Chris Odom Photography: 05/01/2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Day 4 - Edinburgh

We woke with a challenge to ourselves: climb Arthur's Seat, a steep hill located just outside the downtown area of Edinburgh. It rises 250 1/2 meters into the air and is the remnant of an extinct volcano. The Martaus clan climbed it 4 years ago and Paul & Dianne have been training since January for their return. About a quarter of the way up is a neat chapel ruin that affords a great view of the Queen's backyard at Holyrood Palace. The sky was very overcast and the summit of the hill could not be seen from the bottom. As we continued to ascend, the vistas were amazing. Scotland is very much like Seattle: depressing, but beautiful and full of green! As we got close to the top, we entered the cloud and our vistas were interrupted. We eventually reached the top, but couldn't see a darn thing! We still had a blast, however!

Having hiked for about 2 hours, we ended up at Holyrood Palace which is near the base of Arthur's Seat. This is the Queen's official Scottish residence. After visiting the cafe for coffee, tea, and cakes, we toured the palace. This is the same building Mary, Queen of Scots lived in during her short tenure and it was originally constructed as a monastery in 1128. It's an impressive structure, but not nearly as gaudy as I expected. For some reason, we weren't allowed on the third floor where the Queen's rooms are.

There is an abandoned 12th century abbey located against the palace. This was my first abbey on the trip and I must say that it was a really cool thing to see. The sheer magnitude was impressive. I could almost imagine what it would have looked like back in its hey-day. The Queen's gardens are located nearby and offered a stark visual difference between the abandoned abbey and verdant plants.

We next hopped a city tour bus which whisked us all over, filling us with trivia and facts about Edinburgh. Dinner time saw us light upon the restaurant called Deacon Brodie's. It's named after an Edinburgh resident of old who helped design and build the city's gallows, only to become a victim of them later in life. The truly momentous event at the restaurant, however, was that I ordered, ate, and enjoyed fish and chips! For those that know me, I despise seafood so this is HUGE people! Ha! I've never had fish that didn't taste fishy...just amazing.

After dinner, we discovered that our rental car had a flat tire and no spare. Unfortunately, the next 3 hours were spent getting this issue solved (new car). We were all just happy this happened in Edinburgh and not out on a country road.

We journey back to England and I get to see the Lake District for the first time on Thursday!

Cheers!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Day 3 - London to Edinburgh

Today was a really cool one as we started off at King's Cross Station in London where we caught our train to Edinburgh. The city just finished a renovation of the station and it was quite a site for an American unaccustomed to train travel. We even found Platform 9 3/4 (Harry Potter).

Once on board in our first class cabin (fancy! ha!) we were served a wonderful breakfast and were amazed at the speed and smoothness of the ride. We've all decided this was THE best way to see the countryside and to get to Edinburgh. We even got lunch on the train too.

We arrived in Edinburgh at about 2:00, rented our car, and then drove to our B&B which is a substantial step up from the previous nights. After getting settled in our rooms, we trekked out to see the sites. The first thing I noticed was how green Scotland is. Additionally, Edinburgh has a very avant garde population: suits, ties, dresses, blue hair, ear holes, piercings galore. The second thing is that all the old buildings look very dirty. I later learned this is because of all the smoke that used to billow throughout the city from its stoves and fireplaces.

After seeing the Sir Walter Scott Memorial, we grabbed a quick snack and headed to Edinburgh Castle which has history dating back to the Bronze Age! This complex is huge and is built upon a natural outcropping of rock, high above the city. It would be nearly impenetrable back in the day. One of the most interesting buildings is St. Margaret's Chapel which was built in the 12th Century...nearly 1,000 years ago! The crown jewels of Scotland are also on display in the castle along with the private apartments of Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots.

After seeing the castle, we walked to the Camera Obscura. This is a lighthouse looking building that has a camera mounted at the top. Inside, you can move it around to get a 360 degree view of Edinburgh. It uses mirrors and a concave base to complete the experience. Hard to describe, but cool!

We then had dinner at the Theatre Royal Bar which was excellent (including the sticky toffee pudding for dessert). To walk off the calories, we then hiked up Monument Hill to view the Parthenon replica that was started in 1824 and abandoned in 1829, unfinished. We could also see Hollyrood Palace and the Queen might actually be in residence there. Maybe we'll meet for tea and crumpets tomorrow. I need to practice drinking with my pinky extended.

We start tomorrow by hiking up Arthur's Seat which is a very steep hill on the east side of town. The view should be amazing if we can get the low clouds to blow away. After being hot in London for 2 days, we're loving the upper 50s and wind in Scotland. And interestingly, the sun set at 9:43 pm tonight and rises at 4:37 in the morning! The Scottish accent is also wonderful here! It's like a whole town of Eric Binnies. We also got paid a compliment by an older couple on train with us today. They asked where we were from and they commented that we sure sounded like we were having fun; they couldn't have been more right!

Cheers everyone!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Day 2 - London

We started today with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery and am I glad Alaine was here! I'd have no idea who some of the portraits were if not for her! Afterward, we made our we through Leicester Square where London movie premiers take place, and then onto Trafalgar Square. This is a large open space near the National Gallery. Lord Nelson's Column is here in addition to an Olympic countdown clock (60 days).

We then hopped on a double-decker tour bus which was a fantastic way to see the city. Not long after we started, our bus had to stop to allow the Queen's mounted guard to pass. We quickly approached Parliament and Big Ben before we disembarked at the London Eye.

We had "fast pass" tickets and were able to skip the queue entirely! The view from high above the Thames was amazing. We could easily see Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben. After our 35 min ride, we exited and decided to grab some lunch at a pub. I enjoyed my first bangers and mash!

Following our lunch, we strolled along the Thames to get a good look at Parliament then hopped a cab to Lock and Co., a hatter near Buckingham Palace. This is the official hatter to the royal family and both Paul and I got hats! The cab ride was interesting too as my brain had to adjust to being on the wrong side of the road. The Brits have luckily painted on the sidewalks which way to look when crossing traffic. It's very hard to adjust to looking left first.

Now that we looked dapper, we made our way to Buckingham Palace which is currently surrounded with lots of activity as they prepare for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. A huge concert will be held this weekend and the stage is already up near the Palace.

We hopped back on a tour bus and were taken over to Parliament where we got off to see that building up close. The detail work is amazing and it's actually a series of several buildings that have been connected over time. The main part is from them 18th century. Westminster Abbey is just around the corner so we walked around the outside. We'd arrived after it closed, so we'll have to hit it up in two weeks. We also,walked down to Tate Britain, another great art museum. I had a scone and peppermint tea. I'm crossing off required "British" things!

Back on the bus for the remainder of our tour over to St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, and other sights we'll see in two weeks. Once the tour ended, we made our way to one of Tim and Alaine's favorite restaurants, Pizza Express. It was quite good and different than American pizza. After that, we grabbed some ice cream and headed back to the room.