Back to Gallivanting through Edinburgh

We woke up to an absolutely delightful view from our room at the B-B Edinburgh:

We are staying in a Georgian style townhouse that has been converted to a B&B Inn, and what you are looking at is Dean Village.

This place is awesome:  There is an automatic cappuccino/latte machine in the lobby, a bar for those so inclined to have a drink, a lovely breakfast room, and a two story library.  We just might be in heaven!

And, by the way, breakfast was fabulous!  I opted for the Eggs Benedict, and was certainly not disappointed!

We were up early and ready to explore, and we decided to head down to Dean's Village to take a walk along the Waters of Leith.

Once again, the weather was awesome!  Just a wee bit of a chill in the air.  We had no trouble finding the path down to the waters.

And we soon stumbled upon the clock that caught my attention from the bedroom window.

The girls posed here for a photo, but the lighting makes it difficult to see them.

From here, we headed along a path that follows the Waters of Leith, but we weren't alone, as there was a group of students walking the same path in front of us.  We could hear the sound of water rushing, and then this came into view.

Perched perilously at the top, was a single mallard duck. 

We would watch him getting sucked towards the waterfall's edge, then see him furiously paddle to keep from going over the side.

This happened over and over, and suddenly, we heard the group of students gasping and lamenting a loud "Ohhhhh!"

It appeared that the duck was quite entertaining for this group, and one would have thought that they had taken bets on whether or not the duck would go over the falls.

When it seemed as if he was doomed, the mallard spread his wings and flew to the lower level, much to the delight of his viewers!  Whew!  That made us all feel much better!

Knowing that no harm had befallen the duck, we made our way to street level and began the hike to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Leith.

We spotted this along the way, and I'd love to tell you what it was, but I really haven't a clue.

After what seemed to be quite a hike, we finally made it to the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Admission to the gardens is free, and we decided to forego access to the Glass houses as those required payment and it seemed that we would have plenty of scenery without viewing them.

As Amy pointed out, there wasn't a whole lot of brilliance due to the time of year, but, personally, I felt that there was enough to catch our attention.

Magnolias were in bloom

and flowers were beginning to pop up in various gardens.

Then there was the gardener's cottage devoted to the Queen Mary. 

 The interior was constructed of seashells ad pine cones.

complete with tiles featuring the Royal Thistle

Leaving the memorial, one walks along a path that leads through a hedge that is over 100 years old.  Unfortunately, we were not able to enjoy its green hue yet. 

As we walked along, we saw flowers that are in the habitat of Siberia, which explains whey they can bloom in the cold.

There were succulents as well.

All was not lost in regards to blossoms as you can see here:

and there were hot houses also featuring lots of bright and colorful flowers.

We were able to view this pavilion from the grounds, but didn't enter it as we had decided to forego the fee for touring the glasshouses.  It was filled with what appeared to be trees of a tropical nature.

But I can't say that we thought we were missing anything.  We've had ample opportunity to see such vegetation on many occasions in other venues.

We saw the infamous Monkey trees 

and these unusual flowers skirting the edge of a pond.

The grounds were blanketed with daffodils.

resulting in quite a splash of color against the green of the grass.

A Cherry Tree was in bloom.

as well as some other fruit trees and azaleas.

It certainly wasn't the spectacular walk that one might hope for in regards to a garden, but it did offer a bit of color to brighten the day.

From here, we decided to make our way to the Georgian House on Charlotte Square in New Town.  As I had mentioned in an earlier blog, our niece is studying abroad in London and Marty really wanted to show her some highlights of Edinburgh.  I had been to this National Trust Site a couple of times in the past, and since we have memberships for entry, it made perfect sense to me to share the experience with Suzie.

I was reminded me of the steep hills making this walk when coming from the Botanical Garden, as I had done it alone in the past.  

Finally (and I mean FINALLY!!!) we arrived at our destination and entered the house.

Or course, we were greeted enthusiastically, as seems to be the case at all of these National Trust Venues, and we soon found ourselves, walking the 50 stairs to the top to begin the tour from top level to lower level. 

There was an exceedingly entertaining film to watch, explaining the lifestyle of the man who had originally owned the house.  His main goal was to spend money that he didn't have in order to establish prestige so that he could marry off his two daughters.   It wasn't too difficult to surmise that the family became indebted to the point that they needed to sell of their house.  After all, it was now in the possession of the National Trust and not tied to any family holdings.

Next to the movie room is an activity center, where one can dress up in period costumes, and also try a hand at writing with a quill and ink.

On the first floor, the master bedroom held a bed that was embroidered by the original owner.

I found it amazing that it was in such pristine condition.

The drawing room was of a Robert Adam design, and several pieces of art adorned the walls. 

And I found the chandelier to be quite unusual and lovely.

And, luckily, Suzie was still smiling!

From here we headed to the National Portrait Gallery, primarily because I recalled that it had a superior cafe, and we really could use a break.

We weren't disappointed as the scones with cream and jam were excellent and the tea was full bodied and quite flavorful.

We now had some energy to pull ourselves up the several sets of stairs to get to the top of the gallery to begin looking through the many paintings of famous Scots.

Room after room held countless images of the aristocracy from several hundred years, and there was even a modern art room that featured famous Scots from more recent days.

But, honestly, one can look at so many faces before it gets tiring, so we decided to head down to Princes Street and begin our walk home.

The gardens here are just beginning to bloom and we enjoyed getting off the beaten track to enjoy them.

We managed to get some photos with the castle in the background.

