York, England

We visited both Alnwick Castle and York on the tenth day of our trip, but I had to give the castle it's own post because, well, it was just so grand. And I would have written a seriously long post last time if I hadn't! By now, Zach was taking all kinds of medication to help him recover, and he stayed at the hotel as I trekked the old streets of York alone. 

Before our Globus tour guide, Anne Marie, let us loose to explore on our own, she said that York Minster, the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe, took 250 years to complete. It is also a cathedral which holds the Archbishop's throne. She then took us to Stonegate, a street filled with shops and bakeries. After pointing out a lot of streets that ended in "gate," Anne Marie explained that "gate" was the Viking word for "street." This section is kept free from all traffic to preserve the medieval architecture. 

I visited many shops and stumbled upon York's Chocolate Story, a specialty museum. Anne Marie mentioned that the Kit Kat, a favorite chocolate bar of mine in the Sates, was first made in York! How cool is that? Let me just say I tried the best Kit Kat I have ever had! They also have a guided tour of the shop. They not only tell you about the history of chocolate from ancient beginnings to present day, but also about how it is made. I bought a Kit Kat for me and a king size one for my sick hubby, along with some other chocolate bars. 

As our time neared its end in York,  I came across the Minster Gate Book Shop. It had at least four levels of books! There were many 1st editions to modern day books. Definitely a book heaven. I found a copy of Pilgrim's Progress from 1914 and purchased it. I wished I had time to look even more through the collections. 

I was sad to leave the cobblestone streets of York but anxious to get back to my husband. Still not feeling all too well, he did enjoy the Kit Kat and some other chocolates I brought him. He was pretty happy with both! 

Alnwick Castle

We said farewell to Edinburgh and headed south, crossing back over into England. Our trip was slowly coming to an end with only two more days left. We had a chance to stop at Alnwick Castle, home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Our group was given a choice of exploring the castle or the garden. We all chose the castle. I'm so glad we did!

Why? Because the castle was the setting for the Christmas special of the BBC show Downton Abbey in the fifth season when the Crawley family went to "Brancaster Castle" on holiday. Zach and I got to enjoy the grand library which was also filmed in the special. There were old books that dated back hundreds of years. I would have loved to read one by the fireplace...

The castle was indeed beautiful. Two hours just wasn't enough time to explore this magnificent place. Alnwick Castle doesn't just make an appearance in Downton Abbey, it was also used to film the scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone where Harry and his classmates learned to fly on their broomsticks. 

Our guide also told us about the State Rooms and to visit them if we have a chance. No photography was allowed so I cannot show you the castle's splendor. I wouldn't mind living here for a week. 

Many thanks to the Duke and Duchess for allowing us the privilege to see their beautiful home.

This post was prepared while listening to the soundtrack of Downton Abbey.

Edinburgh, Scotland

After Inverness, we drove to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland! What a fun city to be in, with so much history. We got to spend two nights at the capital and saw so much. Unfortunately, during this part of our trip, Zach was ill. We didn't get to do the optional excursions of the Britannia, a Royal yacht that transported royalty and celebrities alike, or have a Scottish dinner with Highland dancers, bagpipes, and haggis. Instead, our evenings were filled with walking the Royal Mile and visiting the Edinburgh Castle. I also got to do some shopping...which is always a plus!

Before visiting the castle, our tour guide showed us some highlights of the capital, such as the house where Robert Louis Stevenson used to live. Mr. Stevenson, who wrote such works as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and lived there for much of his young life and attended university there. Our guide told us that the Stevenson descendants still own and live in the same house, number 17. 

Visiting the Edinburgh Castle was another highlight in our trip. The Crown Jewels are kept there, and we got to admire and see how beautiful they are. We were not allowed to take pictures, so I guess you'll have to go see them for yourself! We also visited the tiny room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her baby boy, James VI in June of 1566.

Statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, historical characters in one of my favorite movies, Braveheart, stand at the entrance of Edinburgh Castle. Our tour guide made it very clear to us that the movie wasn't quite accurate when Bruce betrayed Wallace...because he didn't. Both of the men were huge players for Scotland's independence. So of course we just had to get pictures taken with the statues of these brave men.

The last evening in Edinburgh I got to do some shopping on my own. I visited Jenners, which is an equivalent of Selfridges in London, but on a smaller scale. The store has several floors of clothes, shoes, accessories, and souvenir gifts.  I got lost several times trying to find working elevators and staircases. I found myself outside of the store and having to go back around to the front...which made me laugh. At least it was a beautiful day! I also stumbled upon a tea shop called Whittard of Chelsea. The ladies there were so nice and friendly. They answered all of my questions and went above and beyond to help me. I love tea, and this was an awesome place to stop and have samples of tea and even hot chocolate!

We ordered a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Express which was right next to our hotel for dinner. I love anything raspberry, and they have a really delicious Belvoir Raspberry Lemonade. We turned ourselves in for the evening and looked forward to Alnwick Castle the next day.