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.
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.
We visited the countryside today and ended up in Glen Coe. It is located in the Highlands of Scotland. It was formed from volcanos, then shaped by glaciers during the ice age. Glen Coe is regarded as the home of Scottish mountaineering and is popular with hikers and mountain climbers. We learned that in 1692, in the aftermath of the Jacobite uprising of 1689, an incident known as the Massacre of Glencoe took place in the glen. Thirty-eight men, women and children from Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were slaughtered by government forces on the grounds that they had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the King William. After visiting Glen Coe, we decided to track down some castles. Castle Dunstaffnage Monty Python and the Holy Grail was shot at this castle (Castle Stalker) and made an appearance as Castle of Aaaaarrrrrggghhh! Castle Barcaldine The roads can be quite narrow when looking for castles. This guy was nice enough to back up till he found a pull off.
Nice sunny day, but still a little cool. Today we visited " Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia", also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia. It is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in service from 1954 until 1997. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the world to more than 600 ports in 135 countries. Now retired from royal service, Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith in Edinburgh. It was kinda unusual locating the tour. You entered the yacht from the second floor of a shopping mall. The yacht looks like a small cruise ship. It is 412 ft long and has the capacity to hold 250 guests, 21 officers, and 250 Royal Yachtsmen. U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton were all guests on the yacht. HMY Britannia The bridge. The map room Storing various signal flags Land Rover for the K...
FREEDOM!
ReplyDelete