Archive for the ‘United Kingdom’ Category

Scotland: The Road to Durness

Posted in Photography, Scotland, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , , on Friday, 25 July, 2014| 8 Comments »

Inverness was our base for a couple of days while we explored the Highlands and more specifically, the Western Ross area of Scotland. We drove about an hour to the beautiful port town of Ullapool, stopped for tea and scones then continued the long and windy (single lane) road to the North Coast town of Durness.

Ullapool Loch Broom II
Loch Broom in Ullapool

Ullapool
Ullapool Scotland

The Highlands are beautiful, clean, wide-open and for a few moments I felt like I could have been in the Rockies driving through Colorado or Wyoming. The streams and lakes are so clear and unpolluted. The air so clean!

Highlands view from the backseat
Not a bad view, even from the backseat

HIghland Cattle
The cattle were a nice change from all the sheep ~ not that I’m tired of the sheep!

HIghlands lamb peeking around the corner
One of my favorite sheep photos ~ worth a repeat

Highlands Road
Lovely roads and still two lanes

Highlands road waterfall
Along the road to Durness

Highlands Road II

Highlands Passing Place on road
The one lane begins ~ not as scary as it looks

Highland Countryside

Highlands Motorcylist II

Highland Motorcylist
We saw more than a couple motorcylists on our drive ~ must be thrilling to ride these roads on a bike

Higlands Whitewashed houses

Higlands waterfalls

Highland Free Range Sheep
Free Range Sheep

Highlands Abandoned castle

Highlands House

Highland road sign for Durness
Durness Welcome sign

It was a fantastic drive through the Western Ross to Durness ~ we stopped often to enjoy the sights but it would have been nice to have more time to hike the backcountry. I’m going to have to add Western Ross to the “must visit again” list. A list which seems to be growing exponentially. Sure wish travelling were a paying job for me 😉

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Scotland: Inverness

Posted in Photography, Scotland, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , , on Monday, 21 July, 2014| 3 Comments »

We spent two nights in Inverness but didn’t spend a lot of time in the city itself. Rather we used it as a base for our drive to the northernmost part of Mainland Scotland and to visit the Culloden Battlefield. We visited Inverness last year and chose to go back to a few of the places we enjoyed such as walking along the River Ness and going to a local park with a “zip line.”

Inverness Castle flowers
Inverness Castle

Inverness along the River Ness
Along the River Ness

Inverness Zip line at the local park
Zip Line Fun

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Scotland: Lunch in Falkland ~ a set-location for Outlander

Posted in Photography, Scotland, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , on Sunday, 20 July, 2014| 6 Comments »

Why visit Falkland? I’m a fan of the “Outlander” book series by Diana Gabaldon and heard the soon-to-be-released Starz series based on the books has scenes filmed in Falkland.

Falkland Scotland Church

In 1970, Falkland was designated as the very first conservation area in Scotland. As we drove into the town, it was easy to imagine what it must have been like centuries ago. Most of the buildings are stone and impressive on their own but the Palace and my favorite, the Parish church dominate the city.

Falkland Scotland Blue Door
Falkland Parish

Royal Falkland Palace was once the country residence of the Stewart kings and queens who used it as a base for their hunting trips ~ they hunted deer and wild boar in the forests of Fife. The Palace was built between 1501 and 1541 by James IV and James V. The architecture is advanced for Britain considering the time it was built. It also has a 16th century tennis court ~ one of only two in Britain. The other one is at Hampton Court (near London).

Falkland Fife Scotland Umbrella
At the Palace gates

Falkland Narrow cobble store streets
Falkland Walkway

Falkland Palace Scotland
Falkland Palace

Falkland Scotland Enjoying the rain
Rainy Day in Falkland

Falkland Scotland flowers and tower
Flowers in Falkland

Falkland Scotland Flowers in wheelbarrow
More Flowers in Falkland

Falkland Scotland Flowers sign The Bruce
The Bruce Restaurant

Falkland Scotland Fountain
Fountain in Falkland

Falkland Scotland stone house
Stone house in Falkland

Falkland Scotland The Smitty house
The Smitty

Falkland Dog sign
If you bring a dog into town, take heed!

It was a quick stop but I’m so glad we took the time to enjoy this gem of town in Scotland.

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Scotland: Isle of May

Posted in Photography, Scotland, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on Saturday, 19 July, 2014| 2 Comments »

If you’re looking for a wonderful day trip while visiting Edinburgh or St. Andrews, be sure to take a ride on the Osprey of Anstruther and wander around the Isle of May. Located just five miles across the water from the beautiful town of Anstruther, it’s only a 25 minute ride to the island. We spent about 2.5 hours on the island and felt like we could have stayed longer. I’ve already posted my puffin photos on a previous post and here are a few non-puffin photos.

