London to Boston, August 6, 2010

We met for a good buffet breakfast, checked out, and jumped on the Hoppa bus to terminal 3 for our trip back to Boston. The terminal was crazy - filled with long and confusing queues of people. Mark printed our boarding passes the night before, so we were able to go directly to the bag drop, where the line wasn't too bad. We went through security, found a VAT custom counter with no line, and waited for Becky and Steve to catch up. It seems the backup was caused by a fire alarm - everyone had to evacuate the British Airways terminal - and then the computers were down, and something else happened. Mark and I were checked in by someone with a handheld scanner and printer attached to her belt that printed out the luggage labels. Very impressive use of technology.

Exterior queue at Heathrow

Becky and Steve had to queue up outside, to get to the interior queue; Taylor was misspelled on Becky's ticket, so they had to go to the counter to get it sorted out and get boarding passes. Luckily, as the flight got close to boarding time, they were able to go to the head of the line, check bags, and then got through security, and had the VAT form stamped, all just in time for us to walk take the 20-minute walk to the gate. We made it as they began boarding!

Our flight was uneventful, but seemed interminable. We ate because it was something to do; very odd combination of carbs. On arrival at Logan, we got our luggage within a half-hour, which wasn't bad for Logan. Silver line bus came right away, and off we went to pile into Mark's car at Kendall Square parking lot. We gave Becky and Steve a ride home, too.

End of a superb vacation! Now the question is: where will we go next time - Italy? Spain?

Edinburgh, August 5, 2010

Edinburgh, day 3 - and back to London
The French press worked well! What a bargain. After breakfast, we split up for some last-minute gift shopping before leaving Edinburgh. Another gorgeous and sunny day in Edinburgh. I found a hand-made linen jumper (sweater) in a shop in the Grassmarket. Mark and I had a nice chat with the owner-designer, Bill Behar; turns out that a shop in Fanueil Market sometimes carries some of their sweaters. Also found a few other wee gifties.

Then we rendezvoused with Becky and Steve back at the flat, grabbed a taxi to Turnhouse airport for the trip back to London. We grabbed some Cornish pasties to eat at the airport; one last pub meal.

On arrival, we made our way to the Hoppa bus pickup for the hotel. It was 4 pounds a person; so I went to check on the price for a taxi. The guy at the taxi info desk was rather indignant and derisive about taking a taxi the mile to the hotel, instead of the Hoppa bus. He told me the taxi driver would charge more than the 16 pounds for the short ride. So back to the bus stop we went, and purchased round-trip tickets for 7 pounds each. On check-in, at the Heathrow Marriott the receptionist told Mark the taxi would have been less expensive - oh well, chalk it up to boosting the British economy. We upgraded to executive rooms, and so we had access to WiFi, the executive lounge for drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and breakfast in the morning. Room was very luxurious and comfortable.

Mark checked online and discovered an Indian restaurant within a half-mile walk from the hotel. Turned out to be a find! The food was from the Bangladesh region of India, and not the same dishes we are used to. The waiter made some recommendations, which were excellent! We had a great dinner at The Harlington Tandoori, and Mark posted an online recommendation that evening.
We made it an early night - plane to catch in the morning.

Edinburgh, August 4, 2010

Edinburgh, day 2
This morning we set out to see another part of the city. We walked through Cowgate (we passed a pub that was already serving, and it was only 10 AM), and across North Bridge, and to the Calton Burial Grounds. We saw the monument to the Scottish soldiers who died in the American Civil War; it was topped by a statue of Abe Lincoln.

Monument in memory of Scottish American soldiers

View of Waverly Station and city from North Bridge

Next we climbed up Calton Hill and were rewarded with lovely views of the city. Another clear and warm day!

Palace of Holyroodhouse (far left) and Parliament building

At the top of Calton Hill

In front of the unfinished Greek-style monument

We made a pit stop at the St James Centre mall, and were disappointed to find some American stores, like Claire's, and a food court. Also found a small French coffee press in the Pound Store (akin to a Dollar Store), some sea salt and pepper chips (a Steve favorite) and licorice (a Mark favorite); we'll see if the press works better than the make-shift coffee pot.





