United Kingdom Archives - Wandering North

Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe United Kingdom

Layover in London: Coronation Day

It was May 2023 and I was on my way to Belarus. Getting to Belarus from Vancouver necessitated flying through London. I was happy to do that – I’m always happy to fly through London—and this was my third time this year. I realized as I was planning the trip that I was going to be in London on May the 6th, which was Coronation Day for Prince, now King Charles; and I knew that it would make for a fascinating layover.

I landed at Heathrow at 2pm and took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and from there I walked. My layover wasn’t that long, and I was nervous about getting into trouble with traffic and crowds. I kept reading about the Tube stations being closed or limited due to the number of people that were expected to flood into London to see the coronation procession and concert. Tens of thousands of people were expected to crowd into central London for the festivities. By the time I arrived, the actual coronation ceremony and procession were over, but people were everywhere. Some had camped out for a week or more just to catch a glimpse of the new King. I was happy just to be in the city and walk around and take in the atmosphere.

I know a lot of people were very excited about the coronation and many people were very irritated by it because of their dislike of the royal family. I guess I fall somewhere in between. Growing up, my punk sensibilities made me dislike the monarchy (and I know there are a lot of reasons to be against the institution), but as an adult I appreciate that they are a continuation of the history of England and the lineage of monarchs. I think it’s fascinating to be in London on a day when a new king is being crowned. Just like it would have been fascinating to be in London on any of the days when any of the former monarchs were crowned, and someday someone will look back at the history books (or whatever may replace books) at this day, many hundreds of years ago, when King Charles was crowned, and i just thought it would be interesting to be in the city to see a bit of that.

I walked from Paddington Station over to Mayfair, where I read that there would be a garden party. There was a garden party, however it had rained that day, so the festivities were perhaps a bit dampened. Nevertheless, people were out, a band was playing, flowers were strung up, a lot gin and tonics were being consumed, and people were dancing and singing sloppily in the gardens. It kind of felt like someone’s wedding.

I wandered there and then carried on walking towards central London. The closer I got to the centre, the more police I saw and the bigger the crowds got.

It was delightful to see all the flags strung up and all the coronation emblems on everything – even Prince Charles masks being sold in the shops (although why one would want a Prince Charles mask is beyond me). I even saw one man who was dressed head to toe in a Union Jack suit, which I thought was fabulous, but I couldn’t get a picture.

I just walked around, taking in the atmosphere. Most places were either closed or were very busy. I walked over to Saint James’s St. which is one of my favourite streets in London because it has three cigar stores / lounges on it, but they were all closed, however on this particular day, I discovered that there is a fourth cigar place just a half a block off of Saint James’s St. called C. Gars. And it was open! The rain was pouring at this point, and I was soaked. Honestly, I looked like trash. I was wearing my leather jacket with the big spikes on it and my combat boots, and I was soaking wet. I went into the store, and they greeted me, not with the snobbishness that some cigar lounges do, but with a friendly smiling face and they welcomed me in. I bought a cigar, and I sat down in a group of men smoking cigars and chatting about the day. A welcoming group. It was delightful. All the people were living in London, although a few of them were from somewhere else (Spain, the US, and India). It was very interesting to hear the perspectives on the day, and even though you some of them had some misgivings about the monarchy, they still felt very proud and patriotic of all the celebrations of the day.

It was just a perfect afternoon. I stayed until the store closed and then I made my way back to the airport. It was just an 8-hour layover, but I certainly experienced something that I never have experienced before and probably won’t have the opportunity to again.

And with that, I was on to my next stop en route to Belarus. But first, I would have a day in Dubai.

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London Layover in Little Venice

A Swift Exit for a Quick Visit

It was Easter weekend and I had decided to go to Oslo from Vancouver for a long weekend. For reasons that I’ll explain in another post, that long weekend trip became much shorter than I had intended; but this post is about London, and one option for how to spend a layover of about 6 hours.

