If the number of days between blog posts hasn’t made it clear, this has been a crazy summer. Trying to catch a creative spark amid tightly scheduled days has been a challenge. However, it’s time to wrap up these posts about our travels to Scotland and Northern Ireland. This blog didn’t start as a travel blog, but as I continue to combine a love of history and architectural travel with my work at BHH and the podcast, there will be more travel content. There will also be opportunities for you to join me on these trips, and we can enjoy the sites as ready-made travel buddies.
And, if you missed it, here is more about the first two days: Scotland – Days 1 & 2.
Edinburgh
Hands-down, Edinburgh was my favorite city on the tour. After about an hour of wandering the cobblestone streets, I Facetimed Andy to tell him that we must come back and spend more time in Edinburgh as soon as possible. If I could book a trip right now, I would. The old town section has a medieval street plan, and the famous Royal Mile starts with the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the bottom of a hill and ends with the imposing Edinburgh Castle at the top.
The view seems endless with the Firth of Forth (an arm of the Northern Sea) in the background. Side note: The Firth of Forth is fun to say.
I know there is a modern Edinburgh, but time travel feels real when you spend time on the Royal Mile.
We had tickets to tour Edinburgh Castle during our day in the city. However, I skipped that in favor of exploring on my own. I appreciated the option to break away from the group with support from Holiday Vacations. Anytime we preferred something else instead of the scheduled attraction, we were free to go out on our own. We simply had to be back at the bus by departure time.
Busking looks a little different in Edinburgh.
Tucked away in a little alley, I found an odd bit of architecture. It felt very out of place amongst the stone buildings and cobblestone streets. Please let me know if you have any insight into why such disparate construction exists in a historically significant area. In the United States, additions to historically designated homes and buildings have noticeable differences, so there is no false sense of history. In other words, we don’t want to fool people into believing modern construction is old. Perhaps that is a requirement in Scotland too.
While I thoroughly enjoyed Edinburgh, several hours and over 200 photos later, it was time for our next adventure.
The Royal Yacht Britannia
The Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. It was commissioned in 1954 and decommissioned in 1997. The queen used it for business and pleasure, and anglophiles might remember that Prince Charles and Princess Diana took their honeymoon on this spacious yacht.
The yacht is 1980’s fancy. However, as usual, I was most interested in the practical side of things, such as the sleeping quarters, the infirmary, and the engine room. I know my place.
I realize my interests are oddly specific, so I’ll share a couple of photos from above deck. If I’m being honest, I thought the decor looked like a funeral home.
My mom loved touring the boat, and it was a highlight for many people in the group. I appreciated that it was self-guided so I could hyper-focus on things that caught my attention, like wondering what kind of sealer they used on the wooden handrails. The water beaded up so nicely. Sadly, I did not find out the answer because that information is not in the docent handbook. Go figure.
As I wrap up this post, I realize that I might have the wrong chronology of events. I feel like we were in Edinburgh for almost an entire day, but then we ended up on a yacht? Tour life is packed, I tell ya. Swiss cheese holes in my memories are punishment for not writing these posts immediately after I returned, or better yet, as diary entries at the end of each vacation day.
The most important thing is that the Royal Yacht Britannia marked our last stop in Scotland. After that, we were off to Northern Ireland. First stop: Belfast.
To be continued…
2 Comments
Diana
Hi highly recommend turning on location history in google maps. It makes it super easy to look back and be reminded of where you went and when, without having to waste your energy taking notes.
Stacy
That’s a great idea, Diana! Thank you. I’m having a face-palm moment because I feel silly that I didn’t the think of doing that.
I did have location turned on for photos. However, with the pics, the location was often too exact, making it a little less meaningful for someone like me who wasn’t a local. However, it did help me remember which city and country we were in on which day. When I return someday, those hyperlocal locations will help me find the places I loved so I can share them with Andy.