Jonathan's journal entry for today states simply: "last night was noisy and bad".
A construction crew was working all through the night in the Mall that adjoins the hotel. They got really noisy around 2am and just as I had my hand on the phone to yell at reception... the fire alarm went off. We trooped outside with the other guests and if I thought Edinburgh was cold during the day it had nothing on the temperature at night! After the fire department cleared the building we headed back to bed and about 30 minutes later just as we were dropping off the construction crew started back up. But hey, enough of the wah wahs and anyway it gave me an reason to try out my earplugs :)
The next morning we caught a taxi to the airport and had our first chatty taxi driver experience.
We flew BMI who do a use a very painless self check in system using kiosks. This meant there were no queues unlike the other airlines. After a 2 hour flight to Heathrow we landed 25 minutes early and took the tube to our hotel in Earls Court, The Mayflower. We had booked this on a last minute hotel website after we sensed some tension with Simons flatties.
By this time our clothes had got a bit smelly so we spent the afternoon at the local laudrette watching clothes go round and round.
Later we met Simon and Toby at Leicester Square and had a pint in a pub before having a quick dinner in an Itallian Restaurant in Old Compton Road.
After dinner it was time for the long awaited 'Spamalot'! It was hilarious, a mix of the Holy Grail and lot's of new bits with catchy songs like 'Find Your Grail'. We had balcony seats which were up in the clouds and on a steep angle above the stage, it didn't matter though as the show was designed really well to be visable from above.
After the show we headed back to our hotel. Our room has very lavish furnishings but is so tiny was can't actually open out suitcases, we have to take turns opening them on the bed! It does have a nice view however and a cute little balcony. The last two hotels are both 4 star but the one in Edinburgh was more like a 6 star in comparison to The Mayflower.
Showing posts with label Edinburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edinburgh. Show all posts
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Edinburgh - Britannia and Holyrood
We awoke to a freezing cold but sunny day in Edinburgh. Went searching for some gloves for my poor frozen hands. Bypassed the fancy stores and eventually found some at 'Pound Mania' at 2 pairs for a quid - nice eh?!
We then caught 'The Majestic' bus out to the port area of Leith to where the royal yacht Britannia is moored. It was tricky to find as you had to go through a large mall and the signage was crappy! The Britannia tour was included in our bus ticket.
The tour was interesting, the royal areas were quite spacious but some of the crew areas were very cramped. We were given some very weird audio guide devices that looked like mobile phones circa 1980 or large plastic beating devices.
From the Britannia we jumped back on the bus to Holyrood Palace. The audio guides here were much better with lots of good info. The Palace is very cool as it is still in use by the queen during summer. Jonathan's favourite spot was the beautiful ruins of the Abbey at the back of the palace. Amelia's favourite part was the hall where the Queen knighted Sean Connery.
From Holyrood we walked back up the Royal Mile stopping at the Museum Of Childhood. This is full of cool old toys and best of all is free, as most of the museums and galleries in Edinburgh seem to be.
We finished the day with dinner at a cute little Thai restaurant in Craig's Close (not very Scottish but hey :)
We then caught 'The Majestic' bus out to the port area of Leith to where the royal yacht Britannia is moored. It was tricky to find as you had to go through a large mall and the signage was crappy! The Britannia tour was included in our bus ticket.
The tour was interesting, the royal areas were quite spacious but some of the crew areas were very cramped. We were given some very weird audio guide devices that looked like mobile phones circa 1980 or large plastic beating devices.
From the Britannia we jumped back on the bus to Holyrood Palace. The audio guides here were much better with lots of good info. The Palace is very cool as it is still in use by the queen during summer. Jonathan's favourite spot was the beautiful ruins of the Abbey at the back of the palace. Amelia's favourite part was the hall where the Queen knighted Sean Connery.
From Holyrood we walked back up the Royal Mile stopping at the Museum Of Childhood. This is full of cool old toys and best of all is free, as most of the museums and galleries in Edinburgh seem to be.
We finished the day with dinner at a cute little Thai restaurant in Craig's Close (not very Scottish but hey :)
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Edinburgh - Whiskey and Wine
Our second day in Edinburgh started with a nice sleep in to take advantage of no flatties! After a extensive breakfast in the hotel we went to the information centre and purchased a Royal Edinburgh ticket which covers 48 hours of travel on the 4 hop-on hop-off buses plus entry to the Castle, Holyrood Palace and The Royal Britannia.
We started from Waverly Station with the Edinburgh Tour bus on a 1 hour circuit of the city with live commentary. Our guide, Kay, was a very knowledgeable if slightly crazy Scotswoman. We stayed on the bus for part of a second circuit to get to Edinburgh Castle.
The Castle is awesome with panoramic views over the city. The weather was so clear we could see out past the city to the Firth of Fourth. The oldest surviving part of the castle is from the twelfth century with lots of additions over the years like new walls and cannon batteries. We spent around 2 hours wandering around the castle taking in the Scottish Crown Jewels (The Honours) , the Great Hall and going deep into the castle to the old prisons.
Our bodies have by this time eased into a pattern of eating just breakfast and dinner with an afternoon pot of tea. So we stopped for nice hot tea, which is served in the UK in litre sized mugs, and lemon shortbread. After this we headed off to The Scotch Whiskey Experience.
It was pretty cheesy but started well with a free dram of whiskey in a souvenir glass. The Experience ends with a ride that traces the history of whiskey and then it's time to hit the whiskey bar! We told the barman that we were Bourbon drinkers so were recommended 3 whiskeys to try - Monkey Shoulder (a 3 malt blend), Cameron Brig ( a single grain) and The Balvene (a single malt matured in port barrels).
