Royal Yacht Britannia

One very cold and windy January morning a friend and I set out to tour the retired Royal Yacht Britannia.  The yacht was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI.  Unfortunately, he passed away just days after the commission papers reached the shipyard.  This left Queen Elizabeth at the helm to determine most of the ships needed features and decor.  The yacht was built in Scotland by John Brown and Co.  The Queen herself launched the yacht on April 16th, 1952.  During 44 years in Royal service Britannia sailed the equivalent of once round the world for each year, more than one million miles, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries for more than 700 royal visits.  It provided seclusion for four royal honeymoons including that of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones.  It hosted numerous state functions and trade missions.  The Queen has said that she feels most relaxed onboard the Britannia.  But on December 11, 1997 she and Princess Phillip retired the Royal Yacht Britannia and the ship came back home to Scotland where she now serves as a Heritage Attraction here in Edinburgh.

There is a small indoor museum detailing the history of the yacht.

A Quiet Christmas

Our first Christmas in Scotland was very slow and relaxed.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, ongoing work at the Jacob's plant has put limitations on our travel.  Because of this, we spent our holiday break enjoying everything that the Edinburgh Christmas season had to offer.  The biggest of those being the Edinburgh Christmas Market.  Edinburgh really is a magical city and it's dripping in history and culture like no where I've ever been before.  Even I've surprised myself at how much I've enjoyed living in a tourist city, but there's something surreal about walking down Princes Street as you pass the Scott Monument with Edinburgh Castle looming on the rocks above you.  That experience was enhance with the holiday cheer of the Edinburgh Christmas Market.  I had always heard about European Christmas markets, but the actual experience is much different than anything I've ever had in the US.  The market runs from mid-November until the first week of January.  All of Princes Street Gardens is transformed into a Christmas revival of sorts, with shows, rides, shopping, and food.  Oh the food!  That's what kept bringing us back again and again.  We probably visited the market a half a dozen times during its 6 week run.  The german sausage, steak rolls, prawns, and crab rolls were incredible, and couple that with Belgium waffles, crepes, and all the chocolate and we would have to waddle out to the bus stop after each visit!  We rode the Edinburgh Eye ferris wheel, found our way through the Christmas tree maze, and shopped all the Harry Potter shops.

We brought over a few Christmas decoration, but I had to order a new tree because the plugs are different here.  I ordered a reasonably priced 6.5 foot tree, and although it clearly stated the height on the box, the tree seemed to be very shy of it's description!  Brenna and I put it up one day and when Jacob got home from work he asked "Where's the rest of the tree?"  Apparently 6.5 ft in the US is not equal to 6.5 ft in the UK.

Brenna kept busy with friends over the break with Christmas parties, ice skating, and sleep overs.  We walked through the Christmas at the Botanics at the Royal Botanical Gardens, which turned out to be a dud.  While the Christmas Market was exceptional, the holiday decorations in the area certainly weren't up the standards we were accustomed to in Texas.  We paid nearly £50 to walk a mile in the freezing cold through flood lights shining up into the trees.  It was a little underwhelming.

Edinburgh Christmas Market

Halloween as a Tween

This Halloween I had a mom moment, because it was the first time I felt like the mother of teenager (or at least soon-to-be).  Every other year for Halloween I've helped her get ready, took pictures of her always fun and never scary costume, and then tagged along as she trick-or-treated with friends.  This year however, she went to a Halloween party at a friends house.  I dropped her off at school early that morning with an overnight bag and her costume.  All the girls walked home together to the friends house after school for the party where they changed into their costume, enjoyed some party games, and then went trick-or-treating together later than night.  They spent the night there and got up the next morning and walked back to school together (since Halloween was on a Thursday night this year).  So not only was it the first time that I didn't follow along behind her while she trick-or-treated, but I didn't even get to see her in her costume.  All I got was a few pics from the party mom.  And just like that I was officially ditched for her friends.  And so begins life with a teenager!

World of Illusions

Since we couldn't travel over the long October break, we spent our time enjoying some of the touristy spots in Edinburgh that we hadn't visited yet.  We spent one day touring the Royal Mile with all it's quirky shops and vendors and then visited the World of Illusions.  We walked through all sorts of crazy optical illusions that tricked the eye and the mind.  The spinning tunnel was particularly disturbing, but Brenna loved it and ran through again and again.  They have an observation deck on the roof that offered some beautiful views of Edinburgh Castle, The Hub, and the Royal Mile, along with the less the delightful gray skies that seems to plague Scotland from October until April.  

