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.

United Kingdom: London Part 2

London Day 3 - Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Walk, and a Pub Tour

A light drizzle met us as we left our hotel for the short walk to our tube stop where we bought another daily pass and tubed to Westminster again in to begin the Westminister Audio Guided walk from Rick Steves. The walk is roughly a 45 minute narrated walk that starts on the Westminster Bridge, follows along White Hall, and ultimately ends in Trafalgar Square.  It was a nice way to admire and learn some of the history of the sites in the area at our own pace.

Our first major stop after Westminster and Parliament Square was the Churchill War rooms, conveniently only a 100 yard walk off the narrated route. So, we paused our walking tour to explore this incredibly interesting museum.  The museum contains two distinct sections: one on Churchill's life and the other on the underground meeting rooms and living quarters from World War 2. These dimly lit rooms under the Treasury building were essentially where Churchill and his advisers ran the European war effort for five years.

Amazingly, the rooms were locked up and abandoned after Hitler's surrender so they are well preserved and look exactly how they did in the 1940's.  In addition to the preserved rooms, the large museum exhibit focuses on the life and political career of Churchill. It was particularly interesting that he was born during the days of cavalry charges and his career ended in the midst of a nuclear arms race.  This is definitely worth a stop to see and learn about one of the 20th century's most influential figures. His determination and leadership in a time with little hope still inspires today.

United Kingdom: London Part 1

London Day 1: Buses, Mummies, and Chinese Food, oh my!

After our Mad Max tour, we rolled our luggage to the Bath train station and hopped on the next train to London. After traveling 1.5 hours through the English countryside with views of plenty of sheep and possibly one of the chalk horses, we arrived at London Paddington station. Since we were tired from the full-day tour and had our luggage, we decided to catch a cab to our hotel - plus, a ride in a black London cab seemed like a must-do experience. Our hotel was situated along Hyde Park, which was full of people enjoying the sunshine in the late afternoon...unfortunately, that was the last we would see of the sun for awhile...

After depositing our bags in the room, we headed out the back of the hotel to grab a late dinner at The Audley - a nearby pub. On the way, we quickly realized we were staying in a luxurious neighborhood as we passed a variety of high-end vehicles - Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Ferrari, Masarati etc just parked one after another along the street. 

The next morning we awoke to cloud covered skies and the first of 4 nonstop days of spitting rain. Undeterred, we donned our rain coats, packed our brolly and headed to explore the city. After all, as the Brits say, there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Unlike the torrential downpours of Florida, one can still manage to sight-see quite effectively in the light rain of London. 

To start our day, we jumped on the "hop on, hop off" big bus tour. Luckily, a section of the upper deck is covered so we were able to sit upstairs and enjoy the views while staying dry. We planned on using the London Underground to accomplish much of our sightseeing, but the doubledecker bus allowed us to first see the city from above before heading "underground."

United Kingdom: Bath, Stonehenge, and Surrounding Areas

Bath, England

After taking a convenient overnight flight directly from Florida to London, we landed at Gatwick Airport around 7:30 in the morning after catching very little sleep on the plane. We didn't have time to process how sleepy we were because we were trying to catch the next train to Bath as soon as we collected our luggage. Gatwick Airport has a train station literally in the terminal, which makes it an easy departure point for the surrounding areas. After transferring trains in Reading (with literally an 8 minute transfer window), we arrived in Bath around 11:30 - just in time for lunch! 

Bath gave us an immediate introduction to proper English weather - light, consistent rain. Undeterred, we stored our bags at our hotel (Abbey Hotel, which is just a short walk from the train station) and set out to explore the town. 

Hungry from (or is it for) travel, we popped into The Raven, a local pub, for some pies and ale (and cider). The pies and hand-pumped beverages helped us appreciate that we were truly in England. Although somewhat empty when arrived, the pub quickly filled up as the rain continued to fall. 

Concerned that the comfort food and sitting too long would allow jet lag to set in, we headed outside for a self-guided walking tour. Traveler tip: our key to fighting jet lag is changing our watch to the destination's time as soon we board the plane and to keep moving throughout the day. The historical society's audio walking tour of Bath was just the ticket to keep us active for the afternoon. This dreary weather certainly encouraged napping...

Waterton International Peace Park: A Quick Jaunt into Canada before Heading Home

Waterton Lakes National Park

Today's adventure involved crossing the Canadian border into the adjoining Waterton Lakes National Park, which together with Glacier NP forms the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. We woke up early to start our drive through the customs checkpoint since we planned on catching an early boat tour.

Glacier National Park: Amazing Views in Many Glacier

Many Glacier

With the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail behind us, we navigated our way past the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and continued along route 3 to Many Glacier Hotel.  We got a tip from a ranger to catch a small nature trail near the Grinnell Glacier trailhead.  This trail hugged Swiftcurrent Lake and provided our first views of this historic hotel that we would be calling home for the next two nights.  

Spurred on by the hopes of Huckleberry Ice Cream, we pushed through the final half mile and arrived sweaty and smelly into the Swiss Chalet themed lobby.