John and I went to Britain in 2013 because our son was getting married in a Scottish castle in late July.  We flew to London on May 31, did a 16-day cruise in the Baltic, then spent a week in London before flying to Edinburgh.  We then had almost a month to travel around Scotland before the wedding.

After picking up our rental car we drove toward Galsgow where we were going to have a visit with my three cousins.  But first we went to see the Falkirk Wheel; which is a very cool lift lock to move boats. One of the fun aspects of our visit was a ride in a boat that gets lifted up by the wheel, makes a short run to the end of the channel and then comes back down.

There was a nice view of the town as we rode to the top.   Once at the top, the boat went through this tunnel, turned around and came back to catch the wheel to the bottom again.  It is a very clever design.

My mother had three sisters.  The two eldest came to Canada as War Brides after they married a couple of fellows from BC who were stationed in Scotland during the war.  My mother met my father when she came to our town in British Columbia to visit her sisters who had settled there with their husbands after the war.

All of the girls were born in Scotland but the family had emigrated to Canada when my mom was just a baby.  The girls went back to Scotland in 1937 after their parents had died within 6 months of each other.  Mom returned to Canada about 1940 when Britain was under extreme threat from Germany and lived with the Winnipeg couple that had fostered her after the death of her parents and before she and her sisters returned to Scotland.  When two of her sisters ended up in British Columbia after the war she came from Manitoba to visit them when she was 17.  She met my father, they married, and she stayed in the same town as her two older sisters.

The sister next older to my mother never moved from Scotland.  She and her husband had three daughters and since we were in Scotland we made arrangements to visit them.  They all lived near Glasgow so after we had seen the Falkirk Wheel we drove to the restaurant where we had arranged to meet.Cost and distance has prevented many visits between the Canadian and Scottish cousins as we all grew.   We saw them in 1986 during our first trip to Britain, The youngest sister came to Canada every few years for quite awhile, and the eldest, who is my age, came over a few years ago, but the middle ‘girl’ had never been to Canada.  She has since passed away so I am very glad we had the opportunity to visit with them and other members of the family while we were in Scotland.

John and I are Sherlock Holmes fans.  We like the British series “Sherlock” with Benedict Cumberbach as well as the American “Elementary” starring Jonny Lee Miller.  We have also read all of the books, so, what better place to visit while in London than 221B Baker Street, home of the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

When Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Holmes stories Baker Street addresses did not reach as a far number 221 so it was a good, fictitious, but ‘accurate’ London address.The Sherlock Holmes Museum is situated within an 1815 townhouse very similar to the 221B described in the stories and is located between 237 and 241 Baker Street. It displays exhibits in period rooms, wax figures and Holmes memorabilia, with the famous study overlooking Baker Street the highlight of the museum. The description of the house can be found throughout the stories: 

“According to the published stories, ‘221B Baker Street’ was a suite of rooms on the first floor of a lodging house above a flight of 17 steps. The main study overlooked Baker Street, and Holmes’ bedroom was adjacent to this room at the rear of the house, with Dr. Watson‘s bedroom being on the floor above, overlooking a rear yard that had a plane tree in it.”

There were no trees in the backyard at the museum but there were lots of knick-knacks of items mention in the books, several rather morbid figures exhibiting some of the ‘crime’ scenes, and a nice big armchair where you could sit wearing a Deerstalker cap with pipe in hand.  We had fun. This board contains business cards of visitors to the museum.  They cover most parts of the world.  Sherlock Holmes is an internationally loved character.John liked this Ferrari that was parked not far from the museum.

The next day we flew to Edinburgh, picked up our rental car and drove to Kincardine to have lunch with my cousins.

We were in Britain during the summer of 2013.  Our son was getting married in Scotland near the end of July so we flew over May 30, took a 16-day cruise of the Baltic and then spent a week in London.  On our fourth day in London we visited another of my favourite places: The British Museum.

The British Museum is located in the Bloomsbury area of London in a lovely neo-classical building that was constructed in the mid-1820’s.  It is the first national public museum in the world and is HUGE.  There are 94 galleries on five levels that contain 8 million works; many of which were collected during the years of British Colonial expansion.  There is no charge to visit the museum and you can photograph anything you wish.

   We always spend several hours wandering the various galleries.   There was a really nice exhibit of early, and extremely decorative, clocks

.One of my favourite displays is the many hordes of gold coins, jewelry, and other items that have been discovered in farmer’s fields all over the British Isles.  There would be some fascinating stories if the items could tell why they were buried and by whom. I  took photos of many of the collections but have just posted one here.

The museum has collections of just about everything.

I never cease to be amazed at the skill of sculptures to make such realistic and beautiful creations out of marble – aka rock.  Many hours later we emerged from the museum and made our way to the nearest Underground Station for our ride back to the flat.

