13 August 2014
Accommodation – Dunedin Hotel, Edinburgh
Weather – sunny!
Temperature – 17 degrees
The sun was peeping through the curtains, so off we went to
take a few photos of Crail before breakfast.
It’s amazing how the sun can put a spring in your step after days of
rain.
Ahh....sunshine and the tide is in!
Today we were off to Edinburgh with a side tour to Stirling
Castle. The countryside was lovely as we drove to Stirling through
the Kingdom of Fife.
Just outside Cupar in the Kingdom of Fife.
Ready for a big day in learning about Stirling Castle's history. It is said whoever holds the castle, holds Scotland.
Already at Stirling Castle it was very busy by the time we
arrived mid-morning. Coach buses were
everywhere and cars were lined up to enter the parking area which was already
full. Luck was with us and we parked
just outside the castle wall. A long
queue to enter the castle followed but it wasn’t too long before we were inside
with our audio guides and enjoying the history of this 1000 year old castle.
The castle is comprised of many parts including The Royal
Palace, The Chapel Royale, the Great
Hall and the old castle. There has been
a major restoration undertaken on the palace which shows how it would have
appeared around the 16th century when it was built. James V built the impressive palace although
other kings had been building on the site over the centuries. Unfortunately, the king, with his French wife,
Marie de Guise were only married for
four years before James V’s untimely death on the battlefield. The king and Marie de Guise were the parents
of Mary Queen of Scots who lived here for her first six years until she was
raised in France for her safety.
As the ceiling would have appeared 450 years ago with a lot of colour. These are copies of the originals held on site which took ten years to complete.
An original.....all the colours have disappeared except for fragments used to detect the original colours.
The palace interior looks very new however it has been heavily
researched to recreate how it would appear at the time of its construction.
The castle was last besieged in 1746 by the Jacobites led by
Bonny Prince Charlie.
We had a very interesting time following the exhibition
trail and soaking up the history of this lofty castle. From its high position we could look over the
ancient gardens of Charles 1 built in 1633.
Only the large grassy outlines of the King’s Knot and Queen’s Knot
remain form the king’s coronation. The commanding views over Stirling, the Wallace Monument and countryside were wonderful on a sunny day.
The tapestry exhibition.....creating the authenticity of the castle's past is a major priority.
After losing ourselves for a day in a huge history lesson it
was time to move on to Edinburgh. Armed
with a map and some tips from our host we set off for a place for dinner and
ended up walking into central Edinburgh which is abuzz with all the major
festivals occurring this time of year:
The Edinburgh Fringe, The Edinburgh Tattoo, Edinburgh International
Festival and the Book Festival. If there
is a month to visit this city then August it is! We had a quick lesson in booking tickets to
attend a fringe event – bookings have to be done at the venues dotted over the
town or there is a one stop shop in High Street.
Everywhere we walked we were handed brochures to attend
shows – comedy, mime, street performances…..you name it! It’s a very exciting time to be here.
We wandered back towards our accommodation about 2kms out
and found the recommended restaurant.
Sitting near us were two Scottish ladies who we chatted to for the
evening. They were great company and
shared their ideas on the Scottish independence, travel guidance and their
upcoming trip to Spain for a language immersion course.
What a big day!
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