{"id":564,"date":"2010-08-30T21:55:43","date_gmt":"2010-08-30T20:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moore-images.com\/blog\/?p=564"},"modified":"2010-08-30T23:10:28","modified_gmt":"2010-08-30T22:10:28","slug":"my-family%e2%80%99s-visit-to-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.moore-images.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/my-family%e2%80%99s-visit-to-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"My Family\u2019s Visit to the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m sitting at home two days removed from taking my mother and brother to London\u2019s Heathrow airport.\u00a0 Saturday was the end of their eight-day trip to England.\u00a0 It marked the end of a whirl-wind pace that began last Friday when they arrived.<\/p>\n

My family arrived Friday morning on the 20th.\u00a0 To avoid jet lag, I kept them up throughout the day by visiting Cambridge, a drive to Huntingdon and some other locations.\u00a0 After a light dinner, we prepared for the trip.\u00a0 The taxi arrived at 5:50 AM Saturday morning and we headed to the local train station for the trip to London.\u00a0 When we arrived, we waited to board the Eurostar train for the two and a half hour trip to Paris.<\/p>\n

\"Eiffel<\/a><\/p>\n

When we arrived at our hotel, the rooms were not ready.\u00a0 So, we placed the bags in storage and headed to see the sights.\u00a0 We boarded the Metro train and exited at the the Trocadero station.\u00a0 This is a special stop as it takes you to the Cit\u00e9 de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine.\u00a0 It is a fabulous piece of architecture.\u00a0 However, the significance of the building quickly fades away as you walk around the corner and see the impressive view of the Eiffel Tower.\u00a0 I knew how beautiful the structure looked from this view and I wanted to capture my mother\u2019s expression when she initially saw it.\u00a0 She was moved to tears and that moment was greater than anything she could have said.<\/p>\n

The next two days included walking, walking, and more walking.\u00a0 In between the walking, we rode the tour bus and took the Seine River Cruise both allowed us to get off and on for two days.\u00a0 Our last full day in Paris was hindered by rain.\u00a0 Due to the storm, we decided not to go into the Eiffel Tower\u2014although I already bought tickets (oh, well).\u00a0 The tower does not provide much rain cover.\u00a0 Instead, we boarded the boat, cruised the river, and got off once the rain subsided.<\/p>\n

We visited several French restaurants and we were never disappointed.\u00a0 However, during our last night in Paris, my mother longed for something familiar.\u00a0 So, we headed to Pizza Hut for dinner\u2014not exactly ideal French cuisine.<\/p>\n

The next morning we headed to the train station for a day of traveling.\u00a0 We took the two and a half-hour train ride to Paris and another four and a half-hour train ride to Scotland.\u00a0 The ride to Scotland was truly scenic.\u00a0 This is what a person envisions during a train ride.\u00a0 The natural beauty left us in awe.\u00a0 Small villages nestled against the North Sea provided many photographic opportunities.<\/p>\n

\"Edinburgh<\/a><\/p>\n

We arrived at the hotel, checked in and began to visit the city.\u00a0 Bagpipe music filled the downtown area as it was blaring from various stores and musicians on the corners.\u00a0 The juxtaposition of natural and medieval beauty was impressive with the cliffs and gothic-styled buildings.\u00a0 The next morning we ate and decided to walk towards the shoreline.\u00a0 After a few miles, we arrived at the industrial side of the ports instead of the beaches.\u00a0 We visited the mall and did some light shopping.\u00a0 The only unpleasant experience we had was with a bus driver who told me the fare amount but proceeded to drive away while we were counting our money.\u00a0 Fortunately, the next bus was less than two minutes away and we quickly hopped on and rode to our hotel.<\/p>\n

We walked around the area and prepared to enter the Tattoo Festival.\u00a0 We entered the festival several minutes before it began.\u00a0 Although we were packed like sardines, the view was great and we were able to get great shots of the participants.<\/p>\n