Today we took the hop-on/hop-off bus through Edinburgh. Our main goal was to see the Edinburgh Castle. The castle stands on castle rock. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century, the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as military barracks with a large garrison. As one of the most important strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle was involved in many historical conflicts from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745. There have been 26 sieges in its 1,100-year history, giving it a claim to having been "the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world".
As we stepped through the gate to the castle, we were in awe thinking about how many other people have entered through these gates in the past 1,100 years.
The Scottish icons of Robert Bruce (on right and related to Kevin Hedrick) and William Wallace (on left) are at the entrance of the castle.
This gun is fired everyday at 1:00 pm. It can be heard throughout the city.
Soldiers outside the Governer's House
Hospital Square
Foog's Gate leading to the upper ward
A dog cemetery to bury regimental and officer's dogs.
The Chapel
Stained glass in the chapel
Cannon guarding the castle
We also were able to see the crown jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny, but they didn't allow photos. The Stone of Destiny is a 13th-century sandstone boulder which is a symbol of Scotland's monarchy. The stone has been a part of English coronations for centuries and will be delicately transported from Scotland to Westminster Abbey ahead of the May 6 coronation of King Charles III.
We were treated to several guests as we left the castle.
Later in the day we had a wonderful meal at the Rose Street Brewery. We had steak pie, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage with peas.
We are starting our trip by boarding the Holland-America cruise ship Nieuw Statendam on Saturday, April 8, 2023. The ship was docked in Lauderdale, FL and we left the dock at 4:00 pm. Fourteen days later on April 22nd we will disembark in Barcelona, Spain. We are traveling with our friends Carmine and Holly Paolino. After spending some time in Spain, we will be flying to Scotland. We'll be driving around Scotland for a few weeks, then traveling by train to London. In London we will catch a plane back to Tampa Florida. We expect to be back in Dunedin Florida by May 10th. The Holland-America cruise ship Nieuw Statendam is not one of the larger cruise ships. It houses 2666 guests; is 975 ft in length and is 114.8 ft wide. There is an abundance of food and entertainment on the ship. I had mahi/mahi for dinner tonight, then played an exciting game of music trivia. There is something to entertain almost everyone. Everyth...
Well, we rented a car today and drove 90 miles from Glasgow to Oban. Oban is northwest of Glasgow and basically sits next to water from the North Atlantic Ocean. It was a very scenic drive as we drove next to Loch Lomond and through the Trossach National Park. RoxAnne volunteered to drive the car, which was quite a challenge. The driver sits on the right hand side of the car, they shift with their left arm (all cars have manual clutches), and they drive in the left lane of the road. Roundabouts are everywhere and you drive clockwise thru them, instead of counterclockwise as we do in the USA. We are staying at the Oyster Inn which is located right next to Loch Linnhe. We saw seals swimming in the water. The internet is not very good here at the inn, so not many pictures today.
St. Andrews has a lot of history, but many know it for its golf. We drove to St. Andrews today and hung out at "the Old Course". The Old Course at St Andrews is considered the oldest golf course in the world. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews. Originally known as the "golfing grounds" of St Andrews, it was not until the New Course was opened in 1895 that it became known as the Old Course. St Andrews Links are public golf courses and must share the tee times with members, residents and visitors alike. "The Old Course" The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews Shopping at The Old Course shop The following is a video of Robin Williams discussing the origin of golf (warning: contains strong language) Tonight we are staying at a Bed and Breakfast near Stirling, Scotland. It is an old farm house and the farm has horses and 3 dogs.
FREEDOM!
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