London and Edinburgh with Mom and Daddy

Shortly after our visit to Germany, my (CB’s) parents came over for a week long holiday! Here are a few photos of our time together and the adventures we had in London and Edinburgh, Scotland!

Anna and Erik hosted a going away/birthday party for Louise and me, respectively.

This was only a few hours after getting off the plane, I know they must have been tired.

Exploring the Royal Greenwich Observatory. We took a tour where a guy took 1.5 hours to tell us about four clocks–they were very important clocks!

All four of us standing at the centre of the world–the Prime Meridian. There’s also a laser that points into London along the Prime Meridian. On some nights, you can see it from more than ten miles away!

In front of the Cutty Sark, a tea trading ship that is now open as a tourist attraction in Greenwich.

Mom and Daddy’s first full day was a full one in Greenwich. First, we went to the Royal Observatory, home of the Prime Meridian and centuries of astrological research. It was here that the concept of longitude was developed, to help ships navigate from east to west. I had no idea long a process it was to develop this, a big part of which was creating a clock that could keep good time, even at sea. After our tour of the Royal Observatory, we headed to a pub, grabbed a traditional British dinner, and had a coffee on the Thames.

The following morning, we headed to Borough Market for some breakfast.

At Borough Market, a large farmer’s market meets gourmet market at London Bridge

And we stopped at Monmouth Coffee for a warmup–it was unbelievably cold for the middle of June!

A little love at Monmouth Coffee

While Daddy and John went to the Churchill War Rooms, Mom and I had a chance to go to Portobello Market. We even had afternoon tea at the pub in the movie Notting Hill!

Waiting for the Tube at Notting Hill Gate

After our time at the markets and museum, we headed to Westminster Pier for Mom and Daddy’s surprise–a cruise down the Thames! When I planned this, I wasn’t expecting it to be so cold! We were fortunate to have a textbook gray London day, which made it feel all the more authentic!

Mom and Daddy at Westminster Pier in front of the London Eye

On the boat in front of Parliament

: At the other end of the Thames (in London) near Tower Bridge

I love my sweet parents 🙂

The next morning was Father’s Day and my birthday. We hopped a train early in the morning and headed to Edinburgh, Scotland for a few days. Scotland is a special place for my family as we are Wallaces and recently found out that we are definitely descendants of William Wallace (Braveheart). We were keen to explore where our ancestors are from.

On the train to Edinburgh

View of Edinburgh Castle from our hotel

It was rainy when we arrived, so we settled into the pub for a quiet afternoon. Then, we headed out to a fabulous Scottish father’s day/birthday dinner!

Gourmet haggis (haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheeps’ heart, liver, and lungs). Daddy really liked it!!

After an excellent dinner…

And then we decided to walk back to the hotel and enjoy the “evening sun.”

Can’t believe it was 11pm. Look at the light!

The next morning, we took off to explore the Royal Mile–the oldest part of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Castle

: The Royal Mile!

More exploring!

After exploring the Royal Mile, including going underground to the Real Mary King’s Close, an underground street that was preserved and rediscovered, we had tea at Holyroodhouse–the Queen’s residence when in Edinburgh. Then, we climbed Arthur’s Seat for the best view in Edinburgh.