Scotland, England and Paris

Thanks for the trip report, Jmo—it sounds like you had a lovely trip! And I enjoyed the story of your wife's search for her grandparents' information. That must have been fun!

Great trip report - thank you! Sounds like you two had a lovely time and chose well.

As Mardee says "a lovely report"! I do a lot of Genealogy and I believe that you can "feel" your ancestors in your own chromosomes. When you visit places where they lived; you can start to see through their eyes. When my Husband and I traveled through the UK on a couple of trips; I felt so at home in some places. I only found out later, filling out our trees, that these were where my folks were from. I didn't have much documentation from our families because it turns out both sides had folks here for 400 years in the US and most didn't record their ancestors in home records. And then we tended to move West, leaving the past behind; especially after the Civil War. I enjoyed your on the ground style of reporting; especially the food reviews! Looking forward to more you will tell us coming.

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Quick review on Parliament House Hotel.
Great location and very nice staff. When I return to Edinburgh I will probably look for a new spot but wouldn’t rule out a return visit.
Edinburgh was great. Always felt safe walking and returning to the hotel at night, although usually by 10:00pm. Restaurants we went to were great and we never stopped into a pub that we felt we wouldn’t return.
On to Glasgow
Walked with our bags to Waverly Station for train to Glasgow, about an hour. I should say here that we traveled by train throughout our trip. I got the ScotRail app and bought our tickets through the app. Worked out great as did all the train travel, 5 trips with only one 20 minute delay. Trains were always clean and staff was helpful.
Arrived in Glasgow and took a taxi to the Alamo Guesthouse in the Finnieston neighborhood. Checked in and quickly headed out towards Buchanan St. with Google Maps leading the way. It was about a two mile walk. Buchanan St. is a very nice pedestrian street with many shops and restaurants. Being a Saturday there were several awning size tents along the street for varied causes, Peace in Gaza, Pro Israel, even a Communist Party tent. It was interesting how cordial and respectful everyone seemed to be towards each other. Bagpipe buskers entertained. Walked to the city center and George Square, great area. We decided to walk to the Cathedral and Necropolis, about a 20 minute walk. We arrived at the Cathedral just in time to hear them explain that no one else could be admitted today. We laughed at our timing. I think the star was the Necropolis. A cemetery that spreads out and up from the cathedral. If you continue the climb to the top you are rewarded with a great view over the city. From the cathedral it was a taxi back. Couldn’t decide on dinner so walked a bit around Finnieston and passed BrewDog Brewery. It was agreed. Very casual spot. They cater to the university crowd and local beer fans. Cheeseburgers with fries for both with a flight of local beers, what’s not to like? Walked back to guesthouse.
Breakfast at hotel then a walk through the neighborhood heading towards Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. A great spot. An eclectic collection from a 1944 Spitfire airplane hanging overhead to Dali and Renoir hanging in the gallery. One of our favorite places on our trip. The museum is abutting Kelvingrove Park and the River Kelvin. A beautiful part of the city.
Dinner at Santorini , a Greek restaurant a short walk from the hotel. It was very good, we shared several plates. Staff was very nice, engaging. Food was delicious. Walked back in a light drizzle.
Alamo Guesthouse- good location and the staff was very nice. I was a bit surprised to find that the guesthouse wasn’t staffed from 7:00pm to 7:00am. You were expected to be sure to lock the door when you got in. They had a phone number posted in case you lost your keys or an emergency. Seemed like an odd place to save money on staff, but ….
We enjoyed Glasgow. The term we often heard when people spoke of Glasgow was “gritty”. I guess that fits but not in a negative way.
The weather in Scotland was cool and usually threatening rain. However, rain never altered our plans and a light jacket was usually enough.
Off to York next. Be back asap. Thanks for reading.

