scotland 001B&B
Just arrived at the Bed & Breakfast – after 7 hours on a plane, what do you do? Sit, of course!
scotland 002 – Eildon Street
The B&B is one of these…#18.
scotland 003 – Here we are
IN SCOTLAND!!! YAY!
scotland 004 – Athletic field
This was the athletic field across the street from our B&B… which allowed a spectacular view of the city centre skyline from the front room of the B&B (where we had breakfast each morning).
scotland 005 – Cool statue
Outside an office, no the way towards the city centre from our B&B
scotland 008 – Warhol in Scotland?
Upon hiking all the way uphill (one of many hills) into old town, we were greeted by the art museum, which was having an Andy Warhol exhibit… can you tell?
scotland 009 – ???
Can’t remember whose statue this is, but that’s Edinburgh Castle up there behind him. This was taken from Prince’s Street in “new town” (which was built before the American Revolution).
scotland 010 – Prince’s Steet
The city was loaded with cool architecture… like this spire…
scotland 011 – The Castle
From Prince Street (remember this one for later). Our first day in town was cool & overcast – one of only three that wasn’t sunny.
scotland 012 – LUNCH!
This big pub in Edinburgh was where we ate our first meal in town. NO HAGGIS was ingested by us here!
scotland 013 – Waiting, always waiting.
We were pretty hungry, and was were waiting for FOOD!
scotland 014 – Chowtime!
First meal in the UK – steak & ale pie with a pint of Tenent’s (the first of many). Note that the pint is half gone…
scotland 015 – BEER THIEF!!!
Aha! This is why my beer was half gone in the other picture – Susan was knicking MY BEER!!! How VERY dare she…
scotland 016 – Kirk wars…
That’s what they call churches in Scotland – Kirks… and it seems that each one was more ornate than the next… In York they took that to ridiculous extremes (more on that later).
scotland 017 – Castle rock…
They picked a pretty good spot for the castle – imagine trying to scale this to get to the walls.
scotland 018 – more castle…
And once you scaled the hill, you’d be faced with THIS.
scotland 019 – Another Kirk
The city is packed with them.
scotland 023 – Queen’s Park
Fully within the city limits, overlooking the town is Queen’s Park – the highest point of which is Arthur’s Seat, and extinct volcanic neck. There are (very steep) paths to the top. Yes, those are people climbing up…More on that later.
scotland 024 – Parliament
The Scottish parliament building – cost 10 times what was budgeted… (So the US is not alone in that kind of screwup). And the design is highly controversial as well…
scotland 026 – Arthur’s Seat
That peak in the distance is Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcanic neck. (that’s what’s left when the harder solidified lava is exposed after the surrounding soil erodes away… it takes awhile).
scotland 028 – Multi-level city
This photo gives some idea of the varying elevations of Edinburgh – more hills & stairs than you can imagine, especially to flatlanders like us.
scotland 029 – Train station
The roofs are hiding the train station… the bridge in the background connects one part of the city to another, since there’s a valley in between (with the trains in it)… the bridge I’m taking this from has been almost hidden by construction in and around the arches over the centuries. The underground vaults are pretty interesting, and have a history of their own.
scotland 030 – “Old town”
as seen from above Waverly Station.
scotland 032 – Rail yard
With new town in the background on the right…
scotland 033 – Robert Burns Monument
They have monuments to authors all over the place, but this one is one of the more impressive examples.
scotland 034 – Resrevoir?
This greenspace was once the city drinking reservoir (several centuries ago). Every morning, people would go there with buckets & draw water for the day. While that bucket was emptied, another (less savory) was filled…at 10 PM each night everyone would yell “Guard de loo” and dump their “honey buckets” out the window… As I mentioned, Edinburgh is a very hilly city, and it rains often. So the stuff that was dumped invariably flowed downhill…back into the same reservoir it started… the average lifespan then was around 30. What a surprise, huh?
scotland 035 – Wellington Monument
The horse’s tail is made of lead; befoer that, the horse kept tipping forward…
scotland 036 – Streetlamps fit for a queen…
All the streetlamps in the vicinity of Holyroodhouse palace are topped with crowns. Neat.
scotland 039 – the way up…
This is the first part of “the climb”. I’ll be referring back to this later.
scotland 040 – Royal gate?
Even the gates are cool! This is the gate to Holyroodhouse, which is where the Queen stays when she’s in town. We toured it on another day – pics to follow (what else?).
scotland 045 – First Night…
This was how we felt at the end of a 20 hour day of flying & sightseeing. Almost didn’t have the energy to eat my Vindaloo. Almost.
scotland 047 – New day, same castle.
