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katherine_b at 06:02pm on 07/01/2013 under europe
katherine_b at 06:02pm on 07/01/2013 under europeToday's tally:
Three museums
Two castles
One shop
Owwwww! My poor tootsies!
And now for the details (in chronological order):
I went to the shop first, shockingly a bookshop (!). It was Edingburgh Books, in fact, which deals in second-hand books. And yes, I made purchases:
Chudleigh Hold by EBD
Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie
My next stop was Edinburgh Castle, which I did enjoy, but not as much as I thought I would. I'm not sure why or what I was expecting, but maybe I got so much out of Stirling that this was something of a let-down.
After this I headed down the Royal Mile, stopping at the Museum of Childhood. Thanks so much to the person who recommended the Museum of Childhood, as it was absolutely wonderful. A beautiful collection of toys and books all on display - and free!
Today's disappointment: The Children's Bookshelf is closed today and tomorrow due to illness. *sigh* Still, it's one way to save money.
After this I headed for Holyrood, and it was really worth the wait! (I tried to go and visit it when I was in Scotland in summer 2010, but the Queen had the indecency to be in residence, so I was unable to go inside.) I spent hours wandering around, listening to the audio guide and looking at all of the bits and pieces. Heaven!
Museum number two was the Museum of Edinburgh, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Very interesting and a chance to see lots of different facets of the city.
The third and final museum was the Museum of Scotland, which was more general than the Museum of Edinburgh. The highlight of this for me was the collection of Lewis chessmen, which I had heard about and wanted to see. I nearly bought some of them from the little shop, but decided against it because they were too heavy. I am, however, already regretting this decision. *sigh*
And that was my long, long day of walking. My feet hurt... *pathetic sob*
Oh, btw, tomorrow I plan to visit Melrose Abbey and also the Royal Yacht Britannia. I will be driving. Thankfully.
Three museums
Two castles
One shop
Owwwww! My poor tootsies!
And now for the details (in chronological order):
I went to the shop first, shockingly a bookshop (!). It was Edingburgh Books, in fact, which deals in second-hand books. And yes, I made purchases:
Chudleigh Hold by EBD
Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie
My next stop was Edinburgh Castle, which I did enjoy, but not as much as I thought I would. I'm not sure why or what I was expecting, but maybe I got so much out of Stirling that this was something of a let-down.
After this I headed down the Royal Mile, stopping at the Museum of Childhood. Thanks so much to the person who recommended the Museum of Childhood, as it was absolutely wonderful. A beautiful collection of toys and books all on display - and free!
Today's disappointment: The Children's Bookshelf is closed today and tomorrow due to illness. *sigh* Still, it's one way to save money.
After this I headed for Holyrood, and it was really worth the wait! (I tried to go and visit it when I was in Scotland in summer 2010, but the Queen had the indecency to be in residence, so I was unable to go inside.) I spent hours wandering around, listening to the audio guide and looking at all of the bits and pieces. Heaven!
Museum number two was the Museum of Edinburgh, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Very interesting and a chance to see lots of different facets of the city.
The third and final museum was the Museum of Scotland, which was more general than the Museum of Edinburgh. The highlight of this for me was the collection of Lewis chessmen, which I had heard about and wanted to see. I nearly bought some of them from the little shop, but decided against it because they were too heavy. I am, however, already regretting this decision. *sigh*
And that was my long, long day of walking. My feet hurt... *pathetic sob*
Oh, btw, tomorrow I plan to visit Melrose Abbey and also the Royal Yacht Britannia. I will be driving. Thankfully.
sore
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It all sounds so fabulous! I can't wait (but must).
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Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood are compulsory. For me, museums are also compulsory, but you might enjoy some of the following:
The Edinburgh Dungeon (historical overview by people in costumes - expensive but quite fun)
City of the Dead tour (ghost walk)
Boat trip to Bass Rock
Shopping!
BTW, if you can get hold of a copy of Neil Oliver's History of Scotland, either on book or DVD, they will give you an excellent background of history so you will appreciate the various buildings more.
