(this narrative began from when I first landed in London on September 3, 2016)
Saturday
September 24, 2016:
Today, we left our hotel, The Columba in Inverness,
to head for Braemar, Scotland, home of the Royal Highland Games. We stopped along the way for a very brief
bathroom break, and after another hour or so, we reached Braemar in time for a
three-quarter of an hour coffee break.
After leaving Braemar, we then headed for St. Andrews, Scotland whose
Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of the game of golf. Then, we crossed the Forth Road Bridge on the
way to Edinburgh, Scotland where we would settle into our hotel.
Tonight, excursion # 10 will happen: to board the former Royal Yacht Britannia,
once the perfect residence for glittering state visits by various dignitaries
and Royal Family vacations, such as Prince Charles’ and Diana Spencer’s
honeymoon. I really wanted to go on this
excursion because I wanted to see the site of the couple’s honeymoon, but I
also wanted to see how the Royal Family liked to live on the ship during their
vacation time. As it turns out, I was
not disappointed; it was a very nice place – well maintained for the tourists
who like to visit here.
Once we’d finished touring the Royal Britannia, we
were driven to a local restaurant, the Café Tratino, for a delicious
dinner. Tomorrow morning, we will have
to get up early (by 7:00 am) to have breakfast, then leave shortly after 8:00
am for a comprehensive city tour of Edinburgh.
This tour will include Edinburgh Castle, which is much more like a fort
than a castle, followed by Queen Elizabeth’s summer residence at Holyrood
Palace.
We’re only touring the city tomorrow morning; the
rest of the day is at our leisure. Tomorrow
evening, excursion # 11 will happen: an
optional Scottish evening complete with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the
Ceremony of the Haggis (do they actually expect participants to sample
haggis?). I am not, however,
participating in this excursion; in fact, I was thinking about going to the Zoo
later today – it’s located right next door to our hotel, The Holiday Inn. We are here for two nights.
There are only four and a half days to go on this
tour. It’s been great fun meeting new
people from Canada, the USA, and Australia, and it’s also been a truly amazing
travel experience – far beyond what I expected to experience when I first made
my plans to travel throughout Great Britain.
copyright 2016 - Anne Shier
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