Travel Blog 16: EDINBURGH

*those written in bold letters are from Nnylanna’s notes and i (Piberg) wrote the rest.

*those written in italic letters are non-english words.

12 October 2011

DAY6

My dearest sister's birthday,  Happy Birthday Dongsaeng!!!  *that's younger sibling in korean... at least that's what i think it means*  i hope this will be as memorable as the one you had 2 years ago(during our Japan and China tour).  My wish for you... that you may have more fun holidays^^ Thank you unnie ^^ *that's older sister in korean... but more importantly...since when have we become korean???

okie, back to blog business... Bill our tour director turned us over to a local guide *i totally forgot his name*  who was appropriately attired in the Scottish National/Traditional Costume,  The Kilt.  Dont ask me if the rumor about the kilt is true,  i didn't ask...and i didn't look ...waaaaaaaaaaa... as if! toinks!!!^^

1st Stop:  started the day with a tour of EDINBURGH CASTLE.  A medieval castle located on top of a volcanic rock.  AWESOME sight!  it sits majestically overlooking the city below it.

...since the castle sits on top of a hill,  you can catch a glimpse of it from afar and as soon as i clapped eyes on Edinburgh Castle,  i knew it is a very special place.  The huge volcanic rock where it was built looks almost black with a randomly chiseled texture that only nature can create...

                                                                                
...this is my short vid of the view from Castle Rock,  The Esplanade,  The Half Moon Battery(the round building with cannons) and the area immediately after the entrance...

...and here are the pictures from inside the castle complex...                                                                         

Robert the Bruce and Sir William Wallace

                                                                 

                                                                                

… inside its like a building complex where the structures are built on different levels, very much dependent and adapting*I assume* on the terrain of the rock on which it was built.   The oldest building on this castle complex and I understand, in the whole of Edinburgh is St. MARGARET’S CHAPEL(1^st picture below)…

… this is the SCOTTISH NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL building…

…another important fixture in this castle complex is the MONS MEG,  a 6-ton 15^th century cannon made in 1449 and now on display outside St Margaret’s Chapel…

that's Joy sticking her head inside The Mons Meg ^^

...here’s my short vid featuring The Scottish National War Memorial and the Mons Meg.  Nnylanna, Joy, Josie and Sue are in this vid…


…this is CROWN SQUARE the main courtyard of Edinburgh Castle. It dates from the 15th Century and was built on the south-facing slopes of castle rock. It was originally known as Palace Yard but was renamed after the discovery of the Scottish Crown Jewels in 1818.  from here you can see The Royal Palace…

...here's my video of Crown Square...

...The Scottish Crown Jewels or The Honours may look shabby compared to the vast and uber flashy collection inside the Tower of London,  BUT,  it is steep in history and is The Oldest Set of Crown Jewels in the British Isles...

...anyone who wants to see the Scottish Crown Jewels should get past this guy first ^^...

...of course,  taking of photos is prohibited inside the room where the jewels are displayed.  so please make do with these images that i found in the web*all credits to the owners of these photos *

...this is how it was displayed inside the castle*i wonder if this picture was taken with permission*... 

 …this is the Interior of The GREAT HALL …

… here’s my short vid of The Great Hall and I think you can spot Nnylanna and Sue on this video ^^


i think that's about it for Edinburgh Castle.  The place is pretty amazing,  and i mean REALLY amazing  don't you agree?  

The Gang posing for posterity with our local guide @ The Esplanade

2nd Stop:  THE CITY OF EDINBURGH.  The ROYAL MILE… is a mile long succession of streets that starts from Castle Rock*where Edinburgh Castle sits* down to the Holyrood Palace*official residence of the Monarch of the UK in Scotland* in the Old Town.  Walking on this street makes me feel like I’m on the set of a dark and gothic period film.  We had a wonderful time walking this street…

…the tall and dark spire is a famous Royal Mile fixture called,  THE HUB,  the highest point in central Edinburgh.  Looking at the picture… it is actually as dark and as gloomy as it looks up-close,  which is just the way I like ‘em ^^… 