I love London layover. Heathrow is close enough to the city that even with a short layover (provided you’re efficient about getting through the airport) you can go into London and do something lovely. Usually, I won’t do that unless I have about an 8 hour layover, but on this occasion I had six and a half hours, but I was determined to do something. I just little research and discovered that without venturing too far from Paddington station I could visit a neighbourhood that I had previously ignored: Little Venice.

The key to getting through Heathrow successfully for a quick layover into London is being efficient and planning. I always sit as close to the front of the airplane as possible, without sitting in business class, so I can get off the plane quickly. I travel with carry-on luggage, So I don’t have to transfer any luggage through security. In this case, I was travelling with a very small under seat backpack so I didn’t even need to leave it at the left luggage office at the airport; I could just breeze through and get on the train. Once I’m in the airport, I never for any reason; I just power walk my way right through security (having a Canadian passport helps so I can use the machines instead of having to speak to the guards), and I splurge on the London Heathrow Express ticket (I pre-purchase it online), which is just a little bit faster than the regular train. From the time the plane touched down to the time that I arrived at Paddington station was less than an hour.

The Heathrow Express will take you right to Paddington station in about 15 minutes, and from there you can get the Tube from the Paddington underground station to anywhere. But this time, I thought rather than getting on the tube to go somewhere else, I would just explore the area around Paddington.

Little Venice

When I lived in London, I was unaware of the area around Paddington as being anything special, but it is now apparently called Little Venice due to the fact that there are two canals that converge there. It’s a small but pleasant neighbourhood; relatively affluent with the usual shops cafes and pubs to poke around in, but the real treat is wandering along the canals. There are some small statues and clever bridges and newer buildings; but the best thing are the waterways themselves and the boats on them you can rent a boat or go on a boat tour, and spend your afternoon sailing around the canals, (not something that I’d recommend for a very short layover), or you could just admire them as you sit and have coffee on the path alongside the water, or you can have a fabulous lunch at any one of the of the boats or barges that have been converted into charming restaurants including one that is entirely devoted to cheese. On a sunny day it is a perfect place to wander around.

*Little Venice boat and a group of ladies who brunch*

Beyond the canals

I think even had I had a shorter layover it would have been great to have come there and just walked along the canal and had a coffee and a bite to eat, but I ended up with more time than anticipated so I wandered around a little bit more over to Hyde Park and passed some of the beautiful Regency buildings and smaller parks. It was springtime and the flowers were blooming and the sun shining. I poked into a few of the mewses and tried not to annoy the people that lived there as I took a few pictures of their picturesque streets.

Some shots of a lovely spring day in London

Back to Heathrow

And that was that. I spent a couple of hours walking around, had a coffee and a falafel, and then I made my way back to Heathrow for my connecting flight to Oslo. Going back was equally quick and efficient. I could have stayed longer in London but I’m always a little bit anxious about getting back to the airport with more than enough time. After all, I wanted to enjoy some airport lounge time. It all felt very decadent. And from there I was on to Oslo for what would be the shortest international trip of my life.

Azerbaijan trip 2019 England United Kingdom

One Night in London

I ended my trip to Azerbaijan with a night In London. I lived in London for a bit after high school, but since then I have only visited for daytime layovers. I was thrilled to spend the night.

I stayed in Soho. I spent the afternoon wandering around past the parks, squares, and sights. It was so crowded. The Tube was a nightmare, the streets a sea of people walking slower than I would like, but I loved it. So familiar, historic, and exciting.

I went to James Fox’s for a cigar and then ate some street food, sitting on the steps on St Martins. I decided to see a show and spontaneously bought a ticket to Night of the Iguana starring Clive Owen in the West End.

How amazing that anything is available to satisfy any whim.

After the show I grabbed a falafel and walked around. The pubs and bars will spilling out on to the street with queues and smokers. Everything looked inviting, but I was exhausted, so I went to bed.