From the mall we walked along Princes Street to the Gardens. We happened to time it just right, and were at the floral clock just at noon, in time to see the cuckoo go in and out of his house on the clock.

The Princes Street Gardens look pretty much the same as they did, although the far end has temporary tent for the Festival and refreshment stand, which didn't use to be there. The fountain and gardens were so pretty, we decided to grab some take away lunch and sit outside. The garden benches were filled with people sunning themselves, pushing strollers, and just generally enjoying the great weather.

Gardens on Princes St

Fountain in Prince St. Gardens, lunch site

We got sandwiches at a little shop called Eatings on Rose Street, then went and sat by the fountain while we ate lunch. After lunch and wandering along Rose Street, we walked back along Queen Street in the other direction. Sadly, the Queen Street Gardens are open only for keyholders.

 Next order of business was our nostalgia walk, so we grabbed a taxi to 190 Grange Loan.

Our old digs

Elderly housing across from 190 Grange Loan

Along the way we passed Buccleuch Place where the kosher butcher used to be; it's now a coffee shop. The outside of our old flat looks pretty much like it did when we lived there, but the garden is improved. Across the street is now a block of apartments for the elderly.


 We walked up Marchmont through the Meadows. There is now a little coffee shop/cafe with tables and chairs on the Meadow. We had coffee and sat amidst the mothers and children running around outside. There are toys available for the children - scooters and balls - and the moms sat on blankets and chatted while the children played, and people walked their dogs. It was an interesting cross-section of Edinburgh residents - some locals, some Americans, some Glaswegians, some other visitors. We continued our walk through the Meadow, past some new University buildings, to Forrest Hill. It's changed a bit, and there are many more shops along here that weren't here decades ago.

Forest Hill

Resting a bit at Greyfriar's

Greyfriar's church yard

We stopped for a few minutes to rest on the bench at Greyfriar's church yard; the big old tree under whose branches we used to picnic was replaced by a young tree. The lawn is still green and inviting though.



We strolled back down the Mound to the tent, where the jazz concert was being held. We got tickets to see Peter Vettese, a jazz pianist and studio musician. We waited in the queue for a little while, until they opened the door for the 6 PM concert. Peter Vettese played with Jethro Tull for 4 years, and accompanied Annie Lennox, among other well-known artists; he even was offered a position with Wings and Paul McCartney, which he declined. He was very entertaining, and told self-deprecating stories, played beautifully, and is obviously a talented musician. Melanie C., aka Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls, sang 3 songs with him. Her voice was lovely; she sang "Both Sides Now", "My Funny Valentine", and one other number. It was a terrific concert, and we were very happy to have attended. It was a shame that the audience wasn't bigger; apparently a good number of the audience were family members and close friends.

Festival venue tent on Princes St.

Cobblestone rose on Rose St.

After the concert we made our way back to Rose Street, and ended up at Dirty Dick's for a nice pub dinner. We sampled various ales, and some drams of single malts. I don't care for the taste of whiskey, so Steve and Becky ordered a dram of very smooth bourbon, which I liked better. We walked off dinner as we strolled back up Princes Street, with another stop in a shop for souvenirs.
All in all, another wonderful day of sightseeing and great weather.

Castle at sunset

Edinburgh, August 3, 2010

First question of the day - how do you to make coffee without a coffee pot? Engineers solution: Line a colander with paper towels as filter, place over a sauce pan, and pour boiling water over the coffee grounds. Results: Good coffee!!

Climbed the steps from Grassmarket up to the back side of Edinburgh Castle

With that problem solved, and a good breakfast consumed, we set out for Edinburgh Castle. Our flat was in a perfect location - we could even see the Castle from the living room window! The weather cooperated again, and it was even hot and sunny as we stood in a queue for tickets to tour the Castle. Once again, Mark qualified for the Concession ticket price (or OAP - old age pensioner) price.