…the city itself was very impressive… it has a lot of character.   It is not the same as some of the European cities in mainland Europe that I’ve been to.  Hence, the reason why I like it.  the other European cities are more on the ostentatious side and I found Edinburgh more imposing.  Luv every corner of this city …FYI,  if you look closely at these old buildings from The Old Town,  you’ll notice they all have something in common…  the façade all have this black’ish color in them.  Because winter in Scotland is long and intense,  the black color came from the usage of coal as a source of indoor heating in the old days.  You can actually see chimney’s on the rooftop of these buildings… there’s sooo many of them.  that practice*use of coal* is now outlawed, of course ^^…

 

…I’m having trouble breathing just thinking about how thick the haze must have been… lung disease… waaaaaa*cough, cough, cough…*  in fairness,  it added to the unique charm of this place today.  anyway,  i have this nagging feeling someone*cough Nnylanna cough* wanted to get a hold of a generous amount of soap and water and scrub the place clean!  ….hehehe… I remember her saying that Venezia is only nice in pictures ‘coz the place smells*bad* because of the stagnant water… that she wanted to scrub the walls of the old buildings AND… she doesn't know what the fuss is all about with Piazza San Marco when all she can remember of the place is that it stinks from bird poop ^.^

We had my sister’s birthday lunch with The Gang at a local pub that was highly recommended by Bill…Not exactly sure what the name of this place is… at the entrance it says WETHERSPOON, and right above it is says THE STANDING ORDER… or is that the name of the building?...

…The place is famous for its “Cullen Skink” soup,  made of smoked fish, potatoes and onions.  YUMMY… I could tell that the place is  popular ‘coz it was full house and  I assume most were regular patrons.  And yeah,  the soup was… lovely*as our Brit friends would say^^*…

…We also ordered a big platter of seafood and chicken.  As usual,  lively conversation with friends… The food was actually good in this place that I’m beginning to think that the Scottish palate is not as bland as those of the English…

…The Gang were divided in where to go after lunch.  Group 1 with Rhodda, Angie and Sue opted to go to some  sort of a display house and guess which group we have joined… correct,  of course the souvenir shopping group with Joy and Josie. I could be wrong but I think the display house was in one of these…

…That was a nice “shopping street” that we went to.  Its called PRINCES STREET.  The street has no buildings on the south side for a panoramic view of the Old Town, Edinburgh Castle and the valley between.  This is Princes Street… 

 shopping @ Princes Street

…Anyway,  these items are what we bought in one of the shops there.  Since that trip,  I have already worn that red hoodie and the apple green hoodie we bought in Cambridge when I went to Macau earlier this year but I have yet to go somewhere realllly freezing cold to be able to wear that pink plaid “sherpa hat” made from wool…

Back at the hotel at 2:45pm.  A really funny thing happened on our way back to the hotel.  Our driver for some reason could not get us back there.  we can see the hotel from the freeway but we were going in circles and unable to connect to the right road leading to it.  we were a bit worried as we only have a few minutes to change for tonight’s dinner. Lol^^  I’m not sure if it was our usual driver Terry who was behind the wheel at that time or his reliever*in Britain, the law requires that drivers cannot work beyond so-so(?) hours… haaay… the perks of working for a 1^st world country.  Somehow,  my thoughts are on our poor jeepney drivers* anyway back to topic,  we DEFINITELY circled that place at least 4 times before getting it right and it was not even a short drive either… haizzz *face palm*

3^rd Stop:  BRITANNIA.   HMY Britannia*HerMajesty’sYatch* is moored? stationed? anchored? parked?  Nooo, certainly not parked… hehehe… wellll,  the yatch can now be accessed  via the Britannia Visitor Center within a shopping center in Leith, Edinburgh in a place *a mall actually* called Ocean Terminal… 

…this is the Britannia Visitor Center. It’s like a mini museum of everything Britannia…

Rushed for a quick change then headed off to do a tour of the royal yatch “Britannia”.  Used to be the official yatch used by the royal family but has been decommissioned a few years ago as it costs the taxpayers almost half a million pounds a day when in use.  It was recently used as the venue for the wedding reception of Sarah Philips,  Princess Anne’s daughter.  that bridge/enclosed skyway*photo below* is where you enter the yatch…



...this connects Ocean Terminal Mall to the yatch...

...the "kids" waving like a "royal" ^^...

 .  ...my guess is that, this is the room where the captain drives(?), maneuvers(?), controls(?), sails(?) *whatev* the yatch ^^...

...the "bow" as viewed from the Upper Deck"...

...i cannot explain the connection of this vehicle to this yatch, but its there and its a vintage RR so, no explanations needed^^...

