Rule Britannia

After another of the same breakfast (when you're on a good thing...) We headed back into town by bus to hop back on the hoponhopoff bus again. Talk about bus city. We've now been on so many busses in the last three days we're starting to feel like Reg. This journey took us down to the port of Lieth where the cast aside relic of the grandiose days of the empire lays permanently lashed to the warf so millions of milling tourists can get thier fill of royal regalia and some interesting insights into the mindset of the first family.

From Phil's taste in bamboo furniture ( obviously allowed to stay just to keep the guy from saying more politically incorrect comments) to Charles's casting couch the royal yacht Britannia is very interesting couple of hours. All visitors are handed ingenious tour guide devices which effectively keeps the noise volumes down to respectful murmur because everyone is too busy concentrating on their own personal tour that they no need to shout at each other as they normally would. Once we'd done the ship we then headed up to the top deck to have tea and scones. Just as Liz had done so many times before. In a sense it's a pity she couldn't have run the house hold finances a bit better and been able to keep the rig. Maybe it was the embarassment of having a whole industrial laundry on board in order to clean the stained sheets..

Pondering these questions we split the team. The girls headed off on the hoponhopoff to explore the underground city whilst the boys went off to explore the delights of the Scotch Malt Whiskey Appreciation Society. Apparently the cavern's were interesting. Needless to say the delights of partaking in the best the country has to offer in the auspices of the grand old rooms filled with grand old members was awesome.

The trip back on the hoponhopoff was extremely long. Edinburgh peak hour traffic was slowing all progress to a snails pace and it seemed the people who control the traffic lights program may have either be having a few drams at the time or there were bagpipes playing in the background...maybe both. Anyway - hopefully Brexit will fix it. Back at base camp we said good bye to Sarah and Nick who had to go back to work tomorrow and we settled into a different room for the night. Being lulled to sleep by the dulcet tones of the roaring traffic interspersed by the innane chatter of the drunken smokers out the front of the pub below.