The next morning I got up super early for a walk before returning to the airport and home. It was kind of incredible. On that early Sunday morning the streets and squares were empty. There was no traffic. No tourists. No buskers. It was almost eerie, like everyone had been the victim of an apocalyptic event, but it was also peaceful.

It was just one night in London but it made me wish that I still lived there, or at least think that I should spend more time there than just a layover.

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London Layover

I decided to go to Azerbaijan because I had about 10 days of holiday to use and I had loved a previous trip to neighbouring Georgia so much that I thought it was time I returned to the Caucasus.

There really is no quick way to Azerbaijan, so I flew from Vancouver to London, from London to Moscow, and Moscow to Baku. Mercifully, I had a nine hour layover in London. Any shorter and I would have been at the airport. So I went into London for the afternoon. I wanted to walk a different area from the past few times I was there, so I decided to walk the South Bank of the Thames.

I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then the tube to Westminster.

Big Ben’s tower was covered in scaffolding but I caught an over the shoulder look at the parliament buildings as I crossed the bridge. Turning onto the boardwalk, I suddenly thought I had made a terrible mistake. It was so crowded. Like shoulder-to-shoulder, shuffling along crowded. But I didn’t have a bunch of time, so I didn’t want to waste time changing gears and map consulting, so I pressed through. Fortunately it got better.

The worst of the crowds were at the beginning the walk, around the London Eye, Dungeon and Aquarium, then they thinned out. I can’t think of many things i would like to do less than go on the London Eye. Packed i to sealed glass pods with a bunch of sweaty strangers as you move slowly in a circle. My biggest gripe is the slow speed, followed by being sealed up in glass (in the heat), followed by the sweaty strangers. It occurred to me though that I would enjoy a ferris wheel if it was open at the top so you could have a breeze, and there were tables with seating for two in each, then you could order cocktails from your phone and pick then up at the bottom as you circled by. Cigar friendly, of course. This is a great idea. Get on it, someone.

Anyway, once the crowds lessened, it was a perfect walk. There were buskers, a skate park, a book market, street art, and wonderful views.

I got a burrito from a food truck and just strolled along.

I didn’t have time to visit any of the attractions, but just the fact that on one short walk I walked past all the stuff on the street that I did, but could have just popped in to see world class art at the Tate or visited Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, is amazing.

I waled to the London Bridge, catching glimpses of St. Paul’s, the Shard, the millennium bridge, and the Tower of London on the way.

I walked to A nearby Tube station and went to Green Park, where I popped in to the excellent tobacconist James J. Fox and enjoyed a Montecristo Linea 1935 in their upstairs lounge.

Leaving there, I strolled a bit more before returning to the airport, with plenty of time.

It was a perfectly pleasant afternoon and nicely broke up the long flights to Baku.

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Dean Village

From Sterling, we returned to Edinburgh. As we had already seen the main sights of the city, we decided to stay in Dean Village, an area just outside the centre, tucked away along the Water of Leith, which looks like something out of a fairy tale.

We got off the train at Haymarket Station and from there Dean Village was not a far walk, down Palmerston Place, past Mary’s Cathedral, then down hill. For the first time in my entire life I found Google maps to be of more assistance than my paper maps, which only marked Dean Village in a general sort of way.

We descended until we hit the river (the Water of Leith) and saw the view that had convinced me to stay in Dean Village in the first place…

Seriously, it is stunning. Quaint. Picturesque. I know it is Scotland and not France, but I felt like walking down the cobblestone streets, singing the opening number from Beauty and the Beast.

Dean Village, previously known as Water of Leith Village, was at one time its own village before it became part of Edinburgh in the mid 1800s. It was established in the 1100s and for about 800 years was the site of multiple mills, powered by the river. Now it is a largely residential enclave of historic charm.

Our accommodations were easy to find, as it was the historically significant Well Court, dating back to the 1800s and built as housing for mill workers. In the pictures it is the large, brick, castle-y looking building.

