Doune Castle and The Holy Grail - Day 3

When my alarm went off at 5:45am, I wanted to throw it through my hotel window. Then I remembered that today was one of the main reasons we picked Edinburgh as our base.

I called Jessy's room, which was adjacent to mine, and it was clear from the gravely voice on the other end of the phone that she was as enthusiastic as I was to be up at such an early hour. Be that as it may, we got ourselves together, jumped in an Uber, and made our way to the departure point for the motor coach tour we'd booked.

The bus we were on was big. Really big. But, thankfully, it was not crowded in the least. In fact, we probably could've used a large van instead, because there were only nine of us.

Plenty of room!

Our driver and guide, though, didn't seem to mind in the least. In fact, they both seemed to prefer the smaller crowd.

Our tour guide Scott (L) and bus driver Cameron...

Our tour guide, Scott, was outstanding! He was engaging and funny, and kept us all in stitches for pretty much the entire day. I don't know what it is, but everything is just a little bit funnier when you say it with a British accent.

The first stop on our tour was to Loch Lomond. We took a 75 minute guided cruise around the loch but, to be honest, it was difficult to hear the narration. That being said, Jessy and I found our way down to a lower salon which was empty. Everyone else was sitting on hard fiberglass benches topside while we relaxed in relative luxury. It didn't take long for the word to get out, though, and it filled up about halfway through the cruise.

The relatively posh lower salon of The Silver Marlin...

Jessy, vogueing on The Silver Marlin...

As we cruised from the pier, we passed a number of privately owned pleasure craft which, presumably, would be used when it got a bit warmer. I was surprised, though, at the various levels of disrepair they were in, especially compared to how people here in the States tend to maintain their boats. Some were not bad at all, but many more needed serious attention.

Once out onto Loch Lomond, as luck would have it, it started to rain. Ordinarily, this would be a true bummer. But this is Loch Lomond in Scotland. This is the perfect environment to take boring, "ugly" rain photos and turn them into something a bit more dramatic.

Loch Lomond...

When we pulled back into the pier, we boarded our bus for our next stop, the town of Aberfoyle. If for nothing else, Aberfoyle is famous for the faeries that live in the trees.

You heard me.

Faeries.

While I can't lay claim to possessing the requisite knowledge to speak much on the topic of faeries, I can tell you about lunch. The Faerie Tree was a welcome respite from the rain, so we decided to grab a bite to eat.

Now, I don't think it's breaking news that I enjoy a good meal. While my tastes over the last couple of years have sought to include more fish and chicken, the reality is that I still love steak. And, hey, if I'm gonna' have a steak, why not have a filet mignon? And, hey, if I'm gonna' have a filet mignon, why not slice it up and put it on a sandwich because I'm in a hurry??
 

The sliced filet mignon sandwich with cole slaw. You're welcome...

Following lunch, we had to go back over to the Scottish Wool Centre (I don't have a photo, but it's an actual place) to watch the sheep herding dog demonstration. I expected to see this highly rained and vigilant canine corralling the sheep that dotted the immediate landscape, but no. Now, perhaps I should've noticed that they didn't say "sheep herding" but, rather, "sheep herding dog". The dog, in fact, played a major role. The sheep? Not so much. Instead, the dog was herding... wait for it...














Ducks.

Not what I expected, but still fun to watch!

The sheep were left alone, although they did come by and say hello.

When the demonstration was complete, we boarded our coach once again for what was, for me, the primary purpose of booking this tour: Doune Castle. Located in the Stirling district of central Scotland, Doune Castle was originally built in the 13th century, and rebuilt in its current form in the mid 1400's.

Doune Castle...

You've probably seen Doune Castle, even if you've never been to Scotland. It was seen in the 1952 movie Ivanhoe with Elizabeth Taylor, as well as in the the television series Outlander and Game Of Thrones.

Perhaps no use of the castle is more famous, however, than in the 1975 movie "Monty Python And The Holy Grail".

In fact, Doune Castle was used for not only the scene above, but different parts of the castle were used to depict different castles through out the filming of the movie.

