London and Scottish Highlands

Ok so a few weeks ago we took our third real vacation this year (still one more left)! I say real vacation because most of our trips are on four day weekends.  Longer trips are nice because they are  not as rushed, though I am still not going to complain that we get to go away at least once a month usually.

View of Parliament and Big Ben.

Anyway, our trip to the UK started in London.  This was our second time in London, the last time was for the Olympics last summer.  Since we didn't see/go in many of the sights due to the crowds last year we decided now was the perfect time. So on Saturday we crammed everything we possibly could in. 

Big Ben, not the QB.

We started with Westminster Abbey.  The cathedral and Abbey is beautiful and also currently houses the coronation chair.  Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photographs inside, but I promise the inside matches if not exceeds the splendor of the outside. The inside is filled with historical celebrities, dukes, Generals, and of course Kings and Queens of England. The tomb is home to Chaucer in poets corner, Oliver Cromwell, The tomb of the unknown Soldier, and Sir Issac Newton.

Westminster Abbey.

We went from a place of beauty to one of dismay - the Churchill War Rooms.  These are a set of rooms in the basement of an old building.  It is where the war center was after 10 Downing Street - PM Churchill's home was nearly destroyed.  They have many of the rooms set up as they were during WWII and then they also have a museum covering the life of Churchill from childhood through death.  It was quite interesting and one could easily spend a whole day there. But alas I dragged Phil out kicking and screaming (not really) on to the next stop, but only with the promise that he would get more history before we left.

Map of the Deutschland as the Allies advance, the small pins represent the lines of advance of the Allied forces.

After the Churchill War museum we took the underground to the Borough Market. We stopped here last time we were in London and it was a neat sleepy Market we strolled through. Well this time it was not so sleepy and is apparently the Saturday hot spot in London for lunch. We walked through got some local brewed beer and Sangria with some Vietnamese food. The lunches were pretty cheap but amazingly delicious.

Amy in the Market, leading the way thorough the crowd ahead.

The open wok's where they were making different Vietnamese dishes.

Pub at the end of the Market on the corner.

The final stop of the day was the tower of London. On the way we walked across the Tower bridge, which is often confused as London bridge. Although they are not original towers, the grounds of the tower are quite extensive. The London Tower has a long history for London, originally a roman fort, and then first Tower for the Norman Conqueror William. The Tower and fort has taken many forms of military needs, prison, royal Treasury, and artillery school.  In addition to countless suits of armor and weapons, we were able to see the crown jewels.  Again they won't let you take photographs, so we cannot share, but I can assure you they are quite breathtaking. The Crowns are hundreds of years old and in immaculate condition. It is amazing how well preserved they are kept. I also imagine they are quite heavy - in fact one of the information places said that the heir practices wearing fake ones before coronation in order to get used to the weight.

Tower Bridge from the Thames.

Approach to London Tower.

View of the Chard from London Tower grounds.

After a lovely dinner watching some classic English football, it was time to get some sleep so we would be ready for American Football the next day. On Sunday we started at the Imperial War Museum (more history for Phil as promised).  Besides the amazing exhibits the best thing about this museum was that it was free - the other museums are quite expensive, and I would highly recommend the London Pass to anyone - just plan all your paid visits on the same day and do the free stuff a different day.  We spent nearly all morning in the museum seeing exhibits on intelligence (Cold War), Victoria Cross Awards, and the holocaust.  (we thought this was giving us a foundation for our next trip to Poland which later got postponed). 

Two 16 inch Battleship guns in front of the Imperial War Museum.

A piece of the Berlin wall in front of the Imperial War Museum.

After this it was on to the Chard with friends for drinks before the game.  On the way to the Chard we walked through a lovely Sunday market, enjoying some tastes along the way. We also walked past the rebuilt Shakespeare Globe, which is a remake of the Globe theater in London that burnt down a very long time ago.  The Chard is one of the newest buildings in London, it is just a block or two off the water, and literally looks like a chard of glass.  It had some amazing views.  After that we headed up to Wembley for the game.

Shakespeare's Globe on the Thames.

