London and Scotland with the Fam

A few weeks ago Steph and I went down to London and met up with my mom and dad, along with my aunt, "Meme" (who is my mom's sister), and uncle, Robert Neal. We arrived in the late afternoon and checked in to our hotel. After some rest, we hit up our first stop in London: Harrod's. Pretty posh place.

The next day, we bought tickets for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour and viewed the city from the open top of a double-decker. After cruising past Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, and other sites, we made our way to the British Museum, where we saw some incredible things, such as the Rosetta Stone and materials from ancient Egypt and Israel. I was particularly interested in the ancient clay tablets which had been impressed with some of Humankind's earliest writing. 

After the museum we grabbed something to eat and, around nightfall, hopped back on a bus. From this one we saw, among other things, the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey. London is very beautiful, both by day and by night. 

The following day, we took the train up to Beeston, where Steph and I showed the fam around. Two days later, we took a quick flight up to Scotland, one of the most enjoyable places I have ever been. We stayed in the Dalhousie Castle, which, according to its website, is "a magnificent 13th century fortress set within acres of wooded parkland on the picturesque banks of the River Esk." It was incredible. 

The following day, we took  a drive through the countryside. We made our way to a point called "Scott's View," so named because it was Walter Scott's favorite vista in Scotland:

As we drove away from the View, we chanced upon a remote countryside walking trail that led to a statue of William Wallace. Some of us followed the trail through the magnificent countryside and found the statue. The trail led onward beyond ole Bill, so we followed it and saw some more beautiful sights. It was a great hike.  

The next day we flew back to Nottingham, and the day after that, our family headed home. It was very sad parting from them, but I am grateful to God that they got to come, and that we had such a fun time.       

If you are interested in seeing more pictures of our travels, follow me on Instagram. 

If you aren't familiar with Instagram, it's a photo sharing app. It's probably my favorite social media platform, and Steph agrees. Check it out.