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Train from Glasgow to York, about 3.5 hours. Relaxing, nice scenic ride. Arrived in York and walked to Dean Court Hotel. Checked in and headed out to grab lunch and explore the city. Sandwich and a pint at the Fat Hippo. Was ok, nothing memorable.
The Minister is the star in York and it doesn’t disappoint. From both outside and inside it is a beautiful church. Took an informative tour of the church, about an hour. We would return to the Minster in the evening as they had a unique York Minster Light Show with footage from the 1984 fire that nearly destroyed the Minster. There is an entry fee which includes a guided tour.
York is a great walking city and walk we did. From exploring the Shambles, a fun, unique area with an interesting history, to walking the city walls. Back to the hotel for a brief rest then out to find dinner. Not very hungry so we found a small restaurant, can’t remember the name, where we had a couple of different appetizers and a gin and tonic. Back out for a stroll around the city at night and back to hotel.
Breakfast, a full English, was at the hotel and very good.
Morning found us walking along the River Ouse, a very nice trail and up into the gardens and the Abbey ruins. The day was taken up by walking through the city, popping into shops, eating bits of chocolate, some small museums and galleries and relaxing a bit after several busy days. Not very hungry after a day of picking we ended up at ASK Italian. I believe it’s a chain. It’s located in a beautiful space, The Grand Assembly Rooms. Some pizza and pasta. It was just what we were expecting from a chain so we weren’t surprised or disappointed. Walk back to hotel with a stop at a local pub for a nightcap.
Dean Park Hotel-great location and very nice staff. Across from the York Minster. Used the washing service they offer with a local service. Front desk gives you a bag to fill, you leave it at the front desk and it is picked up, cleaned, folded and returned to hotel. Perfect, bit pricey maybe but worth it.
We enjoyed York very much. Different certainly from the big cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow but a nice change of pace. Two nights was probably good for us although a 3rd night would have been ok.
Off to Cambridge
Train from York to Cambridge, about 2.5 hours.
Taxi from train station to Lensfield Hotel. Left luggage and headed out to Wren Library, only open to public 1 hour a day. Brilliant library, smaller than I imagined, but worth the trip. Lunch at a local sandwich shop. Absolutely beautiful city. Spent the day walking through the streets admiring the many colleges, gardens and following the River Cam. Evensong at Kings College Chapel then a stroll through town at night before heading to a very good dinner at Browns.
Lensfield Hotel-not a place I would recommend. Somewhat convenient location though I think you could do better. The owner/clerk, not sure who he was, gave us the impression he was a very busy man and our being there was somehow disturbing him. When we returned at night he appeared to be so engrossed in reading something he couldn’t be bothered to look up and acknowledge us. Rooms were bare minimum, no reason to rush back there.
We really enjoyed Cambridge. The architecture was beautiful. We would not have been bored by a 2nd night there.
Off to London in the morning.
Thanks for reading.

Thanks, Kathleen, KC and Mardee

We loved the Necropolis, too. We do a lot of what they call "Dark" touring, visiting graveyards and battlefields. Highgate in London is one of my favorites. We did visit Culloden and found grave markers for the Clans: my husband, a Campbell, mine, Ogilvy. So, opposite sides. Look on www.findagrave.com for your US peeps.

Interesting Kathleen, I didn’t know they had a name for it. Did you visit Old Calton Burial ground in Edinburgh? Interesting history and a statue of Lincoln, honoring Scots who died in the Civil War.

Thank you for sharing!

Lovely trip report!! Question re the Lensfield hotel in Cambridge - is it clean and safe? I'm traveling solo to Cambridge next September and was thinking of staying at the Lensfield for two nights. Mainly because of it's location next to the Scott Polar Research Institute and the Fitzwilliam museum. Should I look for someplace different? Your thoughts much appreciated!

Hi MapLady,
The Lensfield was clean though somewhat dated. It’s a bit past the busier part of the city center, less people walking. Just before the hotel we did pass a very busy bar/pub with (outdoor?) music and very crowded. University clientele maybe? Can’t say we ever felt unsafe in the area.

Jmo, thank you so much for the details. I will need to think about this some more.

Thank you for writing up your trip report in detail - I have enjoyed your trip vicariously.

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Took the train from Cambridge to London’s King Cross, about an hour. Took a taxi to Resident Covent Garden. Checked in and headed out to Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Hooked on to a Yeoman Warder tour that was just beginning. It was very good. Informative and some added humor. It was a good way to start our visit.
As first timers to London I knew that a big part of the trip would be checking boxes, and check boxes we did. I won’t bore you with all my reviews of the typical sites. We visited Buckingham Palace (outside only), Westminster Abbey (inside and out), Big Ben (photo op only), 10 Downing Street (photo op), heavy security, Royal Horse Guards, Trafalgar Square, Grosvenor Square, Leicester Square, St. James Park, Regents Park, Hyde Park and really the list goes on and on. We would stay 4 nights but we knew we would only be scratching the surface of all London has to offer. Spent a lot of time walking the city because we wanted to see the city and not just arrive at the nearest tube stop. Some of our favorites were:
Churchill War Rooms-very interesting, it was quite busy so didn’t stay as long as I would have liked but very informative.
St. Paul’s Cathedral- beautiful space, lot of history. Asked about a bust of Washington I had read about and was told by a guide “Sorry no such thing here.” When we found it I took a picture and happened to see the same guide as we were leaving. I showed him the picture and we laughed, he wanted to know exactly where it was. He then asked if he could give us a personal tour of the American Memorial inside of St. Paul’s. It was great.
National Gallery- a great spot. Caught a Van Gogh exhibit. Went on a Friday night, late opening. Could spend many hours there.
Passed statues of Washington, Roosevelt, Lincoln and Ben Franklin’s home, all reminding us of our close relationship with England. Be back later to finish up.
Thanks for reading.

