Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Rule Britannia...

Hi folks...my fun weekend kicked off on Friday when I travelled to Edinburgh and as Hobbycraft and my hotel for the night were in the Leith/Portobello area...I decided to take a little detour and visit the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre for some retail therapy and The Royal Yacht Britannia to see how the other half lived...I thoroughly enjoyed a 2 hour stroll around it's decks and below and had a spot of lunch in the upper deck sun lounge where Her Maj used to have breakfast...

Don't know quite what I expected but it's definitely not in the opulent cruise liner category...spartan and a bit shabby would best describe it...definitely in need of a complete make-over so perhaps it's no surprise that it was de-commissioned. The Queen's Bedroom for instance was a complete shock...
not exactly luxury...check out the teeny weeny bed and the crew's quarters were nothing to write home about either...
I was fascinated by the fact that it was entirely self sufficient whilst at sea with it's own operating theatre...
 and hospital but not exactly the most cheery of environments to recover in...
 laundry...

 the bar in the Officers Ward Room...well I suppose they needed a tot or two of rum to keep their spirits up
the only rooms that gave a hint that you were on board a floating Royal Residence were the Drawing Room...
 and the State Dining Room
and the perfect ending to the first day of my weekend adventure was a evening stroll down to the beach at Portobello after checking in at the hotel...

downhill going should have told me it was going to be UPHILL on the way back but this intrepid adventurer made it back albeit puffing and panting and after a yummy dinner and a glass of vino I was ready to hit the sack ready for Day 2 at Hobbycraft.
a fun day of demo-ing...meeting lots of lovely crafty folks...

but before I knew I was hitting the road again to travel across to Glasgow to my favourite hotel...the Best Western Garfield House for another yummy dinner...a nightcap or two...a bit of Strictly TV viewing and an early night in anticipation of Day 3...the workshop at Damsefly Crafts with the fabulous Finnabair. If you're thinking that it's all gone a bit too swimmingly so far...I'll be back to share the drama and mayhem that was waiting just around the corner for this intrepid traveller...in the words of Craig Revel Horwood..."disaster darling". 
Hugs Kath xxx

15 comments:

  1. Good Morning Kath. What a fantastic story, and all with beautiful pictures as well. You certainly managed to cram in so much when you go walkabout with your camera. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Have a Good Day. Hugs Rita xxx

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  2. enjoyed the tour of Britannia - we went a few years ago and like you, taken aback by the complete lack of luxury! and I can't wait for the next instalment to find out what happened next!! Mary

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  3. Oh no Kath, I wait in anticipation for tomorrow's update. I love reading your blog.

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  4. Fabulous post Kath... you are such a busy lady I don't know how you do it!!! Loved the pics from Britannia.. & your makes look fabulous... looking forward to the next post...Hugs May x x x

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  5. Hi Kath, you really do know how to live it up! I am a bit shocked by Britannia too, they used to say the Queen laid on a bed of mercury so that in rough seas she would not feel it - doesn't look like anything special in the photo. The beach looks beautiful. Looking forward to the next instalment now! Hugs, Anne x

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  6. Hi Kath,

    Looks like you had a fab weekend. We love Edinburgh and toured the Britannai a few years back, it was a bit of shock, to see how small it is. Well worth a tour.

    Have a fab week.

    Big hugs Carol xx

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  7. Fab pictures Kath I remember going round it when we went up for the Fringe one year, always nice to see how the other half live! Susan x

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  8. wonderful picures Kath - its hard to imagine all that fits on that small yacht! Can't wait to hear about your day 3! Hugs Rachel x

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  9. Hi Kath, Ah, the memories you've brought back. My grandmother and great-grandmother both lived in Portobello so it was a frequent Sunday trip to visit them from Leith where I lived as a child. The promenade hasn't change much since those days. Sounds as though you are having a busy week of demonstrating and crafting. But how's Buddy holding up without his mum to walk him? Enjoy the workshop and I can't wait to read about the mayhem :)) Elizabeth xx

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  10. sounds like you had a busy time when you were away- was at a Wedding at the Garfield a year ago, it was lovely
    Hope you are well
    Allisonx

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  11. Thanks for sharing Kath, I doubt that I'll ever get to see the ex Royal boat. It definitely wasn't first class travel all the way - the crew quarters are so small too!
    Oh dear, I hope it was too much of a disaster dahling! x

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  12. Thanks for sharing your Royal experience Kath. Your makes for the two days look fab. Here's waiting for the next gripping instalment !

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  13. Hi Kath, great photos, thanks for sharing them, I probably would never have seen them for real. Her bedroom was quite a surprise, especially the size of it. Where did hubby sleep? Look forward to reading part two tomorrow...Trish

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  14. What a busy weekend you had! Love your photos too, esp the ship ones. How the other half live indeed!
    Janice x

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  15. Just been reading about your adventures and it is 2 years ago tomorrow that we visited the Britannia as well. What amazed me was the length of time it took to set that table for a state dinner! Thanks for the memories.

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