To the Highlands

Enough of the big cities. It was time to breathe some country air, as we headed northwest into the Highlands to Granddad's house in Mallaig. We took our time and made numerous stops on the way. The weather became nicer the further west we came. 

 One of our last stops was for a snack and some of the best beer we have tasted in a long time in the valley of Glencoe.

 The views were stunning.

 New Highland hairdo.

 Sophie of the Glen

 Nearing the coast. This is the church which was superimposed on a nearby beach (see tomorrow's blog) and used in the movie "Local Hero."

 A loch on the last stretch to Mallaig. This is the area where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed for the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745.

 At last, Granddad's and Debra's house in Mallaig (population 797)

 The view from our bedroom. The Isle of Skye in the distance.

While we enjoyed a cup of tea in the garden, Sophie was already making friends with the neighborhood children. I'm sure Sophie wouldn't mind spending some future summer holidays here. 

Castle and Afternoon Tea

More sightseeing today; another city to explore.

 Unfortunately a lot of construction in the city due to a stalling tram line construction project, not very much in favor with the locals.

 Edinburgh Castle

We walked past some lovely shops on our way up there.

 It was a cold day, especially up by the castle. We were happy to take a break inside the cafe at the castle to finally have some afternoon tea.

 Deep in thought about that scone.

 St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in the castle still standing from the 12th century.

 Views from the top. We also saw the One O'Clock Gun, but I must have been too busy holding or lifting Sophie to take a picture, but it was exactly like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjwkOW1HL40

In fact I even think it was the same woman doing it.

After a long day of walking and shopping, Karen and Chris cooked us a lovely dinner of haggis and tatties. Preceded by scallops and followed by whisky. 

Thank you for letting us stay in your nice place, Karen and Chris!

London to Edinburgh

It was time today to say goodbye to Auntie Sandra. It had been a wonderful and fun week with her (as usual), but now we were headed north to Scotland for the next leg of our tour of Britain. We boarded the train to Edinburgh at Kings Cross.

 Our first class tickets were a deal: for just a little bit more, we had lots of room and free food and drinks for the entire ride. Keep the tea coming. And much less stressful than flying. 

 Granddad picked us up at the station. He and Debra (and Ben, the dog) had driven down from the Highlands to meet us at Auntie Karen's and Uncle Chris' house in Edinburgh. We were all looking forward to stretch our legs a little (yes there was some rain), so Granddad took us on a short walk over to the Museum of Modern Art to show Sophie the giant sculpture of a baby. Sophie was mesmerized. 

 I just hope she does not have any nightmares.

 So no sunshine?

 For dinner, Karen drove us to the Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston for some good Scottish food. Delicious.

On the drive home we enjoyed some magnificent views of the city from Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park. 

First impression of Scotland - very nice. 

A Lot of Red, White, and Blue

As the Mall was full by late morning, we strolled over to Trafalgar Square. It was a good decision. There was a party in full swing to help kill the time until the Queen's procession from Westminster to Buckingham Palace.  

 Ready for the party

 We had learned from our washout on Sunday and were better prepared today in every respect: Hat, G&T in a can and a coronation chicken sandwich.

Auntie Sandra, always up for a good party

 Trafalgar Square

 London Mayor Boris Johnson being interviewed by CNN's Richard Quest right behind us. 

 Now you see him.

 As the Queen was traveling past Whitehall approaching us at Trafalgar Square.

 Where is the Queen?!

 After the parade had passed us, I suggested we try and make it into the Mall to see the Royals on the balcony and for the flypast of course. It was a good idea of mine for a change, as we managed to walk up this far with Sophie on Andrew's shoulders and Sandra pushing the stroller. No pushing or shoving. Too bad, they had not managed to quite dismantle the stage from last night's concert (although I heard that they had worked on it all night), so we were not able to see the balcony appearance live. It didn't keep us from cheering, however. And Sophie (on Andrew's shoulders) made it into the Daily Mail and the BBC TV coverage, albeit for just a split second.

And we had a brilliant view of the flypast. Sophie's declared highlight of the day.

The balcony 45 minutes after the Queen was there. 

We ended our Jubilee celebrations at a restaurant in Notting Hill where we met world-traveling friends of ours, Janelle and Gilles, and her parents for dinner. Thus, we watched the heaviest rain of the day in good company from a warm and dry place. 

An Important Stop

Before we would join the crowds in the Mall again for more Jubilee celebrations, it was time for a most important shopping trip to 

Hamley's

...of course.

 She spotted this on the second floor, but Daddy would have had to fly quite a bit of overtime for this "yet another Barbie."

Instead he bought her this dress along with the tiara and ring for being such a patient girl on this trip.

Looking for Neverland in London

On the itinerary today: 

Sightseeing (above all show Sophie where Kate and Wills got married), find a pirate ship in the middle of London for Sophie, then a night off for Mama and Daddy.

