michellemd

I'm with you too Scotlib. Thanks!

caroline_edinburgh

I am still enjoying your adventures too ! Your GBH Pass certainly seems to have been a good buy.
Well done on climbing Hadrian's Wall - I'm not sure what I'd have done.

Every time I hear about the metal canopy over Rosslyn Chapel, I smile. We went to look at the chapel as a possible wedding location and were assured that the canopy would be off by the time we got married. We've just celebrated our 8th anniversary

GreenDragon

Great report, so far! I'm leaving for Scotland in June for three weeks, and our first stay is in Edinburgh. I just signed up for a GBHP as well, for each of us (6).

LCBoniti

Still enjoying this, too. Thanks for the great info about Hadrian's Wall.

I hope we will have many more Scotland trip reports in the next few months - including one from you <font color="green">GreenDragon</font>! We are now in the &quot;serious planning&quot; stage for our trip next year.

noe847

Yes, as many trip reports as possible, please because I need to live vicariously! We had to cancel our Scotland trip for August - in addition to canceling London in April

scotlib

So sorry to read of your trip cancellation, noe847. It certainly can't be any fun to have to do that. Though I must be still feeling the effects of Colin the positive spin doctor (the Heart of Scotland driver) .. it gives you more time to put money away for when you do get to go?

I think I remember one of the guides at Rosslyn Chapel saying the roof would be off in a couple of years, caroline_edinburgh, but from the strength of my memory to sensing &quot;wet stone,&quot; I wouldn't be surprised if it be for a dozen more.

I feel like my trip is living on while I relive it with the report. Thank you, everyone, for coming along


I spent much of last night trying to get a movie of pictures together. It was a grand 10 min, 55 second movie, but then I discovered that youtube (sob) only allows 10 minutes.

I hacked away 55 seconds and then came to a realization that seriously big files don't do well for uploading, so after 2 hours I admitted defeat and cancelled.

I've cut the file up into bits and three are reaady.

<b>Boston to Edinburgh, April 2008</b>
Sights from the first 24 hours of a spring vacation trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz2FFJQSmaY


<b>Kingdom of Fife Day Tour</b>
A day tour with Rabbies from Edinburgh through the Kingdom of Fife, stops in Anstruther, St. Andrews, and Falkland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4soZH5UNfI


<b>Rosslyn and the Roman Border</b>
A day tour with Heart of Scotland from Edinburgh through Melrose and Jedburgh down to Hadrian's Wall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VMGMtRZsJI


Of course, in iMovie the text all shows beautifully, When compressed you may have trouble. And a few times that I tried to make edits, the files just wouldn't do what I thought would happen. It is so frustrating when software does what I tell it to but I am not telling it the right thing, and don't know where I am going wrong in the process!

So do ask if you have questions .. now what did that say? why is that picture included??

Cheers!

janisj

Oh, what fun! I only had time to watch one since I'm dashing out the door to meet friends for dinner. Watched the Borders/wall one - I'll check the others when I get home (the wee steep bit didn't look too bad to me )

noe847

Thanks for your thoughts, scotlib. I agree, there are plenty of silver linings to be found, and we may take a major trip in Sept or Oct, but not to the UK. My daughter (and I) would have gone to Scotland with her bagpipe band in August, but she has decided not to play this year. Instead she will study for a full academic year in Germany (beginning in August). So my husband and I may travel to Germany to see her and then on to Poland. It's all pretty tentative at the moment. At any rate, I really miss Scotland.

Your videos are really enjoyable - I like the short lengths, actually. I didn't recognize the tune from the Fife segment, but there is a fairly famous (at least in bagpipe music circles) tune called &quot;Falkland Palace&quot;. I'm sure glad to put some images to the place name after hearing that tune for many years.

irishface

I really enjoyed your video clips. the royal throne room at St. Andrew's Castle was a hoot. Talk about wind blowing up one's......!

