Edinburgh, the On Off Bus and Holyrood Palace

The next day we rode the on off bus around Edinburgh, saw the castle and decided to have lunch at The White Hart pub which is Edinburgh's oldest located in the Grassmarket.

After lunch is was back on the bus to see more of Edinburgh's old town including the Gladstone building.  Our driver taught us that you can learn the age of the building by looking at the stones.  The lack of uniformity indicate original workmanship.  This building even had the half shuttered windows and original glass...

Then it was on to Holyrood Palace.

It was at Holyrood that Queen Elizabeth met with the Pope and often has royal investitures.  It is also the former home of Mary, Queen of Scots.  It was here that Riccio, her beloved servant, was murdered by her crummy husband, Darnley, in a fit of jealousy.

We were able to see many of the rooms but as you would expect, no pictures allowed.  We were able to photograph the ruins of the original abbey on which is was built however.

 

Next stop the Royal Yacht Britannia!

Glamis Castle, Crathies Castle and Balmoral!

Glamis and Balmoral have always been on my bucket list so I arranged a private driver guide to take us up there.  It is a long way, not far from Aberdeen, but oh so worth it!

On our way out we stopped at the Firth of Forth in Fife.

It was in the white building across from the bay that Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote Kidnapped.

As we rode on we passed the small island in the middle of the bay which has a small castle.  It was here that Mary, Queen of Scots was first held prisoner.

Then it was on to Glamis Castle, the childhood home of the Queen Mother. 

Unfortunately no pictures are allowed inside so I only have the exterior shot.  We took a tour throughout the castle seeing its early history as well the Queen Mum's private apartment.  They included her sitting room and bedroom.  Glamis is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the land and if you get the chance you shoudl visit it.  They give you a guided tour by an excellent guide.

It is an absolutely stunning castle.....

Next stop was Crathie's Castle.  Once again, no pictures of the interior.  It is a pretty little thing, vertically built with a stunning view over the countryside.....

 

On we rode to Balmoral through beautiful countryside....

 

 

The Queen was in residence so we didn't actually get to see the house but we did come down the little lane over the River Dee.......

 

 

Then up to the gates and gate house that we all have seen on television when the royals come out to greet the people waiting....

 

 

After buying the obligatory souvenirs, we rode over to the little church where the Royals worship, Crathe's Kirk...

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is quite beautiful in this area so you can see why the Royal Family love this place.

 

 

Back to Edinburgh.

 

 

 

Goodbye London, Hello Edinburgh!

Everyone left for the US except for me.  I was bound for Edinburgh via EasyJet, a regional carrier, to meet my friend Carolyn.  Expecting to meet in baggage claim, little did we know that Edinburgh has two baggage areas in that small airport.  After a bit of confusion we met at our Royal Mile apartment.

This was my first experience with Air BNB to rent an apartment and I was thrilled.  Talk about perfect location.  It was directly over a pub, across from World's End, a grocer was across the street and the on off bus to EVERYWHERE was 50 feet up the street.

This is our building...

 

Our apartment was right above the entrance to the pub.

 

Except for once a night in the early evening when they sent the bottles down the chute with a clatter, you could hear no noise!

 

It was directly across the street from World's End pub, one of the most popular in Edinburgh.  It was so named because the old city gates used to end there and this was the last building inside.

 

 

Edinburgh is a VERY old city with a lot of charm and beauty all it's own....

 

 

We opted to wait to take the on off bus another day so just went to the organic market then had lunch at another of Edinburgh's most famous pubs, Deacon Brodie's, which is located near Edinburgh Castle.

 

 

Carolyn needed a phone so we did some shopping then headed home since we had a very early start planned for the next day, our tour to Glamis and Balmoral!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Versailles, Our Final Stop!

My cousins and friend left early for the Louvre but I slept in since I have been there already.  In the afternoon we made our way to Versailles......I can see how the monarchy got in trouble given that the people were starving.

 

This is the chapel.......

 

The fabulous ceilings.....

 

 

The Hall of Mirrors...

 

Splendor is absolutely everywhere.....

 

This was Marie Antoinette's bedroom....

 

And the door through which she made her escape when the crowds stormed Versailles.

This is where she and the king would meet their subjects....

 

And the famous painting of Marie and her three children....

 

This is a very famous painting known as the Coronation of Josephine.

 

 

Even the gardens are spectacular....

 

And if that wasn't enough Marie Antoinette had a small village built to which she would escape court life.  It was called Petit Trianon.

 

It was a little village with a sumputous main house and was a working farm.

 

I guess it would be good to be queen if your timing was right!