I should mention that the game is what set us on the course for this vacation.  The Steelers played the Vikings.  Unfortunately it was a little disappointing since the Steelers lost, but a good time was had by all. Especially since the Brits trust Americans to drink inside Wembley Stadium, We Yankees apparently don't have a serious hooligan problem.

Stopped for drinks and some snacks before we went in to the game.

The other big Ben, was an exciting drive that just ended badly.

Monday morning we were on the move again - flying to Edinburgh for our week in Scotland.  After getting the car we headed to Stirling Castle, the first of many over the next week. Sterling is known also for the William Wallace monument, which we saw only from a distance and the Stirling bridge where William Wallace defeated the English army. The bridge is a beautiful stone bridge now, but was wood at the time of the battle.  Unfortunately we didn't have enough time in Sterling as there was sooo much more to see and it seemed like a great little town.  But we were on our way to Oban for the night.

Medieval Gate of Stirling Castle.

Amy and I in the great hall on top Stirling Castle.

Robert the Bruce statue.

Stirling Bridge leading the William Wallace memorial.

Oban is a coastal town, very small, known for scotch distilleries.  Since Phil and I are not ultra interested in scotch we used our time in Oban as a stepping stone to get out to Isle of Mull and the Isle of Iona. The plan for the day was to drive out to the far end of the Isle of Mull and catch another ferry to Isle of Iona, then swing back across the island to Tobermory and make it back by 530 to get back on the ferry to Oban. It was close and I drove fast, dodged Cows and sheep, but we made it all happen. I should also mention that this trip included taking 2 different ferries, the one to Isle of Mull being a car ferry.  This was Phil's first time on a car ferry, and he was quite perplexed - wondering how we were going to back off the ferry since he was convinced there was no door on the front to drive out of (there was of course)!

The small port and town of Oban.

The first stop was the ferry out of Fionnphort to the Isle of Iona that is only about 3 miles long with Iona Abbey and Nunnery.  This abbey is best known for the Iona Abbey and the Iona community and the tomb of St. Columba. It also has one of the oldest standing Gaelic crosses that over a thousand years old. St. Coumba is important to Scottish history because he started the spread of Catholicism into Pict and Scot tribes. The abbey was burned down several times throughout history, several time by raiding Vikings. The Isle of Mull is quite a bit bigger than it appears, however, it is sparsely developed, so we headed toward the other end to see the port town of Tobermory.  

Gaelic Cross on the Isle of Iona.

Iona Abbey.

Iona Community on the water.

The Isle of Mull is a very small island with a lot of one-way roads (fun to drive) and another small port town called "Tobermory."  Its a picturesque little town on the water that is filled with a harbor and brightly painted buildings. Stands out since most of Scotland is stone colored or stone gray painted.We had a lovely lunch by the water at the Local Bakery, We had soup and Phil sampled the Tobermory Local Beer. The we walked along the piers and then it was time to head back to Oban.

small stone bridge in the countryside of the Isle of Mull. This where the cows blocked the road.

Tobermory Port on the Isle of Mull, we had a great Beer and Soup at the Local Bakery.

Ship wrecks on the way back from Tobermory to Craignure.

Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull.

Back in Oban we had more fabulous food. Phil kept trying to order the Specials, either beer or food and they kept switching the specials because they place was some busy. Luckily though all the backup special where just as good.  I should also mention the bed and breakfast in Oban, because they had the best breakfast ever - scrambled eggs & bacon inside of a crepe with fresh maple syrup.  I could eat these everyday!

Oban Old port at dusk.

The next day we headed to Isle of Skye by way of the River awe to Fort William and then to Glenfinnian Viaduct and the Port of Mallaig in order to take the ferry to Armadale on the Isle of Skye. We planned on stopping at a few Castles on the way, a historic Iron works, and the Glenfinian Viaduct. The first stop on the way was the  the Castle Stalker. We pulled off at a restaurant took a few pictures and Phil bought some local beers. After that we drove to the Bonawe Iron Furnace, unfortunately it had just closed to the season but we walked around anyway. It was a very interesting early industrial building.

Castle Stalker along the road to Fort William.

Bonawe Iron Historic Furnace.