After heading home for a change of clothes we decided to treat ourselves to a traditional Scottish meal at Dubh Prais (pronounced 'Doo Prash'), a lovely romantic restaurant in a cellar off the Royal Mile. The food was really fantastic, you'd be proud of me Mum as I had the haggis! It was served fried in oatmeal with a whiskey and leek sauce and I was surprised to find it was absolutely delicious. Jonathan had the potato and leek soup. For our mains Amelia had chicken and Jonathan had Angus beef. The food was so good, and encouraged by a bottle of Spanish wine, we went into the kitchen to thank the chef who seemed genuinely delighted.
We staggered home in the cold across the North Bridge, half pissed but feeling warm and content inside.
We started from Waverly Station with the Edinburgh Tour bus on a 1 hour circuit of the city with live commentary. Our guide, Kay, was a very knowledgeable if slightly crazy Scotswoman. We stayed on the bus for part of a second circuit to get to Edinburgh Castle.
The Castle is awesome with panoramic views over the city. The weather was so clear we could see out past the city to the Firth of Fourth. The oldest surviving part of the castle is from the twelfth century with lots of additions over the years like new walls and cannon batteries. We spent around 2 hours wandering around the castle taking in the Scottish Crown Jewels (The Honours) , the Great Hall and going deep into the castle to the old prisons.
Our bodies have by this time eased into a pattern of eating just breakfast and dinner with an afternoon pot of tea. So we stopped for nice hot tea, which is served in the UK in litre sized mugs, and lemon shortbread. After this we headed off to The Scotch Whiskey Experience.
It was pretty cheesy but started well with a free dram of whiskey in a souvenir glass. The Experience ends with a ride that traces the history of whiskey and then it's time to hit the whiskey bar! We told the barman that we were Bourbon drinkers so were recommended 3 whiskeys to try - Monkey Shoulder (a 3 malt blend), Cameron Brig ( a single grain) and The Balvene (a single malt matured in port barrels).
After heading home for a change of clothes we decided to treat ourselves to a traditional Scottish meal at Dubh Prais (pronounced 'Doo Prash'), a lovely romantic restaurant in a cellar off the Royal Mile. The food was really fantastic, you'd be proud of me Mum as I had the haggis! It was served fried in oatmeal with a whiskey and leek sauce and I was surprised to find it was absolutely delicious. Jonathan had the potato and leek soup. For our mains Amelia had chicken and Jonathan had Angus beef. The food was so good, and encouraged by a bottle of Spanish wine, we went into the kitchen to thank the chef who seemed genuinely delighted.
We staggered home in the cold across the North Bridge, half pissed but feeling warm and content inside.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Edinburgh - And In Transit
After packing up or stuff we said goodbye to Simon and his flatmates and headed to the King's Cross Station to catch our train to Edinburgh. The GNER was impressively quiet and fast. The only drawback being this made taking photos extremely tricky! You'll just have to take our word that the scenery was lovely! It felt good to get a glimpse of the sea once we got into Scotland. There was some exciting moments when we passed an oncoming train as there would be a sudden slam of pressure and a rush of air for the few seconds it took the other train to pass.
Four and a half hours later we arrived in Edinburgh at Waverly Station and made our way to The Thistle in Leith Street. This was quite a hike as Edinburgh has a lot of ups and downs especially compared to London.
We checked in around 3pm and headed off for a walk along Princes Street, cutting across into the Old Town by the National Gallery. Edinburgh is quite breathtaking with its beautiful old buildings and streets. There are lots of tiny narrow alleys, called Closes, running up and down the hills between the main streets with great names like 'Fleshmarket Close'. A big park sits in the gully between the Old and New Town areas which is also where the trains run into the huge Waverly Station.
Although the sun was shining in the clear blue sky, the wind was bone chillingly cold! But we braved the chill and wandered down the Royal Mile looking for a place to eat. We knew it was a sign when we spotted a pub called The Tass, (Amelia's Grandpa's name) and sure enough they had the best prices we had seen with £6 Monday night dinners. We both chose the steak mince pies with chips, beans and gravy ( and you were worried we'd eat at McDonalds Megan!). Even better the pubs in Scotland are smoke-free so the meal was undisturbed by smoke.
After dinner we walked back up the Royal mile and over the North Bridge back to our hotel for an early night.
Four and a half hours later we arrived in Edinburgh at Waverly Station and made our way to The Thistle in Leith Street. This was quite a hike as Edinburgh has a lot of ups and downs especially compared to London.
We checked in around 3pm and headed off for a walk along Princes Street, cutting across into the Old Town by the National Gallery. Edinburgh is quite breathtaking with its beautiful old buildings and streets. There are lots of tiny narrow alleys, called Closes, running up and down the hills between the main streets with great names like 'Fleshmarket Close'. A big park sits in the gully between the Old and New Town areas which is also where the trains run into the huge Waverly Station.
Although the sun was shining in the clear blue sky, the wind was bone chillingly cold! But we braved the chill and wandered down the Royal Mile looking for a place to eat. We knew it was a sign when we spotted a pub called The Tass, (Amelia's Grandpa's name) and sure enough they had the best prices we had seen with £6 Monday night dinners. We both chose the steak mince pies with chips, beans and gravy ( and you were worried we'd eat at McDonalds Megan!). Even better the pubs in Scotland are smoke-free so the meal was undisturbed by smoke.
After dinner we walked back up the Royal mile and over the North Bridge back to our hotel for an early night.
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