We had an Air bnb booked and it exceeded my expectations. It was so cozy and in this tiny two bedroom apartment, it somehow had at least six different wallpapers.

Staying in Dean Village was great. Peaceful and nice for walks. The part with the cute buildings is very small but there is also a lovely walk on a path along the river under a tree canopy. There are no shops and only one eatery in the immediate vicinity, but it isn’t a long walk to the high street, which we did for dinner.

I also took a pleasant walk to Dean Cemetery, which was very pretty, especially the areas where the trees had dropped pink blossoms amongst the headstones. It was a teeny bit spooky as I saw only one other person and the cemetery was about to close. I started imagining that I would be locked in and forced to spend the night. That did not happen, however, as I walked out the back gate onto the lawn of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. It had just closed and I never did get back there (which is a shame – next time), but I enjoyed walking the lawns of the two large buildings where sculptures and installations were on display.

In the distance, I saw a man with a large ring of keys walking towards the gate. Realizing I was about to be locked in to the grounds, I ran up to him and exited just as he locked the gate. In my mind, I did this Indian Jones style, barely sliding through and then reaching back for my hat. Truthfully, I kind of wish I had been locked in, because then I would have a cool story of having to climb the walls to escape the gallery grounds, but instead I just had a pleasant walk back into Dean Village to our Air bnb.

The next day would be our last in Scotland and we would do a day trip to Glasgow and Paisley.

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Stirling, Scotland

From Wigtown, Scotland we took a series of buses and trains to Stirling, via Glasgow. We picked Stirling because the pictures looked pretty, it has a grand castle, and it is the jumping off point for lots of picturesque walks. The train ride there took us past lovely scenery.

Stirling is small and lovely. One doesn’t need a lot of time there to see the castle and town, but with more time, the outlying areas are certainly worth exploring.

We walked from the train station to our Air bnb, which was right at the base of the walk along the castle walls to the castle itself. A perfect location.

And so we walked. We walked around the hilly old town, stopping for coffee and cakes along the way. (Cakes are a reoccurring theme in these Scotland posts, but the cafes here all had the best flourless vegan and gluten free cafes, like orange & almond or pistachio & lemon.)

Stirling was very picturesque – particularly the Church of the Holy Rude (the present structure dating to the 1400s).

And my favourite was the wonderful cemetery around the church, which was beautiful and afforded views of the surrounding fields.

The castle itself, sort of the highlight, was certainly worth visiting but I didn’t love some of the revitalization that they have done, painting the walls or ceilings with bright crests and patterns that, even if they replicate the originals, seemed too new and Disney-esque. But walking the ramparts and looking around was very good.

I also took a walk out of Stirling across a river to Cambuskenneth and the remaining Abbey.

We liked Stirling, but a day + two nights was sufficient to see the sights and wander around a bit. We ended up not doing any big hikes, but I should mention that if one does want to do any good long walks or hikes, this website, Walk Highlands, has incredibly detailed walking routes, pictures, GPS coordinates, etc. I used it to do my walk to Cambuskenneth.

From Stirling we would return to Edinburgh, visit Dean Village, Glasgow, and Paisley.

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Wigtown, Scotland

Wigtown, Scotland is the book capital of Scotland due to an abundance of bookshops set in a small, quaint town. Each fall it has a book festival. It is on the south coast of Scotland and is home to just under 1000 people, most of whom seemed surprised to see us there as travelers.

My mum, Luba, picked Wigtown because we both love books and bookstores and she had read a book by the owner of one of the bookstores, which was all about the town and his bookshop. A small town full of bookstores and characters sounded good for me, so we made the trip south from Edinburgh. (For a detailed account of the trains and buses required to reach Wigtown, see this post here.)

We stayed at Hillcrest House, a charming bed & breakfast in an old house a short walk from both the town and the sea and run by a lovely couple from England.

