Saturday, November 03, 2018
2018 Autumn
September 2018
Scott's Birthday
Lunch at Blaze with Isaac and me
Then an evening of Fortnite Playing with his friends
Birthday Cake celebration from Lacrosse during practice
For 2 great coaches!
Liz's Birthday
Flowers from Mom Linda
Gifts from my Darci
Lunch and a Movie Date with Shannon
Gifts from my Heather
Fall Ball Lacrosse for Chloe
Isaac and I heading to the games
nice sunny day with the jeep top off
Ok...maybe a little too sunny
October 2018
Chloe's Palm Beach Atlantic Recruit Weekend
Friday October 5th - 7th
Chloe is very interested in Palm Beach Atlantic University. She was given the opportunity to join the team and their 8 new recruits for next school year and 2 others from Chloe's class year. Also a nice get-away for me!
Girls even got to wear official uniforms with the team
Chloe was team White in #12 top row 3rd girl in
Enjoying the Men's Soccer team and the Sunset
Tour of Tampa University and Lacrosse Clinic
Sunday October 14th
I took Isaac on a tour of this Campus 2 years ago and thought it was quite lovely. They've improved everything here... many more buildings and updates. Plus more athletic offices and facilities. A new lacrosse field as well!
While Scott and I were away on a trip we missed 2 BIG events...
Chloe's 17th Birthday
Chloe had her final Fall Ball Lacrosse Day on her birthday
I got this picture via Snapchat
She's always having fun at the field!
Isaac's gift to her... NF Concert
They had a really great time!
Chloe's Homecoming
Chloe got ready and took a few pictures with Grandma and Isaac then off to the park to take some pictures with her Best friend Ashley and brother Tyler
What's Next....
On the way to airport to get rid of mom and dad for a few days... does Isaac look too happy about that?!?!
Scott and Liz on the way to an exciting adventure...
London
Saturday October 20th and Sunday October 21st, 2018
We stayed at a hotel right near the train station, because we were heading out to Scotland the following day by train.
It was very hard to get used to crossing the streets since the traffic was all in different directions. Your minds muscle memory was working overtime!
Lovely Looking Train Station
Many of the old buildings had Clocks on them
Careful Crossing the Street...wrong way!
Hop On and Off Bus in London
We took this all over town to get around
Also used the 'Tube' like the metro/subway
Equestrian Statue of Charles the 1st
Trafalgar Square
Chalk Art
This was every flag and and people were putting coins on their flag
Bikers on road just like the cars and actually following the road rules
Admitalty Arch
Street Down to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
One lonely Guard
I rang the bell, but because all these other people were around they didn't let me in to visit with the Queen
Just a few hundred people walking about
Grounds right by the Palace
St. James Park
To get an idea of how HUMONGOUS these pelicans are that seagul next to it was not at all small!
Parliament
Westminster Abbey
This is only one side of the Abbey where the tourists come in
I'm at the bottom of Photo
The line was long, but it went fast to get inside the Abbey
This is the other side of the Abbey where you exit the tour
Big Ben
Ben's Clock Face
Whitehall Gardens
Benjamin Franklin's Home
Original floors inside the house
Original Fireplaces
They didn't have furniture that was left to our imaginations
Beautiful Stairway Carvings
This is an original stove in the home of Ben Franklin which they later turned into a woman's bathroom (you can see the sink to the right of the picture)
Statue "Boudiccan Rebellion"
Westminster Pier
Westminster Bridge
Across The Bridge a bit of a more downtown feel
St. Paul's Cathedral
Sunday October 21st
Robert Clive Memorial
Memorial
Imperial War Museums,
Churchill War Rooms
Line to get in
We came back 3 times before we actually got into the building. The lines were SO LONG! Twice the first day.
Most things still inside and kept for people to view
Original lockers
After the bombs
10 Downing Street Door where the Prime Minister Churchill lived
These rooms are in their orginial condition and as you can see there is a large map on this wall below and there's a doodle of Hitler one of the officers drew on it....
Dates of launched bombs..coming and going
Kensington Palace
I'm a bit of a dork when it comes to Britsh Royalty and History...
I get very excited!
Queen Victoria
If you did not know a small part of her history she became Queen when she was 18 until she died. She was Queen for 63 years. She had 9 Children and was married to her love Prince Albert.