LCBoniti

I love the video clips - please do more when you have time.

scotlib

irishface and LCBonti .. glad you like the video clips I should have the remaining edited bits ready this weekend. Plus, seeing them after the narrative parts will help put them in context for readers/viewers.

noe847, I agree on having the shorter lengths. Now that I've tried to do this myself, having the experience of trying to upload a big file, and viewing the videos that YouTube links to mine because they're similar topics, I like the shorter ones of those, too.

The tune for the Fife segment is My Love Has Gone To Sea. With all the water in many of the pictures, I thought the song title fit, and it is just a lovely tune.

scotlib

<b>Day 5 – First full day in Edinburgh</b>

Today was the first day with actual rain. The rain came down lightly from about midmorning to noon, then misted and finally cleared so the day was bright sunshine with clouds scudding across the sky. Thursday was about the same. Friday had only sprinkles, but stayed cloudy all day, and Saturday started as Friday when I left to go to the airport. Overall, I was so lucky with the weather; it was excellent for a quick visit.

Several times I popped into the Travelshop to pick up different bus route flyers. I knew that the No. 36 would take me right from Canonmills to Holyrood. I had the flyer and I had seen a bus stop up Eyre Place. I walked up and caught the bus. I sat down and the bus proceeded to its next stop: directly across from the Dene Guest House! As much as I learned about the Edinburgh bus stops, there was always more.

My GBHP got me into the Palace of Holyroodhouse, free. Unfortunately the Queen’s Gallery was closed for a switch in its exhibits or I could have seen that as well.

I stopped to show my ticket to the two gentlemen you must pass to enter. The first asked what language for my audio guide and the second placed it around my neck. It felt a bit of a ceremony; he did it so carefully.

After hearing the introductory information and approaching the Palace’s door, I could see a doorbell to the left of the door. I wanted to push that doorbell sooo baad! It just felt an awful temptation to have a button in plain sight and Not push it! But I didn’t. If I pushed it and nothing happened, I’d feel embarrassed and possibly get in trouble if seen to try it. If I pushed it and something did happen, I’d really likely be in trouble, so I firmly squelched the urge and passed by the doorbell, unpushed.

As with touring the Falkland Palace, I noticed how old, grand houses really do have musty odors, too.

I also noticed how you can tell they are the King’s apartments .. with the bare butts and bare breasts abounding on the walls. I’m sorry. There must be a point to my thoughts, but I am not sure that I can express it clearly. Yes, the nude is a thing of beauty when expressed in artwork, but the line of nudity for art’s sake and nudity because you’re wishing for the real thing gets to be a thin line sometimes.

I was hoping the rain would all fall while I was inside instead it started as I was leaving the Holyrood Abbey (you go through the Abbey’s remains after coming out of the Palace rooms). I scooted across the street to the Parliament. Had to go through security with x-ray and metal detector to get inside.

It was a bit of shock to see the curved ceiling just inside. I love abbeys and churches with the hallways of curved ceilings. There’s something about the effect, you almost feel hugged, I think. But why I loved them in churches I hadn’t really associated with just the architecture and in the Parliament there certainly wasn’t any spiritual influence, which is possibly why I noted it was the curve that brought on the feelings of content.

Walking up to the doorway leading to stairs the design goes to a standard square/rectangle door, and with everything being concrete if felt like walking to a jail door. If the design had kept a curve on the door, I wonder how it would change.

The Parliament was not in session, but I sat in the chamber for a while reading about it in a brochure.

I have heard the Parliament building described as controversial. Myself, I liked it for the most part. When the US President does the State of the Union or our Governor does the State of the State, the chambers are all plush leather and lots of frou-frou (our tax dollars at “work”). The Scottish Parliament Debating Chamber has more of an atmosphere for getting some work done, efficiently, without the extra, posh plush stuff.

I headed back on the No. 36 bus to tour the Georgian House in Charlotte Square. I don’t think I am allergic to dust or mold, but it’s starting to be a theme that the smell is bothering my nose when I enter these old houses.

The staff and volunteers at the Georgian House are very friendly and full of information. I also walked across the square to the National Trust’s No. 28 house to view the gallery of paintings on display, again enjoying talking with the ladies on duty.