The town was delightful. It is tiny. You could see everything twice in an afternoon and still get to bed early. We spent two nights and 1.5 days, which was perfect. We got to go to all of the bookstores that were open (some of them randomly close on certain weekdays), have leisurely teas and strolls. Very pleasant.

The most famous of the bookstores is The Bookshop, known for being the book store of the aforementioned book, for being Scotland’s largest secondhand bookstore, and for its cluttered and creative interior.

We browsed there for quite a while and first edition Alfred Dunhill pipe book. (I collect cigar, pipe, and tobacco books.) Sadly, the owner was away for on a buying trip at the time.

We twice went for shopping and tea at Beltie Books, which we loved due to the proprietor, who had a demeanor that was to our liking and made excellent cakes.

We loved all of the bookstores and walking to visit all of them. There is a website for Wigtown’s booksellers, but it does not include all of them. There are good maps and brochures that have better listings available at most of the shops (but certainly found at Beltie’s). The shops do keep some odd hours, so if visiting all of them is your goal, do some planning ahead of time. We were winging it, and missed some.

There are a number of cafes and eateries, including one that is all vegan and vegetarian.

I have no idea how the town functions outside of the book festival, business-wise. It is utterly charming, but everyone we spoke to seemed so surprised that we were visiting on holiday. It is quiet and certainly not overrun with tourists. We loved it though. All the locals were so friendly and…colorful. It felt somewhat like being in a BBC show set in a small town. Who knows, maybe a show set in the town is forthcoming.

We also took walks on some of the trails around the town. One led to the sea, past fields of sheep.

Another led to a martyrs execution site where the ‘Wigtown Martyrs” were tied to stakes and drowned in the 17^th C for, effectively, being staunch Catholics and refusing to take an oath to denounce a guy who had denounced the King.

That’s basically it for Wigtown. Books, tea, strolls, and martyrs. It was a lovely and relaxing stop and we both liked seeing a bit of small town Scotland, as well as the journey there and back.

With our books (Luba bought quite a few) we made the journey back north, this time to Stirling.

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To Wigtown, Scotland by Train and Bus

In southern Scotland is a town called Wigtown. If you are reading this, you likely know why Wigtown is a destination, but if not, people go to Wigtown because it is the ‘book capital of Scotland’, boasting maybe a dozen bookstores in a quaint town of about 900 people. Each fall they have a book festival. My mother had read a book about the town written by one of the bookstore owners and we are both keen readers and book hoarders so we decided to go. The issue was how to get to Wigtown by train and bus.

Scotland is not very big so the most sensible way to get to Wigtown is to drive, but I never learned how and my mother did not want the stress of driving in a foreign country so transit it had to be. There are no direct routes from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Wigtown and there was no useful information I could find to tell me which trains and buses to take, so I figured it out, which took a bit of effort, so here you are: how to get to Wigtown from Edinburgh or Glasgow without driving.

We started in Edinburgh but the first leg of the journey necessitated going to Glasgow, so this works for departures from either city.

We left Edinburgh (Waverley Station) on a morning train for Glasgow. All trains can be booked ahead of time on the ScotRail website https://www.scotrail.co.uk. As far as I could tell there is no need to book in advance, but I did anyway and then picked up the tickets at the train station in Edinburgh from a machine.

The train from Edinburgh to Glasgow takes anywhere from 44 minutes to about an hour and 15 depending on the train. They cost the same. We took the shorter one and arrived at Glasgow Queen Street Station.

From there we had to change not only trains, but train stations – from Glasgow Queen Street to Glasgow Central. The stations are a five-minute walk apart, but leave yourself a bit longer to get there and find your next train. 15 minutes was fine for us.

From Glasgow Central we took a train to the town of Barrhill. This leg of the journey takes around two hours, depending on the train.

This is where things got interesting. Barrhill is a town of maybe 400 people. You may see none of them. The station is unmanned, so you basically get off the train next to a building that will be closed, surrounded by fields of sheep. You cannot pick up or buy tickets there. There is no phone and are no taxis.