Various rooms around the castle were featured in the movie. The song and dance routine "Knights of the Round Table" was filmed in the Great Hall, and the servery and kitchen appear as "Castle Anthrax", where Sir Galahad the Chaste is chased by seductive girls.

The Great Hall at Doune Castle...

Part of the kitchen, which served as Castle Anthrax...

The Lord's Hall which, so far as I know, made no appearance in Monty Python And The Holy Grail...

I have to admit, I got a real kick out of walking through the rooms where the movie was filmed. I have no idea how many times I've watched it, but this visit serve to make the next time I watch it even better.

We had a bit of a ride back into Edinburgh and, truth be told, my feet were getting tired. So, we climbed back aboard our swank motor coach and left Doune Castle in the rear view mirror.

If you're wondering if you should do a tour like this, I'd highly recommend it. I don't care what country you're in, the guides will keep you informed not only about the sites you're stopping at, but as well as what you see along the way. We were given a history lesson we wouldn't likely find anywhere else. 

For £42 per person, I thought it was an absolute bargain...

Edinburgh - "Hop On/Hop Off" (Day 2)...

Our second day of the hop on/hop off bus started with our first stop at St. John's Episcopal Church and the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert.

St. John's is a relative newcomer with regards to churches in Europe. Construction was started in 1816 and the church was formally dedicated in 1818. It's not the most ornate church I've ever been in, but it's fancy enough, to be sure.

The ceiling in St. John's is pretty extraordinary...

Standing not far from St. John's is the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert. If St. John's is a toddler in the realm of European churches, St. Cuthbert's is a newborn, having not been dedicated until the year 1894. That being said, there has been a place of worship, in one form or another, on this spot since, it's believed, the 8th century.

The Parish Church of St. Cuthbert...

One of the things that makes St. Cuthbert's unique is that it's set far from the street, surrounded by its grave filled church yard. It's also set well below street level. I was actually taken aback by how (for lack of a better word) plain the inside of this church was. Don't get me wrong; it was very nice, but with the exception of the apse, it's almost pedestrian compared to other area churches. What this church does have, though, that others do not, is a Tiffany stained glass rendering of David going to meet Goliath.

This is one of only three Tiffany windows in the entire United Kingdom...

The interior of St. Cuthbert's...

We'd purchased the two-day, mega tour bus ticket from Edinburgh Bus Tours. I highly recommend using this as your preferred way to get around town. Not only do you get to see a lot, but you save a ton on cab fare. Of course, if you bring your daughter with you, much of your day will be spent just waiting to be told where you're going next.

Jessy Parr: Wingman and tour director extraordinaire...

I know I keep saying it, but I love these buses. The ticket we bought allowed us to ride any of three buses which did different routes throughout the city. We decided to go ahead and switch from the City Sightseeing tour bus to the Majestic tour bus, and head over towards the water. We were able to see the Royal Yacht Brittania, but we opted out of the tour. Instead, we found our way over to Leith, which sits north of Edinburgh along the coast of the Firth of Forth.

We started at Gladstone's Bar. We pulled our bar stools up and ordered a couple of beers.

 

 

As we walked along, it became pretty clear that this definitely wasn't the tourist part of town. It seemed more the place for locals, although that didn't deter us. We had ourselves a nice, leisurely walk into the center of town and opted for a late lunch at The Granary. The food was excellent, as was the atmosphere and, because of my previous experience the day before at breakfast, I opted for the Chicken Balmoral, which is basically two halves of a chicken breast stuffed with haggis. It was absolutely delicious, and highly recommended. Plus the staff is pretty stellar, too.

Chicken Balmoral, tomatoes, green beans, Dauphinoise potatoes and a whisky au jus...

We decided we would start winding our way back to our hotel, as we were taking a motor coach tour the next morning and it would be leaving much earlier than we had been waking up. We just didn't want to chance anything. We took the "hop on/hop off" back to Waverley Station, grabbed some snacks to take back to the hotel, and picked up an Uber. We'd had a good day, and from the looks of the itinerary, the days were only going to get better...

Edinburgh - "Hop On/Hop Off" (Day 1)...