 And I loved the view of the castle with the blue fountain at its base.

And here you can see the castle in the background, the church of St. Cuthbert and a Celtic Cross right in front.

Not bad if I say so myself!

We were very tuckered out by this point, so we walked back to our room to strengthen our reserves for a dinner walk.  When we sat down to check menus of local eating establishments, most of the ones whom we called were fully booked for tonight.

Amy managed to get a booking near the theater, at an Italian Restaurant which required heating up that pavement once more.   But, honestly, it was well worth the effort.

Because dinner was fabulous!

All in all, I hear that we walked over 10 miles today.  I'd say that's about as much as one can possibly fit into a day here!

We're up for more of a challenge tomorrow!

Gallivanting through London

The title is a great description to our day, and here's a sneak peek at what's to come in this blog. 

Before I delve into today's gallivanting adventures, I'd like to share yesterday's trip to Basildon Park, which is located very near Reading, just west of London.

This stately mansion was built in 1771 by a man named Francis Sykes who had made his fortune in the East India Company. It was constructed of the Bath Stone that is so familiar to this area of England. Over time, it passed through various owners, was a convalescent home during World War I, a training center for the 101st Airborne, and  POW camp for German soldiers during World War II.

All of this activity resulted in the house nearing the state of ruin.

In 1952, the house and grounds were purchased by Lord and Lady Iliffe, who were determined to bring the house back to its original glory.   So, most of the content was purchased by Lady Iliffe, who was a big proponent of estate sales, and we learned that she could be quite the bargain hunter.

Her financial prowess was directly responsible for the unique and stately interior that exists today.

The house stands on a vast estate, and in order to reach it, one passes through this gate on the edge of the property and walks along a path through a wooded area before actually glimpsing it at a distance.

Trees were just beginning to bud and flowers were starting to bloom, giving us a peek of what the grounds will be featuring in the weeks ahead. 

Some statues still stood the test of time

while others were victims of World War II target practice.

Apparently some found it a game to shoot off the heads and arms  of some of these once stately figures. But they stand as a reminder of the spoils of war.

There are several trails on the estate, and we chose to walk the "pheasant trail."

But to be quite honest, we didn't even hear one, much less than see a pheasant.

But the walk was well worth the effort when capturing the sun shining on the front facade.

Inside, the entrance hall had been restored to its former glory, complete with gold gilding to recreate an Adam era interior.

The dining room gleamed with magnificence

The china adorning the tables was original to the house, having been found at an estate sale in Denmark by a member of the National Trust.

Lady Eliff purchased an entire bedroom suite, complete with curtains and valences for £100.

and the tour guide was excited to show us a second bed that she purchased for a mere £10.  This woman could be near and dear to my heart!

The Iliffe family used this house as their primary residence, blending the old with some of the modern.

And there was even a 1950 style kitchen in the bottom of the house, complete with items that would have been used during that time period when the house was purchased by the Iliffe's.

From here, we headed into London, checked into our hotel, which was directly across from London's Kings Cross Station, and met up with Marty's entertaining Irish cousins.  As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, it was all quite a bit of fun and certainly an evening that we will cherish for many years yet to come.

And today, after a great night's sleep despite being in close proximity of the station, we headed into London to take a ride on the famous "Eye".

We saw St. Paul's Cathedral at a distance

and Buckingham Palace as well

and I spied some beautiful gardens directly below.

We were lucky that the day proved to be beautiful once more, so that we could really enjoy the view from the top.

From here we headed to the British Museum, which is, in itself, quite a grand structure.

And, as you can see, the interior is quite vast as well.

Probably the most famous item in this museum is the Rosetta Stone, preserved under glass, which makes it virtually impossible to photograph properly. 

Also, since it is such a popular item, it's kind of hard to get around all of the people who are desperately trying to take a photo of the stone, but who seem to be clueless that the glass and lighting surrounding it, definitely compromise the outcome.  

So, guess what?  No photo of it here, even though it is famous!

But, for all of the hype over the stone, there certainly are myriads of other items of what I would consider equal worth.  

Around the corner from the stone was the likeness of King Ramesses II, which stood at the entrance of the hypostyle hall.

a Palm leaf column of Ramessess II, dating back to 1279 BC.  Now, how amazing is that?

A statue of Amenhotep III

And this King list which, being a genealogist, really captured my attention

The ovals list the kings of the past, so Ramesses is listed on the far right, with the preceding kings in order working to the left.   Kind of like a family tree.  But, let's face it....this is really far back in time!

In the Ancient Greece section, the Nereid Monument stands, with much of it still intact.

As I mentioned earlier, this museum is huge, and to be quite frank, one could probably spend a week in this place and never see everything.  But let me post a few pictures of some of the more modern contents:

Handcrafted French Huguenot Silver crafted in London in 1685.

Pair of ivory and silver gilt cups, carved in 1711.

An earthenware wine flask painted with a bust of Charles II in 1668

And a 17th century replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.   

By this point,  we decided to call it quits, and we began the trek back to the underground to get back to the station.  We retrieved our luggage from the hotel, and went to Kings Cross Station to wait for Suzie to arrive.

Then, we hopped on the train to begin our weekend adventure in Edinburgh.

Just look at those smiling faces!

And here we are nearly at our destination.

Our train arrived at  Waverly Station at 9:21 pm.  We transferred to Haymarket, and walked a little less than half a mile to reach our B&B hotel. 

The room is awesome!  And, here is the night view from the very large windows:

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!