three different sections of text, all saying basically the same thing, but in three different languages. The top portion is Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, the middle is Demotic, & the bottom is Ancient Greek. When it was found at the beginning of the 1800s it allowed  translators to use their knowledge of the Greek text to decipher Hieroglyphics for the first time! 

P.S. I tried to read a word in Greek, but it didn't work out.

   I also enjoyed the Ancient Greek statutes. I've always found stone carving to be so impressive since it's a very unforgiving art.

   My favorite room was the clock room. I found the development of clocks & watches fascinating. The pocket watches were especially exquisite.  

   This was my favorite pocket watch. The plaque below it said it is set with ninety-two diamonds. What can I say, I have good taste.

 We also got to see a birthday invitation which is one of the oldest hand written documents surviving today.

Pretty old books!

   Then that night we went to Harrods. It's the biggest & fanciest store ever. It's the biggest department store in Europe with over one-million square feet of store space. When we first walked in we were in the purse department. We're talking Gucci & Burberry. Then we found the Food Hall. We're talking chandeliers and fruit on silver platers. And there was even a Chocolate Room. A Chocolate Room. Mum bought each of us girls a piece. I didn't even know how to pick, their were millions of options. 

   You're not allowed to take pictures inside Harrods, which is probably a good thing since I would have been wandering around snapping pictures & running into displays. But I found a few images online to give you a taste of the grandeur. 

Via

Via

   We ate a lovely supper on the top floor. Mum & I split fish & chips! 

  

Photo Credit: Dad

   After supper us girls needed to use the loo (posh English for "bathroom"). The only word to describe that loo was . . . elegant. There was a wooden vanity in the middle of the room with perfume for you to use. And a lady worked in there to make sure no one needed anything, & she would gesture to the stall you should go in. It was . . . intimidatingly fancy?  

We also got a picture with some of the Harrods bears.

Photo Credit: Dad

   Needless to say, Harrods was quite the experience! I loved all the gorgeous decor and eye candy displays. I couldn't afford to buy a sandwich there (the cheapest one was probably thirty dollars) but it was great fun anyways! 

   Our first day in London was a success, if very full. Day two coming soon!