I walked almost the length of Rose St. looking for EasyInternet. Found it eventually and checked my e-mail. The hardest part was finding the @ sign on the keyboard. I must have found it eventually, but I already don’t remember where, just that it wasn’t where my fingers kept going to!

I toured the National Gallery until its closing time (the Royal Scottish Academy was closed). The best picture (for Me) was <i>The Nativity</i> by William Bell Scott, http://www.nationalgalleries.org/col.../result/0/5655. He put Jesus Christ’s birth into the scene of a falling down barn in an Ayrshire, Scotland, setting. I loved it! Coming home I checked up on the cost to purchase a print copy. It was as much as several hundred dollars, and up, prices rising with the size. I have decided that another piece of stuff on the walls I don’t need; a chunk of the cost of my next hotel bill still in my pocket, I’d rather have that.

I walked up to High Street, stopping in for a visit of the Old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. I almost entered, thought the doors were locked, and turned to leave when a couple came out the door, letting me know it really was okay to visit. I felt blessed that I had a chance to visit a lovely church, just after thinking I had none.

I checked for availability of a Mary King Close tour. Used my student discount and went on the next tour in just 10 minutes from arriving. At the end of the tour the guide snaps a picture of your group and then you’re tempted to buy a copy, as well as a copy of the guidebook. It’s a similar come on to getting your picture at the end of an amusement ride. I did buy both picture and guidebook. I had gone on the tour to satisfy the interest of a family member, so the book is a gift and the picture is for me. It’s not bad to buy these items, but if you’re budgeting everything and need to prepare yourself to avoid the impulse buys, here’s your warning.

It was almost time for the hour to chime on the church bells when I left the Mary King tour. I waited until I hoped they would start tolling and then called work to leave a voice mail for a co-worker with the bells in the background. I didn’t get quite as much of the chimes as I hoped, but the message was left and did bring a bunch of smiles when I happened to be in her office on the first day back to school and she was getting the messages left over vacation.

It was a full day.

End of Day 5.

scotlib

<b>Day 6 – Edinburgh Castle, Gladstone’s Land, Scottish National Portrait Gallery</b>

Thursday was another full day of famous places. I bussed over to the Royal Mile to start with the Castle.

At each place I used the Great British Heritage Pass (GBHP) on my trip, I went to the ticket window/person to present it. Visiting in April allowed for either no one in front of me or just a couple of people. Thinking ahead to a busier tourist season when the lines could be much longer, here’s something I now notice on the GBHP web site:

<i>Skipping the Queue
As well as free entry, the Great British Heritage Pass allows you to skip long and frustrating queues at the busiest tourist properties, including Hampton Court Palace, Blenheim Palace, Roman Baths &amp; Pump Room, Stonehenge, Warwick Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Shakespeare’s Birthplace, and many more properties. Simply show the attendant your Great British Heritage Pass and you will be allowed entrance</i>
http://www.britishheritagepass.com/How_it_Works


Now, does that mean you can skip the queue at any GBHP site, or just certain ones? I don’t know. For anyone purchasing a pass, it would probably be worth your time to send an e-mail asking for more information, through the contact us page. Actually, I want to know the answer myself. I have just sent an enquiry and will report back if I get an answer in the next few days

Coming up to the Castle is the area where they do the Tattoo. They were setting up the metal seats when I visited and being there in person allows you to know one detail that cannot be seen in pictures like the one here: http://www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk/_random_images/8.jpg. Those seats are backed right up to the edges of cliffs (another note about some fear of heights, yes). My interest in attending in person dropped to zero, but that’s just me.

I took my time walking around the Castle. I arrived at opening time, 09:30, and didn’t leave until early afternoon, 14:30, I think. I know for sure that I was there to hear the 1:00 gun, lol.

I visited section after section on the official map, reading the informational signs, moving faster sometimes, stopping others.

A couple of sights in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Regimental Museum had me reading the signs. One was a picture of a battle in Spain and also a story about the capture of an imperial eagle. Both were featured in the BBC episodes about Richard Sharpe, the character in Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction series. I knew the fictional information; here was the real background.


