Brian's Day Off - and Our Free Day

Thursday, October 18 began with breakfast at the hotel.  Well, every day began with breakfast in whatever hotel we were staying.  They were always good ones, too.  Hotels and breakfasts.  I especially liked the grilled tomato halves, the scrambled eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit, sausages, etc.  Generally I like anything I don't have to cook.

Usually Larry and I were among the first down to breakfast and today was no exception.  Our plan was to walk up to the castle area and then walk down to the Parliament building, which we'd missed when we were here in August.

We ran into Brian along the way and he'd just found a great place to park the bus, so he was happy.  Things had totally changed since the last time he was here, so he'd asked a city bus driver what to do.  I remember our minibus drivers had to park quite a distance from our hotel back in August.

Once up on Castle Hill, we made our way down the Royal Mile to the Parliament building, arriving just as they were opening at 10:00.  We had a brief self-guided tour of the chambers and talked with a man who had all the information and then headed across the street to Holyrood Palace, the queen's summer residence.

We had an audio tour of the Queen's Royal Treasures and palace.  Too much history to go into, especially since I can't remember it, but Mary, Queen of Scots lived here and we saw where it "all went down".  I purchased a Jubilee tea and tea towel combination for $8.95.  That's pounds, but I don't know how to make my computer do the pound sign.  I thought it was a pretty good deal, though.

Back up the Royal Mile for lunch at St. Giles Cathedral Cafe.  We loved our lunch the last time we were here and we really liked this one as well - artichoke hazelnut soup.  YUMMO!  Bev and Barbara were also there, having just consumed scones and tea.  A friend back home had recommended it to them.

We got gifts for the girls and then made our way down the hill to Princes Street, stopping at the art gallery along the way.

Starbucks was our destination, the same one we went to in August.  The crowds were not nearly as big as they were in August, thankfully.  No Fringe and no Military Tatoo.  The weather has changed as well, but we enjoyed the changing colors of the leaves and  cooler temperatures.

Down Rose Street and Lothian Way, stopping at St. John's Church where they were having a bazaar.  I bought the girls some advent calendars.  Finally we went back to the hotel.  WE WERE TIRED.

Dinner that night was with their IPA.  Gillian wasn't sure at all what to expect, but they did a fine job and even provided us with a bagpiper for entertainment.

Edinburgh, October 17 (Happy Birthday, Shelby)

We left Worcester after 8:30 (had to round up a few stragglers) and it was freeway driving all the way.

The "back of the bus" passengers concentrated on finding the women's names on the Eddie Strom...something... trucks without much luck.  Gillian had told us that each truck had the name of a woman painted on its front and that people tried to spot and collect them all.  One woman was successful in naming each one and the location where she saw it.  She got a big prize for her efforts.

We decided it was a trick used by parents to keep their children occupied.  Hmmmmm.  Maybe Gillian was using it on us!  The back of the bus is becoming more and more popular.

We stopped at a travel stop and got Starbucks and I grabbed a couple of crafts magazines.  I love their crafts magazines, as many of them come with free goodies.

It's raining as we arrived at Gretna Green for lunch.  Served cafeteria style, we got haddock, black forest cake for Larry and a scone (much too dry) for me.  I've become spoiled, as those scones at the Wedgewood Factory high tea were outstanding!

At one of the shops we found a DVD of the 2012 Tattoo and bought it.  Only 32 pounds!  We're still trying to justify it.  Translated into dollars, that's a whole lot of money for a DVD.

Jim and Claudia also took the opportunity to "get married".  This was a popular spot for weddings, especially for young runaway couples.  Because of its history, it's still a popular spot for weddings.
Being a leap year baby (she's a day younger than I am) Claudia turned 16 this year, so she was an obvious candidate for the performance.  Mary Lou was Mother of the Bride and Brian was a very fine Father of the Bride (complete with shotgun).  We were all witnesses - and photographers.

The weather was drizzly when we arrived in Edinburgh.  After getting our room, Larry and I took a walk to familiarize ourselves with the area.  The Point (our hotel) is on the opposite side of the castle from the Roxburgh, where we stayed in August.  We skipped dinner because of the huge lunch.

The room comes complete with earplugs, which we both used.  It's a noisy place, both inside and out - but our room's large window looks out upon the castle.

