Today we took the train to Stirling. It was a nice little town. The castle was amazing! Today was a beautiful day. Clear skies and about 65 degrees.Perfect! But the best part was that there was no wind! Kind of rare for Scotland. The bed and breakfast we are staying in is so cute. I am laying on the bright green grass and looking at the most amazing view of Edinburgh ever. The mountains are in the background with the buildings all lit up. It doesn't get much better than this. The B&B is called Highfield House and the little village it is in is called Kirknewton. It is about a 25 minute train ride from Edinburgh. In all, it was a pretty amazing day!
- The Lindners
Hi there - Melissa here. I can't really say it any better than Annie already did! She is an amazing kid! Traveling with her has been such a blessing. The other day we toured the Tower of London and they spoke about William Penn. Apparently, at the Tower of London they consider Mr. Penn to be a criminal who was asked to leave the country unless he wanted to lose his head like so many other prisoners of the Tower. So, he went to the American colonies and began the Pennsylvania colony. Well, the history lesson that day in Annie's book was about none other than William Penn who was - this time - a hero and a religious leader. Funny how the two opposing sides interperet the times! Anyway, Annie was incredibly interested in William Penn and his history and we had a good chance to talk about how there are always 2 sides to every story and the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
Today we did see Stirling Castle. It was beautiful! Quite fun. Go ahead and google it to get some pics and some history of this lovely place. Everywhere here in Scotland is lovely. If not for the winters....... Stirling is the castle where the kings and queens of Scotland and later England resided. They are in the midst of a 12 million pound renovation due to be completed at Easter of 2011, so we didn't get to see the royal apartments. However, the great hall has been renovated and it is beautiful. This is the castle that William Wallace (think Mel Gibson and Braveheart) defended in the 1200's. Afterward he became ruler of Scotland. We also saw the Church of the Holy Rude today. Rude (or Rood) is an old English word meaning crucifixion. It is the church where James the VI of Scotland, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, later James I of Enlgand was coronated as a 9 month old baby. It is the only church besides Westminster Abbey to host a coronation of an English king/queen. It was a wonderful place. Scotland is still a place where tartan plaids are worn and have meaning - each clan has it's own tartan. We saw men in kilts and it seemed right! So, next stop is London as a layover before taking the Eurostar to Paris. (That is the train that goes under the English Channel for those of you who know as much as I do!)
Hi, John here. We have seen 6 castles in the past week in England and Scotland including: The Tower of London(the sight of many beheadings), The Nottingham Castle in Sherwood Forrest, Castle Howard, The Alnwick Castle(filming sight of 3 Harry Potter movies and Robin Hood movie with Kevin Costner),Edinburgh Castle(home of the Scotish Crown Jewels, etc) and Stirling Castle(Mary Queen of Scots,King James V and VI and William Wallace). The history of the Great Britain starts to come together through the interconnecting people and events at these incredible castles. It has been a fun way to start to make sense of history dating back to the 1200's. It also helps that we have experienced many different English Ales along the way.However, we have walked many miles and have sore feet and legs everyday. So I suppose it all balances out. That's all for now
The Eiffel Tower
John, Melissa and the Eiffel Tower
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Edinburgh Scotland
Hi Everyone. I know we haven't been good about our blogging. I guess that becomes a problem when you don't always have internet service! So, here is our next post.
Yesterday we spent the day in Edinburgh. We toured the Edinburgh Castle and walked up and down the Royal Mile. We did not go in the palace at the other end of the mile. Just too much effort I guess. Also - too much cashmere! Every corner had a cashmere shop and such beautiful wares at that. We also went into the shop where they were weaving the tartan plaids. The tartans are so pretty. We found the Stewart royal tartan (remember that the king and queens after Elizabeth 1 were Stewarts, so theirs is called the royal tartan). We got some beautiful plaid scarves. The problem with cashmere and lambswool clothing is that it is incredibly beautiful and appropriate while here, but we live in Austin, Texas, so it would just be fodder for insects once we get home and I would hate for that to happen to such beautiful material. Oh well, we admired it from afar!
Today is our last day in Scotland before we begin our journey back to London and ultimately to Paris. We are riding the train to Stirling and hoping to see the Stirling Castle. It was the home of the kings and queens and supposed to be something! We are excited to see it. So, I need to straighten my hair and get going to breakfast so that we can make our train. The train doesn't care if you are there or not, so you had better be there! More on Stirling later.......
Yesterday we spent the day in Edinburgh. We toured the Edinburgh Castle and walked up and down the Royal Mile. We did not go in the palace at the other end of the mile. Just too much effort I guess. Also - too much cashmere! Every corner had a cashmere shop and such beautiful wares at that. We also went into the shop where they were weaving the tartan plaids. The tartans are so pretty. We found the Stewart royal tartan (remember that the king and queens after Elizabeth 1 were Stewarts, so theirs is called the royal tartan). We got some beautiful plaid scarves. The problem with cashmere and lambswool clothing is that it is incredibly beautiful and appropriate while here, but we live in Austin, Texas, so it would just be fodder for insects once we get home and I would hate for that to happen to such beautiful material. Oh well, we admired it from afar!
Today is our last day in Scotland before we begin our journey back to London and ultimately to Paris. We are riding the train to Stirling and hoping to see the Stirling Castle. It was the home of the kings and queens and supposed to be something! We are excited to see it. So, I need to straighten my hair and get going to breakfast so that we can make our train. The train doesn't care if you are there or not, so you had better be there! More on Stirling later.......
