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What an action packed day we had! We woke up in the Royal British Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland, and went to bed in the Jury’s Inn in Leeds, England.
In between, we experienced weather that ran the gamut - cold, rainy, windy, sunny, and for a few moments, slightly warm.
After a full Scottish breakfast at the hotel in Edinburgh, we left at 9:30 for Melrose Abbey, one of the four ruined Border Abbeys in the Scottish borders, and arrived about 11:30am. It was raining when we got off the bus there, but as we walked the grounds, the sun came out. Some of us climbed the narrow spiral stair to the top of the ruins and looked out on the beauty of the earth for miles around.
After some shopping and a light snack at a woolens shop with a tea room, we left Melrose for the English city of Harrogate. On our way, we stopped at the Scotland/England border and took pictures at the stone marking the border. (Ask Stuart why he said that we were “borderline rude” as we were leaving!)
We stopped for a late lunch at the Swan Pub in the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall and were able to see a portion of Hadrian’s Wall (built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD) before continuing on our way to Harrogate.
We arrived in Harrogate at 5:30pm and went straight to Harrogate Baptist Church, where we were given coffee, tea, and biscuits before practice. The performance was quality in every way. We were all impressed with Cathy Fortson running back and forth between the magnificent pipe organ and the grand piano, but never more impressed than when she closed the concert by playing the stirring Widor Toccata. Denise Shinn’s rendering of the Mozart Allelulia was one of the high points of the concert.
Afterward, we mingled and ate with those who came to hear and worship. Then it was on to Leeds for a good night’s rest.
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