After the furnace we headed towards Fort William so we could head out to the Port of Mallaig. We drove out the Glencoe Valley. The valley has been used as for films such as James Bond and Harry Potter. It was a beautiful drive with a lot of overcast but amazing, windy, landscape. On the way we stopped at the Old Inverlochy castle along the southern end of Loch Ness. There wasn't much left of the castle left but here was a quick history on it. It made for a nice quick stop. From there we kept heading out towards the Mallaig.

Waterfall along the road in Glencoe Valley.

Landscape of the Glencoe Valley.

Along the way we followed one of the few railroads that runs into the highlands. The Glenfinnian Railroad runs all the way to the port of Mallaig where we were heading. We stopped and got some soup along the way. We saw the Glenfinnian Monument and Viaduct. This is really beautiful viaduct and best known for its appearance in Harry Potter.  

Glenfinian Monument overlooking the loch.

Amy and I with the Harry Porter viaduct in the background.

Amy and I with the great background.

The train runs a few trips a day and on our way into Mallaig we got to see the the actual steam engine from the movies. It is used by the Hogwarts express, which we also got to see, though not on the viaduct. We did see another train crossing the viaduct though not as cool as the steam engine though. After a nice beer in Mallaig we took another car ferry to the Isle of Skye via the port of  Armadale.

"Hogwartz Express" train.

Mallaig seafront fishing town while we waited to board the ferry.

The ferry we took brought us to the Isla of Skye.  I think you could spend a week just on the Isle and I wish we had spent the night there instead of back on the mainland, but that is for next time I guess.  We were still able to enjoy quite a bit on the drive, including seeing the Kilt Rocks and Grey Rock. Along the way we stopped at several stops on the way. The road was scenic every mile of the way.  

Grey Rock

Stream through the hills of Scotland.

Kilt Rock on the Isle of Skye.

The hills were filled with sheep grazing at dusk. It gave us a great opportunity to use the camera to get some wonderful colorful shots of the sheep fighting and grazing. The drive was fun for Phil as he drove slightly fast on the rolling hills. At the end of the night we ended up in Portree where they are renowned for fish dishes. We walked around and found a place to eat. Amy ordered a Pilsner light and got an MGD, so she switched to wine instead of beer. We finished the night and drove back off Isle of Skye to Kyle of Lochlash to our hotel.

Sheep fighting on the hill.

Sheep grazing on the hills at dusk on the Isle of Skye.

Portree Harbor and Restaurants.

The Portree Harbor at night, with the small fishing boats.

Our hotel did situate us nicely for a morning trip to Eileen Donan Castle before it was too crowded and before the rain.  This is the most photographed castle in all of Scotland, and it was quite beautiful.  

Eileen Donan Castle before the rain.

Eileen Donan Castle reflection.

Amy and I at the castle as the rain starts.

Then we stopped in Fort Augustus where we got drenched watching a small cruise ship go through the locks, canal locks not Lochs, Scottish Lakes Lochs.  It was really interesting to watch the old locks working and moving such a large ship quickly. The locks used to transport the Royal Navy ships of lore from the north sea to the channel against the French. Not to be deterred though we continued our trek up the famous Loch Ness! No we did not see Nessy, but we were on the lookout.  Fortunately we even got some clear skies for our exploration of Urquhart Castle. The castle has great history on highlanders fighting each other and changing hands between the Scots and English many times, and ultimately holding out for years against the English. The visitor center was very informative and fun. On the way we stopped at another place for soup and a drink, however they didn't serve drink so I had to bring my own beer in for lunch.

Locks at Fort Augustus leading to Loch Ness.

Not much left to see at Urquhart Castle.

That night we stayed in Inverness, which is at the top of Loch Ness.  It is a lovely little town, with tons of restaurants, beautiful buildings, and another fabulous bed & breakfast, who recommended a perfect dinner spot with live music. Before we stopped for the day in Iverness we drove out towards Fort George. Along the way we stopped at the Culloden Battle field where one of the final battles for Scottish Independence ended. The Scots/English Versus the Scots/English, mostly the battle was about Protestant and Catholic Kings. After that we headed towards Cawdor Castle, which was too expensive so we stole a picture while I sat on Phil Shoulders. After that we headed to Clava Cairns neolithic ruins. As we drove to ruins we found another great view of the rail viaduct, a different one that ran across the valley. We eventually made it to Fort George, just in time for it to be closed so kinda missed the ball there. We eventually made it back to Inverness to walk across a great little suspension bridge and got a great dinner at a local Pub with live music.

