Edinburgh, Scotland

Our trip to Edinburgh (said Edinborough) began after a short bus ride on Halloween night. The view of the city at night is simply spectacular.

As part of the celebrations, there is a parade to mark the end of summer. It is mostly pagan with old gaelic traditions. The costumes relate to the earth and the elements and there is a small dance after the parade in which the heat and light are taken away from summer King (or something similar).

Since we didn't have costumes, we tried to fit in by representing good and evil in this photo.

We also took a ghost tour on Halloween night, which wasn't worth the money, but did give us a good intro to the city.

Once the sun came up we decided to get some more info and took a guided tour.

No matter where you are in the city centre you are bound to hear the distant sound of bagpipes.

Or more creative and modern pairings of instruments. These were awesome!

We also got the sights of the old city.

This is a monument to Sir Walter Scott, and is the largest monument to a write in the world.

This stone marks the place where a police holding cell once stood. It was so despised by the people that they took to spitting on it. When it was demolished, however, it remained the only place in Edinburgh where spitting is actually legal.

A visit to the local cemetery provided some good history and a view of the strangest giftshop I've ever seen.

This gravestone is to mark the resting place of the most famous dog in all Edinburgh...Greyfriar's Bobby. When the owner of this dog passed, the dog (as loyal as it was) spent the next 14 years of its life sitting on the grave of his master. To mark his loyalty the animal society of Edinburgh raised this stone for the dog (though he is actually burried just outside the gates).

He even got a bronze statue erected and a restaurant named after him.

Home to J.K. Rowling (the author of Harry Potter), Edinburgh is also home to this school, apparently the inspiration for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.

And this cafe, the place where it all started.

The next day we visited the Royal Yacht Britannia, the Queen's former yacht.

Mat is relazing in the Queen's sun room.

This is her sitting room...

And here is the formal dining hall for guests of state.

But Mat found his favourite place...the officers' bar.

Another exploration of the royal estate brought us to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The original building was the home for Mary Queen of Scots.

This is also the official residence for the royal family on their visits to Scotland.

These are the ruins of an abbey beside the palace.

And this is the view of the palace from atop the hill of Holyrood Park (some 500 meters up).

The journey up the hill was well worth the view...

Us...1/2 kilometer above the world.

Just a tidbit for you: notice that this building has windows boarded up. That is because of the window tax, which taxed a home with more than 6 windows. Who knew we were lucky not to have to pay for sunight?

But no trip to Edinburgh is complete without a viewing of Dolly...the world's first cloned sheep. She even spins now.

Well life here is just fine. We're back in London---well I am. Mat started his new job yesterday. He's working on a dredger, taking sand from rivers to help further England's expansion. I've talked to him since he left and he says it's good. His room is nice and the people are friendly. He'll be home December 26th, but I'll keep you posted as to how he is doing.

Till then, Cheers!

The Half Term Break

It's half term break--the first break of the year in the middle of the first term.

The break began with some fun around London.

First stop: The Golden Hinde. Drake sailed around the world in this ship.

Not much standing room---or room in general, considering there was a crew of about 60 men.

But Mat enjoyed it!

I enjoyed it too, though you can't tell from this picture.

Stop 2: Shakespeare's Globe.

It's actually a reconstruction, since the original was destroyed in the 1600s.

But there is a marker in the middle of a courtyard to show where the original was.


The last museum for the day was the Clink. It is one of London's original jails.
Just one method of medival torture...the boot. Once the criminal's foot was inside, the boot would be filled with wood and boiled, so that the wood would expand to crush the foot inside and the skin would become burned and possibly even fall off the foot. Sounds friendly.


After our day exploring London, we had a 5 hour bus ride to Manchester where we stayed for the weekend.

The main attraction is the Museum of Science and Industry, where Mat met heaven---working steam turbines!!!!

and a steam train.

See the absolute glee!!!!!!!!!

Newcastle-upon-tyne was where we spent most of our time. Mat took a course at the local college, and I spent my days visiting the sights and looking at the city.

This is St. Peter's Church in Sunderland, Europe's oldest functioning church. The original church (the brick wall to the right) was built in 764. There are original walls below the floors inside the church and even some skeletons of those who were buried in and around the church.

South Shields has the remains of a Roman Fortress. This gate is a recreation...
but this washroom facility is original. Nice privacy.

As the name states, Newcastle-upon-tyne, is actually on the Tyne river, and therefore is the home to some wonderful bridges. If you look closely, you can see 4 separate bridges in this one photo.

The Millenium Bridge is Newcastle's newest and coolest bridge. It looks like a giant eyelid and gets lit pretty nicely at night.

But the coolest building is the Sage Gatehead, a concert venue that is simply fantastic.

We're now in Edinburgh, Scotland (a post will follow shortly).

Life is grand. The weather has turned a little cool, but with gloves and a hat is very warm. I'll be heading back to work for Wednesday (the freedom of supply teaching) and Mat should be starting his new job around that time as well. He's gotten a lot of job offers, (4 in one day alone!!!), and he's chosen a great one!! He'll be working on the Thames River until after Christmas, then he'll be off for 3 weeks and begin a 3 week on, 3 week off rotation.

Absolutely Perfect!!!