After flying to London on a British Airways 747, we arrived just in time for Sunday Roast at a pub near our hotel. The next few days were spent sightseeing around London. First, we toured Buckingham Palace which included the Queen's Gallery (with an exhibit of over 200 original Leonardo da Vinci drawings), the Royal Mews, the State Rooms, and the Palace Gardens. Next, we visited the Westminster Cathedral, which had some impressive views of the city from its bell tower. After walking by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (which unfortunately was undergoing restoration and we were not able to see it) we took a 'flight' on the London Eye. In the evening, we took a cruise on the River Thames, walked to Trafalgar Square, and returned to Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial.
The next day we toured the Tower of London where among other things we were able to see the Crown Jewels. We also toured Westminster Abbey where we saw the tombs of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Stephen Hawking, and more.
Our last day in the city we caught a train at King's Cross Station that took us north through the English countryside to the eastern coast and continued north into Scotland. After arriving in Edinburgh, we attended the 69th Annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which featured over 1,200 military band performers from France, Germany, New Zealand, Nigeria, China, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United Kingdom. The show also featured the Massed Pipes and Drums (over 250 pipers and drummers from Scottish Regiments along with fiddlers from the Shetland Islands).
While in Edinburgh, we also toured Edinburgh Castle (where we saw the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Scottish National War Memorial), walked to the top of Calton Hill and saw the National Monument of Scotland, walked the length of the Royal Mile (including the Palace of Holyroodhouse), and saw the Scott Monument, Princess Street Gardens, Melville Monument, the Scottish National Gallery, and the birthplace of Alexander Graham Bell.
We also visited the Scottish Highlands where we saw Inverary Castle, Kilchurn Castle, and Doune Castle. We spent some time on the banks of Loch Lomond and within Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, including the Rest and Be Thankful pass. We enjoyed a wonderful seafood meal at Samphire in the fishing town of Inverary and saw the famous sculpture of 'The Kelpies'. Before leaving Scotland, we went to the town of Roslin where we toured Rosslyn Chapel and saw Rosslyn Castle and Roslin Glen.
After touring Scotland, we returned to London for our flight home. We spent our final night in one of the first 'Railway Hotels' in the world, the Great Northern Hotel. Of course, we also sampled some of the local cuisine including Bangers and Mash, Haggis, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and much more.