… And the children drank lemonade. And the morning lasted all day. All day. After an extremely long journey from Edinburgh, we finally landed in Whitstable, on the seaside in Kent, for several days of peace and quiet … and oysters. If you’re an oyster connoisseur, visiting the north-east coast of Kent is a true … Continue reading Life in a Seaside Town — Whitstable: Days 15-23 →

We woke up at 6:20am on Wednesday, July 20 on the same platform in the same city. Xavier had set an alarm when we got in bed, before we realized the train wasn’t leaving. I woke around 3am (all the various scenarios running through my head) and read on Twitter that we were supposed to … Continue reading The Day After — Day 14 →

After leaving Loch Lomond, we drove back to Edinburgh, returned our rental car, fought with the rental car company about an issue with the tire that we are sure was there when we picked it up (did I already mention that insurance is a very good thing?), and headed to Edinburgh Waverley train station to … Continue reading Family wakes up after night on sleeper train to find it never left Edinburgh — Day 13 continued →

On July 17, after visiting Stirling Castle, we drove to Monachyle Mhor on the banks of Loch Voil in Balquhidder. We spent two nights in what was billed as a “house in the trees”, a tiny three-floor structure with incredibly picturesque views and mirrored external walls on one side. We spent Monday walking, skipping lots … Continue reading Balquhidder and the Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond — Days 12 and 13 →

On July 15 we headed to Edinburgh from Dumfries via Carlisle. We continued to see some of the stress on the British transport system that we’d been reading about. The persistent threat of strikes and the severe heat wave threatening Europe have pushed British transport to the brink. Our train from Carlisle to Edinburgh was … Continue reading Days 9, 10, and 11 — Edinburgh and Stirling Castle →

On Sunday, July 10, we travelled from Harpenden to Lockerbie, Scotland via train. Our friend James collected us from the station and took us to his home in Rockcliffe, on the southern coast. The drive took about an hour so we got to see quite a bit of the landscape. We had a lovely stay … Continue reading Days 4-8 — Rockcliffe, Scotland →

After we visited the British Museum on Friday, we had a tour of Parliament with Fiona Channon, the Deputy Yeoman Usher and Guardian of the Mace (one of the Crown Jewels) of the House of Lords. Fiona is the first woman ever to hold this position in the 700 year history of the House of … Continue reading Day 2 continued — Tour of Parliament and Pearl Jam →

This is a guest post by Xavier Dupuy. On July 8th, we went to the British Museum. I really wanted to visit the British Museum because I did an Egyptian unit in school this year and thought it was very interesting. The Rosetta Stone piqued my interest just as it had piqued everyone else’s. We … Continue reading Day 2 — The British Museum by Xavier Dupuy →

On July 7 we arrived in London and took the new Elizabeth Line (amazing new train!) directly from Heathrow to Paddington. After storing our bags at Paddington, we had a delicious lunch at Patogh, a Persian restaurant on the Edgware Road. Then we hopped on the No. 6 bus (for old time’s sake) and rode … Continue reading Day 1 — Arrival and Trafalgar Square →