The sheep that will greet you in Barrhill

From Barrhill Station there is a road to Barrhill town, which is walk able. It took us 20 minutes. It is an odd walk because it really is just a country road with little or no traffic.

You leave the station on the only road and soon will hit a fork. Turn left heading downhill slightly.

Follow that road through fields and past a cemetery on your left.

Barrhill Cemetery – maybe more populous than the town

At some point you will see a sign welcoming you to Barrhill.

You will then reach a part of the road with houses and signs and your second fork in the road.

Turn right towards the town. The town is a couple blocks of mostly houses, but there is a hotel (closed when we were there) and a general store where you can buy snacks and water and whatnot.

So, you’ve turned right and about one block down on the left hand side of the street is an unassuming bus stop just before a little bridge.

Wait there for the #359 bus to Newtown Stewart. Don’t worry, it will come.

You can check the timetables for buses here www.stagecoachbus.com.

There are a couple of buses in the morning and a couple in the afternoon. We caught the 1:20pm bus, which was on time. This is like a regular city bus. The website suggests that you may be able to buy tickets in advance close to the date, but there is no reason for that. Just buy the tickets on the bus, but check the fares ahead of time, and bring exact change or at last small bills. You cannot pay with credit cards and I did not see an ATM in Barrhill (and you don’t want to get stuck there). If you did get stuck in Barrhill you could call a taxi from Newton Stewart, about 40 minutes away, from www.mcleanstaxis.com but I have no idea what that would cost. Barrhill does not have taxis.

The bus from Barrhill to Newtown Stewart takes about 40 minutes.

Tell the driver you want to get off at Dashwood Square. Newtown Stewart is a metropolis of about 3,500 people and has more than one bus stop. Dashwood Square is the main bus loop, just in front of city hall (where you can totally pop in and use the washroom).

City Hall at Dashwood Square, Newton Stewart

From Dashwood Square catch the #415 bus from Stance 1 to Wigtown. It will take only about 15 minutes and that bus leave frequently (every 15-30 minutes throughout the day).

On arrival in Wigtown, you will be dropped off in the town centre, with a square in the middle and book stores all around, walking distance to everything.

I loved Wigtown, but I loved the journey there just as much as being there. It was like a fun mini adventure and was a great way to see some small towns and countryside in southern Scotland.

A final note, to return to Edinburgh or Glasgow (to to go to Stirling, as we did) you just reverse the direction of this trip, however be sure to buy your train tickets out of Barrhill in advance, as there is no place to buy them in Barrhill.

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Edinburgh, Scotland

Any misgivings I had about going to Scotland were dissipated upon arrival in Edinburgh. Luba and I took the train from the airport, past green fields and hopping bunnies, and arrived at the Princes Street station just in time to see a fabulous sunset and catch a glimpse of the city before total darkness descended. We both just said “wow.”

It really is a beautiful city. The hills give it a wonderful tiered quality so you can see the castle, rows of pretty stone buildings, statues, and parks all at once. But it was late and we still had to find our way to our Air bnb. We walked from the tram stop up and then down again to reach Grassmarket. Once the fav spot for public executions, then a neighbourhood for poor people, now a cool area with pubs and cafes and our lodgings. (Note to self for future non-fiction history book: “From Murder to Micro Brews: The Gentrification of Grassmarket”.) On reflection, this area was the perfect place to stay. Central and with lots of food and amenities nearby, a hilly walk to both the train station and tram stops.

We checked out our flat and I went for a quick stroll before bed. After all, there was a lot of sight seeing to come.

We woke up (to an alarm – yes I set alarms on holiday, much to my mother’s consternation) and had a coffee on Grassmarket before walking up and down picture perfect Victoria Street. It’s easy to see why it is in pretty much every Google search I did about travel in Edinburgh.