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London was very busy when we were there. It was not a foodie tour for us as we tended to eat in pubs. Nag’s Head, Lamb & Flag, The Chandos and others. We had fish and chips, beef and ale pie and other pub type food, which was all very good. Hamburgers at Gordon Ramsay’s Street Burger and Sunday Roast at Palm Court.
London was great and we can’t wait to return. Looking forward to visiting without feeling the need to see so many places, rather just explore a few different neighborhoods.
A rather large demonstration was held on a Saturday afternoon. A far right, anti-immigrant, group had planned a rally and a large crowd of opposing protesters gathered. I heard it’s becoming something of a regular occurrence. I downloaded a Metropolitan Police app which gave real time updates of which streets to avoid. It worked well as we just avoided the area. There were only about 4 arrests.
The Resident-Covent Garden- The hotel was in a great location and the staff was very good. However it was a bit sterile and lacking in any character or public space. It was very expensive and I feel for the money I spent I could do better. Not saying I wouldn’t return but I would look into other places.
Took the EuroStar to Paris for 3 nights, our favorite city. More on Paris soon.

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Hi,
Last update of trip report. Took the EuroStar from London to Paris, about 2.5 hours. Easy ride. Taxi from train to Hotel Muguet. Checked into hotel and quickly made our way to lunch. Walked over to Rue Cler for some delicious Lebanese food.
I know a lot gets written on this site about whether or not Rue Cler is full of tourists or locals. We have stayed here two years in a row and our very unscientific study has shown that locals outnumber tourists about 65-35. As we sit at one of the many cafes lining Rue Cler we determine whether the people walking by are tourist or local. Dragging along a suitcase-tourist. Buying a whole, uncooked chicken at the butcher-local. In any event we enjoy the area. A short walk to the Eiffel Tower or to the Seine River. Restaurants, shops and cafes in abundance.
As we were in Paris last year many of the “must sees” were done which allowed us to just walk the streets and enjoy the neighborhoods, less pressure on our time.
Montmartre was very, very busy. The steps leading up to Sacre Coeur were hardly passable and the line to enter the church was crazy. Even the beautiful view over the city was not possible with the amount of people. We quickly left the church area only to find that the whole neighborhood was packed. Not sure why exactly as we had been commenting on how most of the areas we visited had less crowds than last year. Next year we will go 1st thing in the morning.
Walking through the Latin Quarter and St. Germain area was great. A walk along the Seine is beautiful, especially near Pont Alexandre. A walk along the Champs Elysees to the Invalides brings us back near our hotel.
Our walking led us by statues of Washington, Franklin and Jefferson. We were on Rue Roosevelt, Wilson and Kennedy. I find it interesting while my wife is a good sport about it, ha.
We did go to the Musee de l’Orangerie (tickets preordered), which was great.
Most of our meals were rather simple, sidewalk cafes, cheeses, meats, olives. Wine.
Mornings began with cappuccino and croissants followed by long walks through neighborhoods yet visited.
Hotel Muguet- great location with a great staff. Two years in a row. We will be returning to Paris next year and it will be a tough decision to try a different hotel but the St. Germain area is someplace we want to try.
Couple of odds and ends:
Google Maps- would be lost, literally, without it.
ScotRail-worked great for our train travel through the UK.
G7- used this app on a couple of occasions and it worked great. Especially when we wanted to flee Montmartre and there were no taxis available.
Pre booked most every popular place we went to where tickets were required.
Booked directly with all hotels.
Next year we will be off to Germany and France so I will be following those forums closely. Thanks again to everyone who gives so freely of their time to help other travelers. So much of your input went into planning what was a great trip.

Thanks for the trip report. A return to Edinburgh is on our list. Last time we were there it rained, a lot. A return trip is needed.
Also, I’m just curious, what is Cullen Skink?

Hi Barbara,
Cullen Skink is a smoked haddock soup with potatoes which my wife loves, me not so much. Hope you get back to Edinburgh soon.

Enjoyed the report. I hear you moving from a lodging or area that you like to a new location can be hard. I always find myself in the 3rd or 4th Arr. In 2026 I am making an effort to look for lodging in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 18th or 19th Arr. for my long term visit. Need to branch out and I'll have plenty of time to see new areas as well as familiar haunts.