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I am looking at a guest house in which to stay called Mingalar on Claremont Street. I've been looking at the maps and it seems to be near enough things. At £30-40 per night, it didn't seem half bad.
I will definitely get a copy! Amazon has both the both and the DVD.
And the City of the Dead walk sounds delicious! I plan ot do the Ripper tour when I'm in London.
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Oh, those tours are fantastic! Definitely join in with them!
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I'll be in London for about 10 days, so hopefully there willbe time for a few tours! I am a bit of a Ripper nut and was devastated that the one time I was in London (in 1993) I had missed the tour by a day.
(Thanks for all the help, BTW. You are a doll!!)
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The no-car trip is a good one if you're not going to too many cities. Bus and train is perfectly good. And yes, check all times and days of trips and tours, but try to allow a little leeway in case things have to change.
You're so very welcome! I love helping people to plan their trips!
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I am formally planning so little that flexibility is ensured! With the exception of the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, I am not all the certain I will be pre-buying much of anything by way of tours or entertainment. Well, maybe theatre tickets for what I want to see in London.
Based on your advice about the location of Mingalar, I am re-evaluating where I want to stay. I feel like I'm imposing on you, but do you have any recommendations in Old Town?
I am more grateful than you can possible imagine for your help!
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The problem with location in the Old Town is price. Have a look at Hotels.com, an affiliate of Expedia. You can put in dates, then select a location and a price range (put in your absolute maximum) to see what's available. It only looks at hotels though so B&Bs will have to be looked at elsewhere.
My location was a lot more than the price you listed above (at least 100GBP per night) because it's an apartment with kitchen, several rooms, etc. You won't need that because your trip is only just beginning, but it's great at the end to wash clothes, eat your own cooking, etc.
tired tootsies...
I have had many waitresses thank me for the suggestion because they are on their feet so much. And it's an inexpensive "fix."
Even a soak in hot water and a refreshing rinse in cool? Is bound to revive them without any additional cost at all.
Maybe try to do circles with your ankles? Point your toes & relax them... maybe even lay the towel down on the floor & try to scrunch it up (pull it towards you using just your toes)? But most of all, get your shoes off & your feet up!
I hope you feel better soon.
Re: tired tootsies...
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I was a lucky girl (plus I whined a teeny-weeny little bit... :) ) and SLOC gave me a set for last Christmas, which took pride of place in the corner of the lounge room until we had to put up the tree this year.
I'm definately going to have to make sure I've got a decent pair of walking-in shoes when we go to Europe in July, rreading what you've been saying about your feet!
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ETA: I just checked the website and have ordered them from the Museum website to be shipped to my home at a postage cost of only 7.50GBP. Yay!!! (I didn't actually want an entire set as I don't play chess, but I did want the king, queen and bishop so that was perfect for me. Wheee!
And you will absolutely need good shoes, particularly as so many roads/footpaths are cobbles or uneven. I've seen people wear flimsy sandals/thongs and they so often break or cause injury. Better to have hot feet without blisters or sprained ankles than have a nice few days and then not able to get about.
Whereabouts are you planning to go?
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Let me see, it's Rome (with a day-trip to Pompeii), then Florence, Venice, Turin for a week of softball (maybe - the organisation is sounding worse and worse all the time). After that is Lucerne, Innsbruck (Chalet School Land!!), then Munich for the Neuschwanstein (sp?) Castle, and then home via Singapore. All in all it's a month away in Jul/Aug.
And even though I loathe wearing shoes, I know that they are essential things for what we are planning on doing, so am steeling myself for a month of it.
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Ooh, that sounds lovely! I've been too all of those European places except Pompeii and Turin so I'm very happy to talk to you about them! Boy, it's going to be hot in July though (and that's from personal experience).
I'm more than happy for us to catch up when I get home so we can chat and plan out your trip!
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I felt very much the same way, especially with all of the (not at all) subtle hints about how much the Queen and her family enjoyed the privacy and quiet of it. Still, it is lovely to be able to see it, as you say.