Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Royal Time In Edinburgh

Day Fifteen: Yacht See, Would You Like A Pint?, Exceeding Expectations, Ready For The Scrum, “Cleanse Your Soles,” Peonies From Heaven and The Devil’s Advocate

There’s nothing like a 2 1/2 mile walk to jump start your day, and that’s exactly what we did. We were on our way to Leith to board a ship that welcomes about 400,000 visitors per year, the Royal Yacht Britannia. Upon reflection, except for the exercise, the walk is not a particularly interesting one. The only sight of interest along the way as far as we could tell was the Norwegian Seaman’s Lutheran Church, which is now the home of the Leith School of Art. It was the first Norwegian Seaman’s Church not built in Norway. Tracy wishes we had painted our front door that color, which would have been perfect since I am part Norwegian.

                                                                    

I have to admit, we had debated touring the Royal Yacht Britannia, but we figured if 400,000 visitors came by each year, it must be worth a try. After checking out various pictures and the history of what would become the last British Royal Yacht when it was decommissioned in 1997 …

                                                     

… we stepped onboard, and I quickly attempted to commandeer the bridge. This was the 83rd royal vessel since the HMY Mary, the first of these, built for King Charles II in 1660.

                                   

We purchased the audio guide so we would have some idea of what we were viewing. We were also told to look for the corgis (of the stuffed variety) that had been placed throughout the ship.
 This was the first ocean cruising Royal Yacht, and people back in the early 1950s were hoping that its first cruise could help the ailing King George VI convalesce. George passed away two days after the commission was given to build the yacht in 1952, so it would become Queen Elizabeth II’s yacht. It made its inaugural launch in 1953.

We passed by a replica of the Queen’s 1950s Land Rover.

We learned that The Britannia Bell on the Verandah Deck is “the only place on board to feature the Royal Yacht’s full name.”

Next up were the State Apartments.  This area is the Sun Lounge.

A corgi deserves a place to relax. 

The Royals did not want the furnishings to be “too lavish.”  They did a good job at that. This is where the Queen slept.

She and Philip had separate rooms. This is his room. You’d think they could afford larger beds.

It wasn’t hard to find a place where you could have had a drink while on the open seas.

                            

Sadly, no whisky could be found.

A little more opulent  than the Queen’s bedroom is the 56-seat state dining room where dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, plus a number of U.S. presidents and other world leaders had dined.

                       

The State Drawing Room looked like a comfy place to hang out for the Royals and their guests.

                         

I auditioned for the position of Yacht Bartender. I had the credentials, but I had left my certificate under the Mai Tai mix at home. (redaction courtesy of the Department of Justice)

                                 

One nice boat deserves another. I guess they took this out on excursions as well.

We eventually toured five decks of the Britannia. This room was comfortable enough for a stuffed corgi, but it didn’t look too comfy for a human.

                 

Back in the day, the Royal Yacht Britannia would carry the Queen’s car onboard, a Rolls Royce Phantom V. Because the storage space was so small, they’d have to dismantle the bumpers for the voyage. We learned, “As the Queen started using the car provided for her at the port, this space was converted to a storage space for beer.”

Finally, I had the honor of standing next to ‘Yottie.’ This sculpture was dedicated as a tribute to the “Officers and Royal Yachtsmen who made Britannia synonymous with outstanding professionalism, camaraderie and loyalty to all they served.”

In the gift shop were books about the Queen’s corgis, but instead I bought an official Royal Yacht Britannia rugby shirt.

                                                                          

When I asked Kim what he thought about our visit, he replied, “It far exceeded expectations.” We agreed.

Afterward, we hopped in a taxi and headed out to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which turned out not only to be beautiful, but free. Before entering the garden, guests must wipe their feet on a large soapy mat to “Cleanse your soles” so plants don’t catch a disease from you. I hoped by now I was testing Covid negative.

We couldn’t see the flowers and trees without a bit of sustenance, so we grabbed a quick lunch at The Gateway at the west entrance of the gardens. Dining was inside and out (we ate outside), and I give two thumbs up for the ham and cheese croissant with mashed potatoes.

                                                  

I told Tracy she was getting spoiled with all the gardens we’ve visited on this trip and I am hoping this won’t result in a new landscaping project at home. Kim and Mary were just happy I hadn’t found another historic church.

                                         

We started to explore some of the 70 acres of the gardens that celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2020.

                                               

We didn’t have to hedge our expectations here. The gardens are spectacular.

                                                                                      

Mary even stopped to smell the peonies.

        

Coming from Southern California, it was nice to see so much green.

I was stumped on what happened to this tree.

                                                      

One area contained some of the flora of Nepal.

                                                     

I had no idea what the flowers were, but Tracy said they are Himalayan Blue Poppy Meconopsis.  These flowers are part of the Papaveraceae Family.

     

This was probably my favorite part of the garden.

                 

It was nice to see some blooms other than rhododendrons.

    

We hung out at the Royal Botanic Gardens until mid-afternoon, enjoying not only the flora, but also the ponds …

         

… and mini waterfalls.

Back in Edinburgh, Kim and Mary rested while Tracy said we should climb more stairs because we hadn’t gotten in 15,000 steps yet. So up we went in search of a pub.

We made a quick stop into St. Giles cathedral to see if the Thistle Chapel was open. It wasn’t, but Tracy captured another colorful photo.

                 

But first, we had to find a place for dinner, and we came across Vittoria on the Bridge, which is a sister restaurant to La Favorita on Leith Walk, where we had a good dinner in 2017. We made reservations for later that evening. Reservations made, I said to Tracy, “Let’s go to Deacon Brodies for a drink.” She replied, “Let me play the Devil’s Advocate.” And she did. We walked down the stairs (Edinburgh is Scotland’s answer to a StairMaster) at the Advocate’s Close, and wound up at a bar/restaurant called The Devil’s Advocate, which is housed inside an old Victorian pump house.

We enjoyed the vibe and look of the bar and relaxed for a bit before heading off to dinner.

                            

Kim and Mary decided to grab a pub burger and then we ambled back to Vittoria on the Bridge. The restaurant was slammed, and we were seated at the table near the bar (they must know me).

                           

Dinner was not quite as good as the one we had in 2017 at La Favorita, although the bruschetta was tremendous, as was a sponge cake with lemon that was served with a complimentary limoncello (always a nice touch).

       

As we were leaving, it started to drizzle on the disheveled guy as he walked down the Royal Mile back to our hotel.

Tomorrow would be the day we had been waiting for since 2017.

As long as Princess Anne had not taken up residence while we weren’t looking, we would be able to finally visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Later in the day, I would also have to make a final decision on whether I’d be staying in Scotland for another week or pack it in and come home.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Hooray For Holyrood

Day Sixteen: Playing The Palace, There’s Something About (Queen) Mary, Murder At The Palace, Cashmere Is Nothing To Sneeze At, Ice Cream Counts As Lunch, Slammed, Should I Stay Or Should I Go? and Shoveling In Our Dinner