Back to England and Europe

I've been reading the posts from our last trip and realized that everything wasn't posted. Just finished posting the rest of that trip. We are now looking forward to the next trip to England and Europe. Bonnie and I will first visit the Mid-Western US for a few days attending the graduation party for my great nephew Jason Bladow and then be off to England with my brother Ed and Kay Alzuhn. We are really looking forward to this trip which in addition to England will probably include time in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Netherlands. Will try to keep things up to date on this blog if you would like to follow along. But I will be writing anyway so I can more easily remember what we did and when we did it.

Back to Germany and then Home -- July 17, 2011

Today is once again a travel day. We will leave London this morning and go back to Germany. It seems like only yesterday we arrived on Mel and Neil's doorstep but it really has been almost two weeks. Neil called to have a car pick us up to take us to Heathrow this morning and I'm sure that was a lot more pleasant than trying to figure out the ground transportation of train and bus combination. Next time we will try to fly into Gatwick. The wait at the airport was pretty boring as all airport waits are. Unlike Anchorage or Seattle you have to play for internet by the hour at Heathrow (£4.95). I think that is quite outrageous but obviously many people pay it. 

The flight left a little late and seemed like we taxied forever. The actual flight was only a little over an hour but we took a lot longer than that. Had to check our bags because they were too big. Got to Germany waited a long time for the bags and then went right through passport control. Back at the Albatross Airport Hotel. Will leave for home in the morning.

Scottish Highlands, Irquhart Castle and Loch Ness -- July 16

Today we embarked on the tour we booked when we arrived in Edinburgh. We had to be at the top of the Royal Mile by 08:10 to go on the journey. Of course it was raining quite hard when we left the apartment. We stopped and picked up some breakfast sandwiches and some coffee along the way. We were planning on eating the sandwiches on the bus. We found out when we got to the bus that food and drink were not allowed. So we downed our coffee and put away our sandwiches 'til the first stop. The driver's name was Fred and he was a pretty funny guy. 

The drive to Irquhart Castle and Loch Ness was exceptionally beautiful. It's easy to see why people fall in love with the country. Often I was reminded of areas of similar beauty in Alaska and the upper midwest of the USA. But other parts have nothing in my experience to compare. It seems to me there are not enough superlatives to describe the beauty and grandeur of the Scottish highlands. We stopped for just one photo op before we reached the castle ruins. The lack of stops was probably what I liked least about the trip.

The Irquhart (erk hart) Castle is truly a ruin. I would imagine a little work was done to keep it from falling down more but little if anything has been restored. The last occupants blew up the gate house and the subsequent fire took care of most of the rest. It was certainly much different than walking around in Edinburgh Castle. There were many fewer people but that made it all the more fun. I could imagine how imposing a sight it must have been for anyone traveling on the loch. Truly a remarkable ruin to visit.

From the castle we got on a boat for a short trip on Loch Ness. It is a very beautiful lake with both sail and motor boats using it. There are small "villages" along the shore as well as solitary dwellings. Hard as we looked we were not able to spot Nessy swimming around in the loch.

The ride back from Loch Ness was once again through the beautiful Scottish highlands. Many of the places we traveled were along the coast. The North Sea was very calm and looked peaceful. I know that it can be very violent as well. But this day even though it was raining and sometime windy, the sea was calm. It would have been nice to stop by the sea and look in the tide pools and stroll the beach but it was not possible this trip, maybe next time.

Edinburgh Castle and the Zoo -- July 15

The Edinburgh Castle is enormous. You really cannot tell just how big it is from the pictures you must experience it for yourself. By the way, ordering your tickets online and then picking them up from the machine at the castle saves many minutes of standing in a queue to purchase tickets. Waiting in queues is the English way however. Do be sure to pick up the audio guide it makes the journey through the castle much more enjoyable and informative. I will let the pictures do the talking for me about the castle. I just cannot do it justice.

From the castle we went to the Edinburgh Zoo. Every zoo that I have been in has it's own character or personality. This zoo was very different from others I have visited. The Edinburgh Zoo is older than many I have been too. The habitat's are smaller and the space between exhibits is much less than in  "modern" zoos. It's built on a very large hill which for some would be challenge in itself. Many of the pathways are quite long and steep. Attending often or working here would tend to keep you in shape. I would say in general zoos outside the US let you get "closer" to the animals. Some you can nearly reach out and touch. It is very rewarding to see animals that closely. Pictures of some of the animals we observed are posted on Facebook.

I really enjoy zoos because they allow me to see animals I would never be able to see during my life time in their natural setting. It's a kind of safari that takes you around the world in just a few short hours or in days if you prefer. Where else could you see zebras and American bison within on a few hundred feet of only another. Zoos are amazing windows into our world.

Edinburgh - July 14

Today found the four of us preparing for our late morning train to Edinburgh, Scotland. Neil had purchased our tickets a few days before and we had our seat assignments. We were hoping they would all be at a table but alas we were across the aisle from one another. The trip was mostly cloudy and rainy so while we were able to observe the country side some the weather induced napping pretty easily. Our tickets were to Wheaton Bridge Station but we actually wanted to go the Haymarket which was the next stop down the line. We are able to finagle our tickets into another stop on the train which cut down our walk to the hotel from 1.3 miles to only about a quarter of a mile.

Our hotel room passed all of our expectations. We had reserved three nights and while it listed as a two bedroom apartment we weren't really sure what to expect. But indeed there were two bedrooms, a living/dining room, and a kitchen with both a dish washer and a clothes washer. The place was well decorated and very clean. There was little else we could ask for in very temporary living space.

