In August, 2012, Shelly and I flew to England to visit Melissa in Harrowgate.  While there, we took a Beatles tour in Liverpool, visited York, and toured Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Ken is a huge Beatles fan, so our first stop was in Liverpool, England.  We took a Beatles tour on the Magical Mystery Tour bus, and stopped at Strawberry Field, John's, Paul's and Ringo's childhood homes, and drove down Penny Lane.  The highlight was a stop at the Cavern Club where the The Beatles performed in 1962 and 1963.  

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We then went to York, England and walked the medieval city walls, the Shambles, and visited some incredible buildings.  We then stopped at Mother Shipton's Cave and the Petrifying Well in Knaresborough, England.   The well nearby her dwelling petrifies objects left in its waters, has been attracting visitors since 1630, making it one of the oldest tourist spots in England. Once thought to be the work of witchcraft, it’s now known that the water that can turn thing like teddy bears, hats and other random items into “stone” within 3 to 5 months is due to the natural process of evaporation and an unusually high mineral content.

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Our last stop was in Edinburgh, Scotland.  We saw Edinburgh Castle, Old Town Edinburgh and the Royal Mile. We also tried the Scotch Whisky Experience at a distillery. 

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We attended the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle.  The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of Scotland.

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Lastly, we traveled to Stirling, Scotland to see the National Wallace Monument.  And one last thing, I tried haggis at a restaurant.  It wasn't too bad!

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