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A highlight of our stay in Edinburgh was the Edinburgh Yarn Festival, a four day event featuring some of the best wool in Europe and beyond. The festival has only existed for seven years but it has rapidly become one of the biggest yarn and knitting events in Europe. There were lots of vendors as well as informative displays, plus a huge room with tables for people to sit and knit and to compare fabrics and designs. The festival is held at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, a century-old building that was actually used as a grain market at one time.

Carrie attended all four days whereas Charlie attended the first and last days. We also attended a “knit night” dinner a couple of nights at the Akva Swedish beer garden near the University of Edinburgh.

We wandered around Edinburgh on some days and explored some of the sights in this wonderful old city. One day we took the bus to the west side of the city and explored Donaldson’s School. Charlie had spied this ornate old building from the trolley and wondered what it was. After some research we discovered that it is the former Donaldson’s School for the Deaf, built in 1851. The school building was closed in 2003 and the school was moved to a newer building. The old building was put up for sale and it is now being renovated into luxury condominiums, ranging from a studio apartment option for £250,000 to a 3 bedroom apartment for £1,695,000. A new adjacent section has also been built, incorporating the crescent style that is common in Edinburgh’s established neighborhoods. These new condos range from £950,000 -​ £1,925,000. We went on a Sunday afternoon when the realtors were holding an open house, so we were able to get a glimpse of the new condos. (Click on the links in the paragraph to view the stunning model home interiors!)

On another day we walked around Princes Street Gardens, the site of the old lake below the castle and for the past two centuries repurposed as an urban public park. The main Edinburgh shopping district is adjacent on Princes Street, and it includes the famous old Jenners Department Store, established in 1838. Nearby we toured the Georgian House in Edinburgh’s New Town, an area that was developed beginning in the mid-18th century as a new residential neighborhood for the city’s wealthy. One of the finest old Georgian homes has been preserved and maintained in the style of that period. It was interesting to see the grandeur of the period and to learn about the strict protocols that governed social interactions among the wealthy. Everything from the style of dress to the food served at dinner parties had to live up to the exacting standards of the wealthy class.

On one nice spring day we visited the Royal Botanic Garden. Edinburgh has maintained this green urban park in its current location since 1820, moving at that time from a location near Holyrood Palace that had been in place since 1670. The garden hosts an impressive array of plant species, many of which were beginning to bloom for the springtime. We also saw a special exhibit of tapestries in one of the garden’s buildings.

We took a day trip north from Edinburgh to get a glimpse of the Scottish Highlands. Scotland’s topography is rather distinctly divided between the Highlands to the north and the Lowlands to the south. Most of the population lies in the Lowlands, with its accessible harbors and relatively flat land for farming. The Highlands region is more rural and features beautiful rugged terrain.

We began with a stop at Dunkeld, a small town at the gateway to the Highlands with a beautiful old cathedral. Nearby we stopped at The Hermitage, a National Forest park featuring spectacular Black Linn Falls on the River Braan. We had lunch in Pitlochry, the northernmost spot in our day. After lunch we stopped at Loch Tummel and Loch Tay, two of many beautiful lakes in the Highlands.

Our final stop of the day was the Dewar’s whisky distillery in Aberfeldy. We don’t know much about whisky so we thought it would be fun to take a distillery tour and learn a bit. The visit began with a taste of Scotch whisky, followed by a tour of the distillery. It was interesting to see this old facility and to get a glimpse into the history of whisky in Scotland and its importance to the Scottish culture.

Everyone who visits Edinburgh wants to see Edinburgh Castle and so did we. The castle sits high upon a volcanic crag overlooking the city. It has been there for hundreds of years and its elevated location at the top of steep cliffs provided a superb defensive position against attack. We spent several hours taking an audio tour of the castle.

The old city spread downhill from the castle. Today the road down from the castle is called the Royal Mile and it provides a number of interesting historic sites, including small alleyways that lead to secluded courtyards. The contemporary Royal Mile is also cluttered with schlocky tourist shops, so if you want to buy a knockoff kilt, a tartan scarf, or a box of fudge it’s the place to go. We strolled down the Royal Mile and had lunch at one of the pubs, The World’s End.

At the foot of the Royal Mile sits the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century. The royal family often preferred spending time at bucolic Holyrood rather than at windy, crowded, and smelly Edinburgh Castle. Today, Holyrood serves as the home of Queen Elizabeth II when she visits Edinburgh, typically for a week in early summer each year. We toured this magnificent palace as well as the adjacent ruins of the old abbey.

Scotland has two major cities – Edinburgh and Glasgow. They are only about 45 miles apart, about an hour by train. The trains run several times an hour so it’s almost like catching the subway. We took a day trip to Glasgow to see what it’s like. Once we arrived we took a hop on/hop off bus tour so we could get an overview of the city in a couple of hours. Some of the photos below were taken through the rain-splattered bus window. Once our tour was complete the rain had stopped so we walked around downtown and had lunch in an Italian restaurant.