Rosslyn Chapel

Brenna had a long break in October that we had originally planned for travel.  Unfortunately, due to activities going on at the plant, we needed to stay closer to home.  So, while Jacob worked, Brenna and I went on our own adventure in search of the Holy Grail!  Really we did, but without success.  We toured the grounds of Rosslyn Chapel built in 1446. You may recognize it as the setting in which Tom Hanks decoded the cryptex in The Da Vinci Code.  The Holy Grail is rumored to be buried underneath the beautiful Apprentice Pillar inside the chapel.  Unfortunately, the most beautiful parts of the chapel, the stain glass and masonry work inside, could not be photographed.  The light coming through the intricate stain glass windows is breathtaking.  

Holyrood Palace

Near the end of September, on one of our last sunny days before the weather turned, a friend and I visited Holyrood Palace which is the Queen’s residence here in Scotland.  We caught the bus to Princes Street, where we cut through Prince Street Gardens on our way to the Royal Mile.  The Scott Monument was looking especially grand against the cloudless blue sky.

1st Day of High School (not really, but kinda)

It was the first day of S1 Senior School by Scottish measure and 7th Grade Middle School by US standards for Brenna.  She was off to St. George's School for Girls and yes, it is an all-girls school. Jacob was especially pleased with that particular aspect.  I had my doubts about an all-girls school since that concept is completely foreign to me, but the opportunities that it’s provided have been incredible.  The school is very different from any of our previous ones (this is her 6th school, poor kid).  It stretches over a large campus similar to a small college, and the girls move freely about from building to building managing their own class schedules, lunch, and free time.  It is a boarding school, though Brenna doesn’t board, and the school is divided into houses that compete in various events throughout the year, much like our very own version of Hogwarts!  Brenna loves the cafeteria and all the food is homemade.  The school does feel very homey based on the way the girls are looked after.  The uniform policy is very strict compared to US standards.  While I've never considered Brenna to be overly dramatic, the uniform did incite some very intense conversation. The idea of wearing a blazer and skirt everyday was not met with enthusiasm and I thought we might have to call the whole thing off when she found out that she had to wear the standard uniform shoes and socks instead of her tennis shoes.  They must have their hair tied neatly back and away from their face.  Also, no make-up allowed, which I didn't think would be a big deal since she doesn't wear make-up, until we discovered that finger nail polish is indeed included in the school's definition of make-up. She lamented the loss of her hot-pink nails for hours last night!

Senior 1 (S1) is the first year of high school here in Scotland.  Initially, the thought of her being a high schooler was a little unnerving.  I thought we had more time before that happened!  But, she jumped right in with both feet and joined the Charity Committee, Debate Team, Choir, Lacrosse Club, Self-Defense and Judo, and the Field Hockey Team.  And that’s after I said no to a whole list of other clubs that she wanted to join!  By far, her greatest joy has been field hockey!  It’s played on AstroTurf and has very similar concepts to soccer, except you play with a short hockey stick and a small ball.  Now we spend every weekend on the hockey pitches

She spent the week before school started in pre-season sports camp at the school showing these Scottish football girls how we play American soccer and in return they taught us field hockey!  It was a great way to connect with the other girls and she already had friends at school by the time the first day of school got here.  St. George's has certainly been a blessing for us.

Mediterranean Cruise Vacation for Brenna's 12th Birthday

I didn't want Brenna's birthday to get lost in the move, so we had a small get together with her friends before we left.  While I offered to do the usual party themed celebration, she preferred it to be nothing more than just a fun hangout, no decorations, no cake, no fuss.  There was a lot going on during that time.  Our furniture departed for the journey to Scotland long before we did and since we sold the house, we were forced out earlier than we expected and had to live in a hotel for the final week in Houston.  Given everything else I was dealing with at the time I was especially grateful for Brenna's understanding.  Knowing that her birthday would fall shortly after we got to Britain and I didn't expect we'd know anyone, we decided to plan our summer vacation as Brenna's birthday celebration.  Brenna loves cruising as much as we do and she helped me plan everything.  On her actual birthday she and I enjoyed a spa day where we got facials, manicures, and pedicures in preparation for our cruise vacation.  

The pre-birthday hangout

Sherlock Holmes Challenge

We got our first real introduction to our new hometown while playing detective.  We spent the day with Sherlock's Secret Challenge.  It's a clue-based walking tour of old town Edinburgh.  It was a true Sherlock Holmes experience that started at the birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and ended in a graveyard. We solved riddles, deciphered codes, and uncovered mysteries as we walked the cobblestone streets, enjoying all the beautiful sights, and unraveling clues that led us all over Edinburgh!  4 hours, 6 miles, and 1 detour to Five Guys later and we solved the mystery!

