Anniversary in Edinburgh

After a long journey from Bath, we finally arrived in Edinburgh. As we rode the bus from the airport to the hotel, both of us were in awe of how beautiful, and almost magical, the city looked. The buildings were very different from anything else we'd ever seen in Europe. That evening, we enjoyed walking around and getting a feel for the city. It was so laid back and relaxing. While we were out, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a marching band of drummers and bag pipers, was having a dress rehearsal, so we took advantage of a free mini-concert. As they left their rehearsal, we snapped a quick shot. I would not want to be wearing a skirt on such a windy night as this. Excuse me, it is a kilt.

The next morning was our 3 year anniversary! So I woke up and fixed myself really nice for the special day and Nate says... I think we should go for a hike. A hike!? I thought he had lost his mind. But it turned out for the best. There was a perfect hike that led to spectacular views over the city. We found some interesting ruins on our way up.

It was another windy day, but it was gorgeous the way the wind blew the grass.
We made it to the top! The wind made Nate look like he had a mohawk!

It was a breathtaking view!

The hiking trail was over a point called Arthur's Seat. You can really see the trail and the Edinburgh Castle in the distance.

Edinburgh is known for it's Royal Mile, which is a road that stretches a little over a mile from the Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse. Another one of the Queen's many vacation homes.

At the other end of the Royal Mile is the Edinburgh Castle. We spent the afternoon exploring the castle grounds.
Every August, Edinburgh hosts one of the largest festivals in Europe. We arrived a few days too early, but many performers had arrived early as well and were putting on street shows along the Royal Mile. We were able to watch a juggling act, a bed-of-nails act, and a Houdini-inspired escape act. As you can tell by my face, we really enjoyed watching these shows!
Edinburgh was once the most crowded city in Europe; the result of some of the world's earliest skyscrapers.
As we ate a delicious desert, we watched the sun set over the Royal Mile. It was a great way to conclude a wonderful anniversary day!

Maria & Nate in Bath

The tour left Stonehenge and brought us to the city of Bath. Since we were spending the night in Bath, we abandoned the tour and explored the city on our own. Our first visit was the site of the Roman baths built over a series of hot springs. When the Romans ruled Britannia during the 1st century, the city was extremely popular because of these baths. So popular in fact, that the city simply became known as Bath. If you don't believe us, click on this picture to see it written in stone.

When the Romans headed back to Rome, the baths silted up and the city lost its appeal. In 1687, Queen Mary bathed here and within 10 months she gave birth to a son. She credited the conception to the healing powers of the waters and, as a result, the town became a popular spa resort for the rich and famous. Most of the buildings in the city, including the site of the Roman baths, were built according to the Georgian style that was popular in the 18th century. These pictures were taken inside the Roman baths:
The Pump Room is an elegant Georgian restaurant that was built above the Roman baths. We stopped and enjoyed a strawberry lemonade made from the water flowing out of the hot springs. The water flows out of the elegant fountain in the background of this picture.
Once put on ice, the drink was really tasty!
The city recently constructed the modern Thermae Bath Spa. Since we were staying in a city famous for its hot springs, we couldn't resist visiting.
There were four different steams rooms with different scents. Each one was so relaxing!
The spa's main heated bath is located on the roof and has commanding views of the city.
After feeling refreshed from the spa and getting a good night's sleep, we walked through the town and enjoyed its unique architecture the next morning.

This famous part of the city is called the Circus because it's a circular area surrounded by these large townhouses. Not surprisingly, the Latin word 'circus' means ring or circle.
Another famous part of the city is the Royal Crescent. This area is a semi-circle of townhouses overlooking the picturesque countryside. Due to its awkward shape, we had difficulty capturing it in a photo. We had to use a borrow and image from someone on the internet, which is why this is the only picture on our post that contains a blue sky.
A beautiful bridge.
Here's an example of the dreary weather. Our hotel was located on the other end of this beautiful park.Our hotel was appropriately named the Parade Park Hotel.
After touring the city, we took a bus to London, the Tube to King's Cross train station, a train to the Luton train station, a bus to the Luton airport, a plane to Edinburgh, and finally, a bus to the Edinburgh city center. We're exhausted just remembering all that traveling, so we need to take a break before we post our Edinburgh blog!

Windsor Castle & Stonehenge

Our guidebook highly recommended visiting the city of Bath. We also really wanted to see Stonehenge, since it was on the way to Bath. However, reaching Stonehenge by public transportation proved to be nearly impossible, so we purchased a tour that would take us to Bath while stopping at Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. We don't usually take tours, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity. When the tour bus picked us up from our hotel, we were surprised to learn that we would stop at Stonehenge only on the return trip from Bath to London. Since we purchased the tour just so we could see Stonehenge on the way to Bath, we were not pleased. Especially since when we booked the tour, we were repeatedly assured that Stonehenge would be a stop on the way to Bath. After some convincing, one of the tour guides finally agreed to stop at Stonehenge prior to reaching Bath. We were relieved!

Since we booked the tour only because of Stonehenge, we really had no expectations for Windsor Castle. We were pleasantly surprised! The castle is one of the Queen's many vacation homes. It also happens to be the largest inhabited castle in the world, with over 480,000 square feet! Here are some pictures of us exploring the castle grounds:
Although the outside of the castle was spectacular, the inside was even more impressive. We were able to walk through the Royal Staterooms and each room was over-the-top luxurious. The rooms were probably the most finely decorated and exquisitely furnished that we had ever seen.
We then headed to Stonehenge. We were so excited to see it! We've seen many photos of and TV programs about this place, so it was surreal to actually be standing in front of it. It's hard to believe that Stonehenge is older than the Pyramids! The stones themselves are huge, but the entire arrangement is not as large as the pictures would make you think. Regardless, we were still thrilled to have been able to visit Stonehenge.