Edinburgh has a reputation as the political and cultural center of Scotland whereas Glasgow is considered the industrial hub. For many years Glasgow was considered gritty and dirty, the center for shipbuilding and other heavy industry. A century ago Glasgow had over a million people, twice the size of today. But in the mid-20th century much of the industry dried up. Today the riverfront is undergoing modern revitalization and many of the grand old buildings remain. Many of the older sections of the city have beautiful architecture.

The Glasgow accent is considered one of the most difficult Scottish accents to understand, and we experienced it first hand. While walking downtown we passed some British communists handing out literature. A nearby older Scottish woman waved her hand in disgust and began telling us that she wishes British politics would just go away. We could barely understand her. It was almost as though she was speaking a language other than English.

Glasgow and Edinburgh have a strong civic rivalry. It is said in Glasgow that the only good thing to ever come out of Edinburgh is the train to Glasgow.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was the personal yacht of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family. Built in Scotland, it was christened in 1953 and decommissioned in 1997. It sailed all over the world and served as the queen’s lodgings in ports of call. The yacht also served as the vessel for several honeymoons in the Royal Family, and it was a favorite locale for Royal Family gatherings. They especially enjoyed summer holidays among the islands off Scotland’s west coast.

Britannia is now permanently docked in Edinburgh and is open for public tours. We enjoyed seeing this large and lavish yacht and getting a glimpse into how the Royal Family lives. Britannia had a staff of over two hundred, including a Royal Marine Band who served double duty as divers to check the hull for explosives in foreign ports. Everything had to be perfect for the Royal Family. For example, the dining silver was polished every day, fresh flowers were always on display throughout the ship, and cleaning and repairs were completed before 8 AM each day so as not to disturb the Royal Family.

The tour is comprehensive so we got to see all parts of the ship, including the royal residences, the kitchen, the staff quarters, and the engine room. The yacht even had its own rather large laundry so that every piece of fabric and clothing would be clean and pressed each day. Part of the ship has been converted into a restaurant so we had our lunch onboard.

On one of our first days in the city we took a walk around New Town, the heart of contemporary Edinburgh. New Town was a planned community designed to accommodate Edinburgh’s increasing population. It was built in stages between about 1770 and 1850, and the streets generally follow a grid, unlike Old Town which meanders down the hill from the old castle. The streets of New Town were laid out to provide sweeping views of the magnificent buildings on the hill in Old Town. New Town retains much of its original Georgian period architecture.

New Town is filled with shops and pubs so we enjoyed strolling and window shopping. We stopped outside the Queens Arms Pub to peruse the posted menu and an older Scottish lady stopped and asked if we were looking for a good pub. She recommended a couple of her favorites and we chatted for awhile. The Scottish people seem very warm and friendly. On several occasions people have stopped to chat or to ask where we’re from.

We ate at the pubs that the lady recommended and we went back to the Queens Arms for their Sunday roast, which includes roasted meat (usually beef) plus all the trimmings, including Yorkshire pudding. Sunday roast is an afternoon pub tradition throughout the UK. One of the pubs we tried on the lady’s recommendation was the Bailie Bar in Stockbridge, a neighborhood just to the northwest of New Town. It turned out to be a wonderful crowded neighborhood pub, and the food was good. The waitresses had very thick Scottish accents and we could barely understand what they were telling us. We somehow ordered some beers but we’re not sure what they were.

We took the train to Edinburgh from London, a pleasant five hour trip through the green English countryside and then along the southeast coast of Scotland. Edinburgh is an old city with a medieval castle dominating the downtown skyline, high on the top of a volcanic crag. We’ll talk more about the old city in a subsequent blog post but this post covers our new neighborhood and some of the things we have discovered there. As always in our travels, the most interesting things are the little things.

As the population of Edinburgh expanded in the 18th century the leaders planned a new section of the city to the north of the castle called New Town. Beautiful Georgian architecture and small parks dominate New Town, and many people consider it to be the most beautiful part of the city. Our apartment is in the northern part of the new area, on Elm Row in the Leith Walk district just to the north of Calton Hill (for those of you who may know Edinburgh). Our building was built around 1820 and, of course, has been remodeled with all the modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and wifi.

Our apartment is below street level, with a small courtyard at the entrance and another small courtyard in the back. Semi-basement apartments are common in older buildings throughout the UK, and they are very pleasant. Our location is perfect – off the beaten tourist path but close to anything we might want to see. About a dozen bus lines stop right at our corner.

We have enjoyed exploring our neighborhood and seeing how things are done in Scotland. The photos below show some scenes in our neighborhood. Click on the first photo to begin the slide show.

On our way to our next apartment in Edinburgh, Scotland, we flew to London and spent five days there as tourists. We had never been to London so it was an adventure to explore this beautiful city. Our hotel was in the borough of Islington, to the north of central London and not far from the Kings Cross Railway Station of Harry Potter fame. Islington is a trendy neighborhood with lots of good restaurants, which we enjoyed. Coincidentally, it is also home to a yarn store that Carrie wanted to visit. Our midwinter visit to London was like springtime, with sunny days and high temperatures around 60F. The locals were out in the parks enjoying the weather. One day toward the end of our visit registered the highest wintertime temperature ever recorded in the UK, 20.6C in Wales. The record was broken the very next day!

