Europe Day 7: North to Edinburgh

I asked Ayla some months ago whether she would prefer that I drive or we take the train from London to Edinburgh. She chose the train.

Mind you, I rather like to drive, but honestly, I think she made a great call. The train was a much faster and much more comfortable way to get there. Comfort, that is, unless you like air conditioning. We bought first-class tickets, which apparently is A/C optional. When the sun came out in the afternoon, it got pretty sultry inside.

We’ll be based in Edinburgh for the next few days, doing some day trips or just exploring the city as strikes our fancy.

We had stayed near King’s Cross Station, so our trip started with an easy walk around the corner:

King’s Cross Station, London, England

Ahh, the immortal Platform 9¾. Wish we had had time for a proper portrait there, but the line (ahem … queue) was much too long.

King’s Cross Station, London, England

King’s Cross Station, London, England

Leaving right on time at 11:00. · King’s Cross Station, London, England

Ayla’s choice of the train meant the trip took only 4½ hours, compared to at least 8 hours by car. And it gave me the opportunity to photograph some scenes along the way without further delaying the trip. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cornforth, England

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Newcastle upon Tyne, London, England

Berwick-upon-Tweed, England

First pictures from Scotland. · Ayton, Scotland

Ayton, Scotland

Once settled into our hotel, we went for a walk about town. Only a few minutes and we were treated to an impromptu bagpipe concert:

The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Tried the Ferris wheel. It was too much. · Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle · Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland