Eburacon, Eboracum, Evorwic, Jorvik...YORK!

Everything worth seeing and doing in York is a 25-30 minute walk from anywhere, but after spending a full week here we've barely scratched the surface. Even trying to capture the exterior of York Minster in a photo is next to impossible because it literally doesn't fit in the viewfinder. It's that massive.

York City Walls

When arriving in a new place we usually take a stroll to get a feel for our surroundings. In York, that meant walking around town via the city walls. At 3.4 kilometres York's are the longest medieval walls in all of England and while we met only a few dozen people we learned 2.5 million folks climb the steps each year to walk all or part of it and enjoy the spectacular views.

Durham Castle & Cathedral

Top on our list of places to see when visiting Durham was the World Heritage Site castle and Norman cathedral. 

Dun Cow Lane

 While wandering about Durham a few days ago I spotted the street below.

Up, Down & Around Durham

Upon our arrival by train we walked from the station to our Durham rental flat, Fern Cottage. The owner had warned us it was mainly an up-hill climb (1 mile from start to finish), but she did not mention the incredible scenery as we crossed the bridge that spans the River Wear.

Burrell Collection

While we were in Edinburgh I had a chat with a man who works at the Scottish National Museum. Upon hearing our next destination was Glasgow, Nick suggested a visit to the Burrell Collection. He went on to say it's not in the city, so travel by train would be required. As it turned out the 16 miles was an easy journey beginning at Glasgow Central Station and ending at Pollokshaws West. I loved how they transformed oil barrels into old trains and added flowers for a decorative touch.

People. Make. Glasgow.

The red sign on the side of the building above says it all. People. Make. Glasgow. I can personally vouch for that as I've met a few Glaswegians who definitely made me smile. 

Art, Walls, Chairs & Bikes

Glasgow may just be as famous for its shipbuilding past as its love and appreciation for the arts. Walk down any city street and odds are you'll see an art gallery or commissioned street mural tucked in between a pub or bar. They're everywhere and on our first day in Glasgow we headed to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. 

St. Mungo and Glasgow Catherdral

Glasgow Cathedral was built in 1136 and has been a place of worship for more than 800 years. It is the burial ground of St. Kentigern, more commonly known as St. Mungo (Dear Friend), who is the patron saint of Glasgow. 

Out and About in Edinburgh

The Scottish love of the written word is evident everywhere in Edinburgh. The train station, Waverley, (flat roof, middle right of the photo below) is named in honour of Sir Walter Scott's first novel of the same name. He also wrote Rob Roy and Ivanhoe. The Scott Monument (dark ornate tower structure on the left) on Princes Street is the tallest monument to a writer in the world.

Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh

The weather in Edinburgh is constantly changing, often within minutes, so like the locals we do our best to ignore it and carry on. That's not to say we've been plagued with cold, wet weather, because we haven't. It's just that this is November not July, but when we learned Portobello Beach is less than two miles from the city centre we naturally had to check it out regardless of the season. We weren't alone.

Rosslyn Chapel

Prior to the worldwide success of Dan Brown's bestseller The Da Vinci Code fewer than 20,000 people a year visited Rosslyn Chapel. Since then, the average has skyrocketed to more than 120,000 per year which is a good thing for both Scotland tourism and the Earl of Rosslyn. The additional revenue earned from entrance fees allows the St. Clair family (who have owned the chapel since 1446) to preserve it for future generations. The newer entrance includes a gift shop and tea room and is a nice juxtaposition with the much older chapel to the right.

Edinburgh Castle

This was our second visit to Edinburgh Castle, but the first was decades ago and while the exterior obviously hasn't changed, the interior and even the exhibits certainly have. Walking to the castle from our flat on Lothian Road we took Bread Street to Spittal and then onto Johnston Terrace. It's an uphill climb as you can well imagine given the castle built on a rock is the highest point in the city.

A Sense (Or Five) of Edinburgh

Our first full day in Edinburgh began with a brisk morning walk north along Lothian Road to a home on Glenfinlass Street as the couple who own our one-bedroom holiday flat invited us over for coffee. Besides welcoming us into their lovely home, providing cappuccino, lemon cake, chocolate ladyfingers and great conversation, they also shared insider travel tips on what to see and do in the city they're proud to call home. 

Glenfinlass Street

The UK From South to North

Travel by train in the UK is easy, affordable and best of all, stress free. We literally walked across Euston Street from our Airbnb flat to the Kings Cross station and bordered the East Coast passenger train to take us to Edinburgh's Waverley Station. It seemed mere minutes before we'd left the hustling and bustling city of London behind for peaceful, serene farmland.

A Wonderful Weekend in London, England

This visit to London IS different for so many reasons. Our age, temperament, interests, and even our stamina dictates what we'll see and do - as well as how we'll accomplish those items on our to-do list. The lovely thing about this visit is there is no need to rush, and while I tend to be a planner I've only decided on where we're staying and how we get there and have left the rest to serendipity.