In Gallery 3 of the National War Museum I enjoyed one display about library services during World War 2 when the Royal Navy warships carried library bags. Soon after the landing at Normandy, a library was set up. <i>Beachhead Library</i> was a watercolor from 1944 by Ian Eadie, 51st (Highland) Division. The “Please return when empty” had underlines under the “Please return.” That made me smile; nothing’s changed for libraries.

A warning to pass along from my notes: while touring the National War Museum, a walkway from Gallery 3 to Gallery 4 had me realizing that at not quite 5’6” I could all of a sudden reach up and touch the walkway’s ceiling easily and there was Not any warning sign to “Watch your head.” Travelers with tall companions... do watch that spot. Almost everywhere else I remember “Watch your head”-type signs for low doorways, but not there.


Finally leaving the Castle I visited places going down hill .. the Tartan Weaving Mill &amp; Exhibition, Gladstone’s Land, Writers’ Museum, and Princes St. Gardens. Then it was back up, up to the National Gallery of Scotland again for a bit of time and finally up to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery because it was Thursday and the art museums were open until 19:00.

I walked around the ground floor of the Tartan Weaving Mill, but declined going down all the stairs to really see more. I knew there were likely more steps/stairs ahead of me and I needed energy for those. When I returned home after last year’s trip, whenever I was asked for what I remembered first, it was “Stairs!” Up steps, down steps, escalators, hotels, museums .. all the stairs. It was not much different with this trip, lol.

Gladstone’s Land is an enjoyable stop. Run by the National Trust for Scotland, like the Georgian House, the volunteers are full of information and enjoy sharing.

Seeing pictures of Robert Burns at the Writers' Museum had me realizing that I didn’t know that he was still a young man when he died, just 37.

My trip dates allowed me to catch a special display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery: the BP Portrait Award. The one I liked the best was <i>Mr. &amp; Mrs. Brown</i> by their son Vincent. It pictured them in the clothes they wore for a night that he had received a special art award. To me, the picture shows love and pride on both sides: the parents, slightly out of their element, but proud and loving their son, and the son realizing when looking at his parents, how proud and loving he is of his parents.

I’m trying now to think of travel tips learned this day. The Castle and Gladstone’s Land were free stops using the GBHP. All the other stops were free for everyone: Tartan Weaving Mill, Writers' Museum, the gardens, and the art galleries.

The official map of the Castle shows one toilet by the ticket office and three inside (two in the cafes). You can also visit a toilet in the National War Museum. The brochure mentioned one near the entrance, I think, but I found the one between Galleries 5 and 6. Why the mentions of toilets? When you need one, you want to know where! A nice feature of the free museums, even if you are not necessarily interested in the topic, was I did not see one without at least one toilet.

End of Day 6.

janisj

I am soooo enjoying your report. Just a couple of very quick comments (am literally dashing out the door to give a travel program) . .

About the GBHP and queue jumping - the VAST majority of covered properties will have little or no queue so that really isn't an issue. A few - maybe 30 or so, out of the nearly 600 sites can have long lines -and at many of those, the GBHP will let you use an advance ticket entrance or just go to the front of the line.

And about the Tattoo grandstands backing up to the cliffs. The seating surrounds the esplanade and not all the seats are above the cliff.

scotlib

hi Janisj, thank you for the additional helpful information and that you are enjoying the report.

In case I freaked anyone, I don't mean to.

The seats I saw are not Over the cliff. It was their backs that backed up to the edges (and probably there's some space before the actual edge). Looking through the empty seats to empty air unnerved me. For anyone whose fancy starts flying from 0 to mach 1 in no time, it could help to know this before purchasing tickets. Filled with people and avoiding the topmost row, it would not be so apparent that there's not really anything behind those seats (the ones bordering the north/south edges of the esplanade, anyway).

scotlib

<b>Day 7 – Greyfriars Bobby and more museums </b>

Friday became the day for the free museums, free meaning that you do not pay an entrance fee, but you’re likely to want to make a donation or purchase something in the gift shops Not that these had to wait until the last day of the trip, but they did get lumped together as I covered the locations open to me using the GBHP during my authorized days of the 4-day pass.