The second day, the weather was perfect… as you can see in this shot of the castle from Prince’s Street. I still don’t remember whose statue that is.
scotland 048 – tour bus
This is Bill, the guide on one of the hop-on/hop-off tour buses in Edinburgh. The ticket is good on all 4 tour bus lines, for 24 hours. Since they all have different guides (with slightly different spiels) and they have divergent routes, it’s worth riding all 4.
scotland 049 – Happy Susan
Susan enjoys hop-on.hop-off tours.
scotland 050 – Happy Tony
Me too.
scotland 051 – Riding the tour bus
The cool thing about the tour buses was (as you can see in this photo) just about everywhere you went there was great stuff to see. Check out the cool (but wildly different) stuff in the background.
scotland 052 – Up & down things….
What do you call them? Oh, yeah; hills. If you look closely, you can see crazy people climbing up…
scotland 053 – Hills
…and up.
scotland 054 – more hills
…and up…
scotland 055 -are we tired of hills yet?
Not hardly – see the ants up there? er, um… people?
scotland 056 – OLD Kirk
This church was built in 1688. It’s a cinch none of us will look so good after 319 years.
scotland 058 – Edinburgh Castle
Looking formidable…
scotland 061 – piper
One of MANY pipers playing on the streets of Edinburgh. This one’s causing a slight faux pas, as he’s mixing military spats with a civilian dress jacket. No matter; he played well. Since the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival was going on, there were literally hundreds of street performances… we never did get to a “paid” show; all the entertainment we could want was out there for the viewing. We saw a brass septet from Moscow, playing the William Tell Overture flawlessly (for the less cultured cretins among us, that’s the theme from the Lone Ranger). So; a Russian group in Scotland, playing Rossini. How internationally cool is that?
scotland 063 – Castle facade
This is the Edinburgh Castle from the approach road – the Royal Mile. Impressive.
scotland 064 – Gun Ports
Imposing gun ports in the walls overlooking the city.
scotland 177 – Approach to the Gate
This is the way in. If they didn’t want you in, you’d have a few problems…
scotland 179 – To the bitter end…
This plaque outside the barbican honors the guy who commanded the castle defense successfully for FIVE years. When they had to surrender because they had no food or ammunition, he was executed for his trouble. Kinda sucks, huh?
scotland 181 – Barbican & Gate
This is the Barbican (gatehouse). The doors & portcullis are pretty impressive. The tunnel is defended by multiple “murder holes” so anyone trying to force the gate would be subject to heavy defilade fire.
scotland 182 – Location, location, location.
This is from one of the LOWER castle walls, overlooking the city. You can see why they built on this spot.
scotland 183 – Reverse P.O.V.
Remember that view of the castle from Prince’s street? Well this is a view of Prince’s street from the castle. Towards the lower left of the photo you can see the statue of the guy whose name I don’t remember.
scotland 184 – from the walls.
The greenspace with the trees is the area that was once the city’s reservoir. In the far background is the Firth Of Forth, which leads to the sea.
scotland 185 – View
So are you getting the idea that Edinburgh is a really beautiful city? The mixture of architecture through hundreds of years, makes an amazing amalgamation of historic buildings, greenspace, and modern architecture. Way cool.
scotland 186 – Yeah…
I’m having a blast.
scotland 187 – Susan too.
(she stole my hat)!
scotland 188 – not the originals…
The cannon on the wall are not the original s; these are naval guns brought in when visiting Queen Victoria, upon seeing the empty defenses, stated, “a castle chould have cannon”… and voila! They put in cannon. It’s GOOD to be the queen.
scotland 189 Sightseeing 101…
The spire in the foreground is the Robert Burns monument. The building with the clocktower is a hotel; the clock is traditionally set 3 minutes fast so people won’t miss their trains. In the background, the spy-glass looking tower is the Nelson monument, commemorating his victory at Trafalgar. The partial greek-parthenon-looking structure next to it is called “Scotland’s Shame”. It was to memorialize the Scottish soldiers killed in WWI; it was built using public donations, but they never raised enough funds to complete it.
scotland 190 – Lower Defenses.
Even the “lower” ones have a commanding view of the city.
scotland 191 – Susan & the city…
she still has my hat…
scotland 192 – Anachronism…
This modern 105mm gun is one of the few indications that Edinburgh Castle is an active military installation (??!?!?). It’s fired at precisely 1300 every day (by the clock on the wall) by Sgt. Major Shannon “the cannon”. Some job, huh? In case you’re wondering why 1 o’clock instead of noon… one shell is cheaper than 12. This IS Scotland, after all.
scotland 195 – Firing slit
This is the view from one of the firing slits on the wall. Kinda limited field of view, isn’t it?
scotland 196 – difference
This is the SAME view, from over the wall (above the firing slit in the previous pic).
scotland 198 – within the walls.
