Stirling - Delayed
We arose the next morning to what my kids described as, "...the best breakfast ever!" Gill is an incredible hostess and she prepared a stupendous breakfast, all from food grown locally. Awesome. After Breakfast, my youngest son wanted to take some pictures of grounds. They really are breath-taking when a 12 year old boy thinks they are cool.
While he was taking pictures, he accidentally opened the back of the camera. We now had a dilemma. All of the pictures from Luss were on this roll of film. We didn't want to chance loosing them since it was unlikely that we would ever be able to return so we jumped in the car and headed back to Luss, on the other side of Scotland. We went and took all of the same pictures that we had taken the day before and a few of things that we hadn't noticed. We wanted to stay longer but had to leave to be able to tour Stirling Castle and the Wallace monument. If we ever get the chance to return to Scotland, we will not adhere to as tight of a schedule. It is too beautiful of a country try and see in just 3 days.
We arrived at Stirling Castle around 1030. It is an amazing structure. Built over 500 years ago, it has been and is being refurbished to its former glory. The primary political and personal apartments/chambers of the king and queen are far smaller than most Americans would imagine. That's the hazard of a perspective formed by American movies. The Great Hall and the Chapel Royal however were incredibly impressive. It is easy to imagine the opulence of the 16th century court. Standing in the great hall one can easily picture James IV and his queen Margaret Tudor presiding over magnificent banquets and feasts here.
It should be noted that the refurbishment greatly altered the appearance of the palace. Having seen pictures before the restoration began, I'm sure that would have made a far more significant impression on me. The chambers of the palace are quite a bit larger than those of the king's and queen's apartments. However, since these were finished by Mary de Guise after King James IV death in battle, the majority of political use came from the King's apartments. Still I had an incredible sense of history as I stood here and marveled at everything around me.
The grounds within the castle walls are as beautiful as the facility itself. The views are spectacular. By far, this was my favorite experience of the entire trip.
We ate lunch in the gift shop restaurant (haggis for those who wonder is actually quite tasty) and then drove the short distance to the Wallace monument. That deserves a post all on its own.
While he was taking pictures, he accidentally opened the back of the camera. We now had a dilemma. All of the pictures from Luss were on this roll of film. We didn't want to chance loosing them since it was unlikely that we would ever be able to return so we jumped in the car and headed back to Luss, on the other side of Scotland. We went and took all of the same pictures that we had taken the day before and a few of things that we hadn't noticed. We wanted to stay longer but had to leave to be able to tour Stirling Castle and the Wallace monument. If we ever get the chance to return to Scotland, we will not adhere to as tight of a schedule. It is too beautiful of a country try and see in just 3 days.
We arrived at Stirling Castle around 1030. It is an amazing structure. Built over 500 years ago, it has been and is being refurbished to its former glory. The primary political and personal apartments/chambers of the king and queen are far smaller than most Americans would imagine. That's the hazard of a perspective formed by American movies. The Great Hall and the Chapel Royal however were incredibly impressive. It is easy to imagine the opulence of the 16th century court. Standing in the great hall one can easily picture James IV and his queen Margaret Tudor presiding over magnificent banquets and feasts here.
It should be noted that the refurbishment greatly altered the appearance of the palace. Having seen pictures before the restoration began, I'm sure that would have made a far more significant impression on me. The chambers of the palace are quite a bit larger than those of the king's and queen's apartments. However, since these were finished by Mary de Guise after King James IV death in battle, the majority of political use came from the King's apartments. Still I had an incredible sense of history as I stood here and marveled at everything around me.
The grounds within the castle walls are as beautiful as the facility itself. The views are spectacular. By far, this was my favorite experience of the entire trip.
We ate lunch in the gift shop restaurant (haggis for those who wonder is actually quite tasty) and then drove the short distance to the Wallace monument. That deserves a post all on its own.
posted by Moneyman at 12:20 PM
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