HMY Britannia - super homely

I'm a huge royal fan, I really am. I've visited most of the Royal residences and today finally got to see HMY Britannia. I've never been a fan of travelling by bus in places I don't know, but as the yacht is in Leith, the alternative was taxi so instead I took the bus for £1.60 after dropping my bag at the bus station for safe keeping. The entrance to the yacht is interesting. It's a shopping mall.

I got my audio guide and started weaving my way through the decks. It's bigger than I expected and really does live up to what people say, it feels like a family home, rather than the formalness of Buckingham Palace and Holyrood. There was a programme on TV recently which helped give background to the rooms. it was lovely to see the sun room where the Queen would breakfast. The separate rooms for the Queen and Duke. The Queen's room was more floral than the Duke's. Opposite was the honeymoon suite with the only double bed on the ship, requested by Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Tea and cake pit stop and then on with my audio tour.

Something that sticks in my head from the programme was the stair case and to look at the clocks, all set at the time that Britannia was decommissioned where the Queen shed a tear in public. What a beautiful visit.

Edinburgh Castle - a complete honey trap

I spent New year 2013 at Edinburgh Castle but never actually visited so with my English Heritage card for free entry, off I went. I bought an audio guide. I'm a bit of a fan of an audio guide telling me what I'm looking at. To be honest, there was a bit too much to visit and so much information to take it. It was also absolutely heaving and it wasn't even a weekend or school holiday time. I hate to think how busy it is in those times. I wandered through to see the Scottish Crown Jewels and wandered through doors but gosh I was a bit information overloaded and had enough of tourists.

'Wave' poppies on Barge Pier, Southend on Sea

The poppies at the Tower of London were breathtaking. We were lucky enough to have received one as a Christmas present too. So, we couldn't resist visiting 'the Wave' at Barge Pier, Shoeburyness, Southend of Sea. Barge Pier was build in 1908 and Southend on Sea was the location of one of the first air raid attacks on the UK. The installation was breathtaking and a goosebump moment.

https://www.1418now.org.uk/commissions/poppies-wave-at-southend/

Hadleigh Castle

Penny loves a castle so we visited Hadleigh Castle overlooking the Essex marshes. Hadleigh was built in 1215 by Hubert de Burgh. Not much survives but one tower. We went off piste and took the long walk back to the car. Alas we didn't quite realise how far. It was a lovely walk but gosh we had very tired doggies, to the point that I had to take penny ahead to scout how much further and go back to Sailor who needed a breather.

Fortnum and Mason's afternoon tea - best in the world

I do believe that the Fortnum and Mason afternoon tea in the jubilee tea salon is the best in the world. I love the décor, the service, the food, the refills, the tea...everything about it. So for Al's 40th birthday...it has to be a Fortnum and Mason afternoon tea.