We’re Here!!!!: Day 1 – Scotland 2017

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6 April 2017

Just before 7 AM, our plane touched down in Edinburgh, Scotland! An hour or so later, we were on the tram and heading into the city. Our friends from Australia picked us up at the Princes St station, and we went back to their hotel room to freshen up and have a cuppa. After visiting for a while, we packed the car up and drove to Ashgrove House Hotel, where we had all booked rooms for the night. Our Titanic reunion was starting early! With our bags safely stored and our rooms sorted, we headed out for a day of site-seeing with other Titanic friends.

The Britannia

We met up with seven more of our friends at the Royal Yacht Britannia, the last royal yacht of the British royal family. It is a magnificent ship. I can’t imagine playing on its decks as a child! The ship was built in Scotland, its keel laid in 1952. It launched on 16 April 1953, its name finally being revealed by Queen Elizabeth herself as she smashed a bottle of Empire wine against the hull. Britannia was born. She saw 44 years of service and is now docked in Edinburgh for all to tour.

The ship is much bigger than it looks. We took a good hour and a half or so exploring it. I don’t remember if photography wasn’t allowed, but I have very few photos of the ship and only of the outside. Other folks seem to have take tons, so check out this page for more photos!

We ate lunch in the shopping center next to the boat and then headed back to our B&B to check in. Billy and I snagged the attic room! We love getting the quirky attic rooms. They are our absolute favorite! After chatting and more tea with everyone, the two of us headed back into Edinburgh. We intended to meet back up with some friends but never found each other. Instead, we took in the city and found ourselves at the base of the Scott Monument.

The Scott Monument

The Scott Monument shoots 200 feet up into the sky and can be seen from quite a distance in the city. It is an iconic sight in Edinburgh, and we decided to walk in its direction and see what it was. Upon arrival, we realized we could buy a ticket and go in. In seconds we were inside and slowly making our way up the tight, spiral staircase.

The monument is a dedication to the renowned Scottish writer, Sir Walter Scott. It is the tallest monument to a writer in the entire world. It is impressive from the outside, towering over Princes Street Gardens with its imposing stature. Once inside, delicacy starts to take over. There are stained glass windows, wood carvings, and stone carvings, all dedicated to the works and life of Sir Walter Scott.

The climb to the top is not for the claustrophobic. The twisting stone staircase is narrow and tight. Passing other people on the stairs is tricky business, with barely enough space for two people to squeeze by each other. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy all over again. I have light bouts of vertigo every here and again, and this staircase killed me. I was dizzy and off-balance about halfway up, and Billy followed behind me just in case I fell. We made it up through the floors, the stairs getting narrower and narrower. By the time we were almost to the top, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep going. It sounds silly, but the space was TIGHT. In the end, I don’t like to give up, and I really wanted to see the views from the top, so we pushed on. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Dinner Time

Once we made our way back down the monument, we headed over to the Amber Rose Pub to meet back up with everyone for dinner. There’s nothing like dinner with international friends that you haven’t seen for three years. Laughter and stories flowed through the hours. We tried haggis for the first time (Billy loved it. Me, not so much.). We all caught up on one another’s lives. It was great fun. As dinner slowly wound down, most decided that they were going to head back to their rooms and get a good night’s sleep before having to drive down to England the next day for the reunion. My friend Heather and I had other plans.

The Elephant House

Heather and I are both HUGE fans of Harry Potter. There was no way we were going to miss The Elephant House. Tucked away in the big city of Edinburgh, The Elephant House is a tea and coffee house and restaurant. It is also where J.K. Rowling came and sat for many hours of many days and created Harry Potter. Her view every day was of Edinburgh Castle, perched high up on the hill. Just down the road sits the Greyfriars Kirkyard, where a headstone reads Thomas Riddell. She drew so much from her surroundings and it was incredible to be there.

The Elephant House was near closing when we got there, so we had a quick hot chocolate. Before leaving, Heather and I went to check out the restroom. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan or don’t know The Elephant House’s history, this probably sounds strange to you. Why would we care about the restrooms here? It’s simple. We wanted to leave our message, too.

Harry Potter fans started leaving quotes from the series and their own messages on the walls of the restrooms as a way to pay homage to the series and what it meant to them. At first, the cafe worked hard to expunge the messages but found more would appear within hours. So, they accepted that their toilets had become a meaningful, if not odd, place for Potter fans to come and leave their own mark. Naturally, we didn’t have a pen, so lipstick it was for us. We know our physical message didn’t last long, but it will always be one of my happiest memories.

We left The Elephant House and walked the short distance to Greyfriars Kirkyard. As a girl who loves cemeteries and Harry Potter, I was in HEAVEN. We poked through the graveyard for a half-hour or so, taking in the important headstones (at least to Potter fans) and slowly combing through the rest. It was definitely spooky to be there at night!

An Evening Stroll

We made our way towards our hotel and surprisingly stumbled upon the filming of Avengers: Infinity War. A huge crowd gathered in the hopes of seeing a celebrity. Our friends were pretty bummed when we told them they’d be waiting for quite some time. They were just starting to get lights set up, so we knew they were in the early stages of getting the scene ready. It was already past midnight, so we decided to move on.

Our friends walked with us till they needed to head in another direction. We hugged, said we’d see them tomorrow in England, and then walked the rest of the way to our room. We climbed the winding stairs up to our attic room and crawled into bed somewhere after 1 AM. Day 1 of our trip had been a roaring success.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy