Wednesday's tour

Yesterday (Wed.), Chris's conference started. She and Rico headed off to the bus station early to get there for the opening meeting. On the bus they met up with one of Chris's former students (Morgan) and a current employee of Rico who will be presenting a paper she prepared as part of her masters thesis.

As for me, I set off on a bus tour on my own to places south of Edinburgh. I arrived at the bus pick-up spot to find a statue of Adam Smith, the famous 18th century economist.

And right across the street was a sign I could not resist taking a photo. I am sure we all know some people who would work here (or already think they do):

Anyway, it was off to our first stop, Melrose Abbey. This is where it is believed that Robert the Bruce's heart (remember The movie Braveheart) is buried. Apparently, burying one's heart someplace different from the rest of the body wasn't that uncommon back in the old days. The ruins are more than 500 years old.

There was a very narrow stone spiral staircase that took you to the roof where you can see the surrounding area. Beautiful!

After visiting the Abbey museum, it was back on the bus as we ventured into England. We traveled by the "Welcome to England" sign so fast I could not get a photo of it. Bummer! Next stop was Alnwick Castle.

Alnwick castle is the home of the Duke of Northumberland. Most of the castle looks like a museum, but the Duke and his family still live on the grounds. But equally important, this is also the place where the following movies and TV shows have been made: Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, Robin Hood: Prince of Theives; Black Adder, Joan of Arc, and a few more that I cannot remember -- even though they keep reminding you. For you Harry Potter fans... 😉

And I hope you can see and hear the tour guide talk about one of Harry Potter movies here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpe26dWQmQQ

And here is another video of the inside court yard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvFkHrXGTOE

Here is a panoramic view:

And one for Chris and all the rest of you Downton Abbey fans:

The Duke, back in the 17th century, also played a part in North America negotiating with the Mohawk Indians. 

They even had a small collection of Mohawk pottery on display. (I do not know if they had more, but here are a few photos).

When the tour was over it was back on the bus ... Next stop Bamburgh Castle on the coast. Unfortunately, it poured and we -- as a group -- decided not to try walking down to the beach on the other side of the castle. (You cannot actually walk on the grounds of the castle because it is a private residence and not open to the public). Here's a photo:

Then it was back on the bus and our ride back to Scotland with a stop or two along the coast of the North Sea.

And a couple more ruins along the way...

Once I got back to Edinburgh, I met up with Chris who was at a reception for her conference. Having traveled with Chris over the past 30+ years, I have gotten to know many of her colleagues from around the world so it was nice seeing many of them here.