287 Steps to the Top. Exploring the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.

No trip to Edinburgh is complete without a trip up the treacherous steps of the Scott Monument. And when I say treacherous, I do mean treacherous. The monument was built in 1844, although I have to imagine it was a pretty tight fit for the people then, even if the average person is bigger now. It's 287 narrow and winding steps to the top. The staircase becomes only more narrow and winding the higher up you get. By the end, we were practically bent over double, especially the hubby! 

We chose to visit on an overcast weekday. This meant our view at the top wasn't quite so clear, but it also meant the monument was less crowded. Plus, dreary days (and Scotland has plenty of them!) have their own magic. I've heard the monument can be quite dangerous on a clear weekend. Even on a slower day, it required some fancy footing to pass anyone going the opposite direction. As we were coming down, we passed a Scottish gentlemen and his girlfriend. We were near the top where things were narrowest. I had to stand awkwardly to one side with my body stretched across the hallway, my hands on the opposite wall for balance and support. The couple had to duck underneath my arms like we were in a game of London Bridges and then squeeze past the hubby who was above me where it was even narrower. With typical wry Scottish humor, the man commented, "It's a good thing we all know each other so well. Otherwise, this would be awfully awkward." 

The monument is located at E. Princes St. Garden. It's open April through September from 10-7 on Monday through Saturday and from 10-6 on Sunday. It's open October through March from 9-4 Monday through Saturday and from 10-6 on Sunday. It includes a museum with information on Scott's life and works as well as sculptures of characters from his novels. The trip to the top might be long and a bit tiring, but it's worth it for that beautiful view!

A New England Yankee in Holyrood Park (July 4th in the UK)

It's been quite awhile since I posted about our time in the UK. I had intended to go in chronological order but find myself veering a bit off course today by sharing a few pictures of our July 4th.

I'm not sure whether celebrating your own traditional holidays in a land where those holidays aren't celebrated makes things more or less meaningful. I suppose it's a bit of both. Christmas in Taiwan and the 4th in the UK both lacked the grandeur of celebrations in the US. However, torn from that grandeur we see year after year and even grow weary of, it was easier to appreciate the substance of the day.

In the long run, I suppose living internationally has helped me value my own heritage more while also valuing and understanding other heritages. I think, too, that the simplicity of our current celebrations will help me appreciate the grandeur of future holidays back in the states. I've boiled own to the substance of things and can now value the celebrations that ensue.

As a side note, it's a bit funny celebrating your independence in the land from which you gained independence. But I took comfort in knowing that Scotland (where we were at the time) has its own history of rebellion against England.

Anyway, without further rambling, here's our July 4th in Holyrood Park, complete with hamburgers and an apple pie (which just happened to be on sale!).

A Trip to Portebello Beach, Edinburgh

One slightly sunny Tuesday in June, we headed out for a walk to Portobello Beach in Edinburgh. It was about a 2-mile walk from our flat next to Holyrood Park. 

Being from Maine, I've been in some cold water before. This water definitely ranked as some of the coldest. It didn't help that the sun stayed behind the clouds, giving us no incentive to get anything but our toes wet. 

It was a lovely day, though. We enjoyed strolling the beach, climbing a cement wall to the side of the beach, tea and scones at a little cafe nearby, and lovely stroll back through quiet neighborhoods.

Edinburgh Day One: Food, Food, More Food, and Holyrood Park

After that jet-lagged day in London, we hopped on a plan for a short trip to Edinburgh. I knew the plane had brought us to the right place when, while we were standing in line waiting for a bus to take us into town, we saw a man standing in front of us wearing a kilt in the cold night air.

At around 2 AM, we arrived at our flat (rented through AirBNB). Needless to say, after several days of travel and minimal sleep, we slept quite late the next day. Of course, we did sleep late the entire time we were in Scotland. That midnight sun in the summer makes early to bed early to rise a bit difficult to actually pull off!

Anyway, our first full day involved a late breakfast at McDonalds (it's actually yummier there!), grocery shopping, a full Scottish Breakfast for lunch, hiking the Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park, and walking by Holyrood Palace. We saved Arthur's Seat for another day when we were a bit more rested and awake.

Just a week bite!

Our street for a month!

Tea and Penguins to end the day

More London Sightseeing

More photos to share from our jet-lagged day in London!

UK Adventures - Getting There and London Sightseeing

I started a blogpost detailing the first leg of our trip to the UK over a month ago. I did my normal routine and never posted it. Here it is. Stay tuned for more details to come!

I'm not usually one for giving a rundown of my daily actions, but I realized that some friends and family might be interested in our doings. So, for their sakes, here it is. To everyone else, I apologize for the boring blogpost. 

Waiting for the taxi to take us to the airport in Taipei

Getting To London

It took us 24 hours just to get to London. First, there was a 2-hour flight to Shanghai and a 4-hour layover. Next, We needed to fly to Paris. That took 12 hours and another 4-hour layover in Paris. Finally, we hopped on British Airways (a beacon of civility and deliciously strong tea) and made the short journey (just over an hour) to London.  

Layover in Paris

London

We set down in London shortly after 11. After making our way through customs and baggage, we jumped on the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross where our hotel, The Alhambra, was located. 

The Alhambra Hotel, by the way, is lovely, small but clean hotel that I would recommend to anyone traveling to London.

The view from our hotel room

After a wardrobe change and an attempt at a quick nap, neither of us could fall asleep, we went out for some rather jetlagged sightseeing. I can't say I remember much of what I saw beyond the fact that it included the Thames, the Millennium Bridge, a lovely little market, and a delicious venison pie. 

The Globe

We ended our first day in London with a play at The Globe, the model of Shakespeare's original theatre. They did a fantastic performance of King John, a little known but culturally relevant play about political machinations and the devastation of power struggles and war. Standing in the groundlings near the stage costs just 5 pounds. It's well worth the experience. You can reach out and touch the stage and the actors even interact with the audience in the groundlings. However, you might want to be operating on a bit more sleep than we were. Standing for 2 or 3 hours can take it's toll even when you are wide awake, let alone after travelling for 24 hours. The hubby's knee was swollen quite badly afterward.

Sadly, we were both so exhausted that we didn't even bother taking pictures.

Seeing the Sights

The next day included a walking tour of the major sights--St. Paul's Cathedral, royal parks, the changing of the guard at Buckingham, Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster, countless statues, and many more sights than my tired brain could barely process. The hubby kept taking pictures. By the end, I was making faces instead of smiling for the camera.

Off to Edinburgh

Finally, we jumped back on the Piccadilly line and headed to our red eye for Edinburgh. One flight and two connecting bus rides later and we dragged ourselves into our flat here at 2 am, ready for sleep, sleep, and more sleep. I think it took us about a week to wake up!

Well, that's all for now! Cheers!

Stay tuned for more overdue updates of our UK adventures.