Edinburgh Castle from Princes St.

Stands set up for Tattoo, which we missed by a day

Piper on the ramparts

We spent a good bit of time touring the Castle, then began the stroll down the Royal Mile toward the Palace at Holyroodhouse.

Piper by the Castle

The Royal Mile shops are now much more commercial and touristy. Between George IV Bridge and North Bridge, the Mile is a pedestrian way for the Festival. The street is crowded with visitors - mostly young folks - from all over. We heard a good bit of Italian being spoken as we wandered from shop to shop. There are groups of performers trying to entice passersby to their shows.

Becky and Steve in front of St. Giles Cathedral

We stopped to tour St Giles Cathedral, a lovely old church. There was a musical group performing there, and we sat and listened for a while. Then we wandered down the Mile, in and out of various shops. Lunch was at McGregor's Pub, and we all washed down lunch with the requisite ale.

At the foot of the Mile, directly across from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the new Scottish Parliament building stands. The striking modern building is in stark contrast to the centuries-old Palace. The Parliament building is controversial, according to Peter Falconer, and we could see why. The design is almost Scandinavian in feel, and a quite a lovely building inside and out. There was a very interesting photography exhibit going on - award-winning journalistic photos from around the world. We also sat in the Assembly room where the parliamentary activities occur. Very interesting architecture there also.

Scottish Parliament

Sitting in the Assembly room

Next we toured the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's residence when she is in Scotland. It was interesting to see the inside of this relatively modest (for royalty!) abode.

Queen's Gallery, entrance to Palace of Holyroodhouse

Back to the flat to regroup and figure out a dinner location. We tried to make a reservation at Howie's, just up the street on Victoria Street. The restaurant was highly recommended in both our guide books, and the online comments were also positive. They didn't answer the phone, and online reservation wasn't working, so we just walked over. They couldn't seat us for half an hour - the "kitchen needed a wee rest after serving a big party;" so we went around the corner to have drinks at Biddy Mulligan's pub. Dinner at Howie's was excellent, and worth waiting for. Then it was back to the flat - another long but great day of sightseeing.

Hampton Court, August 2, 2010

Monday morning dawned bright and sunny. We were so lucky with weather so far. After breakfast, we set out with Robert to tour Hampton Court, before heading to the airport to go to Edinburgh. The drive through the countryside was very pretty, with green rolling hills.

We did a self-guided audio tour of Hampton Court Palace, the "country" home to Henry VIII, Queen Mary, and other monarchs through the 18th century.  In 1236,  the Knights Hospitallers of St John Jerusalem acquired the manor of Hampton and used the site as a barn. It was first occupied by a courtier in 1494, but Cardinal and Lord Chancellor of England, Thomas Wolsey was the first to begin substantial improvements to the property. There is a colorful history to the goings on at Hampton Court, beginning with Henry VIII and his succession of wives. Hampton Court Palace was the most sumptuously decorated of Henry's palaces.

We concluded our tour with a walk through the Maze, a half-mile path through bushes, and we had just a couple of false turns.

We made it to the center!

Then we strolled through the beautiful gardens on our way to the car.












Next stop was Heathrow, and terminal 5, where we had lunch at Giraffe Cafe. Our flight was a bit late leaving, so we didn't get to Edinburgh until after 5:30. We grabbed a taxi and headed to 89 Grassmarket; Peter Falconer, the owner of the flat we rented, kindly waited for us to arrive. He showed us the flat, and chatted a bit. Grassmarket area was recently revitalized; it's no longer the seedy spot in Edinburgh that it was 34 years ago, but the hippest area of Edinburgh!

After settling in a bit, we went out to explore and had a nice dinner upstairs at Maxie's Bistro, a local pub, right on Victoria Street, up the block from the flat. After dinner we went back to the flat for a good night's sleep.