We didn’t wait long before we took our first trip. It was a last-minute decision, but a good one. We were feeling settled and Erik still had a few weeks before his course began, so we looked at a map of the UK and decided we’d take a train to Scotland! My parents had enjoyed their recent visit so we quickly looked at our options for tours of the Highlands as well as some of the famous castles. Our budget made many of the decisions for us as Scotland isn’t a cheap place to visit. So, with a plan in hand, we set out on our first UK edventure!
It was a bit of a frazzled start; we miscalculated our travel time to the train station and didn’t consider how busy the Underground system would be during the morning commute. We arrived at the station with only 9 min to spare and we didn’t yet have our tickets. Then the ticket wicket wouldn’t print for us (something about needing the right credit card?) so Erik when running across the station to find an attendant to help. We staged ourselves close to the platform and, when Erik arrived with paper tickets, we bolted for the train. It started to pull away before we were fully seated. Phew!!!
The five-hour ride was so lovely. It was smooth and scenic and clean and quiet. We arrived in Glasgow to grey skies and a drizzling rain (and also a street fight where, even though they were speaking English, the only words I could make out were the f-bombs). We were excited to be somewhere new but had a bit of a walk to our rental apartment. We’ve learned that travelling is full of compromises. If you need to save money, you tend to need to stay further from the center of town. This sometimes necessitates using other transit options or just walking longer distances. Our kids are used to walking longer distances so we made it without much drama. The loft apartment was super cute and had everything we needed, except food. So we dropped our bags and walked back into town in search of a pub for some “pub food”. We found one offering meat pies and decided to try it out. The bar staff seemed annoyed that we’d arrived and that we wanted to order food. I think the cook hadn’t arrived yet but they didn’t say – they just took our order with a lot of sighs and sarcasm, warned us that we’d have to be out by 7:00 since the kids are minors, and promptly ignored us the rest of the time. It was over an hour before our food came, during which time the TV was reporting that the Queen’s health was under observation. The folks at the table next to us assured us that the Queen was already dead and that she’d been dead “neara 2 years and the palace dinna tell anyone”. When we asked why, they said “nooowon knows, mayhaps Charles isa no ready to be King?”. I recall Erik whispering to me, “wouldn’t it be something for the kids to experience if we are in the UK and the monarch changes?”
We ate our ok food which really hit the spot and got ourselves out of the pub before 7:00pm. On our walk back, our phones reported the breaking news that The Queen had passed away at her estate in Scotland.
By pure luck, we discovered that some Canadian friends, who were travelling around the UK, were going to be in Glasgow the next day. We quickly decided to spend the day together at the Glasgow Science Centre. This place was incredible. It would have been fun just because we had friends to share it with, but the centre was legitimately one of the most impressive places for hands-on science we’ve seen (and that’s saying something given our experiences in California). I don’t know where to begin. Each and every floor was spacious, brightly lit, and completely interactive. The kids had such a great time. We almost completely forgot about the other floors to explore and had to start limiting our time in each area. We’d go back in a heartbeat.
One day wasn’t enough together, so, after a morning of watching the Royal Proclamation Ceremony, we planned to spend the next afternoon together completing a physical scavenger hunt that was created by a UK company called Treasure Trails. They have created a number of fun mysteries and treasure hunts in UK cities that you can follow as a family and solve together while also seeing important landmarks and learning about the place. This was the first one we tried and we were extra glad to be able to do it with our friends! We saw lots of neat spots with old history including learning why the statue in front of the gallery usually has a traffic cone on its head. We celebrated with our first bubble tea!
We had heard that the University of Glasgow has a courtyard that looks a lot like a few of the courtyard scenes in Harry Potter. So, naturally, we had to go and see it. Sure enough, it was gorgeous and did look a lot like it was part of the Harry Potter universe. The school was having a club fair so many areas were full of students demonstrating their club activities and sharing their passions. As we were about to leave, Erik spotted a sign that said, “This way for the Hunterian Museum”. He was curious so we all went up the stairs to see what it was about. This museum was full of the eclectic collections of a professor named Hunter from the 1760s. It had everything from his formaldehyde-soaked animal and body parts to gemstones and dinosaur skeletons as well as medieval tools and weapons to pieces of Roman sculptures. It wasn’t a huge space, but it had a lot to see!
Our main destination for the day, however, was to go to the Kelvingrove Museum; another famous Glasgow stop. On the way there, we found a Greek food truck and had the most amazing (and messy) gyros ever! The museum is half traditional museum and half art gallery. The central courtyards are decorated with unique displays which help you understand if you are on the museum side or the art side. We spent most of our time on the museum side and were impressed with what we saw! Some highlights of learning were:
1. Erik was partly grossed out by how haggis is made, and partly intrigued to try some;
2. Claire was in awe of the gemstones and how beautiful nature can be;
3. Molly couldn’t believe the size of the extinct Irish deer – it is larger than a moose!
4. Simon got to put on a metal helmet and hold up a shield. He was amazed at how heavy they were; and
5. I was taken by the armament room full of things that were designed to kill other humans or to protect oneself from being killed. It was eery and it also felt like the ghosts of those killed at the hands of these weapons were being honoured.
The museum closed before we could see everything. We stopped to get some dinner and decided to try a ready-made haggis dish from the supermarket. Everyone enjoyed it! And if you aren’t familiar with haggis, go and google it. You’re in for a shock!