The first thing on our agenda was breakfast. We found our way down to the hotel restaurant and found before us a glorious "Scottish breakfast", which included baked beans, black pudding and stewed tomatoes. Thankfully, they also had regular "we gotta' feed the tourists" items like fried eggs, sausage and hash browns.

Well, it IS the most important meal of the day...

What they also had on the buffet line was something I'd sworn for years I would never try. It's that dish you've never actually seen, let alone tasted, and if you're anything like me you've successfully navigated your way through every renaissance festival you've ever been to without being accosted by it. But there it was.

Haggis.

It's not as bad as you think...

There's not a single thing in the Wikipedia description of haggis which makes it sound the least bit appetizing:

"Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now often in an artificial casing instead."

Aw, yeah, serve it up! 

In all honesty, though, it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd been led to believe. You'll never find it on a buffet line in the States but, if you find it one a buffet line in Scotland, give it a shot. It's not going to kill you, and you might find that you actually like it.

Following breakfast, we grabbed an Uber down to Waverley Bridge, where we would buy our "hop on/hop off" bus ticket. As I've said countless times in the past, this is seriously the best way to get around a city. If nothing else it'll save you a mountain of money over taking taxis all day long.

On our way over to the bus stop, we walked down into Waverley Station, the main rail station serving Edinburgh. A continuing renovation has made the station a lot more passenger friendly, serving millions of travelers every year.

Waverley Station in Edinburgh...

Jess and I weren't getting on a train, though. Our primary reason to stop here was to see the Booking Hall. It's definitely an impressive sight.

The Booking Hall. Photos don't don't do it justice...

Once on the bus, we decided to do one full tour without disembarking. This would let us see what was out there and give us an idea of where we'd want to check out a bit more in depth. The entire circuit around the city takes about 75 minutes.

Our first stop was at the Grassmarket. Once upon a time this area was a main market in town. The area now is populated with shops, restaurants and pubs. We decided to stop at "The Last Drop" for lunch. The pub's name doesn't come from anything having to do with how much ale is left in your mug, but rather the fact that, starting in 1660, the Grassmarket was also the sight for public executions in Edinburgh. "The last drop" could certainly have also been  reference to the fall through the gallows for the condemned.  It, like so many other pubs and restaurants, are believed to be haunted. The Last Drop is believed haunted by a young medieval girl, although there's no information about her beyond that.

This explains it all...

 

Inside The Last Drop. And, yes, people really do wear kilts here...

Scotland, and certainly Edinburgh, have some excellent local beers...

After lunch we walked back out into the Grassmarket, which is cordoned off to traffic and is open to pedestrians only. It was bright and sunny teeming with people, as you would expect on such a gorgeous sunny day (which can be rare in Scotland). As we strolled along, we came upon the spot where the gallows stood, and which gave the period between 1661 and 1668 the name "the killing years" as, along with the daily executions, over 100 Covenanters (member of the Scottish Presbyterian movement) were executed.

This small monument, about ten feet in diameter, is believed to be where the hangman's gallows once stood...

From the Grassmarket we continued on and made a left onto Victoria Street, which was built between 1829 and 1834. As you come around the corner, the first thing you notice is "the nose". It's difficult to miss a pair of giant "Groucho Marx" glasses hanging above the street, and that's exactly how the proprietor of the Ahahaha Joke & Novelty Shop wants it.

Not everyone appreciates "the nose"...

In 1996, however, the idea was initially rejected by Edinburgh Council for being too big, and detracting from the atmosphere of the area which, admittedly, is quite different than a giant nose and glasses hanging above the door of a store. Nonetheless, the Council relented, the proprietor prevailed, and now the nose is proudly displayed above the door of the shop.

As you walk up the street from Ahahah, it's impossible to miss the multi-colored storefronts on your left. These have resulted in Victoria Street being one of the most photographed areas in all of Edinburgh.

Victoria Street...

We decided to walk back down to the Grassmarket to pick up our bus. Our next destination would be Castle Hill. Castle Hill is where you disembark to visit the mammoth Edinburgh Castle. As it was already going for 4:30pm, we decided to wait to visit the castle until later in our trip, but that didn't stop us from venturing up and having a look. The castle is large enough to be seen from just about everywhere in the city.