The construction of the Cabinet War Rooms underneath the Treasury Building in Whitehall near Westminster in central London began in 1938.  On August 27, 1939, one week before Britain declared war on Germany they became fully operational and remained in active use until the end of the war.  They were abandoned after the surrender of Japan in August 1945 but the historical significance of the space was quickly recognized and preservation efforts were turned over to the Ministry of Works, and some time later, the Department for the Environment.  Until 1984 when the War Rooms were opened to the public only limited numbers of people could tour the area by appointment.

We once again took the Underground.  I love the London Underground.  You can get anywhere in the city in no time at all.  The first section was opened in 1863 and now has eleven lines with 402 km (250 miles) of track.  Only about 45% is actually underground.  Many of the lines are above-ground, especially the ones that go out from the center of the city.  The longest distance between stations is less than 4 miles, so you can reach almost anywhere within walking distance of a tube station.  In downtown London the deepest tunnel is 41.4 meters (136′) but the Hampstead station on the North Line is 58.5 m (192′) deep.  One forgets as you walk the streets of London that there is a gigantic multi-level network of tracks and trains and thousands of people moving about below you.

What could be more “London” than  Big Ben and Winchester Cathedral?Whitehall Palace gives its name to the street and main administrative district of the British Parliament.  The Palace was the main residence of English monarchs between 1530 and 1698 when most of the buildings were destroyed by fire.  At one time the palace complex covered 23 acres.  Today current buildings contain Number 10 Downing Street, residence of the Prime Minister and most of the various departments of the government. You enter the War Rooms through a nondescript stairway at the back of a building in Whitehall. At the end of the war everyone just left and the underground command center was locked up.  Much of the furnishings, communications equipment and maps were untouched.

You tour the War Rooms with an audio guide that gives you the background and use of each of the rooms.  It was extremely interesting.

 The photos have a pink cast due to the lighting.Prime Minister Churchill and his wife had rooms.  There was also a kitchen to prepare their meals.

The women and men who worked down here during the war could not tell anyone where they worked or what they were doing. There were very realistic looking mannequins of the actual people that worked in the various departments.In 2005 a Museum documenting the life and accomplishments of Winston Churchill was opened as part of the War Rooms.This lengthy panel displays all of his service medals, medals and awards.

Being a history buff such as I am, and one who has always had an interest in WWI and WWII history, I found the place fascinating.

When we finished our tour we wandered around several blocks to see what we could see. You couldn’t get more English Country Garden-ish than this!         The Canadian Embassy – a piece of home in central London

Whenever we are staying in London we rent a flat near Regent’s Park that belongs to the aunt of a friend of ours.  The location is great – about three blocks from Bond Street Underground Station, there are pubs, restaurants, and a grocery store within easy walks – or on the corner – and the place is quiet.

Our second day this trip we walked through Regent’s Park, which I love, and went to the London Zoo, which is located at the far opposite corner from the flat. It was mid-June and Queen Mary’s Rose Garden and all of the flower beds were in full bloom.

We had been to the London Zoo before.  The first time was in 1986 when we brought our children.  I have a great photo of them with this gorilla.We had not been through the Aquarium before though, and even though I am not a big fish fan we decided to check it out this time.

This very regal-looking cat is a Serval, an African cat common in the sub-Sahara regions.

Lions spend a lot of time sleeping.  Unless on the hunt, they are quite lazy. Now, here’s a face only a mother could love.  My mom told me she used to say, when I was a baby, “I was so homely I was cute.”  I think this little fellow falls into that category. It was a pleasant walk back through Regent’s Park and home to the flat.  The next day we toured the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum.

Not too far from Kensington Palace is Holland Park.  After we toured the palace we had a lovely time in the Park. I really like Japanese-style gardens and Holland Park has a beautiful one.

It there is one thing the English do very well it is a rose garden. We made our way back to the Underground Station and went back to our rented flat for some dinner and a quiet evening.

The next day we walked through Regent’s Park and to the  London Zoo.

We returned to London on June 17 from our 16-day cruise up the Baltic.  The next day we left the flat we had rented for a week and took the underground out to Kensington Palace.  We have been to London several times and yet had never been out there.  It was a lovely summer day as well, so we had a great time. The gate that was buried in all the flowers when Princess Diana died.There was a special exhibition on in the Palace called “History Where it Happened.”  Many of the rooms or historical items had white paper cut outs hanging above or placed near them.  I didn’t get it myself.