On the left are the inner fortifications (now a military museum); all of the structures are within the outer walls of the castle. If you look at the cobblestone carefully you can see where the tracks were for moving the heavy guns within the fortress.
scotland 199 – Guardhouse
Susan smilingly standing sentry. How alliterative.
scotland 201 – Pouting.
Waiting for lunch to arrive when you’re hungry…always reason to pout.
scotland 202 – The Thin Red Line – 93rd highlanders at Balaclava
This painting, in the military museum at the castle contains some great paintings… like this one, which describes the following action: The Russian cavalry force of 2,500 rode down the road to Balaklava[1]. It was early morning and the sole force that lay between the oncoming cavalry and the disorganized and vulnerable British camp was the 93rd regiment.[2] Campbell is said to have told his men, “There is no retreat from here, men. You must die where you stand.” Sir Colin’s aide John Scott is said to have replied, “Aye, Sir Colin. If needs be, we’ll do that.” Campbell formed the 93rd into a line two deep – the “thin red line”. Convention dictated that the line should be four deep, but the line had to be stretched. Campbell had the regiment wait until very close quarters before the first line fired. The Russians continued to advance, and Campbell had his men wait until no more than 50 yards lay between the Highlanders and the charging Russians to fire the second volley. This broke the Russian charge. At that, some of the Highlanders started forward for a counter-charge, but Sir Colin stopped them with a cry of “93rd, damn all that eagerness!”
scotland 210 – Pet Cemetary
This is where the officers’ dogs and regimental mascots are buried.
scotland 211 – Mons Meg
This is one of two bombards presented to King James II in 1457. It fires 330 lb stone projectiles over 2 1/2 miles. Its great weight (over six tons) meant that it could only be moved at the rate of three miles a day so it was retired and used only on ceremonial occasions. It is known to have been fired in 1558 to celebrate the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to the French Dauphin (heir apparent). When it was fired in 1681 to celebrate the birthday of the Duke of Albany (later King James VII) the barrel burst and had to be repaired
scotland 212 – Big mouth
Now THAT’s a muzzle.
scotland 218 – And ANOTHER big mouth…
OOOOH! CAKES! After all that history, Tony needed cake.
scotland 219 – And…
And BEER!!! (gotta wash down the cake with something).
scotland 221 – Interior decorations
One of the large halls was completely ornamented (on all four walls) with this cool wooden paneling, and weapons of all kinds. I was tempted, but couldn’t figure how to get them all on the plane…
scotland 222 – Ceiling beams
The ceiling beams in the great hall at Edinburgh Castle. The oridginal photo was underexposed; enhancement gave it this antique b&w appearance. The hammer beam roof was built in 1511 on the orders of King James IV.
scotland 223 – Ornate fireplace
take a look at the detail on this fireplace and accessories.
scotland 224 – Royal Peep show.
This window is located above & to the side of the fireplace in the previous photo – it’s there to allow the king to look out over the hall without being seen. Sneaky.
scotland 225 – Minstrel in the gallery…
As in the Jethro Tull song. This detailed wooden gallery is opposite the fireplace, and the minstrels would be located on it (it’s deeper than it would seem from this photo).
scotland 226 – Doubly cool
Apart from having all the cool swords, this paneling was very intricately carved. The cool thing is, every panel was unique.
scotland 227 – Looking up…
Even the ceilings are about as appealing as they could be. Fit for a king… James VI of Scotland, later to become James I of England, for one.
scotland 228 – Coat of arms…
The coat of arms of James – the latin inscription translates to “James the first; king of Britain, France and Hybernia”. (Scotland)
scotland 229 – More royal trappings…
The inscription “IR” appears repeatedly; it stands for “Iacobus Rex” (King James).
scotland 230 – Somehwat less ornate…
The cellers are not nearly as comfy as the upper chambers…
scotland 231 – Cellers below…
scotland 232 – BAD SUSAN!!
She was being naughty, so I put her in the dungeon.
scotland 233 – short people…
Invariably, in all three of the castles we visited, the doorways were very short. Even though people were not as tall then as they are now, the doors had to be short even for them…
scotland 236 – Susan on the stairs…
Edinburgh is a city built on several elevations.. the castle included. As a result, there are stairs & steep hills everywhere.
scotland 237 – Aerial view…
As we flew over the castle in our private helicopter…. just kidding! This is a model of the castle as seen from above… it gives some idea of the complexity of the place.
scotland 238 – The entire castle.
