EE & S Adventures

Heading south from Edinburgh in our rental car we didn't have to go far to enter a magical land of picture postcard towns full of nice restaurants and cafes and lush countryside where stately homes and natural beauty combine in an irresistible combination.  The only stress is getting used to the extremely narrow and twisting roads. Peebles made a suitable first stop for a late morning tea and town walk.  We saw the church and elegant old bridge over the River Tweed and checked out some shops. Next stop was Traquair House , a lovely stately home a few miles down the river from Peebles.  Supposedly Scotlands oldest inhabited house, Traquair House also boasts some great craft shops on the property and a small brewery that brews the best beer bar none (In Eric's opinion anyway). Although it had started to drizzle we decided to enjoy Scotland's largest hedge maze in the back garden.  Elise had a few problems getting to the centre but made it eventuall...

Edinburgh Royal Castle, aptly located on Castle Rock, commands the city of Edinburgh.  From the 12th Century it has stood over the town, serving both as a royal residence and a military barracks and undergoing several battles and rebuilds along the way.  Today it's Scotland's biggest tourist attraction. The Castle really does sit at the top end of town. We arrived on a fine sunny morning right on opening time to help dodge the crowds.  From the castle the view over the city was perfect.  As the builders intended you can see for miles. Inside the castle, like the Tower of London, you can find a village in miniature with rooms for the soldiers still using the castle as a military base. The oldest building in the castle (and all of Edinburgh) is St Margaret's Chapel dating from the 12th century. It's still in use today for prayers and (small) weddings. Near the chapel the famous gun Mons Meg was on display. At the heart of the castle i...

One of Edinburgh's popular visitor attractions is the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions.  The Edinburgh Camera Obscura has been around since the 19th Century and while this provides an interesting view of the streets and buildings of Edinburgh from inside the museum, it's the various illusions and other optical effects that leave visitors spellbound. Warning, if you plan to visit, these might be spoilers. Kids playing with electricity and plasma.  What could possibly go wrong? How many people in this picture? Samuel transforming into Eric Samuel's growth spurt was most impressive... Back to normal thank goodness... It was so exciting some of us lost our head... Amazing things with mirrors.

After the bustle of London, Edinburgh was a wee more relaxing.  It still has the crowds of tourists and tons of stores selling goods for tourists, particularly around the Golden Mile and near the Castle, however outside these places things just felt a bit more sedate. A good place to start a walk is on Calton hill, just outside the centre of the city where you could get nice views of the city as well as the Firth of Forth and Arthurs Seat. Walking towards the city past the railway station the eye is drawn to the Scott Monument - the memorial erected to honour a famous Scottish writer.  Eric's first thought was it looks just like a medieval version of Thunderbird three for those fans of the old SciFi TV show. Heading up into the old town, St Giles Cathedral, together with the Castle (tomorrows adventure), dominates the upper part of the town. Walking down the Golden Mile it's hard not to come away with a scarf or other souvenir from the myriad of tourist shops...

The Natural History Museum was the final attraction we visited in London.  Like the V&A and Science Museum it's located around South Kensington in a very imposing building both inside and out.  As you enter, the foyer has an enormous whale skeleton hanging overhead which creates quite an impression as you enter. The museum has a huge and very valuable collection of gems and minerals.  The best specimens of precious and semi precious stones are kept in a vault like room obviously to deter thieves from breaking in after hours. This beautiful old room was the home of some of the more ordinary geological exhibits To celebrate 50 years since man walked on the moon, there was a whole room dedicated to a sculpture/map/exhibit of the moon hanging overhead.  The museum encouraged quiet contemplation in the room however this was hard with the myriad of children visiting during the holidays. Some of the most interesting exhibits were the fossilised r...

We left a visit to London's most popular tourist attraction until the school holidays were over.  Even then things were still crowded but once we got inside, there is plenty to see and do at London's notorious tower. The tower is actually more than just a tower.  It's a small village behind impressive fortifications that still accommodates military staff to this day.  Beefeaters, Gurkhas and other servicemen and women were on guard and on patrol providing a spectacle for the tourists. Modern and ancient London The Crown Jewels were a major highlight, sadly a highlight that isn't permitted to be photographed.  We also found the dungeons and torture chambers quite interesting but a bit too dark and dingy for photos.  However we could take photos in other places - like the exhibits of arms and armour which were very interesting At lunchtime we managed to find some space on the walls to see troops firing off a multiple gun salute on the banks of...