Hi again everyone! So sorry that it's been a month since my last post. This past month has flown by and I really can't believe that I've been in England for two months now. Where does the time go?
I've been a very busy bee the past month since my last post. My very good friend Laurel came to visit the second week of May. We did quite a bit of traveling and we have the British national rail system down pat! Our first adventure was to York, England which is a short 25 minute train ride away from Leeds. York is one of the oldest cities in England and is a walled city that was founded by the Romans in 71 AD. In additions to the Romans, the city was also inhabited by Vikings and became a very important city for the Viking kingdom. When we got there, we walked around the city for a few hours and then checked into our hotel. During our walk, we stopped at the chocolate museum. York is home to many famous chocolate and candy brands like Kit Kat, Smarties, Rolo and the Chocolate Orange. It was very informative (and delicious)!
One of my colleagues from work lives in York and enjoys giving tours of the city. He met Laurel and I after our chocolate tour and gave us a 2 hour walking tour of the city. Our last stop was York Minster, one of the most renowned cathedrals in the world. It's the largest cathedral north of the Alps and the construction started in 1220. We stayed for the Evening Song mass where the boys and girls choir sing the Book of Common Prayer.
In our planning, we decided to spend the night in York and then the next day continue on to Edinburgh for a few days. The train ride from York to Edinburgh was about two and a half hours but the views on the way are breathtaking because the train route is on the eastern coast so we could see water for a good portion of the trip.
We didn't have much planned for Scotland other than our hotel. We found a hotel on Jetsetter called the Hotel Missoni. Yes, that Missoni. Who knew that the iconic Italian brand got into the hotel business? Apparently, there are only a few Hotel Missoni's in the world. It was one of the best decorated hotels that I've seen, and typical Missoni. One of the best things about the hotel is that everything in the mini bar and all of the movies on the TV are complimentary! Laurel and I enjoyed quite a few cans of free Diet Coke.
As soon as we checked in we freshened up and took a walk around the Royal Mile, which was literally right outside our hotel. The Royal Mile is a street with shops, restaurants, and tourist traps. At the top of the Royal Mile is Edinburgh Castle. We are suckers for castles! We spend a couple of hours stolling and took in some beautiful views.
Laurel and I love castles, but we may love hop-on, hop-off bus tours more. Whenever we travel together, we always do them because it's a great way to get oriented to a city and figure out what spots you want to explore some more. We randomly stubbled upon the Scottish Parliament building on the tour, and decided to get out to see some more of it. It was designed by the Catalonian architect Enric Miralles (for those of you who know about architecture, that probably isn't a surprise looking at the building!).
Edinburgh was a great experience but I won't forget how cold it was. At one point, Laurel and I were walking back to our hotel when it started to hail! In May. Despite the weather, we had a great time and now I can cross another country off the list.
We couldn't leave Scotland without having some scotch! I won't get into the detailed conversation that Laurel and I had trying to figure out exactly what scotch IS, but we knew we had to have it. Our last night in Edinburgh we had dinner at Ondine, a restaurant next to our hotel. The waitress gave a good after dinner drink recommendation, so we went with it!
After Edinburgh, we took the train back to Leeds. I worked for the next couple of days before Laurel and I went to Dublin to meet up with some other friends. Check out the next blog post for Dublin details!
I've been a very busy bee the past month since my last post. My very good friend Laurel came to visit the second week of May. We did quite a bit of traveling and we have the British national rail system down pat! Our first adventure was to York, England which is a short 25 minute train ride away from Leeds. York is one of the oldest cities in England and is a walled city that was founded by the Romans in 71 AD. In additions to the Romans, the city was also inhabited by Vikings and became a very important city for the Viking kingdom. When we got there, we walked around the city for a few hours and then checked into our hotel. During our walk, we stopped at the chocolate museum. York is home to many famous chocolate and candy brands like Kit Kat, Smarties, Rolo and the Chocolate Orange. It was very informative (and delicious)!
In front of the wall surrounding York
Selection of Kit Kats over the years
Laurel and I in front of the wall near York Minster
One of my colleagues from work lives in York and enjoys giving tours of the city. He met Laurel and I after our chocolate tour and gave us a 2 hour walking tour of the city. Our last stop was York Minster, one of the most renowned cathedrals in the world. It's the largest cathedral north of the Alps and the construction started in 1220. We stayed for the Evening Song mass where the boys and girls choir sing the Book of Common Prayer.
Sign for the shortest street in York
Outside of York Minster
Inside of York Minster
In our planning, we decided to spend the night in York and then the next day continue on to Edinburgh for a few days. The train ride from York to Edinburgh was about two and a half hours but the views on the way are breathtaking because the train route is on the eastern coast so we could see water for a good portion of the trip.
We didn't have much planned for Scotland other than our hotel. We found a hotel on Jetsetter called the Hotel Missoni. Yes, that Missoni. Who knew that the iconic Italian brand got into the hotel business? Apparently, there are only a few Hotel Missoni's in the world. It was one of the best decorated hotels that I've seen, and typical Missoni. One of the best things about the hotel is that everything in the mini bar and all of the movies on the TV are complimentary! Laurel and I enjoyed quite a few cans of free Diet Coke.
As soon as we checked in we freshened up and took a walk around the Royal Mile, which was literally right outside our hotel. The Royal Mile is a street with shops, restaurants, and tourist traps. At the top of the Royal Mile is Edinburgh Castle. We are suckers for castles! We spend a couple of hours stolling and took in some beautiful views.
View from Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Scottish Parliament building
Inside Scottish Parliament building
Edinburgh was a great experience but I won't forget how cold it was. At one point, Laurel and I were walking back to our hotel when it started to hail! In May. Despite the weather, we had a great time and now I can cross another country off the list.
We couldn't leave Scotland without having some scotch! I won't get into the detailed conversation that Laurel and I had trying to figure out exactly what scotch IS, but we knew we had to have it. Our last night in Edinburgh we had dinner at Ondine, a restaurant next to our hotel. The waitress gave a good after dinner drink recommendation, so we went with it!
After Edinburgh, we took the train back to Leeds. I worked for the next couple of days before Laurel and I went to Dublin to meet up with some other friends. Check out the next blog post for Dublin details!
I have so much to say..
ReplyDeleteLike: why are you wearing gloves? I also love hop-on hop-off bus tours. And is the peppermint patty also from York?