Our first stop on tour this morning was Hadrian's wall, which the Roman's built in 122 AD. Sections of the wall still exist. We saw people hiking it through the grassy countryside and thought it would be an adventure some day.
We didn't realize how much the Romans were part of the history of the British Isles. The stories are fascinating and too much to go into here. I hope I can remember half of it.
We drove through charming little villages with original buildings and little farms. We went up and down through increasingly bigger hills on narrow winding country roads. I felt very moved with the beauty of it all. We saw pheasants and rabbits in the fields along with horses, cows and loads of sheep.
The air was misty and the fog increased as we crossed into Scotland. We stopped to take pictures of the border and a fun bagpiper was there playing. It was so cool but the view was limited by the fog. It just didn't seem to matter.
Back on the bus, I want you to picture the sun peeking through the mist, lush green hills, baby lambs playing while their mom's watch, old stone fences, and huge, ancient trees while Greensleeves plays quietly in the background. That was our drive. We came out into valleys with thick woods, spring blossoms and bubbling streams. My heart could burst!
We stopped in Jedburgh and saw Mary Queen of Scots house. Incredible it still exists and so interesting to see how she lived. We even saw her shoe framed in a box on the wall.
Next we stopped in Melrose where we were left to explore on our own. Bob and I went to the Abby where Robert the Bruce's heart is said to be buried at his request. He is in my family tree, which made me especially interested.
Bob and I both felt chills there. Then Bob found the name William Fish as one of the soldiers listed on a monument.
It was so peaceful and yet emotional. We climbed the tower of the Abbey and stayed quite a while. It was an experience.
We bought our lunch in a bakery and sat on a bench to eat before we got back on the bus to Edinburgh.
Once we were settled in Edinburgh at our hotel, we decided to go on our own for the evening and walked the quaint street from our hotel to the beach as we admired everyone's little walled garden.
When we got to the beach, we took off our shoes and waded in the North Sea. It was great.
We ended the night in a little local Pub with great food. Bob had Shepherd's Pie with lamb and I had shrimp. We walked home in a soft rain in our perfect new raincoats and umbrellas. It was all very cozy.
This is quite long, but I have to finish with getting to the room and wanting to work on the blog. We realized that in our hurry of the morning, I had left behind our electrical converter, multiple plug, my camera battery charger and spare battery. I was sick. The director called the hotel and had it shipped on ahead of us at our next hotel. Was that lucky or what!? But I was left with no camera. Our new Aussie friends, John and Mary, jumped in and said we could use their spare camera and a Californian friend, Alice, is letting me use her cord to download pictures. Aren't we blessed! I love this tour and our new gracious friends!
We didn't realize how much the Romans were part of the history of the British Isles. The stories are fascinating and too much to go into here. I hope I can remember half of it.
We drove through charming little villages with original buildings and little farms. We went up and down through increasingly bigger hills on narrow winding country roads. I felt very moved with the beauty of it all. We saw pheasants and rabbits in the fields along with horses, cows and loads of sheep.
The air was misty and the fog increased as we crossed into Scotland. We stopped to take pictures of the border and a fun bagpiper was there playing. It was so cool but the view was limited by the fog. It just didn't seem to matter.
Back on the bus, I want you to picture the sun peeking through the mist, lush green hills, baby lambs playing while their mom's watch, old stone fences, and huge, ancient trees while Greensleeves plays quietly in the background. That was our drive. We came out into valleys with thick woods, spring blossoms and bubbling streams. My heart could burst!
We stopped in Jedburgh and saw Mary Queen of Scots house. Incredible it still exists and so interesting to see how she lived. We even saw her shoe framed in a box on the wall.
Next we stopped in Melrose where we were left to explore on our own. Bob and I went to the Abby where Robert the Bruce's heart is said to be buried at his request. He is in my family tree, which made me especially interested.
Bob and I both felt chills there. Then Bob found the name William Fish as one of the soldiers listed on a monument.
We bought our lunch in a bakery and sat on a bench to eat before we got back on the bus to Edinburgh.
Once we were settled in Edinburgh at our hotel, we decided to go on our own for the evening and walked the quaint street from our hotel to the beach as we admired everyone's little walled garden.
When we got to the beach, we took off our shoes and waded in the North Sea. It was great.
We ended the night in a little local Pub with great food. Bob had Shepherd's Pie with lamb and I had shrimp. We walked home in a soft rain in our perfect new raincoats and umbrellas. It was all very cozy.
This is quite long, but I have to finish with getting to the room and wanting to work on the blog. We realized that in our hurry of the morning, I had left behind our electrical converter, multiple plug, my camera battery charger and spare battery. I was sick. The director called the hotel and had it shipped on ahead of us at our next hotel. Was that lucky or what!? But I was left with no camera. Our new Aussie friends, John and Mary, jumped in and said we could use their spare camera and a Californian friend, Alice, is letting me use her cord to download pictures. Aren't we blessed! I love this tour and our new gracious friends!