Isle of May Logan and Patti getting ready to go
Suited up and ready for the water

Isle of May boat
The “Osprey”

Town of Anstruther
The beautiful town of Anstruther, Scotland

Isle of May Grey Seals

Isle of May close up grey seal
We were greeted by curious Grey Seals as we approached the Isle of May

Isle of May puffin and Lighthouse
As we approached the Isle of May

Isle of May National Park Reserve

Logan profile
On the Isle of May

Isle of May Angry bird protecting it's home
Bird protecting its home

Isle of May 1636 building
Building on the Isle of May (c) 1636

Isle of May Old lighthouse
Isle of May Lighthouse built by Robert Stevenson (father of Robert Louis Stevenson)

IMG_0946
Lighthouse on the Isle of May

Isle of May Logan and John in the field
Beautiful trails on the isle of May

The puffins were my original reason for booking the tour and I was rewarded by seeing thousands of them! I can’t resist sharing one more puffin photo!

Isle of May Puffin with Fish

Truly a great afternoon enjoying nature!!

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Scotland: St. Andrews Cathedral and Castle Ruins

Posted in Photography, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , on Thursday, 17 July, 2014| 1 Comment »

This was our second visit to the small but lively town of St. Andrews, UK. There were a lot more golfers around town as opposed to our wintry visit last year. We stayed at “Ogstons on North Street.” A quaint B&B right in the center of town. Very convenient and a delicious breakfast was available each morning. We also had dinner at the inn one evening – yummy!

We visited St Andrews Cathedral and the Castle ruins. It’s interesting just to wander around and read the historic sign posts. Imagining what it must have been like when it was all one building. Must have been spectacular. We especially liked the view from the top of St Rule’s Tower ~ located next to the Cathedral area. A token from the Cathedral visitor’s center is required. We climbed the 500+ stairs to the top and were afforded a nice panoramic view of St. Andrews.

St Rule's Tower looking up
St Rule’s Tower ~ looking up

St Andrews St Rule's Tower View
View from St Rule’s Tower

The Cathedral ruins are quite impressive and it’s easy to imagine the scale of the building when standing close to the main altar area. It was founded in 1160 but not consecrated until 1318. It was a pilgrimage center until 1559 when it was destroyed during the reformation.

St Andrews Cathedral ruins
St. Andrews Cathedral

St. Andrews Castle was founded in the early 1200s and sits along the coastline. It is mostly ruins but you still get a sense of what it must have been like back in the 1400-1500s.

St Andrews Castle Grounds III
St Andrews Castle grounds

The most eerie part of the castle for me was the hideous “Bottle Dungeon” – prisoners were lowered into an unlit well. Truly, there was no escape possible and I can only imagine the terror they must have felt.

St Andrews Castle Bottle Dungeon

St ANdrews Castle Bottleneck prison cell
Bottle Dungeon

There are also tunnels below the castle. These were built by reformers who killed the Bishop and captured the castle. Their attackers also built a tunnel. It was interesting to go underneath the castle but, again, an eerie adventure.

St ANdrews Castle Tunnel
St Andrews Castle Tunnel

St Andrews Castle Logan
Castle Grounds

St Andrews Castle indoors
Inside the Castle

St Andrews Castle grounds
Castle Steps

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Isle of May: PUFFINS!

Posted in Photography, Scotland, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , , , on Thursday, 17 July, 2014| 3 Comments »

Isle of May is an interesting Nature Reserve and an easy day trip from St Andrews. More to come on the details of our wonderful outing but for now feast your eyes on my favorite birds, the Puffin.

The Clowns of the Bird World…

Isle of May puffins in flight

Isle of May Puffin with tracker

Isle of May Puffin with Fish

Isle of May puffin in flight
One of these is not like the others!

Isle of May puffin in flight IV

Isle of May puffin in flight II

All photos are by me ~ it took me a while to figure out how to catch them in flight since they are FAST flyers. I smiled the entire time we were watching these fun creatures. And will definitely go back when we’re in the area again.

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Edinburgh: Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park

Posted in Edinburgh, Photography, Scotland, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , on Monday, 14 July, 2014| 11 Comments »

After a filling breakfast at Premier Inn (included in the room rate), we decided to visit Holyrood Park and hike to the top of Arthur’s Seat. We chose the steeper ascent. For some reason, I thought it would be a faster route but not so much. Just before the summit it becomes a bit steep and very rocky so good walking shoes are a must. We saw a few people in sandals struggling not to slip on the rocks. I’m certainly feeling it in my legs this evening. At 251 meters (823.5 feet) high, we were rewarded with a beautiful view from the top!

Edinburgh the hike up Arthur's Seat
Along the trail to Arthur’s Seat

Edinburgh Arthur's seat almost to the tip top
Almost to the top!

Edinburgh Ruins of St Anthony's chapel
Ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel, Holyrood Park

Top of Arthur's Seat
Made it to the top

View from Arthur's Seat
View from the top of Arthur’s Seat

And because I still can’t get over the view from our room in Edinburgh, here’s one at sunset

Edinburgh Sunset on the castle

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Edinburgh: Summertime Fun

Posted in Edinburgh, Photography, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on Monday, 14 July, 2014| 7 Comments »

I’m so excited to be in Scotland again! My last two visits (November and March) were both bone-chillingly cold. As cold as it was, I still loved being in Scotland and now even more since it’s warm and sunny!

