Holyrood Palace

We visited Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse today.  It is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It is principal royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century and is a setting for state occasions and official entertaining. Holyroodhouse as it stands today was built between 1671 and 1678, with the exception of the 16th-century north-west tower.  The late Queen Elizabeth II spent one week in residence at Holyroodhouse at the beginning of each summer, where she carried out a range of official engagements and ceremonies. Luckily for us it is open to the public throughout the year, except when members of the royal family are in residence.  The bad thing was that we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the palace.

As you go through the palace you think that since the 16th century there has been a lot of royalty walking in the same halls and rooms that I was walking.

Legend has it that in 1127, while King David I was hunting in the forests to the east of Edinburgh during the Feast of the Cross, he was thrown from his horse after it had been startled by a deer. According to the story, the king was saved from being gored by the charging animal when it was startled either by the miraculous appearance of a holy cross descending from the skies, or by sunlight reflected from a crucifix which suddenly appeared between the deer's antlers while the king attempted to grasp them in self-defense. As an act of thanksgiving for his escape, David I founded Holyrood Abbey on the site in 1128.  The remains of the Abbey can be seen adjacent to the Holyrood Palace.

After visiting the Holyrood Palace, we checked out of our hotel and hopped on a train.  The train traveled to Glasgow, Scotland and we are now checked into a new hotel in downtown Glascow.