 First stop: Westminster

 Somebody is pulling faces and it's not Big Ben.

 Open Sesame!

(at Palace of Westminster)

 The Horse Guards in Whitehall

We checked out the Mall being prepared for tonight's concert, Trafalgar Square and had lunch in the Crypt Café under St Martin in-the-Fields.

Then we had to go find that pirate ship playground.

 And here it is: at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens (near Kate's future home). It was the most impressive playground I have ever seen. All fenced in and only people with children were allowed in. It was built based on the Peter Pan story with the ship being the absolute highlight of the park. 

 Sophie went wild!

 She found the music court

 Here she is brewing a magic potion in the fairy tale section

 Then it was back to the pirate ship and up the crow's nest. Can you spot her near the top?

 "I am Peter Pan and you are Captain Hook!"

Then she jumped off the ship so many times trying to fly until she banged her chin on her knee and came crying.

 As I mentioned before, tonight was a night off for Andrew and I. - Thank you Sandra! - While Sophie and Auntie Sandra were painting their nails and watching the big concert for the Queen at the hotel, we went back to Saint Martin-in-the-Fields for this concert.

 Andrew found another person's blog on the internet about this concert with some very good pictures:

http://blog.londonconnection.com/2012/06/04/st-martin-in-the-fields-for-mozarts-coronation-mass/

Can you see me on picture 8? That is how good our seats were - we looked the sopranos in the eyes.

 This is us enjoying an intermission drink back in the Crypt.

Our concert was fantastic; the most enjoyable one I have been to.

After singing out loud to Rule Britannia, Andrew felt ready to conquer the world as we stepped out onto Trafalgar Square. Instead we "invaded" the Mall to see the last hour of the big concert there. 

It was a breathtaking atmosphere - so many people and everyone was just enjoying themselves. 

We "saw" Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, watched the Queen light the beacon and were amazed by the fireworks display. Truly a once in a lifetime event.

Queenspotting

The big day has finally arrived. We were headed to London on what we started calling our hajj. Call us crazy for joining millions of other nutters on trying to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family. I think we were all a bit excited about the next three days.

 Waiting for the train. Sophie is dressed for the occasion. Her t-shirt says: Off to London for Tea with the Queen.

Not quite awake yet?

 Everyone on the train was reading about the Jubilee, including Sophie. For once we were glad that our stop, Bournemouth, was the first one on the line. Towards the end of the journey there was standing room only even for first class passengers. 

 From Waterloo Station to our hotel on the Jubilee line (how fitting) - Sophie's first ride on the tube (going against the traffic). Almost a non-event for our little city slicker. 

We dropped our bags off and headed straight to Battersea Park where we had bought tickets for the jubilee celebrations there. The flotilla was scheduled to start just up the river from there.

 While Andrew and Sophie reserved  our little viewing spot near the shore, Sandra and I were looking for something to drink.

This was the queue for the £27 pitcher of Pimm's. Yes, maybe not. We will be better prepared next time.

 Back at the viewing spot: Sophie is practicing her wave and cheers.

 Adding a little more decoration while waiting.

 Then the first boats started passing by. We had to peak through a bunch of branches and undergrowth, but it was still better than the back of somebody else's head. 

This was one of the orchestra boats playing Handel's Music For the Royal Fireworks. Very atmospheric.

 Then finally the barge carrying the Queen and Kate and the rest of the bunch passed by! Can you spot her/them? Why did Camilla have to wear the same color as the Queen?

 Here is a closer look at the same picture. Our one and only live spotting of the Royals, but it will still be worth reading the blog posts about the rest of our trip, I promise. 

Sophie saw Princess Kate and was so excited!

 Further into the park there were screens with a better view, but if we had watched them, we could as well have stayed at home - warm and dry with a glass of Pimm's. And what would have been the fun in that?

Once the Queens boat had passed it started to rain. And it was not just a shower. Still we wanted to take a peak at the festival at Battersea Park - the theme was vintage covering the past 60 years of the Queen's reign. 

This is Sophie and Andrew dancing the Lambeth Walk. 

 Then Sophie spotted this kind of scary giant swing - with a big US flag! She grabbed Andrew's hand and gave it a whirl. Andrew had to hold on to her tight, but she looked quite happy afterwards. 

 Europe has given Sophie a thick skin. A little rain cannot deter her from doing laps on yet another carousel. 

 But with no tea tent in sight and the rain pounding down, we had finally had it. Absolutely drenched (except for Sophie in the stroller) we headed back towards Victoria tube station. Only to find out that they had temporarily closed this tube station due to overload. Then Sandra spotted a bus going towards our hotel and that is how Sophie got to ride for the first time on a London bus on the top level. 

It felt so nice to change into some dry clothes, but we agreed that it was absolutely worth it and a lot of fun was had today!