The entrance to Edinburgh Castle...

Not wanting to ruin the visit we would make in the ensuing days, we instead turned down the Royal Mile, a major shopping and dining district, and find our way down to St. Giles Cathedral, which has served as one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for over 900 years, and the current structure dates from the 14th century.

While it was certainly nice enough on the inside, I thought it was odd that I had to purchase a "photo permit" , for £2, to take pictures. I've photographed countless houses of worship over the years, and this was a first. If you do this, though, beware: The staff does absolutely nothing to ensure that you're actually able to take photos, to wit: Some blockhead stood in the very center of the church, taking panoramic photos of the entire church, for almost 20 minutes. My view is that, if they're going to charge you for the pleasure of taking photos, the staff could at least be somewhat proactive in helping you do just that.

St. Gile's Cathedral...

Looking towards the entrance of St. Giles...

We worked our way back into the newer section of the city (known as "New Town") and decided it might be time to make our way back to our hotel. While walking down Prices Street (one of the main drags in Edinburgh), we walked past one of the most visible monuments in all of Edinburgh: The monument to Sir Walter Scott.

The monument to Sir Walter Scott...

At 200 feet six inches, the tour bus guides will tell you that it's the largest monument in the world dedicated to a writer. Well, it's not. Don't get me wrong, it's large, but it's not the largest. The largest is in Havana, Cuba honoring Jose Marti.

An Uber ride got us back to our hotel, and it wasn't long before we called it a night. Day two on the "hop on/hop off bus" would come early...

Welcome To Edinburgh...

We flew from Jacksonville, Florida to Chicago, Illinois where we would have a four hour layover. Hey, that's not an uncommon thing with international travel, but it can be a hassle sometimes. We grabbed some lunch and watch the world walk by, on its way to its connecting gate.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Terminal C...

Our first two full days in Edinburgh were spent in and around the city, on the "hop on/hop off" bus that I've become such a fan of. I did this in Dublin last year and in Rome last year and, I gotta' tell ya', if nothing else it beats the Hell out of paying for taxis. But it also takes you to some of the more popular sites, too, so it's definitely worth it. We opted for the two day ticket, which would allow us to take three different tour routes, for £24 per person.

The day we arrived, though, we took the bus into downtown after getting settled into our hotel rooms and resting from the trip. It cost a whopping £3.40  piece round trip. Neither Jessy or I slept very well on the flight from Chicago, so it was a most welcome nap. 

We may have gotten off the bus a bit too early, but it gave us the chance to walk around the area a bit. We soon found ourselves near St. Cuthbert's Church, with its ancient graveyard (or "kirkyard" in Scotland) overlooked by the looming Edinburgh Castle. Our visit on this first half day would be restricted to outside, as the opening hours for St. Cuthbert's, and the adjacent St. John's Episcopal Church, had long since ended.

One of the hundreds of massive tombstones in the graveyard of St. Cuthbert's...

Edinburgh Castle affords a 360° view of Edinburgh...

Jessy looking all fancy after our graveyard visit...

 

St. Cuthbert's, with Edinburgh Castle lit, high above, in the background...

After a while, we decided to go find a pub to grab a beer and maybe a bite to eat. Our search, primarily due to Jessy's due diligence, found us at Captain's Bar. 

Captain's Bar on South College Street in Edinburgh...

 

A small neighborhood bar in the college district, there was an obvious absence of Scottish millennials and no shortage of older Scots who were there enjoying the "one singer, one song" open mic kinda' thing they had going on. It was a lot of fun and, if you've not sat and listened to traditional Scottish or Irish music with a pint in your hand, brother, you haven't lived. It's an absolute blast and this night would prove to be no different. Captain's Bar had no food, but there was plenty of tasty, local brew to choose from.

Yours truly enjoying a  locally brewed Captain's Ale (Photo by Jessy Parr)...

As the pub didn't have food, we found a late-night shawarma stand that was serving up some amazing food, and very inexpensive...

Tasty schwaramas for a late night dinner...

As it was too late to get the bus back to the hotel, we opted for an Uber which, thankfully, are ridiculously plentiful in Edinburgh. The next two days would be spent in full "tourist mode" and we'd need to be well rested...

