Our next stop was Edinburgh, Scotland.
This time the ship had to anchor in a river and be tendered in.
We weren't that far from the shore.
We went ashore early, to wander around for a bit before our tour was going to start.
It is always fun to go ashore and explore.
We found a nice cafe for lunch.
| When you are walking around you never know when you might find quilt blocks. |
| Here is a closeup of one of the blocks. Looks pretty good for applique. |
| Here is the ship anchored off shore. Our home away from home for two weeks. |
| There was a small beach we could walk along. Wasn't very good for laying out and sunning yourself, but was pretty good for finding sea glass. |
| This juvenile black-backed gull was calling for it's mother to feed it! |
| When we got to start our tour the first stop was to "Kinloch Anderson". They are the "Foremost Experts in Highland Dress Since 1868". They hold the Royal Warrants of Appointment as Tailors and Kiltmakers for HM the Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales. The tartan for the Royal family is made special for them, and cannot be sold to anyone else. |
| We were able to see how a kilt is made. There is 8 yards of fabric in one kilt, and most of it is done by hand. |
| Paula Nadlestern was with us, and asked what do they do with the left over fabric from making a kilt. Would you believe, they let us go through 4 bags of scraps and purchase some of these pieces. After all we are quilters and love fabric. Can you tell we were enjoying ourselves? |
| Then on to Edinburgh Castle. What an impressive sight. |
| Could not help, This sign is so me right now. It actually is a small book. I did pick up a book though, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with mistakes in it yet?' L. M. Montgomery |
| Jan found this bag that she needed to have! It really says it all. |
| Gentlemen wearing a kilt was quite common. |
| What we were rally here to see was to see the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. We arrived early, to get to our seats. We were in the middle of the stadium seats in row Y. We were high up, but it gave us a wonderful vantage view. We could see all around us. I was surprised how big this area was. We were told after, that all the seating is taken down and stored until it's next use. The whole show is held in the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade for three weeks in August. |
| It is a visual and musical event. I could not believe how many bands were on hand. What an impressive and moving performance. I purchased a cd of the music. I have so enjoyed it. Hearing the bagpipes in this setting was beautiful. |
| The castle was the backdrop for the performance. |
| The precision spectacular. |
| Th Highland Dancers were exciting to watch. |
| At one point we speckled with soap flakes. |
| The castle was also the backdrop for various video displays, orchestrated to the music. |
| This is the United States Army Europe Band and Chorus |
| The Royal Guard in advance of the "Scottish State Coach" |
| In 1968 Her Majesty The Queen decided she need a coach for Scotland. This coach was originally built for The Duke of Cambridge (1774-1850). The adornments were changed by the additional of emblems of the Order of the Thistle. It is the premier order of chivalry in Scotland, and the royal coats of arms of Scotland. The coach has large glass windows and glass panels in the roof. On the roof, the coach has a model of the Crown of Scotland that is kept at Edinburgh Castle. It was in use this use to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. |
| There was even fireworks as part of the festivities. |
During the "March Out", the ending of the show, more then 800 performers were in the Esplanade. What a spectacular evening. You could not help but be emotionally moved by the sights and sounds. All of us on this "tour" could not stop talking about it all the way back to the ship. Scotland, even though I only had a little bit of sightseeing, would be on my list of places to visit again. What is amazing about a trip like this is that you get a taste of several countries, that can peak you interest. I love traveling. Mary |