A British July 4th Celebration

We got an early start to our Independence Day with an invite from the US Consulate General of Edinburgh to enjoy a 4th of July celebration at The Hub.  The Hub is a beautiful old church built in 1845 and is the accent on the ascension up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle.  It's since been converted to the home of the world famous Edinburgh International Festival and the venue was stunning.  They even flew in a chef from New Orleans to cater and the jumbo was fantastic!  It definitely made for an unforgettable July 4th!

The Pentland Hills

The Pentland Hills is 22,000 acre regional park that is essentially our backyard.  One sunny morning Brenna and I packed up and spent the better part of the day hiking six miles through just a small portion of the park.  The landscape is beautiful and the sheep were happy to oblige a photo.

Malleny Gardens

During our first few weeks here, Brenna and I ventured out to Malleny Gardens which is just a mile from our house.  We didn't know it at the time, but our timing was perfect since everything was in full bloom and we got to see the gardens in it's full majesty.  

Edinburgh Zoo

Our first outing was to the Edinburgh Zoo.  The zoo is built on a hillside, so we wound our way uphill through exhibits until we reach a breathtaking view of the city.  While the zoo itself wasn't comparable to other zoos we've visit, they did have giant pandas, which is our first time to every have the privilege of viewing them.

Home Sweet Home the British Version

After a long and agonizing 6 months, Brenna finished 6th grade and we finally made the final transition of our move to Scotland where we joined Jacob.  Life in Britain is starkly different than the life we knew in Texas.  When we moved to Canada things were different, of course, but it was more of a quirky new way of doing the same old things.  That is not the case here.  Even the simplest of tasks seem to be done in a completely different manner.  Laundry, grocery shopping, and driving (oh my, driving!) have all become much more complicated.  Because my unit is a washer/dryer combo (as in, it washes and drys in the same tub, not separately) it takes on average 6 hours to complete one load of laundry.  I walk a lot or take the bus.  I generally only drive to and from Brenna’s school.  The school is less than five miles from our house, yet it takes me an hour round trip every morning for drop off and usually longer every afternoon for pick-up.   The streets are extremely narrow and there are lots of hills and curves.  Bicycles and bus stops use the same lanes as motor vehicles, and pedestrians seem to be darting across streets everywhere!  Since the average speed is 30 mph it takes forever to go only a short distance and then when you’ve reached your destination, there’s no where to park, because in a old city like Edinburgh space comes at premium and no one is willing to waste it on a parking lot.  Fortunately, there’s a bus stop just a few steps from our house.  Buses are abundant and frequent and change for “bus money” has become a priority.  

Food has been another issue in this relocation.  I certainly can’t complain about the classic British dishes served up here.  The fish and chips are delicious and I’ve even managed to fit some haggis into my culinary adventures, although I could do without baked beans and black pudding on my breakfast plate.  But I miss Chick-fil-A, Popeye’s, and TexMex!  The comfort foods we love are nowhere to be found and neither are the ingredients.  I desperately miss Rotel tomatoes and Colby jack cheese and just this week a store clerk actually laughed at me when I asked him where to find the cornmeal.  What’s Grandmaw’s chicken pie without cornbread!

Communicating has proved challenging at times.  Just for me really, because Jacob and Brenna seem to get along just fine.  I have a much thinker accent than either of them and unfortunately my southern English does not always interpret well here.  Brenna is constantly stepping in for me at checkout stands and restaurants to relay my requests.  On the flip side, the Scottish accents can be very thick and there’s also Gaelic words mixed in.  Couple that with all the British slang phrases that I don’t understand and I frequently find myself wondering if we really are all speaking the same language! 

We live in a village just outside the city center.  We were very fortunate and found a peaceful little place on the Water of Leith (we’d say river) that backs up to the Pentland Hills.  The house is named The Aspect.  It's such a lovely location.  The house is actually below the street, so if you're looking from street level you'll only see a small parking area for our cars.  You take a few steps down to our front door.  Our little hill gives isolation and serenity from the busy street above.  Every morning I wake up to the view of fluffy sheep grazing over rolling hills of green pastures.  Our garden (or backyard, as we would call it) is filled with beautiful blooming flowers and bushes.  Since I don't have a green thumb, I hope they survive our stay here. 

While there's clearly been lots of changes, it's been an amazing experience so far.  Castles are plentiful and the landscape is beautiful.  We've got lots of travel planned and Brenna is excited to start school.

The Run Down - The Last from Houston