The Next Big Thing...

In 24 hours, I'm going to be halfway across the Atlantic, on my way to Edinburg, Scotland. This will be my last international travel for a while.

Why am I going? Well, first, why not? Second, it's a target rich environment for a photographer. And, last (but certainly not least), I'll be traveling with my daughter. Her birthday is at the end of this month, so I told her we'd take a trip together.

She wanted Scotland.

What I'm most looking forward to is the fact that she and I are, to no small degree, of the same mindset. Like me, she's a photographer. She's also a vlogger who has over 23,000 followers on Instagram. We're going to travel well together.

I'm most looking forward to our visit to Rosslyn Chapel a week from today, but I'm also looking forward to finding those quirky little out of the way places which tourists tend to miss. I think Jessy will dig that, too. She's kind of a quirky chick.

So here we go! Eight days in Scotland should be a blast!

Italy - Epilogue...

Traveling to Italy by myself was, most certainly, an adventure.

Would I do it again? Probably, yeah. While there were certainly times when I wish I'd had a traveling companion, I really enjoyed not having to worry about what itinerary items someone might or might not want to have on their agenda. Sure, that may be selfish, but it served its purpose for this trip.

Italy's not unlike the United States. You have your large metropolitan areas like Florence and Rome, but you also have your small, off-the-beaten-path towns like Anguillar Sabazia and Pescara. Both cities and towns provided a wealth of photo opportunities on this trip. But there's plenty to keep in mind when you're traveling in Italy.

Some undeniable truths about Italy:

• Unless you go to India, Italy is the most densely crowded place you will probably ever visit. Between the almost four million people who live in and around Rome and the millions of tourists who visit every year, well, you see the issue. Give yourself time and don't rush. Italy has been there for thousands of years; it's not going anywhere.

• You shouldn't drive if you don't have to. Driving in Italy, and especially in places like Rome or the road to Amalfi, is pro-level stuff. The mass transit systems in the cities are excellent, and you can get anywhere else you want to go by a very well developed rail system. 

• It's entirely possible to go through an entire day in Italy and not find anyone who's able to converse with you in English. Be ready for that. Be prepared to order off the menu and not be 100% sure what you'll be having for lunch. For me, though, that's part of the fun of a trip like this.

• You'll want a good pair of shoes. Italy, and Rome especially, entails a great of walking, and much of it will be on roads that are cobblestone, dirt, rock; anything but pavement. A pair of shoes with a nice, stiff sole are preferable to shoes which are overly-cushioned.

• You need to be ready, willing and able to deviate from your itinerary. I had my entire trip laid out, and then the weather decided to upset the entire plan. Not only was I changing what I was doing from one day to the next, but I was even changing what I would do from one hour to the next. I never expected to end up on the roof of the Altare della Patria, yet, there I was. Like ordering mystery food off the menu, this is something which I think also adds to the enjoyment of a trip.

• Italians are friendly. I didn't run into a single person in Italy who was rude or had that "I can't be bothered" attitude. I found Italians to be helpful to a fault and, if they couldn't be, say, due to a language issue, it was pretty clear they wanted to be. They're as excited that you're there as you are to be there.

• You need to take a cab at least once. The cabbies I had (I took a cab twice) were funny, gregarious, and made sure I enjoyed an "E-ticket ride" through the heart of Rome. When you're riding in a cab, you pretty much get all of the excitement of driving in Rome without any of the insurance concerns.

• You will take a bath if you exchange your currency in Italy. Actually, this is true for just about anywhere. Online currency converters give you a general idea of what the exchange rate is, but that's not what you'll get. Generally speaking, you'll get anywhere between 5-15% less than you expect when you exchange oversea, depending on where you do it. And, when you want to convert your currency from US dollars to Euros, you absolute need to have your passport with you. This is non-negotiable. I found this out the hard way.

I'm sure if I sat here and ruminated a bit longer I could come up with more. But these are the things which are at the forefront of my mind at the moment, so I wanted to mention them. Italy is a great place, with great things to do, great places to go, great things to see and great food to eat.

Enjoy all of it because, well, why not?