As we drove along I discovered that Dougie, Kaylee and I share common family lineage. Why not, we’re in Scotland after all. As I had learned during our stay in Edinburgh, the Findley name is descended from the names Findlay/Findlayson/Finlay. In the early days of Scotland, many families grouped together into clans in order to form larger groups that could protect and defend each other. The Findlay/Findlayson/Finlay families were part of a larger clan named Farquharson (pronounced Fark-e-son by the locals). The clan motto is, “By fidelity and fortitude.” As luck would have it, Dougie’s mum (mother) was descended from the Farquharson clan and even more interesting his father was descended from the MacGregor clan; yep, only in Scotland. At this point, we were as good as direct family members and stopped just short of sharing contact information and coming over for dinner. We then shared soccer team stories and lamented over the loss of Manchester United to Chelsea and then discussed the upcoming match between United and FC Bayern Munich (remember, we had our photo taken in Manchester in front of the Bayern Munich bus). After a 15 minute cab ride, we tearfully parted ways with Dougie and toured the HMY Britannia (kidding about the tears, but it was neat to find a long lost family connection in Edinburgh…outside of MacBeth that is). I feel right at home here in Edinburgh.
The Britannia is moored in a small town northeast of Edinburgh called Leith. Britannia was retired in 1997 (if my dates are correct) after serving as the Queen’s yacht since about 1958 (I’m doing this from memory since I don’t have all of my documentation in front of me). From the minute you step onto the yacht you notice that it was once a beautiful vessel although today there are signs that the ship needs some TLC. It was fascinating to walk the decks and hallways of the ship and imagine that at one time numerous members of the British royal family, US presidents (Eisenhower and Clinton among others) and other diplomats were guests on this ship. What I found really interesting is how simple the furnishing and decoration of the ship. In many ways, the style and pattern of the furniture reminded me of my grandparent’s home. It felt very familiar in some strange way. I also found it interesting that the Queen and her court would bring upwards of 5 tons of luggage on a standard voyage. Good grief! What are you carrying? I guess if I were the Queen and hosting various heads of state, I would need a lot of gear as well (and more hair). As we toured the ship we learned that the ship’s crew would change their uniforms up to 6 times per day based on the temperature, and events of the day. This meant that the laundry services on the ship operated almost 24/7. The ship was also equipped with a full surgical center (looks a bit out of date at this point) and could be converted into a hospital ship in a matter of 24 hours in war times, but this never occurred in the life of Britannia. It was a lovely ship and gave me a new appreciation for the tight, cramped quarters of the non-officer level crew. One thing that is evident on board Britannia is the free-flow of alcohol for all levels of crew. There are several leisure quarters on the lower decks of the ship that all have a bar and taps for various varieties of beer and other spirits. Up until 1970, the crew received a daily ration of rum.
This is the dinning room where numerous heads of state were entertained.
This is the Royal Sitting Room complete with grand piano.
This is the medical facility including an operating theater (as it was referred to).
This is a view of the very cramped Petty Officers quarters. This area sleeps 4 - no farting please.
This is the laundry facility. Temperatures in this part of the ship could go well over 100 degrees when the laundry was at "full steam."
This lovely vessel is the Royal Taxi that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh would travel in when going from ship to shore. Nicely maintained and complete with heated quarters.
Here are other photos from our visit to Britannia.
From Britannia, we took a bus ride back to Edinburgh to visit the Queen’s residence in Scotland called Holyrood House. Holyrood is located at the bottom of the hill at the opposite end from Edinburgh Castle. The castle is beautiful and has an amazing history. Originally the site of a 12th century monastery (part of which still stands and we have pictured). The house has been added onto and changed over time but looks remarkably well preserved. Among the inhabitants of Holyrood House the most famous is probably Mary Queen of Scots. During Mary’s stay in the castle, her favorite steward became the target of her husband as he became jealous of the attention the steward was paying to Mary. One night as the Queen dined in the upper chambers of one of the towers, her husband and several military guards burst into the room, dragged the steward into another room and stabbed him over 50 times. Needless to say, this was very unsettling for Mary and she was eventually forcibly removed from the castle and forced to renounce her crown. I guess its all part of the trials and tribulations of being an English Royal. Here at Holyrood we also found references to MacBeth as one of the early kings of Scotland.
The tour of the castle is limited to the main floor and second floor of the castle as well as the tower where Mary Queen of Scots lived. The upper floor of Holyrood is reserved for the Queen and her family as this is a functional residence for the monarchy. The gardens were lovely and just beginning to bloom. The Queen even has her own greenhouses on the grounds. I highly recommend the tour if you are ever in Edinburgh.
Unfortunately, we were not permitted to photograph the inside of the palace so all of the pictures are of the outside and garden areas.
These pictures are of the inner courtyard of Holyrood House. You can see the three levels of the palace with the upper floor being that of the Royal family and not part of the tour.
This next sequence is of the remains of a 12th century monestary that is attached to Holyrood House. This was an especially beautiful part of the exterior of the palace. You could see where the chapel had been added on to and changed over the centuries. The stone work in the archways is incredible.
Check out the stonework on the ceiling in this series of arches. Wow, I sound like my parents. ;-)
Here are the Royal Greenhouses. Mom would have fun in here.
Here are a few panoramic views of Holyrood House from the garden area. It is a beautiful place.