When I booked our flight, I searched extensively for the cheapest fare with the best flight times. Ended up booking a flight on Aer Lingus which flew from Dulles (Virginia) to Dublin then on to Edinburgh. It was the Red Eye flight (we ended up taking off at 10:40pm). Luckily, we had tailwinds and the flight was only 6.5 hours! From Dublin to Edinburgh it was a little under an hour.

I’m traveling with my husband and daughter. We have different ideas of how to get “on local time.” I have to take a nap for an hour or two while they force themselves to stay awake. While I napped, they went to the top of the Scott Monument (which we did while here in March)

Edinburgh View from the Scott Monument
View from the top of the Scott Monument

Edinburgh View from our hotel room at the Premier Inn
The view from our room at Premier Inn on Princes Street, Edinburgh

Edinburgh New Tram to city center

Edinburgh on the tram
On the newly opened tram from the Edinburgh Airport to City Center

Edinburgh on Chalotte Square
Charlotte Square buildings, Edinburgh, Scotland

I’m so thrilled with the view from our room but it makes me want to just hang out and stare at it but we’re heading out to hike “Arthur’s Seat” and then to lunch with a friend who lives locally. Did I mention I’m thrilled to be here!!

Edinburg view from the room at sunset

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London: Last Day Plans

Posted in London, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , , , on Monday, 31 March, 2014| 3 Comments »

The weather in Northern Virginia has been foggy (yesterday) and rainy (today). It’s a great time to write about London and our last day in the UK.  With all I’m planning, we’ll have no time for sleeping! We can always sleep on the way home (well, at least John can ~ I’m a stay awake on the plane kind of person).

One thing I’d love to do but will have little no chance convincing John and Logan to join me: the Mad Hatter Tea at the Sanderlin. It’s a whimsical Alice in Wonderland inspired afternoon tea which sounds fabulous. This will stay on the to-do list for when I’m on a solo trip to London.

On to what we’ll do…

When we lived in London, I went on numerous London Walks tours which I thoroughly enjoyed. On a couple of the walks they would point out the Gentlemen’s Clubs of years past. Having been teased about those clubs, I’m very intrigued with Mark Rowland London Ramblings tour “The Gentlemen’s clubs of St James’s: Victorian London’s LinkedIn ” and I’ll definitely be booking the walk as soon as his July schedule comes out. Then we’ll head over to Regents Park for lunch with friends.

Regents Park Picnic

We had a picnic in the Regents Park on the day before we flew back to the states. We grabbed a couple of sandwiches from Pret a Manger and met up with friends in the park on what was one of the nicest weather days we’d had all year. We were witness to a proposal while we had our lunch ~ very romantic of them.

London Leaving Regents Park

Leaving Regents Park

Carina feeding the birds in Regents Park

Feeding Time in Regents Park

Close up of Water Fountain Regents Park

Regents Park Fountain Cover

Fountain in Regents Park

Spring in Regents Park

Flowers in Regents Park

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People Watching in Regents Park

We still have the “last” evening in London ~ the vote from the rest of the family is to spend the rest of the day in Covent Gardens for dinner and a West End show.  Now to decide which show and which restaurant. Any recommendations for a vegetarian friendly but will still appeal to a meat-eater kind of restaurant?

 

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London: Travel Plans Change, Go With The Flow

Posted in Food, London, Photography, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014| 1 Comment »

One of my previous jobs required I prepare itineraries for visiting VIPs. One thing I learned is to always be flexible ~ it’s not a matter of IF things change, but WHEN things change. Only a week into planning our UK trip and the schedule has already been turned around. Due to John’s work constraints, we’ve decided to go to Scotland first then to London.

Day One in London will now be John’s graduation event so we’ve only got the morning to ourselves. Sounds like a good day to sleep-in, do laundry (from our week in Scotland) and then enjoy lunch at Maguro, our favorite Japanese restaurant. It’s located in Maida Vale.

Majuro Sushi London

My friend, Leslie introduced me to Maguro early on and we returned frequently throughout the year. I went once for dinner but I prefer their lunch. I always opted for the Tofu Teriyaki and it was consistently delicious. So yummy that my mouth is watering as I write this…

Bento Box, Maguros, London

Maguros, London Maida Vale

Tofu Teriyaki Bento Box

Maguro is located at 5 LANARK PLACE, LONDON W9 1BT, TEL 020 7289 4353 Take the Tube to Warwick Avenue Station (Bakerloo Line) then it’s a short five-minute walk to the restaurant.  The restaurant is tiny (!) and I would highly recommended making reservations. Great food, wonderful service and intimate atmosphere ~ you won’t be disappointed.

After lunch, we’ll head to John’s graduation ceremony and then the evening reception which hopefully will be followed with a last round with friends at a local pub. I better make day two a late start as well!!

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