We walked around from the rest of the late afternoon and early evening taking in some of the sites along Princes Street. These include the distant views of Edinburgh Castle, the close up view of Princes Street Gardens and the Drake Monument. There was a cuckoo clock in the garden that was done in flowers and actually worked. The picture is just above this entry. We did walk much of the Royal Mile up to the Edinburgh Castle. We tried to enter the grounds but it was closed for the day. We had to leave that for the next day. Do down the hill we went to further explore some of the areas in Edinburgh. We did walk a lot this evening.

We finally decided to stop for dinner and we ate at an establishment on Rose Street called the Mussel Inn. Edinburgh is a coastal town and the seafood should be good. Indeed the food at the Mussel Inn was exceptional and fresh. You can actually get a kilo (2.2 pounds) of mussels for about $16. Melanie had half a kilo and wondered how anyone could eat a whole kilo.

After dinner we returned to the hotel room, apartment. We attempted to plan the next two days in Scotland using the free Wi-fi provided. We decided to go into Edinburgh Castle and ordered tickets at their website. We also decided to take a bus tour to the Scottish highlands including Irquhart Castle and Loch Ness. We also ordered those tickets on line. Then we were off to bed the the excursions tomorrow.

London - July 13

Westminster Abbey is very different than St. Paul's. The only portion you can tour is the ground floor. The structure seems to me to be just as ornate. And yet it is used for many more state functions and there certainly are many famous people entombed or interred there. The stained glassed is very beautiful and the carvings and monuments are exceptional. What I found the most interesting was the intrigue that was even present in the deaths of the monarchs and their courts. Photography is not allowed inside so no pics.

Just one example would be that Elizabeth I is buried in the Abbey and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland who became James I of England. James was the son of Mary Queen of Scots who was imprisoned for 30 years and eventually executed by Elizabeth I and members of here court. Now the tomb or monument to Elizabeth I is very ornate and quite large at Westminster Abbey and James I son of Mary Queen of Scots made sure that his mother was honored at least as lavishly on the other side of the Abbey from Elizabeth I. So even in death the rivalry lived on. Of course I'm sure this is not what they would want you to remember about Westminster Abbey but it is certainly what struck me as very intriguing.

Do get the audio headsets for the Abbey. These tools make the tour a lot more interesting.

The Natural History Museum is another of those venues that you need days to go through and not just a few hours. I did find it especially interesting though. Unfortunately the exhibit we really wanted to see, the dinosaurs, was closed for cleaning. That did forces us to explore other parts of the institution. Many of the exhibits are interactive and oriented toward children to pique their interest in science I'm sure. The interactive nature also made it more shall we say entertaining for the adults as well. We also found a section of the museum that was dedicated to study and cataloging the many millions of specimens the museum owns. We observed some specimens from as early as the mid-eighteenth century. Still in alcohol and available for study. All-in-all is was a most fascinating couple of hours.

Bath - July 12

Today we left Melanie and Neil behind. They have already been to Bath and Melanie had to work anyway. So around 9:00 we went off to the train station with stops at the bakery and grocery. The bakery has good things for breakfast and the bottled refreshments are much cheaper at the grocery than the shops in the rail stations. So we purchased our tickets and at 9:28 we were off to Bath.

The train trip takes about 2.5 hours so if you do this trip be sure to take something to read or some other activity with you. The trains are very comfortable, easy to move around in, and many even have "catering". The food and drinks you buy on the train are very expensive so plan ahead if you can to take things along.

Once in Bath, we stop at a visitors center and bought a city map that we really didn't need since we really only went two places and stayed in site of the cathedral the whole time we were there. But then we must contribute to the local economy.

Our first stop was at the Bath Cathedral. Impressive! It's not nearly as vast as St. Paul's in London but it was very stunning and it cost nothing to go inside. The stained glass is really extraordinary and of course there are the never ending memorials to people buried in or near the church. The oldest one I saw was from the 16th century. Are there any churches that old in the US, maybe but can't be sure.

We signed up to climb the tower at the cathedral. The tours run every hour or so. The tower is actually a bell tower and a clock. Nearly 200 steps on a narrow, spiral staircase. There are breaks along the way to view things and to get information about the tower and the bells themselves. You also get to go behind the face of the clock which is quite interesting. The tower tour was well worth the £6 that it cost.

After touring the tower we went to the Roman Bathes. This site has been used by many different peoples that have occupied the area since before Christ. The Roman bathes were rediscovered in the late 18th century. Basically what happened is the hot spring stopped flowing at the site. When it was investigated they found the spring had actually just re-channeled itself in another direction. This was "corrected" and the Roman Bathes were uncovered. They have been working on excavation of the bathes ever since. More and more artifacts and "ruins" are uncovered all the time.

These structures are really fascinating and would have really been spectacular when they were being used by the Roman Empire. To say they were well built by the Romans would be an understatement. So the the plumbing created during it development by the Romans is still working and channels water in and out of the various areas of the spa. The green color you see in the water is from alga that would not have been there during Roman times. When the Romans used it the whole structure was enclosed.

The museum that is built around the bathes themselves is just as fascinating as the structures themselves. You should take the audio guide with you as you roam through the structures and museum. The commentary is very useful in helping understand the purposes and uses of all the different areas in the bathes themselves and all of the displays in the museum. It was an amazing tour and a fitting end to a long day.