Edinburgh: Scotland

It was so great here on the first time through, that we decided to spend a couple more nights here on the return trip.  We arrived mid way through Scotland vs South Africa, so everything about town was pretty quiet with most glued to the telly.  The Scots were flogged, so it stayed pretty quiet.  We expected a little more merriment and revelling, but alas, not this time.

On Lochness we got chatting to a fellow Aussie who had also arrived in Inverness via Edinburgh, and one of the first questions he asked us was whether we had visited the Britannia.  We hadn’t, so this morning we headed over to visit Queen Lizzie’s royal yacht even though it’s been ‘retired’ since 1997.  This is the yacht that Princess Margaret, Charles and Diana, Andrew and Fergie all honeymooned on.  Strange thing is that Lizzie and Phil designed the yacht to have separate sleeping quarters (with single beds) and the first double bed didn’t arrive on the yacht until Charlie and Di honeymooned on it.  Britannia is still used today for corporate functions and whatnot.  We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering aimlessly through the streets of Edinburgh.  Some pics.

Inverness: this is Bond (on the right!), cousin to Yapping Dog

Royal Yacht Britannia

Britannia deck where all the Royals used to frolic

The lost sailor...

Grand dining room that seats 54 aboard Britannia

Where Lizzie and Phil would have a pre-dinner drink

View from Britannia

Christmas decorations starting to come up everywhere...

Edinburgh Castle

Goodnight from Edinburgh

So we head off tomorrow morning, next post probably from London, until then keep your feet dry.