Edinburgh, Scotland- June 6

Bar at Prime 7- Deck 10

Last evening we dined at Prime 7- one of the three specialty restaurants on the Explorer. Unlike other cruise lines these restaurants are available for no additional costs. We had a fantastic meal. Both of us had beef tenderloin with Jack Daniels’s Sauce on the side. I had the best salad I think I have ever eaten- a Harvest salad with mixed greens, dried cherries, dried cranberries, Cajun pecans, corn, pumpkin , and roasted beets. Naturally I was the only one to eat dessert- a Deconstructed S’More- that was tasty and terribly sinful.

We are anchored in Newhaven Harbor- the port for Edinburgh, Scotland. The weather is cold- 57 degrees and rainy. I keep remembering we used to say when we lived in Germany that we hoped summer came on a week-end so we could enjoy it. This as one lady on the elevator told Jim is “the normal British summer.”  We were to go on a tour to the Scottish Countryside to see the Robert  the Bruce monument, but we decided since you can barely see beyond the railing on our balcony to just stay comfy and dry.

Entrance into Compass Rose Dining Room

Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland  since the 15^th century and is located in the Lothian on the Firth of Forth’s southern shore. In 2016 the population was 1,339,380 people

Compass Rose Dining Room

in the city region. Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Parliament and the seat of the monarchy in Scotland.

Versace Chine in Compass Rose

The General Assembly of The Church of Scotland is always held in Edinburgh. I remember going to worship in St. Giles- the mother

Collection of Vases in Hallway

church- in 1963. Quite a high church experience for an American Presbyterian. Wonder if it is still that “high church” or even more so….but I guess I’ll never know since today is Tuesday and we are not going to venture out to see anything but this beautiful ship.

I also remember going to see the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh Castle…or at least I think that is where it was. The queen has a palace here- Holyrood. But her favorite vacation spot in Scotland is Balmoral Castle. Ah- choices and more choices for the royals.

Jim wandered the ship and took pictures of the various dining rooms and also some of the lovely vases on the walls on deck 5. Nice to be surrounded by such beauty and comfort.

Theater

The theater is very lovely.

The Explorer Lounge is our favorite lounge. Great staff and comfy chairs.

Explorer Lounge

Stage at theater

Balcony Non-View

Rain and faint view of Scotland

I took a couple pictures from outside the cabin. The view isn’t much to behold. If you carefully look you can see a bit of the Scottish shoreline. We think the balcony with its  two large recliners and also a lounge chair is larger than we have had on other Regent ships. Too bad you can’t really get out there to enjoy it. 

Not even sure an Eskimo or a duck would be happy out there for any length of time.