Edinburgh - Lili on the Loose

17 07, 2017

Travel Missteps: The Determined Thief of Edinburgh

By Lili|July 17th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, Backpacking it in England and Scotland, bus, Edinburgh, Europe, hop on and off bus, police, Scotland, thief, UK, United Kingdom|0 Comments

Source I've written before before how my family used the "Hop on / Hop Off" busses in England to get around the cities a lot. But one of our last times on those sightseeing busses turned out to be the most eventful. As per usual, we got to the designated starting point early and claimed seats at the top. We had a wide choice of seats, the only other person on the top deck was two older women sitting together. I decided to sit halfway back, mainly because at this point in a 2 week trip I

29 12, 2016

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

By Lili|December 29th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: Abu Simbel, Africa, Ancient, Antigua, Assisi, Aswan, Austria, Barrier Reef, Basilica of San Francesco, Bath, Belize, Cairo, Caye Caulker, Central America, Champs Elysées, Chichen-Itza, Coiba, Dahshur, Dashur, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Egypt, Eiffel Tower, England, Europe, Florence, France, Germany, Giza, Great Pyramids, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guatemala, Hadrian's Wall, High Dam, Holy See, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Leanding Tower of Pisa, Loreley, Louvre, Luxor, Mayan, Memphis, Mexico, Middle East, National Park, Necropolis, North America, Notre-Dame, Nubia, Panama, Panama Viejo, Paris, Petra, Philae, Philae Temple, Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Pompeii, Pyramids, Ramesses II, Rhine River, Rhine Valley, River Seine, Roman Walls, Rome, Rüdesheim, ruins, Sainte Chapelle, Salzburg, Saqqara, Scotland, Seine, Siena, snorkel, Thebes, Tikal, Travel Thursday, UK, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, United Kingdom, USA, Vatican City, Venice, Venice Lagoon, Verona, Wesminster Abbey, Westminster, World Heritage, Yellowstone National Park|0 Comments

"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration." - UNESCO There are thousands of world heritage sites. I've been to 30 of them: Salzburg Austria Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg A turtle in Belize Belize Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System Ramses Temple at Abu Simbel Egypt Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Historic Cairo Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to

21 11, 2016

Travel Missteps: Border Clans of Scotland

By Lili|November 21st, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, Armstrong, Backpacking it in England and Scotland, Border Clan, Clan, Edinburgh, Family, Scotland, Scottish Clan, Tartan, UK, United Kingdom|0 Comments

Our motto: "I remained Unvanquished". It is a rare privilege to be able to visit the homeland of your ancestors. I've been able to visit England, Ireland, and Scotland to see the countrysides of where they lived. I thought I new a lot about my Armstrong ancestors from going to the Scottish Military Tattoo Festival every year in Estes Park, CO. I knew our motto, what our crest and tartan looked like. I had learned the old story of how a warrior rescued his clan's King when he fell in battle, picking him up and getting him

9 05, 2016

Travel Missteps: Not the Hogwarts Express

By Lili|May 9th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2002, 2012, Backpacking it in England and Scotland, Costa Rica & Orlando Adventure, Edinburgh, England, Family, Florida, Harry Potter, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts Express, Islands of Adventure, Kings Cross, Kings Cross Station, North America, Orlando, Orlando Adventure 2012, Platform 9 3/4, Scotland, Tain, UK, United Kingdom, Universal Studios, USA, Witches, Wizarding World, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Wizards, York|0 Comments

England had some pretty disappointing train trips. I traveled there in the summer of 2002. I remember being a Senior in high school, and dashing through Kings Cross station late at night, to try to catch a glimpse of the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Why? Because I wanted to act out and take a photo pretending to gain access to Platform 9 3/4! Imagine my surprise and disappointment to find that platform 9 and 10 are in separate areas! (Now they actually have a photo op elsewhere in the station, but it was dark times for early fans.) So,

20 02, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Scottie Dog Plush

By Lili|February 20th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2002, Backpacking it in England and Scotland, dog, Edinburgh, Europe, plush, Scotland, Scotland the Brave, stuffed animal, UK, United Kingdom|0 Comments

This little scottie dog is directly from Edinburgh, Scotland and plays "Scotland the Brave". I've had it for so long I don't even remember where I bought it. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

4 04, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Bagpipe Practice Chanter

By Lili|April 4th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2002, Backpacking it in England and Scotland, Bagpipe, Bagpipe Practice Chanter, castle, Chanter, clarinet, drums, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Europe, guitar, instrument, music, piano, Practice Chanter, Scotland, UK|0 Comments

I grew up learning to play many instruments from piano, drums, guitar, and the clarinet. Which is probably why this Practice Chanter to help learn how to play Bagpipes caught my eye in Scotland. Scottish Bagpipe Practice Chanter I bought it right after seeing Edinburgh Military Tattoo right outside Edinburgh Castle. It is a double reed instrument that feels like a cross between a clarinet and a recorder. But the sound is much closer to a Bagpipe/recorder hybrid. This particular Chanter...is very cheap. It is hard to play the notes, and the reed isn't the best quality. But