Waiting for the National and Royal Museums to open I walked around Greyfriars Kirkyard. I read the informational signs to learn about the signing of the National Covenant, and one corner has an entrance to the area that was used as a prison for several months, where many died from months of little food or shelter.

The statue of Greyfriars Bobby, of course, was outside the kirkyard entrance. I must have seen the Disney movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054944/) as a child. While showing my trip pictures I have asked people if they know the story and quite a few don’t. I assumed everyone knows Bobby--assumption wrong, but many are hearing about him now from sharing my pictures

In the National Museum I walked around for a short while. I liked learning about John Napier, a Scottish mathematician, who invented logarithms and a calculating device for doing mathematics, Napier’s Bones. I think I could understand it better with an actual set iin my hands to “get it,” but you can see demonstrations on the web, ex.: http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/NapiersBones/ Another web page, http://users.ju.edu/ssundbe/bones.html, describes how to make a set, and a search will show you many more web pages. Yes, in school, I did enjoy math

The National Museum has a great area of hands-on displays for children including a racing car demonstration. I didn’t walk around the Royal Museum area on this trip, but the two are connected for easy access one to the other.

A quick peek in the Edinburgh Central Library and then I was headed back to the EasyInternet on Rose St. to check in online for my flight. About now, I was really beginning to be aware of how tired I was, and not just the tired of a long day, but the tired of coming down ill. Yep, I woke up Saturday morning with a stuffed head and sniffling/sneezing, but more about that on Day 8’s note.

I walked along Rose St. and entered Jenners from that side. I wandered various levels for 10-15 minutes, not so much from a need to shop but to find the way out, lol. I quickly lost track of how to go out the way I went in, if it’s even possible to do.

Returning to the Royal Mile, I visited the People’s Story, Edinburgh Museum, and Museum of Childhood. I walked through each steadily, stopping for what caught my eye, skipping (button on fast forward, eh?) along otherwise.

At first glance I thought a family was ahead of me going into the People’s Story, so I paused just briefly to let them go first, but it was three manikins in modern dress! Okay, on up to several floors of interesting displays. I think this was where I read if you were born in the early 1800s, you had a 1 in 7 chance of celebrating your first birthday. I thought the People’s Story did a nice job of giving you a glance at real, typical life in Edinburgh at various points of its history. If you go all the way to the highest point you can watch a video. The ceiling beams make it a very attractive room.

I almost didn’t go across the street from the People’s Story to the Edinburgh Museum. Fortunately I did because upstairs at the way back of the displays was a case devoted to Greyfriars Bobby! I remember it had his feeding dish (yes, you can do it, “Oh, how sweet!”), his collar, some pictures, and another perspective of the history. I write perspective because I have seen some write ups that imply it was Bobby’s story that led the Lord Provost of the time to start the Society for the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals in Edinburgh, but the information at the display case indicated he was already a director of the SPCA (reducing the romanticism of the story just a tad). A few times during my trip I noted how to read about the same historical situation could sound so different from different perspectives. I did appreciate getting more than one side of a story once I realized how many there possibly could be.

While in Edinburgh, the Royal Museum had a special, pay-extra-to-see exhibit about silver. If you have only a dabbling interest, I can tell you that the Edinburgh Museum also had a silver display. I know the two are highly unlikely to be on par for a true silver enthusiast, but if you’ve no idea or interest, you now know where you can see some.

Just a bit downhill from the Edinburgh Museum was a restaurant, I don’t remember the name, but I got the best hot chocolate of the trip from there! Nice and large, with whipped cream, a dusting of cocoa, and a couple of pink marshmallows. It warmed me up as I headed back uphill to the Museum of Childhood.

The Museum of Childhood is five galleries full of old toys. Adults are possibly going to have more fun than children: it’s more look but don’t touch, and kids won’t feel/understand all the waves of nostalgia hitting Mom and Dad. Do bring some coins, 10 and 50 pence. Several animatronics will activate for 10 pence (I did the Loch Ness Monster one, fun!) and a player piano requires 50 pence. It has piano and tambourine and other instruments all moving and playing, also quite fun! An area with toys To touch is available and I saw at least one gallery had an activity sheet that kids could do while viewing the display cases.

