Edinburgh and the Train

On our final day in Scotland in Edinburgh, we started walking around the city. I saw a wonderful garden that ran for blocks and blocks. It was totally fenced. We kept looking for an entrance; but, all the entrances were locked. Come to find out, this green space area was just for the tenants in the neighboring homes. They had a key to enter! We saw lots of thistles on store fronts, door handles and statues. I liked this one on the wrought iron fence.

Along the way, I saw quilting patterns in the manhole covers. This one reminded me of a plaid  woolen fabric.

The office buildings were a mix of old and new.














I'm partial to seeing the old.















The steeple on this church was so high!


















We saw lots of houses built on the edge of cliffs and the beautiful greens were every where.














This square was typical of the architecture we saw and for the moment, it wasn't raining too much to get a shot! I like the coloring of the sky though.










For lunch we went to BrewDog pub where they brewed their own beer. I was surprised to find local beer! It was good as was the pizza lunch and it was nice to have a rest.

We really had planned to eat local fare. . .like blood pudding and haggis; but, it just didn't happen this time. DH thought the glasses said it all!









It was still wet so we decided to take a taxi and visit the Britannia. The Britannia is the Royal Yacht that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had built to their specifications in 1953. She was in service from 1954 to 1997. We did enjoy taking the tour. You walk through the dining room, bedrooms, kitchen, sun deck, staff quarters and even the laundry area! I was surprised at how much you were able to walk on the actual carpets and flooring. If it were in the states, you'd be walking on runners to protect the existing floor surfaces.

In one area, you could don a hat and jacket. DD did and I love this photo of her that her dad took.













I took this photo of the sailing knots which was very interesting.  I can tie a half hitch, a bowline and a slip knot. I learned the bowline when I was learning how to ride a horse. I can see why sailors spent a lot of their time learning to tie knots. I didn't know that there were so many!!














Then, it was time to depart Scotland via train and head to London, England. The train trip was about 4 1/2 hours which gave us plenty of time to see the scenery. I'll admit, I was a bit sad to leave behind the lush green rolling hills. But, I plan to visit again and see other parts of the country.

We were in first class and DD told us that because she purchased the tickets early, the ticket price wasn't that much more than coach. It was a relaxing way to travel and there were lots of snacks to eat and a variety of drinks available.

We played cribbage and I unknowingly counted incorrectly.  DD snapped the photo of DH telling me about my math skills and I'm getting it that I only added 15 more points than I should have. . .but, I'm trying to shine it on!