Queen Victoria and Albert
The etchings, paintings, railings every detail was wonderfully done and kept up well for as old as it is.
A entertainment room
you could see the dots in the floors were their shoes had made indents over time
Not a bad view from one of the living rooms
Look how grand the doors are!
A ceiling painting
The fireplaces were all very different
Another Ceiling painting
Kensington Gardens
Time for the Bus
Famous Harrods Shopping
Wellington Arch
Unity Diner
Vegan Restaurant
I found them on Instagram before they opened officially and found out they'd be open by the time we were in London so it was on the top of my list for lunch
Raw Tacos
Cauliflower Wings
Scott's Seitan Chicken Burger
Potato Wedges
Liz's Surge Burger
Time to rush back to pick up bags at the hotel and figure out the train station so we don't head to Hogwarts, but head to Edinburgh (they do look very similar). If you are familiar with Harry Potter you will know that the train platform is 9 3/4 is at Kings Cross Station in London where we were catching our train. I believe we ended up on platform 7 though!
Treat for the 5 hour trip
Edinburgh, Scotland UK
Monday October 22nd to Friday October 26th, 2018
We arrived almost 10pm and most restaurants were closed, but we found an Italian place not far from our apartment style hotel and got a bite to eat.
Fountain Court Royal Garden Apartments
Morning came and Scott headed to work while I took on the city
Day 1
Sir Walter Scott Memorial
Royal Mile
From the Castle gates to the Palace gates the street is almost exactly a mile long and runs downhill between two significant locations in the royal history of Scotland, namely Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, hence its name. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is the busiest tourist street in the Old Town, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town. (from Wikipedia)
Edinburgh Castle
View from the top of the hill in Castle parking area
St. Columba's Free Church of Scotland
St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption
This is the church the Queen goes to when she's in Scotland visiting
New Parliament House
Which isn't used for Parliament anymore...it was used in 1639-1707
Nelson Monument
Commemorating Nelson's victory at Trafalgar
Dugald Steward Monument
Iconic memorial to Scottish Philosopher built in 1831
Museum of Edinburgh
This was free and bigger than it looks from the outside. I thought I'd be in there 30 minutes and spent over hour in there.
Scottish Parliament Building
Built in 2004
I toured inside here it's open to the public. Very modern to be in such an old part of town it really looks out of place.
When you come out of the Parliament building to your right is this beautiful hill called Holyrood Park. In front of the Parliament building is Palace of Holyroodhouse also known as the Queens Castle.
Holyrood Park is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) to the ... Arthur's Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh, is at the centre of the park, with the cliffs of Salisbury .... Other geographical features include the Haggis Knowe, Whinny Hill and Hunter's Bog, which drains into St Margaret's Loch. (from Wikipedia)
About that time to head to the hotel and catch up with Scott and we had some daylight to enjoy a nice walk up Calton Hill
Day 2 I've purchased a 48 hour bus pass to go all over on 3 different buses plus some tickets to places I wanted to tour
The Royal Yacht Britannia
This was one of my favorite parts because I'm a bit of a 'geek' when it comes to the 'old' royals
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is the former royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the globe. Now retired from royal service, Britannia is open to visitors and is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Over 300,000 tourists visit the yacht each year. (Wikipedia)
Amusing old photograph from 1961 of all the men crew sunning themselves
My Selfie on the bridge about to board the Yacht
It as an ice cold wind that about blew you off your feet
The Queens Rolls Royce she would take on her trips
To get it onto the ship into the spot to secure it for travel they would have to remove the bumpers
The Deck where they had their fun
Right inside off the deck was this area with a small bar and games
Hallway to the Royal Families bedrooms
The Queen's Bed Room
All original items, photographs, sheets, furniture, etc
There were family photos along the walls that were original to the ship so that not only the family could enjoy them, but also the crew
Philip Duke of Edinburgh's Bed Room
He didn't want floral sheets in his room so they are different from all the others
Royal family Bed Room
Captains Kitchen
Office
Sleeping Quarters
Officers Dining Room
A Bar for the Officers
Some of the Crew Quarters
The Royal Band also came with the Queen on her Travels
Another Lounging Area For Officers
Some of the more important officers rooms
Mail Room
Doctor and or Dentist office on board
Can you only imagine with all that crew and the Royal clothes how much laundry is done on this yacht
The silver and dish room
In the Dining room they had in glass cases items they received as gifts from many of their travels on the yacht from all over the world
Dining room Table behind me in my selfie
The Queen's Office and Sitting Room
Philip Duke of Edinburgh's Office and Sitting room
Entry area of main ship for Royals
Living Room of the Royals
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Built in 1671-1678. It is the official residence of the British monarch Queen Elizabeth. She visits in June every year and holds a garden party. Whenever the Queen has engagements in Scotland she will do many of them within the palace walls. We were able to tour old state apartments, the room of Mary, Queen of Scots, the Throne room, a dining room (which is still used by the royals today) and the Great Gallery room which is used to entertain and when the Queen gives out awards. Inside there are beautiful tapestries, old furniture, art work, jewels and much more. We couldn't take photos inside though. Outside at the Palace Gardens we could as well as the court yard and the Holyrood Abbey.
