California: Monterey and Big Sur

Monterey:

After landing at the San Jose airport at nearly midnight west coast time, we drove to Salinas to be closer to Monterey for the next day's adventure. San Jose served as an excellent gateway to the Monterey area and Yosemite without the congestion of the San Francisco airports. 

Feeling better after finally getting some sleep after the prior day of traveling cross-country, we drove to Monterey Bay for a guided kayak tour. Monterey may be best known for their aquarium, but we opted to experience the local sea life in their natural habitat by kayaking in the bay. 

Monterey Bay Kayak allows visitors to rent kayaks or participate in guided tours. Unfamiliar with the area, we chose a guided tour, which also included the necessary gear such as spray skirts, tandem sea kayaks, and wetsuits - their strong suggestion to wear the wetsuit and the repeated safety demonstrations on how to exit a capsized kayak did make us slightly weary that we may end up closer to the sea life than preferred. 

United Kingdom: Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Our train arrived in Edinburgh with the sun providing only an hour more of light.  Our hotel, The Glasshouse (Marriott), was close enough to the train station to comfortably walk with luggage in tow.  Immediately, we noticed a harder, grungier feel of the city and its residents compared London.  This isn't said with any real negativity, but the difference was quite evident during the 10 minute walk to our hotel.  In contrast to London, we received one of the nicest room upgrades yet to a large suite with a bathroom larger than our master bedroom at home.  Edinburgh was looking good already.

To further the positive vibe, we splurged for dinner at 21212, one of several Michelin Star restaurants that Edinburgh claims.  The concept was unique, with each number representing a course and the number of options to choose from for that course (though they had deviated somewhat, allowing each diner to choose from 3 items from the first, third, and fifth courses).  To add to the experience, we were seated at a small table for two in a corner that overlooked the small Victorian room, bringing back memories of sitting at our sweetheart table from our wedding.  It was a very nice evening showcasing Scottish hospitality.

We started the next morning early with another dose of Harry Potter.  The Elephant House, just off the Royal Mile, is a now well known coffee shop with views of the castle where JK Rowling worked on her first Harry Potter novels.  The view through the window of the Castle makes it very easy to understand where the inspiration for Hogwarts hilltop setting came from.

United Kingdom: York

A detour in York on the way to Edinburgh

We left London on an early train from King's Cross station to York.  Although we would eventually spend the night in Edinburgh, York is conveniently located halfway between the two cities, which provided the perfect daytrip/break in our journey. After arriving in York, we stored our luggage near the station, which is a great option if you are only choosing to spend the day. The luggage storage area charges a small fee and is located outside the station proper near a car park. 

Our train arrived early enough to allow us just enough time to catch the free volunteer walking tour in York which started at 10:15 in Exhibition Square and included Museum Gardens, St. Mary's Abbey, walking the walls, the Shambles, and plenty of history along the way. Local volunteer guides share their love of the city, with our tour being led by a lovely grandfatherly figure who was especially proud of Dame Judy Dench's connection to York.