Our next day was a travel day. We were booked to go to Edinburgh. And so was the Queen. We weren’t sure what to expect in the city once we arrived. Her procession was planned for that afternoon and she would be laying-in-state for 24hrs at St Giles’ Cathedral. As it turned out, we were quite fortunate to be able to stand fairly close to the Royal Mile when her procession passed. We didn’t see much but it was silent and we could hear the hooves of the horses and see the tops of hats of the Royal Family walking alongside her vehicle. It was sad but respectful. As the crowds thinned, we spotted our friends on the other side of the street! They had decided to train to the city for the day. We couldn’t get to them – the city was essentially divided into two with the cordons and road closures, so we called across to plan to meet for dinner together before their train out. We can’t get enough time with them, it seems!!
Our next day was a long one. Given the royal activities the day before, we pushed off our personal itinerary and now had to try and catch up. We started with the first half of our Edinburgh Treasure Trails which kept us mostly in the New Town part of the city. From there, we had to give ourselves lots of time (and patience) to get across the Royal Mile to meet our Harry Potter guide. Police were creating lines (queues) of those wanting to cross (and also trying to ensure that the queue of mourners wishing to see the Queen wasn’t being cut into). Slowly, each direction would get a turn to cross in one place only. It took a while but we made it, thankfully! This was what the kids were most excited for in Edinburgh.
The tour guide did not disappoint! He introduced himself as Ryan, a Canadian from Guelph who has been travelling and guiding for a few months. He was charismatic and full of fun, often useless, knowledge that got the kids giggling. We had to take the alternate to the alternate to his alternate route due to the road closures and the long queues waiting to see the Queen. “No biggy”, he said, “there’s lots to see just here in this cemetery”. He spoke mostly about JK Rowling and what we know about her writing process, where she would write, and where she took inspiration. For example, a number of the tombstones had familiar names, including Tom Riddle, and she was known to wander the cemetery often. She also took a lot of inspiration from Roman mythology and Ryan talked about the differences between the Greek and the Roman stories. He also showed us a steep, narrow street just off the Royal Mile that is thought to have been an inspiration for Diagon Alley. Whether or not any of it is true, we left our tour feeling a little more magical.
The next day, before catching our train to York, we still hadn’t tried any blood pudding so we found a small take-out spot in an alley off an alley off another alley. We all got a traditional breakfast and sat on benches overlooking the Castle. From there, we decided that we had to walk the Royal Mile. The Queen had departed and the road was open again. We were a bit disappointed to see that most of the stores along the road were selling tourist items. I think we were hoping to see some “authentically Scottish wares”. We spent a bit of time outside the gates of Holyrood Palace where lots of flowers and cards and gifts had been placed for the Queen and the Royal Family. We walked quietly among the offerings and felt the sadness of death.
It was time to catch our next train so we power-walked to get our bags and back to the station. Again, the ride was quite pleasant and smooth. We had seats together with a table and were easily able to eat some food, play games, or just close our eyes for a quick nap. It wasn’t a long ride either and we were excited to see York!
Once we’d dropped off our bags, the unanimous vote was to go to the Harry Potter store that we’d heard about. It’s called “The Store that Must Not Be Named” and was located in an area called The Shambles. Sadly, it was already closed for the day, but we enjoyed the eery atmosphere of the narrow, asymmetrical street that is also famed to be the inspiration for Diagon Ally. We ate in a trendy-looking food truck park with covered, communal tables. It wasn’t cheap but everyone got something different and thoroughly enjoyed their meal.
The next day was our first of two full days in York. Of course, the kids just wanted to go back to the Harry Potter store. How could we refuse? We spent some time in a craft market waiting for the store to open. They loved seeing all of the gadgets and clothing and books and stuffed animals all themed after the stories and characters they know and love. It was hard to convince them to leave. We had another Treasure Trail to solve and, seeing as York has quite a long history, we had so many unique things to see. We saw old churches and we walked the battlements of the walls surrounding the city. We read about famous folks who were from the area and saw statues of Roman heroes. It’s a beautiful city!
Having grown up with British children's songs, I just had to see that hill that the Grand Old Duke marched his ten thousand men up and down again. Although Clifford Tower is still standing today and is managed by English Heritage, it is not related to the nursery rhyme some of us know and love. We did get to visit the inside of the Tower and saw some lovely views of the city. We learned that it was built in the 1100s as a way for William the Conqueror to keep the barbaric northern folks out of his land. It does sit on a hill and requires over 60 steps to reach, but it is not associated with the unknown Duke and his army. It was worth a try.
Our last morning in York was spent at the Jorvik Viking Experience. This is a must-do with kids. Many years ago, the remnants of a Viking settlement were found on the exact site of this museum. They reconstructed parts of the settlement and created a ride where you are driven through the settlement and can see (and smell) was life was like. We learned about how food was preserved, how merchants would sell their items on their doorsteps, and how craftsmen would be the most affluent in terms of resources. After the ride, you can see many of the artefacts that had been found on the site and had been the inspiration for some of the stories told during the experience. It isn’t a long visit, but one that makes learning super easy and interesting!
It was time to head home, or at least back to our new place in London, with our spirits filled with some new history and a long wish list of Harry Potter items for our Christmas lists. We were tired from the busyness and grateful for the experiences.
If you’d like to see more, you can watch our video here.