You know those pictures of the Royal Family standing on the deck of a mega ship waving to the poor schleps on shore? That was us today (doing the waving, not being the schleps) when we toured the royal yacht Britannia. In service from 1954 to 1997, the ship is now a museum permanently moored here in Edinburgh. You can explore everything from the bridge to the engine room. I particularly liked the Queen’s bedroom, the drawing room where the family could relax and play games, and the state dining room that hosted receptions for kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers. Very, very cool.

We got another glimpse of royal life when we walked through the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland. In addition to the still-in-use state reception and dining rooms, the tour included the apartments once used by Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century; a plaque marks the spot where her jealous husband and his allies killed her male assistant by stabbing him 52 times (who says history is boring?) Good stuff.

To London tomorrow…