On our first day in London we were a little bit tired and jet lagged so we opted for an easy day and a boat cruise down the Thames to Greenwich. It was a warm and sunny day so we sat on the top deck and enjoyed seeing the sights of London from the river. Lunch was street food from a Thai food vendor in the Greenwich Market.

On another day we took a bus tour of London. Our stay was brief and London is huge so a bus tour allowed us to sample many parts of the city in a single day. London is indeed a spectacular city.

We spent a day at the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, about a 30 minute train ride outside of London. Originally a royal palace garden, Kew has been a public botanical garden for almost two centuries. It has beautiful landscaping and several large conservatories (greenhouses) that house exotic plants that would not be able to survive the harsh English climate. The gardens are a short walk from the train station through the village of Kew, and along the way we passed a small bakery selling their baked goods at an open air stall. We couldn’t resist a couple of English meat pies so we bought them and had them for our lunch as we were enjoying the gardens.

We spent one day in Westminster, near the Parliament buildings. We especially enjoyed a tour of the Churchill War Rooms, an underground bunker beneath one of the government buildings that was used for six years during the German bombing of London during WWII. The bunker had everything needed to run the government, including office space, a map room for charting the course of the war, and eating and sleeping accommodations. There is also a small museum dedicated to the life of Winston Churchill. After lunch we toured Westminster Abbey, which houses the graves of many famous British figures. Stephen Hawking, who died in 2018, is buried next to Isaac Newton. Hawking’s most famed equation describing the black hole is inscribed on his gravestone. Westminster Abbey is often crowded with tourists but we were fortunate to be there on a decidedly uncrowded day. It was a midwinter weekday, plus there was a taxi strike demonstration in the adjacent Parliament Square so the tour buses could not get near.

On our final day in London we visited the Tower of London, almost a thousand years old. It was the center of old London. During its history it has served as a royal residence, the Royal Mint, the London Zoo, a prison, and the site of many famous executions. It also houses the Crown Jewels, which are very impressive. Beefeaters in full costume provide entertaining tours of the tower grounds. Legend holds that ravens provide good luck to the tower, and a small group of ravens lives on site, with one wing clipped to allow them to fly only short distances to perch. The ravens seem accustomed to people and will perch close by. They have a distinctive guttural call.

We chose to spend the winter in sunny California. We began with a couple of weeks in the Sacramento area, which allowed us to do some chores (appointments, visiting our storage unit, etc.) and to celebrate Andy’s December birthday. We rented a house in Orangevale, across Lake Natoma from the historic Gold Rush city of Folsom. We enjoyed walks along the lakefront and we even saw bald eagles nesting in a tree not far from our house. We also had a chance to see beautiful Christmas decorations on a stroll through the upscale “Fabulous Forties” neighborhood in Sacramento. The neighborhood association goes all-out to decorate the entire neighborhood for the holidays.

We spent Christmas with our family in Camarillo. We rented a small house in Silver Strand, a half block from the beach in Oxnard, and Andy joined us there for a few days. We took along Christmas stockings and some of our decorations to make the place look like home for the holidays.

We spent January in San Diego. Carrie’s cousin lives in Las Vegas and she and her husband have a condo in San Diego that they generously let us use for a month. We drove to Las Vegas to have a short family visit and to pick up the keys, and then we were off to San Diego. The condo is on the edge of downtown so we had an urban experience, which was very pleasant considering that San Diego bills itself as “America’s Finest City.” We enjoyed the shorts-and-t-shirt weather, making it seem more like spring than winter.

We took long walks almost every day. One of our first treks was to the Tijuana River Estuary, a wildlife sanctuary at the ocean, just north of the Mexican border. The river begins in Mexico and flows northward into the US, where it empties into the Pacific. The delta wetlands are a natural bird refuge, but we didn’t see many birds on our visit. The nearby hills of Tijuana form an urban backdrop to the idyllic wildlife preserve.

We walked in La Jolla several times. There is a long walkway along the ocean front at the top of the cliffs. We looked down on sea lions and birds at the beach.

We took a day trip out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, about a two hour drive east of San Diego. We had never been to this park so we wanted to take advantage of it while we were in San Diego. The park preserves a beautiful piece of California desert land. It seemed like the Palm Springs area might have been before development took over. We enjoyed an orientation at the visitor center followed by a desert hike after lunch.

We had never been on campus at San Diego State University (SDSU) so we decided to take a walk there on a weekend when it wasn’t crowded with students. We were very impressed with the beautiful campus. SDSU is over a hundred years old and it features a number of old buildings built in the mission architectural style. Beautiful southwestern gardens are interspersed among the buildings.

Our friends Sue and Leo came to San Diego to visit Sue’s college friend, Mary, and we all spent the day at the San Diego Zoo, one of the finest zoos in the world. We had not been to the zoo in many years so it was fun to return. We also enjoyed several of our daily walks in Balboa Park, the home of the zoo. Balboa Park hosted the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, and most of the exposition buildings remain. It was a treat to walk through the park and see these magnificent old buildings.