by Judy Bereza, Guest Blogger

On a magical evening in June we were greeted by a bagpiper in full costume as we strolled down a red carpet and stepped aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.  We were on a smallgroup tour in Scotland, visiting outstanding gardens with fellow garden enthusiasts.  Gardens were not the only delight on this tour,  Our tour directors had arranged several private functions in castles and private estates, but a  private dinner and tour aboard this storied and historic yacht was an absolute highlight of the trip.

First, a bit of history. 

The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth in 1953.  In 1954, the Queen departed on a 6 month Ambassador voyage around the world, visiting the entire Commonwealth.  Her children did not accompany her and Prince Philip.  That must have been quite a reunion.  Britannia remained in service for 44 years, and sailed 1 million miles with a crew of 250.  In l997 the ship was decommissioned by Tony Blair, when it was determined that the cost of her upkeep was too high for England’s economy.  Today the ship is owned by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.

After we boarded and were greeted by crew members, we were escorted into the State Drawing Room and offered champagne and hors d’oeuvres, accompanied by live pianomusic. 

Afterwards, the grand tour! 

And this is when things got really interesting.  The furnishings looked like they were a throwback to the 1950s.  I expected to see more elegant appointments.  In doing research I learned that the Queen and Prince Philip rejected the earlier decorating proposals as too lavish for the post war period.  I guess that also required them to sleep in twin beds (in separate staterooms). 

Also this tidbit: the guest stateroom also had a twin bed.  This was exchanged for a double bed for Charles’s and Diana’s honeymoon.  So the future king didn’t even rate a king size bed!

The dinner portion of the evening was so elegant, we felt like royalty ourselves.  The state dining room was bathed in silver candelabra, fresh flowers, printed placards, menus, and a healthy dose of goose bumps at being in the presence of history.  Some of the most celebrated men and women in our lifetime had dined at this very table, with the same china and crystal.

The food?  Not that it mattered that much, but it was extraordinary.  The dinner was accompanied by a harpist.  Surrounding the room on the walls were mounted gifts presented to the Queen during her voyages to countries around the world.  

Tours are available during the day, and it is one of Edinburgh’s top attractions.  If you are luckyenough to visit, put this on your list.

The Garden Tour company is called Huronvalleytravel.com.

The official Britannia Web site.