Guards Box
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Reformation the Palace of Holyroodhouse was expanded further. (Wikipedia)
The Gardens where the Queen has her yearly Summer Garden Party
Not as pretty in the Winter
Back on the Tour bus to rest my feet and listen to some more history
This is the Grassmarket
Known for as a historic place to sell and trade livestock and such
Also as a place of Execution!
PUN INTENDED
Bar named 'The Last Drop'
like in a hanging of execution
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
This was directly across the street from where we were staying and it was free
This was painted on a piece of porcelain
could fit in the palm of your hand
Library
Day 3 in Scotland off on another adventure!
Edinburgh Castle
Two days before I had just looked at the parking area, the outside of the castle and such outside now it's time to go into the walls of the Castle...
Some of the Prison Cells
Real Etching on the doors from prisoners
Scottish National War Memorial
This is still inside the castle walls
The Great Hall
Yes, Still in the Castle Walls
Dog Cemetery inside the Castle Walls
Cannon Ball
Views from the top point of the Castle
St. Margaret's Chapel
Founded in 12th Century
This is so small only 10ft wide by 16ft long
Off to the Bus again and ride it to
The National Museum Of Scotland
This place was so huge with so much to see I think you'd need a month or more
Woolly Mammoth Bone Tusks next to a adult sized elephant
Dolly The Cloned Sheep
Portable Guillotine
I was told this museum had the best views of the city from the 7th level roof top and so I went to check it out...not too shabby
Then back out to venture the streets
A statue of Bobby is right near the pub and people touch his nose for good luck
Day 4
Scottish National Gallery
I LOVED this...portraits inside portraits it just amazes me
Cain and Able
Walked around town snapping pictures here and there (just in case I didn't get enough of them)
No stroller needed for this kid
Also went to
The Peoples Museum
I walked around University of Edinburgh and picked up a shirt for Isaac
Time to say goodbye to Edinburgh
On the train ride back to London we had some daylight so we got to see part of the countryside. It was full of farms and even sea shore area.
October 27th
London England
"Take Two"
We visited London on the front side of our trip and the back because there was so much we wanted to see and couldn't do it all in such a short time. I think another day or two would have been nice, but alas we had to come home and back to work.
Bite to Eat
We decided to scare ourselves half to death by taking
The London Bridge Experience
It was terrifying and I think our hearts were racing for a hour afterwards
Off to the market we stumbled
Plenty of Vegan Options
Scott got himself some Indian Food
Heavenly Sight ... Avocados!
I got me the Beiruti Falafel Wrap...
it was amazing!
The Shard
Built in 2009
72 floors
1,016 feet
(for reference the Empire state building is 1,224 feet)
Walking about the city
The plants along this staircase were pretty cool
Tower of London Bridge
You can see the Tower of London across the water
We toured inside of the Bridge
They had some glass floors in the bridge and it was a LONG WAY DOWN
Glass below us
This picture is pretty cool if you look closely
There's a mirror on the ceiling so I'm taking a selfie and the mirror shows me standing on the glass over the bridge with a walkway below and the river!
More walking about
Time to Tour the
Tower of London
Medieval Castle
The Ravens of the Tower of London are a group of at least six captive ravens which live at the Tower of London. Their presence is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the tower; a superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it". Wikipedia
Toilet inside the Castle
Old Tour Guidebooks
Time to Hop back on the Bus
Not our bus, but super old looking
Oh My Gosh...
So Cold
One last look at Buckingham Palace
21 years Married...I think we're up for some more!