Taking the No. 36 bus back to the Dene Guest House, I got off early enough to look for the Stockbridge Library. It was closed for renovations and they are offering limited services in a storefront across the street. Walking along Hamilton Place to Henderson Row to Eyre Place (keep walking straight but change 3 streets, lol), I found a supermarket, fyi, near the library.

End of Day 7.

scotlib

<b>Edinburgh Castle, April 2008</b>
Video and pictures from Edinburgh Castle. Loved the 1:00 gun model!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwLhGp2vC6U

scotlib

<b>Day 8 – The Trip Home </b>

The last morning in Edinburgh, and I woke with a cold. I used most of the three travel packs of tissues I had brought on this one day, getting home. I did the final packing, ate a breakfast, helping myself to the toast, etc. available. I had checked out the night before, so I knew what to do with my keys when leaving and where to find everything for myself in the breakfast room.

It was a last trip up over the hill of Dundas St. (and all the other street names) and then walking over to catch an airport shuttle on the Waverley Bridge.

Leaving the city, we stopped right by a small shed/building that I had seen at least 3 of around Edinburgh. In the final video clip I wonder if it is a rectangular tardis, meaning I wonder if these were police boxes (it was a police box that is used for Dr. Who’s Tardis). Anyone in the know as to these buildings’ purpose?

I waited until it was time to use the kiosk check-in for my flight (the previous day I had checked in at EasyInternet but selected printing the boarding passes at the airport). It was very simple, even for first-timer. Then it was getting through security and waiting again until the gate was announced. We had a nice, uneventful flight, other than the jetway at T5 freaked again. This time refusing to approach the airplane. So we had to wait until stairs were brought out for us to disembark and walk into the Terminal 5. Other than the stupid jetways, I had no problems with getting through Heathrow (having just carry on may have helped).

Landing was a problem for me with the stuffed head, and my ears refused to pop, so it sounded like listening through a sea conch. Fortunately, security didn’t really ask any questions (security line was once we were bussed over to T4 and the line was about 20 minutes, maybe a couple more). Then the wait again to find out which gate.

While waiting I dug out a box of Ear Planes that I had brought on the trip, but not used to that point. With the discomfort of the descent into Heathrow, I was thinking ahead to landing at Boston. They did help keep the discomfort away, though when I finally went through immigration at Boston I still could not hear well, one ear still hadn’t popped at all since landing at Heathrow, 9 hours previous. I think my “I haf a cgold” sounded authentic and I wasn’t answering very well to whatever he was asking, asking him to repeat, etc. I was thankful that whatever mark it was on my landing sheet it was the one to let me just pass at the final checkpoint, past the luggage carousels.

I knew there was a coach to Portland schedule at 6:25 pm. I left the doors at 6:27 and just hoped the bus hadn’t come yet. Yeah, there it was arriving at 6:30! A hop on the bus and a quick call to let home know when to pick me up!


I have more thoughts about what I learned travel swirling in my head, worth a couple of more posts (especially noting what I want to avoid for the next trip), but you get pretty much the gist above. Any questions that I can answer?

scotlib

Edinburgh trip, April 2008
A few sights from around Edinburgh, including Greyfriars Bobby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ol1kaxP4xw

caroline_edinburgh

So sorry to hear you've had to cancel your trip, noe847.

Scotlib, more great descriptions ! I'm so glad you liked our new Parliament building - we are very keen on it. We have been on the regular tour and slso on a private tour of the artworks.

When you were in Old St Paul's Church, did you see the Alison Watt painting in the Memorial Chapel ? I think it is really beautiful.

Well done, you have now done a lot more Edinburgh sights than I have in 14.5 years ! I also went to the Castle in April - for the first time ! - but we had to queue for about 40 minutes, so you did well to get there at opening time. And I'd never heard of Greyfriars Bobby before I moved here !