Victoria Street, Edinburgh (from the other end)

We went for breakfast on a patio overlooking Victoria Street. The sun was shining and would continue to do so. I had not been looking forward to the food in Scotland. I expected few vegetarian options other than falafel stands and salads. As it turned out, everywhere we went in Scotland there was an abundance of vegetarian and vegan options. Organic, gluten free, et cetera. I ordered a vegan Scottish breakfast, which came with vegan haggis, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and toast. It was pretty good and now I can say I’ve had haggis (sort of).

From there we walked down part of the ‘Royal Mile’ to Edinburgh Castle, one of the two main sights in the city.

This is not the castle; it is just a fine, pointy black church

We opted not to take a guided tour, so I didn’t learn much, but we enjoyed wandering. The oldest of the existing buildings are late 16^th C but there has been a fortress of some sort on the site since at least the 12^th C. As with most of the sites in Edinburgh, it was quite busy with tourists, but there were no queues to speak of and I didn’t find the crowds bothersome, but I didn’t have the patience for a historical tour.

From there we walked more of the Royal Mile just to see what there was. As it turns out: loads and loads of touristy tartan shops. After a few days in the country even I started to get sucked in, thinking, “Perhaps I do need a tartan tam and shawl.” Thankfully, I had the sense to know that there would be no way I would wear or want such things once I was back home. Instead I bought a cigar at one of the many tobacconists in the city.

Another picture of Victoria Street.
They do have more streets here but this one is just so colourful.

We then walked back to near the Princes Street tram stop, where we parted ways. Luba went to do her own thing, and I continued to wander around. I had visions of finding a sunny patio and having a cigar, but I never did find quite the right spot. (Smoking is 100% banned inside in Edinburgh, but smoking outside, including on patios is fine; in fact, it seems to be encouraged.) I did enjoy my walk, aimlessly checking out the side streets and squares of the City Centre.

Looking back to the Old City, Edinburgh. This is not the weather I was expecting.

view of Edinburgh Castle from the City Centre

On my way back to Grassmarket, I decided to take the long way round and ended up pleasantly strolling in a cemetery and around the University of Edinburgh.

I reconnected with Luba and we went for dinner at Maison Bleue, a French restaurant on Victoria. It was a bit fancier than we were used to but it had a nice bohemian vibe.

“food first, then morals”
Maison Bleue on Victoria Street

If that has been our only day in Edinburgh, that would have been pretty satisfying, but the next day we had more planned. We walked to the Palace of Holyroodhouse: the home of the Queen of England when in Scotland and royal residence dating back to the 16^th C.

It was quite impressive. The rooms were fairly lavish and it was pretty neat to see where the Queen still has her dinners and get together when she is in town. I’m no monarchist, but I am Canadian and there is a certain interest or awareness of the Queen that is ingrained.

It was especially interesting to see Mary Queen of Scots’ bed chamber where the pregnant queen was forced to watch as her husband killed her secretary/secret lover. Historical drama! Tiny Beds!

We visited the remains of the abbey.

The grounds of the palace were especially lovely.

From there we went for a much slower stroll, stopping to check out lanes and views, and finally, to stop for a proper tea.

Fueled with caffeine and scones, we walked up Calton Hill for views over the city. The views were somewhat marred by the unfortunate angle of the sun at that time of day (morning would have been better), but the walk up was great and we chatted with a local man in his 70s who walks up the hill daily and had choice words for both Donald Trump and Theresa May.

We spent a while on the hill just enjoying the breeze and shade with a cigar and a couple of books.

After that we just ambled slowly and in a round about way back to our home, stopping to visit the Greyfriars Kirkyard and Kirk that I saw the day before and the café where J.K. Rowling apparently wrote much of Harry Potter. (Harry Potter has become a real claim to fame for Scotland. Take that, Robert Burns!)

There is so much more to do in Edinburgh, but we just wanted to be a bit more relaxed in our pace and decided we could skip museums and galleries.