.  I thought this mural on the staircase was really neat.  All the people are peering at who is going up and down the stairs.  Very clever.  I can’t imagine how the Royal Archivist keeps track of all the treasures in all the residences of the Royal Family: and who got what from whom and who gets it later.  Mind boggling. How Prince Albert survived all the fawning romantic stitching on his coat, not to mention all the bows, and flowers, and froufrou is beyond me.  I would not have been able to keep a straight face during the ceremony if I was wearing such a garment!

The  gardens  were  gorgeous.

Hamburg was our last port of call on our 16-day Baltic Cruise.  We did another all-day tour with a 90-minute drive into the countryside to the Hanseatic City of Lübeck, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We had a two-hour walking tour of the Old Town. One would almost think you were in Dubai with all the unusual shaped buildings. Lübeck is still very much like it was in the late 19th century when the Hanseatic League of Merchants was in full bloom.  The League was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds.  The league began in a few towns in the 1100s and dominated the Baltic maritime trade for three centuries.  They protected economic and diplomatic privileges in their affiliated cities and worked with other communities to regulate and protect trade routes by land and by sea. They had their own legal system and private armies.                                               The Holsten Gate St. Mary’s Church was built between 1250 and 1350 and has always been a symbol of power and prosperity in the city of Lübeck.  It is built on the highest point of the island so dominates the city from all directions. We had time to wander the city streets and check out some of the shops. The Hospital of the Holy Ghost was built in 1280 and is one of the oldest social institutions in Europe.  It was still in use in the 1960s.  It was founded by the Lübeck merchants as a home for the poor, the sick, and the orphans.

These were the tiny little rooms occupied by the widows. We had lunch at the Maritime Club; a very posh place.  Beautiful woodwork.  It was a good lunch too. Back in Hamburg we relaxed before dinner and our sea days back to England.

Before we reached our last port-of-call on this cruise we sailed through the Kiel Canal.  The canal is 98-kilometers (61 miles) long and links the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.  The canal cuts off 250 nautical miles (460 km) of distance by allowing ships to avoid having to go around the Jutland Peninsula with its storm-prone waters.  It was finished in 1895 but was widened between 1907 and 1914.  Our ship, being a small cruise liner was able to navigate the route and we spent the day wandering on and off the deck to see the countryside slowly pass by.We lost our lovely sunshine and the day was wet and cool.  There were many pleasure boats and cross-canal ferries to watch. There were also some really nice homes along the canal route.   It’s called the “Flying Bridge” for a reason.  The Captain can get a good clear view of where the sides of his ship are at all times which is pretty handy going under some of the bridges and bringing the ship into ports.
I have no idea what the value of these homes might be in Germany but they would be very expensive in western Canada.                    We passed some lovely, lush farmland. This looks a little tight.  Probably looks tighter than it actually is though.                                             Not a lot of room to spare.Out the lock at the far end and off we go into the North Sea on our way to Hamburg.

The light during the early morning sail-in to Stockholm was just glorious.  I had a great time standing on the deck taking photos. We had a drive around the city and then were allowed time to stroll the medieval Old Town before we were driven to the island of Djurgården and dropped off at the Vasa Museum.  The Royal Palace is on one side of the huge central square.                  The town of Sigtuna, which dates from 1744.We visited the oldest creamery.  The building definitely has a lean.These ancient stones were located in various parts of the town.St. Mary’s Church is the oldest building in Sigtuna.  The earliest part of the church was built in 1247-48 and the building contains artifacts and religious furnishings dating back 700 years.  A restoration undertaken between 1966 and 1971 turned the medieval church into a building suitable for contemporary needs.All of the pew rows had different carved symbols on the aisle end.The 64-gun Vasa was the pride of the Swedish navy when it was built in 1628.  Unfortunately some major design flaws (it was top-heavy with too much weight on the upper structure, a lot of which was tons of ornate carving on the stern) caused the ship to capsize in the harbour 1300′ into her maiden voyage.  The ship was buried in the mud of the cold northern waters and faded into obscurity until it was discovered in the 1950s.  333 years after she sank she was painstakingly raised to the surface almost completely in tact.  A huge museum building was built nearby and the 4-storey ship was towed into it during December of 1987 and the next summer over 20,000 people toured the half-finished building.  Since then about 2,000,000 people have visited the museum.  Vasa is the world’s only preserved 17th century ship. There were cases of models that demonstrated how they ‘floated’ the Vasa to the surface.  It cost the Swedish people practically nothing.  All of the preparatory work, diving and tunnel digging to get ropes under the hull, and rigging to lift it, were done as part of the naval and coastal artillery proficiency training.  The salvage company that did the actual lift did the work at no cost in exchange for being able use the project in their advertising.  Only a few salaries and incidental expenses were born by the government.We really enjoyed our Swedish day.  I have Swedish blood.  My paternal grandparents both emigrated from Sweden to Canada in the early 1900s so it was nice to be in their homeland.