… The yatch was nice but not grand.  I was surprised, but then I thought… very typical”Elizabeth Regina II’s thing”… i guess my sister wrote that comment after seeing this room*below*... the furnishings does look really simple tbh...

...The Britannia Bell...

...Queen Elizabeth II's bedroom...

...the bedroom of Prince Philip,  the queen's husband.  why does it say "Duke's Bedroom"?  because The Duke of Edinburgh  is one of the many titles conferred to the reigning queen's consort.

...dont ask why they dont share a room... they just dont BUT,  see,  there's a connecting door between the two rooms ^^...

...the room used by Prince Charles and Princess Diana when they spent their honeymoon on Britannia...

...The Family Room"

... the private dining room of the royal family...

...the silverware and fine china that the royal family uses when dining at the yatch..

...The State Dining Room...

...the Sitting Room of the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, a.k.a. The Duke of Edinburgh...

...the Sitting Room of The Queen...

...not exactly sure what this part of the yatch is called... the Living Room maybe?...

*just realized the entire "Gang" made a cameo on this vid except for me of course... Orz...*

...this is "The Royal Barge".  Just recently,  during Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Celebration, i saw on live TV broadcasts The Royal Barge carried the British Monarch as she cruised along the River Thames.

…here’s another part of the yatch.  There’s somekind of an entertainment room,  crew quarters and even a candy shop^^

…Since this yatch consists of several floors,  they designed the tours where there is only one entrance and oneexit for the tourists to avoid chaos and confusion.   You enter from the top floor going all the way down and guess where tourists have to exit… if youre a “seasoned tourist” you should know the answer to this one… YES,  the souvenir shop! *they certainly know our weakness^^*  we ended up buying 4-5(?) shopping bags of shortbread cookies in this really nice box with matching English tea in a nice canister… I’m a happy tourist with that buy ^^ PANIC buying of pasalubong*presents* at the Britannia souvenir shop.  Nice packaging.  Just like when we toured Japan and China,  we had to hand carry all of these all the way home.

4^th Stop:  Dinner at THE HEIGHTS RESTAURANT in Apex International Hotel.   The night ended with a nice 3 course meal (sea bass for main course) at the top floor of the hotel facing the castle.   YES,  this is the reason why I am now wearing a girly-girly dress…  its My  BIRTHDAY and we’re going out to dinner in the city ^^  the view from this restaurant is to die for!  Check it out…

…the food is surprisingly good*I thought we’re only paying for the view... which often times is the case with these fancy restaurants^^*.  Because Tita Angie is an expert on seafood *she lives in that part of the Philippines where seafood is in abundance*,  she said the sea bass is fresh and I luv,luv,luv the dessert.  here’s our menu…

A great birthday dinner for Piberg.  The Gang gave her a card and the whole tour group sang Happy Birthday to her delight.  as we stood up to leave the place after dinner,  The Gang started to sing Happy Birthday and now our whole tour group joined in.  did I forget to mention that there were 2(?) other tour groups on the same restaurant that night and by this time,  everybody’s attention are now on me*facepalm*… good thing being “shy” is no longer an adjective that can be attributed to me.  Awkward maybe, but not shy ^^ Although... once upon a time…  I was verrry shy… believe it or not! ^^ haaay,  Nnylanna and I have no photo or vid of this,  but I still have the card ^^  The Gang we’re so cool… Joy wrote her greetings in Tagalog(Phil Language),  Tita Dors wrote hers in Spanish,  Sue wrote hers in Hangul(Korean),  Josie wrote hers in French and Tita Angie wrote hers in Gaelic(a Celtic language native to Scotland)… Greg and Chris who shared the table with Joy and Josie that night also wrote in the card in Aussie English.  Thank You Guys… that was sooo sweeet ^^

Back at the hotel really late, tired, and still have to do the nightly “housekeeping” duties ^^  that was a memorable birthday for me… Im really really really blessed ^^ I better stop there before I get all sentimental and cheesy ^^  unless I over spazz on a particular place AGAIN,  the next entry should be the final one in our UK Tour.  Next stop will be… GRETNA GREEN,  GRASMERE, CHESTER, WREXHAM, SHROPSHIRE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, BROADWAY(TheCotswold), CARDIFF, BATH, WILTSHIRE, SALISBURY… whew… that was long ^^.  No worries as most of this are short stops… tada…