Saying Goodbye to Scotland

Because I love Scotland so much, I made one final trip up June 14 to June 16. Christy is just about finished with her teaching assignment and will soon be headed home, so I squeezed in one last visit. We were joined this weekend by Fulbrighters JJ and Rebecca, which made the weekend even more fun.

Saturday we spent the day in Edinburgh, which is really just the most beautiful city. Next to London, it's definitely my favorite place in the UK. We did some exploring and shopping and then had dinner at a great restaurant right next to the bridges at the River Fourth.

View down the Royal Mile

Christy, me, JJ and Rebecca

JJ and I on the train home to Bathgate where Christy lives

We had a mini whiskey tasting that night 

On Sunday, we headed back into Edinburgh to go tour the queen's yacht The Britannia. The ship is amazing and so interesting to see. It's still decorated just the way her Majesty wanted it to be. What's so impressive to me is how modest much of it seemed to be. The style was simple and just a bit old-fashioned, kind of the way you'd expect your granny's house to look. It really made the royal family feel more real and down-home to me. I also really loved seeing all the family photos throughout the boat. That also added much to the general home-y feel of the ship.

Her Majesty's ship, The Britannia

She looks really happy in this photo

Welcoming myself aboard

I want to be the captain!

The Queen's bedroom

The Duke of Edinburgh's bedroom 

The only double bed on the ship, put in by Prince Charles for his honeymoon
cruise with Princess Diana

Family photos decorate the walls, offering a neat glimpse into the life of the Royal Family

The Queen's office

Princess Diana enjoyed playing this baby grand piano

Serving up drinks in the crew's bar below deck

I love British bunting!  

Found me a sailor boyfriend!

After dropping JJ at the airport, Rebecca, Christy and I headed to a fancy old home called Hopeton House. Christy had described it as sort of like the house on "Downton Abbey," and she was certainly right about that! The house is located on some amazing property with an incredible view. As you tour the home, you can visit many of the rooms and see how stylish the family that lived here was. We also climbed up a whole bunch of steps to the roof where we could take in the spectacular views.

Entering Hopeton House's driveway 

Lots of sheep were enjoying the sunshine along the driveway 

Hopeton House

Christy and Rebecca coming up the grand staircase

Just like on "Downton Abbey"!!!

View from the rooftop

After Hopeton House, we had to head straight to the airport so I could catch my plane. It was hard for me to say goodbye to Scotland, a country I fell in love with immediately when I first visited last June. But I know someday I'll be back, hopefully with someone who's never visited before, so I can introduce them to everything I love about this beautiful place.

See you next time, Scotland!