What we couldn’t skip was browsing around Armstrong & Son’s vintage clothing shop, which itself has been in business since about 1840. It was a delight, though we both walked away empty handed.

We packed in it early that night as the next day we had an early train to catch heading south. I loved Edinburgh, could easily see myself living there, and looked forward to returning at the end of our jaunt.

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An Afternoon in London, Or ‘How Solo Travel Has Made Me A Bit Of A Jerk’

Scotland wasn’t on my travel list. It looked lovely, but these days I crave destinations that are more far-flung and a little dangerous maybe. I can’t stand it when I tell people where I am going and they have their own suggestions. “Oh you must go to this restaurant.” Et cetera. Scotland was one of those destinations. Plus, as of writing, it isn’t an independent country, so I don’t even get the satisfaction of going to a new country. Not that that is the reason I travel, but I do like lists.

So when I said to my mother, “Would you like to take another international trip with me?” and she said “Scotland” I was fine with it, but not excited. I stifled the urge to say something like, “What about Algeria? Or Bangladesh?” Instead I got to planning.

Scotland actually has a lot of charming places, green walks, and oodles of castles. It is historic and picturesque. Choosing the right places for a 9 day trip was tough. In the end we didn’t want to spend too much time traveling all over the country, so I just picked a few destinations: a day’s layover in London, a few days in Edinburgh, a day or two in Wigtown, to Stirling, and a day trip to Glasgow.

My mum and I hadn’t traveled together since we went to Peru about 4 years prior and I hadn’t traveled with anyone since. I’m not going to lie: traveling with someone is more difficult for me than traveling solo. There are discussions. Constant discussions. Discussions about where and when to eat, where to walk, when to stop, which train to take, et cetera. Mercifully, my mother pretty much defers to what I want to do, but out of the need to be (or to appear to be) considerate, there are discussions that must be had.

The first of those discussions happened when we had our layover in London. I’ve been to London. I lived there. But Luba (my mother) had not, so I was excited to show her around the places I used to work and hang out.

I planned a walk around some of the main sights. We got a bit into the walk, though St. James Park, past Buckingham Palace, down the Mall, through Trafalgar Square, to Covent Garden and Soho, and there were plans for more, but we ran out of steam. She hadn’t slept on the plane (a red eye flight from Vancouver) and, while I had, I was tired and cranky. Then it started to rain.

Weirdly happy to see these phone box sex adverts are still a thing.
I remember them from the 90s – back when people still used pay phones

We went to a cute little patisserie in Soho, unable to agree where to go next. If I were alone, I would have kept walking, ceaselessly, until it was time to go to the airport, but Luba wasn’t up for that. Neither of us wanted to go back to the airport early, and the rain didn’t want us to sit in a park or on a patio. Day one and we were on the verge of a quarrel. This does not happen when you travel alone.

But then the perfect solution struck me. What is my solace and comfort? My favorite way to pass a quiet and contemplative time? Cigars. I said, “Well, we could walk over to St. James Street and go to the Dunhill cigar lounge. I could smoke and you could read.” Success! We were both happy. As we walked there the clouds parted. I had an extraordinary limited edition Bolivar and Luba read her book.

Both restored, we went for a bit of a circuitous stroll before going back to the airport.

In the end, we didn’t stick to my plan and cover all of the ground in London that I would have had I been alone, but I got to show my mother a bit of London and we ended up having a nice afternoon.

Solo travel has taught me a lot: how to be strong and self-reliant, how to be content with my own company, how to meet people, and how to constantly step out of my comfort zone. But solo travel has also made me a bit selfish, resistant to compromise, and bossy. I want to do what I want to do. I’m not proud of those things, but I am pleased that I can set them aside (more or less) to still enjoy traveling with my mum.

We went back to the airport and took a short and sleepy flight to Edinburgh.

Tag: United Kingdom

A Swift Exit for a Quick Visit

Little Venice

Beyond the canals

Back to Heathrow