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Day 2 and 3- London
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Today was a long day. So was everyday but still. Our feet feel like they are going to fall off. The first thing we did today was hop on the “tube” (subway) and went to the train station to find out what time our train leaves tomorrow. We are going to Stonehenge, Bath, and Oxford tomorrow. Once we got done there, we went to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guards which was supposed to start at 11:30. We got there at 11:15 and waited for at least an hour. Nothing happened. Then we looked at the sign that said “The Changing of the Guards happens every day from spring to autumn except for rare exceptions.” Turns out that “rare exceptions” means every even day. Today happens to be an even day. Go figure. After that, we went to the Tower of London and took a guided tour through the grounds. The guy talked about all the people that had been beheaded there in the 1600- 1700’s. Our next stop was Harrods (the world’s largest department store)! Although we only bought gifts for some of my cousins, it was still fun. We mostly just played in the toy department. Very fun if I do say so myself! We searched the town for hours before finding a place to eat. In the end, the place we settled upon is called McDonalds. So American… In all, I would say it was an okay day. Yesterday was better but we still had fun today. Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough. Sitting in the hot springs in the town of Bath sounds like heaven. For those of you who are wondering, London time is 6 hours ahead of Texas time. And the temperature is about 50- 60 degrees and rainy. It is absolutely nothing like Texas weather.
-The Lindners
P.S. Yesterday we went to the Westminster Abbey, to the National Galleries where we saw some pretty (old) pictures painted by Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, and such. Then we stumbled upon a restraint owned by the Texans where we met two English girls that are now out “besties”. One played golf at Baylor even though she was born in England. Small world. We spent the whole day hanging out with them and living like locals do. They took us to a local garden and pub. It was an amazing day.
Today was a long day. So was everyday but still. Our feet feel like they are going to fall off. The first thing we did today was hop on the “tube” (subway) and went to the train station to find out what time our train leaves tomorrow. We are going to Stonehenge, Bath, and Oxford tomorrow. Once we got done there, we went to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guards which was supposed to start at 11:30. We got there at 11:15 and waited for at least an hour. Nothing happened. Then we looked at the sign that said “The Changing of the Guards happens every day from spring to autumn except for rare exceptions.” Turns out that “rare exceptions” means every even day. Today happens to be an even day. Go figure. After that, we went to the Tower of London and took a guided tour through the grounds. The guy talked about all the people that had been beheaded there in the 1600- 1700’s. Our next stop was Harrods (the world’s largest department store)! Although we only bought gifts for some of my cousins, it was still fun. We mostly just played in the toy department. Very fun if I do say so myself! We searched the town for hours before finding a place to eat. In the end, the place we settled upon is called McDonalds. So American… In all, I would say it was an okay day. Yesterday was better but we still had fun today. Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough. Sitting in the hot springs in the town of Bath sounds like heaven. For those of you who are wondering, London time is 6 hours ahead of Texas time. And the temperature is about 50- 60 degrees and rainy. It is absolutely nothing like Texas weather.
-The Lindners
P.S. Yesterday we went to the Westminster Abbey, to the National Galleries where we saw some pretty (old) pictures painted by Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, and such. Then we stumbled upon a restraint owned by the Texans where we met two English girls that are now out “besties”. One played golf at Baylor even though she was born in England. Small world. We spent the whole day hanging out with them and living like locals do. They took us to a local garden and pub. It was an amazing day.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
As We Prepare ......
We are just a few days from leaving and there is so much to do here in the states that it is difficult to completely give myself over to the excitement of this adventure. I am having friends over tomorrow for hamburgers and swimming, though I doubt if anyone will really get in and swim! Is it even worth it to do the weedeating outside? I still haven't decided that. This weekend we are going to Houston to celebrate John's dad's 83rd birthday. That is really hard to believe! 83? Wow!! We also want to tell all of our Houston kin goodbye until October. Our big kids will be there as well, so good to see them again. The following weekend we are going to College Station to move Mandi into her new apartment and celebrate her 21st birthday with her. We will have quite a crowd for dinner that night. She hates crowds, but she will endure because everyone loves her and she loves them!
The week between the two busy weekends is full of dr. appointments and workouts. We have to get them all in before we leave, but after a certain date thanks to our insurance. You must go to the dr. exactly 1 year and 1 day from the last appt or the insurance will not cover it. Someone should sue them for practicing medicine without a license. Could we sue the Congress for that as well? LOL! Sorry, just a rambling muse. So, bottom line, it's hard to focus on the upcoming trip due to all that must happen before we leave. However, we are getting excited about the whole thing. I hope you will enjoy our trip with us. Stay tuned! - Melissa
The week between the two busy weekends is full of dr. appointments and workouts. We have to get them all in before we leave, but after a certain date thanks to our insurance. You must go to the dr. exactly 1 year and 1 day from the last appt or the insurance will not cover it. Someone should sue them for practicing medicine without a license. Could we sue the Congress for that as well? LOL! Sorry, just a rambling muse. So, bottom line, it's hard to focus on the upcoming trip due to all that must happen before we leave. However, we are getting excited about the whole thing. I hope you will enjoy our trip with us. Stay tuned! - Melissa
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