Worcester, October 16

It was a later start, but still people were late.  They probably wouldn't be good Airstreamers, whose motto is:  "If you're on time, you're late!"

Our first stop was the town's shopping area so we could pick up OTC meds.  Colds seemed to be making the rounds, so many needed some help with the symptoms.  My throat was a bit scratchy, so I bought throat lozenges and sucked on a Zicam.

We then headed to Jinney Ring Craft Centre, a group of artisan shops that ranged from chocolates to handmade violins and included handmade violins, glass blown items, garden plants, art classes, handmade soaps and lotions (our favorite) and a gift shop.

Lunch was in their restaurant and I had broccoli Stilton tart (delicious) and vegetables.  Larry had mushroom chicken and both of us packed up our desserts to have later.

It was then on to Hanbury House for a tour of the house and gardens.  The stories of the previous owners were quite interesting and somewhat scandalous.  Bigamy, adultery, thievery, etc.  You get the picture.

Back to the hotel where we hosted Suzanne and Laraine in our room with Suzanne's wine.  We had a very nice visit, especially with Suzanne when Laraine went off for her walk around the grounds.  The cold wine we'd experienced earlier had lessened considerably.

Some had "Lite Bites" for their dinners in the bar-lounge and most of us visited until it was time to go pack.  On to Edinburgh tomorrow!

Wedgewood Factory and Monkey Forest

Monday, October 15

We were off at 9:00 after breakfast for the Wedgewood Factory.  We toured, browsed, shopped and had a fine tea lunch.

 I love high tea!  As I recall, Suzanne and Laraine were at our table and we sampled (ate) as much as we possibly could.  The scones were our favorite and as we spotted other tables who hadn't eaten all their goodies, we decided to help them out.  The napkins and baggies came out of pockets and purses and we gathered all we could so it wouldn't go to waste.  Others did the same.  Those who didn't eat their original fare were the losers by far.  It was our dinner that night - and a delicious one at that.

After that we journeyed on to the Monkey Forest where we saw monkeys of the macaque variety - just like the ones on Gibralter except these did not steal shopping bags.  They're too well fed for that.

At 4:30 we returned to the chateau and at 6:30 we headed back to the police station for the area at large.
They wanted to show us their cars and guns.

Back to the chateau where we were met by one of the IPA members who had goodies for us - including 3 photos apiece, one in color, one in black and white and another in a sepia tint.  Plus, we were given pens, pins and baseball caps.

Leaving London

We were scheduled to leave our hotel at 9:00, but Suzanne and Laraine were just a little late:  no clocks or watches!

Today's drive was to Worcester and upon our arrival we stopped in the city centre and then walked to the cathedral, where we were met byIPA members.  Poor Brian, our bus driver, almost got a ticket for parking in what he was told was the wrong place - despite the sign saying it was for buses!

We toured the cathedral and then shopped in the shopping area until 2:10 when we met back at the cathedral for a special service for law enforcement.   I was intrigued by the attractive hats worn by some of the ladies in the congregation.

After the service it was back on the bus and off to the police station for a photo op - with all of us in "Bobby" hats!

Finally we got to the Chateau Impney Hotel.  Gorgeous!  Our presence was immediately requested to say our farewells to Allen, who had to leave early.  So, we all met down in the lounge for drinks.

Dinner was at 7:00.  There was a carving station and buffet, which was excellent.  Tea and coffee followed in the lounge.

Saturday and the Hop On Hop Off Experience

At breakfast we said our farewells to Steve and his family and the two ladies named May from Sweden.

Jim and Claudia, Glen and Susan and Larry and I took off in search of bus tickets for the Hop On and Off bus tour.  We found them near the London Eye.  It then became a game of bartering for the best price and best route.

First stop was Tower Bridge where we transferred to a boat headed for Greenwich.  Claudia and Jim left us at this point.  As we arrived just before 1:00 the boat driver directed us to a tower with a large red ball.  This was where world time is set.  We got to see the ball drop, signaling that it was 1:00.  Pretty cool!

We toured the Marketplace where Larry got licorice at the sweet shop and I got a stitchery book at a needlework shop.

Susan and Glen did not catch the 2:00 boat, so we had to leave without them.  We then got back on the bus near the Tower Bridge and went all the way around London - back to where we'd started.  From there we walked and took the shortcut to Waterloo Station.  We picked up Cornish pasties and coke at the station for our dinners that night.