Don't Do Anything Crazy!

That's what my husband says to me every morning before he leaves for the day.

Now, I ask you, what's up with that comment?

I'm not the one who slipped and fell on a rock while attempting to get a closer shot of a seal in the Firth.

And, I certainly wasn't the one who decided to try the 3 whiskey dram special and then let a local convince me to try 2 more.

So, I'll admit that I get a bit annoyed when Marty gives me this advice in the morning. But guess what?
This morning he merely said, "Have fun today!" No safety warning attached.

The sun was shining...the sky was blue..and I took advantage of both and headed into Waverly Station with the intention of touring the Royal Britannia.  The ship is docked in Leith, which is about 2 miles from Waverly Station, and I could not make up my mind regarding taking a bus, or walking the distance.  Believe it or not, my husband had suggested the night before that I walk.

Now, I don't know if I've mentioned this before or not, but I have an issue with riding busses.  Just the thought of getting on one by myself causes anxiety.   I know that I rode on busses with Amy in Slovakia, and I've hopped on a few with Marty, but I get palpitations every time I even think about getting on one by myself.

But, I honestly thought that I'd take the bus this time......until Marty put the idea into my head that I should walk.  After all......it was a gorgeous day.

So, I went to the information center and asked the young man to show me exactly where my destination was on a map, explaining that I was going to walk.

"You can't walk that!", he exclaimed.  "Do you know how far that is?"

"Two miles" I replied. "I can walk it."

"It will take you 45 minutes to walk it!"  Then he went on to give me bus numbers, circled  a stop and told me that I would need exact change....which was a problem...because I didn't have exact change.

But, really, that made no difference, because I decided that I would walk and take the bus back to the station.

So, I set off, with map in hand, and was quite pleased with myself.  After all, if I had been sitting in a bus, I'd have missed this

and the Theatre Royal Bar

St. Pilgris Church

Queen Victoria

and an anchor placed randomly in a plaza

not to mention the excitement of 3 firetrucks barreling down the road, sirens blasting,  towards some black smoke in the distance that I hoped wasn't my intended destination.

It took me 50 minutes to get to the dock, where I had expected to see the Royal Britannia Yacht.
Much to my surprise, there was no sign of it, as there are hotels and buildings blocking the view of the water.  I kept walking along Ocean drive, hoping for a glimpse, when this caught my attention:

This was an entrance to a very large mall.  Did this make sense?  Could the brochure have mentioned an entrance through a mall?  Could the information attendant, so keen on having me take a bus, have enlightened me regarding the entrance?  Perhaps I was asking too much.

I walked inside and immediately saw a billboard that stated that the entrance to the Royal Yacht Britannia was on the second floor.  I could take an elevator, or the stairs. 

Well...the stairs were easy enough, so I bounded up them to the next level where they ended.  I looked around, and realized that I was on Floor 1.  In the distance, at the opposite end of the mall, I spotted the escalators to the second floor.  So, I trotted to the other end and took the escalator to Floor 2, but I still couldn't see the entrance to the Yacht.  After asking an attendant at one of the stores, I was directed to the opposite side of the Mall, near where I had entered.  Apparently the lift takes one to the entrance, but the stairs do not.  Who knew?

Well....I was finally on my way to the yacht, weaving my way along a hall filled with tourists, most of them American from what I could tell. I was handed an audio guide and began the tour through the boat.

Once on board, it's difficult to imagine how one could not spot it from the road, but believe me, it was well hidden.

The queen had her own bed quarters in addition to a private office.  Prince Philip's sleeping room was adjacent to the Queen's, but his room was much plainer with no ruffles, by his request.

The honeymoon suite held a double bed that Prince Charles had brought on board for he and Diana when they were married.  

There was the drawing room

And the state dining room which was in addition to a family dining room and a private dining room on the first floor.

And, of course, the Royal family needed to travel with a Rolls Royce so that they could have transportation wherever they went.

The tour was very extensive, and I could look at things at my leisure, which was really a plus. The yacht was brimming with personal items, including photographs of the Royal family having great celebrations.  It was truly a refuge where the family would be free from intruders invading their privacy.  There was even a baby grand piano anchored into the floor of the drawing room that the family would use for personal entertainment.

To add to the highlight, there was a lovely tea room on the boat, and I opted to rest awhile and have a bowl of soup with a cup of tea.  After all....my tootsies could use a break!

Lovely!

And the view from my table was truly magnificent

When the tour was complete, I climbed the 4 sets of stairs back up to the exit in the mall, and made my way out of the building, fully intending to board a bus.

But, once outside, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I didn't know which bus to take, or where to even get the bus.  There was no one to ask.

It's not that I'm cheap and wouldn't spend the money.  Lord knows, I spent 50 pence to use the bathroom!  I was desperate (and it was well worth it).

Let me offer some tips that I learned today:

1.  Never drink an entire pot of tea if you plan on hiking 2 miles, you could end up getting very lost and those 2 miles could extend far past that number.

2.  The numerous signs that say "TO LET" posted outside houses trick your mind into thinking that they say TOILET out of desperation.  Excitement ensues, then, reality sets in.....resulting in extreme frustration.

3.  Well dressed women pushing baby carriages will help direct you if you are lost, if you approach them and say, "Oh what a cute baby!  Will this road lead me to Leith Walk?"  This trick worked for me twice:  the first time I was way off track; the second time I was actually headed in the right direction.

4.  American tourists can be quite annoying.  I now understand why people from other countries can have an aversion to Americans.

5.  Always have loose change in case you need to use a bathroom.

6.  Get over your fear of getting on a bus.  (I suppose that I'll have to work on that one.)

7.  Take your husband's advice and don't do anything crazy.


Tomorrow, we're off to the Cairngorms in the Highlands.  Perhaps we'll see one of those Highland "coos"!

I'll keep you posted!