Well spring break 2012 was in our sight and with our daughter Caitlin in Graduate School at Sotheby’s in London it seemed like a great time to visit the UK. Especially since she would have plenty of room for us to stay at her 4 story home in Kensington, London while her travel abroad students were transitioning. While it would be great to see Caitlin the entire time she was already committed to some school and work obligations that would leave us with about 4 days on our own.

After careful consideration of our options we decided a trip to Edinburg, Scotland and the highlands would be perfect.

Since our time lodging while in London was taken care of with Caitlin we decided that it might be a good time to check out a bed & breakfast in Edinburgh. This turned out to be a terrific decision. Our place in Edinburgh was convenient, homey, and we were well taken care of by our hosts. In fact each day they asked us what our plans were and promptly packed us a bag lunch for the day.

Being  a person that loves the rural country with lakes, mountains, green space, nature and no traffic- I knew having to visit the cities of NYC, London and then Edinburgh were not ideal way I like to spend time off, though getting to see our little girl was good reason to venture into the cities.

Edinburgh Castle

Well on arrival to Edinburgh I found I  should never lump all cities into a single classification. Joanne & I loved Edinburgh from the moment we arrived. Like most places you visit, once you get past the ohs and ahs of the city, lights, and attractions the common denominator always comes down to the people, and in Edinburgh we found some of the nicest we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. In fact many times while touring the areas of Edinburgh we had people come up to us right on the street asking if they could help us in anyway or with anything. Another observation I made, as a redhead since birth, was while their aren;t many red-heads per capita in the states they are abundantly represented in Edinburgh. I really felt at home among all those red heads.

While only there for a few days we really got to get the flavor of what it was like to be from Edinburgh. Between our many pub

Greyfriars Bobby

visits, the incredible visit to Edinburgh Castle (The Stone of Destiny), a visit to

The Elephant House Cafe (Home of Harry Potter’s beginning), Greyfriars Bobby ,the Scotch Whiskey Experience tour and tasting,  and finally our day touring the Scottish Highlands it was without question an incredible journey we are thankful we made.

Another thing we realized the first day is if you want to eat at a restaurant for dinner in Edinburgh you need to do it early as compared to the states. Most restaurants stop serving dinner by 7:00 PM. After that they quickly move back to the pub and local social gathering places.

Elephant House

On our final day in Edinburgh we decided to take the 8 hour tour through the Scottish highlands,. Our tour guide/van driver was absolutely spectacular. His stories, grasp of Scottish history, and organized itinerary were a perfect way to get introduced to the live’s of the highlanders.

Ever since I can remember I have a soft place in my heart for anything from Scotland and Ireland. With a name like Nunan their has to be an ancestry connection somewhere,  which I confirmed quickly when I started my Ancestry work a few years ago. While I have spent the last 2 years researching and building my Ancestry tree and lineage confirming my very diverse pool of DNA and countries of origin, including all the way back into the 1600’s in the America,  it is clear the Scottish and Irish connection is very strong. No wonder some of my most favorite movies include, The Quiet Man, Rob Roy, Braveheart, and the Highlander and Outlander series. Just a few notes out of a set of bagpipes and I am definitely transfixed to the times long past by my ancestors in the Highlands.

Doune Castle

From our first tour stop at Doune Castle (a location for Monty Python’s classic) I quickly realized it was going to be a great day. Our tour took us to lochs, castles, small towns, and places of highland history. Everyone should get a chance to visit the town of Inverness  and then the famous Loch Ness . No we did’t see Nessie during our visit.

The Lochs

Having completed our vist to Scotland we boarded a plane back to London to spend the rest of the week with Caitlin. Caitlin is the real planner in the family and she had worked overtime on our agenda for the balance of our time in the UK.

Of course we had to do Kensington Palace, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The National History Museum of London, The Tate, Portobello Road Market, Borough Market (Best Grilled Cheese on the planet…), Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and then we took a tour of Windsor Castle.

Bath

Since our experience in Scotland with the van tour was so interesting we decided to take another one in the London area which would give us some additional history lessons of the surrounding area. This tour allowed us to visit Bath and then Stonehenge. A visit to Stonehenge is a tourist must for anyone taking time to tour the UK.

Buckhingham Palace

Back in London Caitlin also encouraged us to take some walking tours. The first was of the Olympic Games site still under construction and the second was called Westminster. These tours were very informal and you generally meet aa guide at some street corner, pay your nominal tour fee, and then precede to walk the area. These tours we found to be incredible values and very informative. We would highly recommend you experiment with these  type of walking tours.

Parliament

The time we got to spend with Caitlin and the sites we experienced in Scotland and the UK were everything we had hoped they would be. Probably the only downfall was, like often happens, we try to do just too much in such a short time. We laughed on the flight back that we might need a vacation from our vacation just to catch our breath. Another step forward on our Revolutionary Journey…