Sunday and Monday, June 2 and 3, 2013 Days 8 and 9

Only a short post from just Sunday since I only had a few minutes in the AM while still in Edinburgh but then at the evening hotel we had very limited internet access and what we had was very expensive...  I am sitting in the wonderful British Museum in London as I start this.  Might have to get it done now since we will be in the same hotel chain in London as in Leeds where we were last night and they might not have free internet.

Sunday

Left early from Edinburgh and drove South into England.  We stopped to see the Alnwyck Castle - a remarkable castle in very excellent shape thanks to the current owners.  And current is relative- the family has owned it for 700 years..It is the castle where several of the outdoor scenes from 2 Harry Potter movies were made.

We spent 3 hours exploring, then boarded the bus to head South.  We stopped at the walled city of York.  Most of the walls are still in goo shape so we walked on them around to the Minster - the largest church North of the Alps.  It is HUGE...  Unfortunately we could not go in because they were having a service in commemoration of the Queen's 60th Anniversary of her Coronation, which is actually being celebrated Tuesday here in London..

We left York and headed to Leeds where we spent the night.  The hotel was very modern,. with space-age toilets - looked like it was an entirely modular unit they simply dropped in.  The dinner was Cottage Pie - the same thing as Shepard Pie but Shepard Pie is made with lamb and in Cottage Pie they can use any other type of meat.  We think we had beef.  Tasted good along with the vegetables and the chocolate cake.  We have not been short of good food on this trip.

Monday

Up early and left just after 8am for the 5 hour drive to London.  It's a beautiful day - about 60 degrees, a slight breeze, and occasional clouds. Tons of people around.  We stopped on the North Embankment (the edge of the River Thames), had a potty break, grabbed some food, then headed out on a walking tour which took us through Trafalgar Square and now to the British Museum.  This museum is one of the largest - over 8 million artifacts.  The biggest attraction is the Rosetta Stone - the stone that when finally discovered was used to translate the ancient hieroglyphics. We are here until 5:30pm.

We leave here to head to dinner - traditional fish and chips, then to our hotel for the next 5 days.

I hope to add more comments and some photos this evening...