Inverness on the Loch river at Dusk.

Clava Cairns ruins in the bottom of the valley.

Found another Viaduct near Fort George and Iverness.

The Waterfront Pub, Scottish folk music, cheap drinks, and great food.

Finally we meandered our way back south to Edinburgh.  On our way we stopped at Pitlochry and Blair Castle and and even took a boat out to Lochleven. Since we had the explorer pass we decided to stop a few stops on our way back. Along the way we stopped in a quite little town, Pitlochery, where there was small damn with a fish latter and great little areas to stroll around. After that we drove a few miles up the road to Blair Castle, the Castle was nothing fantastic other than the great sweeping views, the hairy coos, and the deer in the front lawn.  

Pitlochry lake with amazing reflection.

Red Deer at the Blair Castle.

Hairy Cooos

Blair Castle

After the Castle and Pitlochery we stopped at a textile mill which was an interesting little stop about how load a mill was and cottage industries of Scotland. We then went to Lochleven which is where there is a little old castle in the center of a lake. It is famous for being the stopping and meting point of Robert the Bruce and the prison of Mary Queen of Scots. We made it there just in time for the last boat to head out. After we went out we came back and got some food to eat and another drink.

Textile Mill Museum.

Swans on Lochleven.

Lochleven Castle where May Queen of Scots was held.

Upon arrival in Edinburgh we drove down to the water to see the Forth bridge and Inchgarvie Abbey which was closed for the winter (which starts the first of October, so if you head to Scotland go before 1 October, but sometime in September when the crowds are much less).  We ended the evening at a fantastic orchestra at Opera House with Cousin Michael and friends.  Plus of course a few drinks afterward to catch up and setup a linkup time for the next day.

Forth railroad bridge.

Shot of the Concert.

Saturday was the perfect day with our own private guided tour of Edinburgh by Michael again.  We started at St. Giles Cathedral.  Then went up to the castle, where we were able to see the stone of scone as well as the Scottish crown jewels. We walked around and Mike gave us a great history lesson on the castle and some of the interesting history. We stopped in the World War I memorial at the top as well which was the highest point on the castle.   

Edinburgh Castle in the morning.

Mike, Tim and Phil at the chapel on Edinburgh Castle.

Amy and I at Edinburgh Castle. 

The Castle had a great view of the city so could see the whole city from on top the hill. It was very cool to see the different evolution of the city development and great imperial building schemes that were undertaken. You could see one area that was squared up and very Victorian buildings that expands across the city.

Looking out from Edinburgh Castle.

The improved gates from Castle hill which is a viewing area.

We then meandered our way down the royal mile, along cannon-gate road. Along the way we stopped for a nice lunch followed by a whiskey tour, a quick walk through of Gladstones Land house. We also stopped at a free museum of Edinburgh which had some great exhibits on the historical city of Edinburgh and the ports city of Leith, which was eventually incorporated into Edinburgh.

View on the Royal Mile.

Scottish Whiskey Tour, and the largest collection of unopened whiskey bottles.

Mike and I enjoying some Whiskey (I had the very smokey 18 yr Whiskey, it bits).

 Then we stopped for some tea and a treat before moving on to Palace of Holyroodhouse.  This was  the best because the weather had become crystal clear and since it was the end of the day the place was nearly deserted, in fact we were one of the last few to leave. The Palace is the official residence of the Queen when she visits Scotland.

Cathederal

Holyroodhouse Abbey.

Hollyroodhouse Palace.

Michael then took us down to see the Royal Yacht - only from a distance as it was closed, but still beautiful.


Phil enjoying a Holyroodhouse Beer.

Unfortunately that is where our trip ended, well we did get lost on the bus ride home and we did have to get up at 4am to get our car returned and checked in for our flight back which of course was delayed, but despite all of that we had a great time and hope to go back one day soon as there is still so much to see and do as there is with everywhere we have been.