This is the view facing the entrance.
scotland 240 – Stairs
Did I mention there were stairs?
scotland 242 – More royal adornment
Even the drainpipes are festooned with extravagant decorations.
scotland 243 – Green stuff.
Susan insisted I photograph this green mossy stuff… I think all the climbing was getting to her…
scotland 244 – HA!
This is what the motorcycle cops ride in Scotland. Notice it’s a HONDA, not some other brand that starts with an “H”. I guess when the choice there is based on performance and reliability (as opposed to huge subsidies and incentives given to U.S. police departments by said brand “H” to use their outdated POS bikes).
scotland 245 – The Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is actually 1.3 miles, extending from the castle gate down to Holyroodhouse Palace. Some very old buildings here, with quite a few housing modern shops.
scotland 246 – Looms
These are two automated looms used to weave the tartan material that kilts are made of.
scotland 247 – Kiltmaking
Another loom in a large factory/shop on the Royal mile.
scotland 248 – Another loom…
The large piece behind the loom holds hundreds of spools of thread. This place is HUGE, and has galleries, catwalks and rooms on several floors, all linked together. It was like a maze; in fact, after buying some souvinirs, Susan and I couldn’t find our way out. It took 15 minutes of backtracking, wrong turns, and dead ends before we were once again on the Royal Mile. Susan was NOT amused.
scotland 253 – Finally!
The event that precipitated our trip to Edinburgh… the International Tattoo. It has nothing to do with body art; everything to do with performances from military and civilian groups from around the world. THis is a shot of the opening ceremony Massed Pipe Bands. Yay.
scotland 257 – Unique venue…
One of the signature characteristics of the tattoo is the setting – with Edinburgh Castle in the background, there’s no performance like it in the world.
scotland 258 – Hot ticket.
The tattoo sells out well in advance. There are thirty performances throughout the month of August (one each weeknight, two on Saturdays; no shows on Sunday). We got our tickets in March of 2006 for the performance on 8-4-2007. As you can see – it was packed (the seats are the tightest I’ve EVER seen… 12″ square with almost NO legroom. Woof. Miraculously, one of the (extermely rare) empty seats was next to me, so we had a spot for my backpack.
scotland 259 – Bagpipes by torchlight…
They have plenty of hi-tech modern lighting for the performances, but sometimes the old way is the best way…except for taking photos.
scotland 260 – added bonus…
In addition to the fine performances, we had a spectacular view of this woman’s blonde hair. In almost every photo. Sheesh.
scotland 261 – Exit ; stage right…
IS that a drumline or what?
scotland 262 – surprised…q
Susan was under the impression that the tattoo would be performances by pipe bands, exclusively – au contraire, mon frer…This was a marching band, flag corps and drill team from an all girl high school in TAIWAN. There were a lot of them, and throughout the entire performance of tossing rifles, flags & saberes, NOT ONE dropped anything. I guess if they did they’d have been shot or something…
scotland 263 – Taiwanese girls’; school, cont’d.
They looked pretty good, and didn’t sound bad either.
scotland 266 – Bloody colonials!
This revolutionary war period fife & drum corps was from Boston, Mass. in the good ol’ USA! They were great and the crowd loved them. Impressive drumline too.
scotland 267 – Authentic period costumes.
I just want to know where they send their wigs to be powdered…
scotland 268 – Highland dancers from 5 countries.
These gals were from the UK, Europe, and South Africa. Susan knew immediately which ones were from the RSA; you’ll have to ask her how.
scotland 272 – Tykes on bikes!!!
This was a group of kids (aged 6-16) who performed precision drill maneuvers on dirt bikes (Yamaha WR90’s and ‘s) They were pretty good (I couldn’t do some of the stuff they did). In this frame, they’re doing a crossing maneuver, which, if my camera wasn’t so slow, you’d see had them crossing within a few inches of each other at speed.
scotland 273 – Backwards!
No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you – they’er standing on the pegs facing BACKWARDS!
scotland 274 – Backwards, line abreast…
These kids are “at risk” for getting into trouble (from underpriviledged families). The guy who organized the group got them together, got Yamaha dealers to sponsor them, and voila!
scotland 279 – Mounted musicians!
This was one of Susan’s favorites (can you guess why?) – especially the big fellow with the drums across his back. She wanted to take him home with us. The horses took it all in stride… just another day for them. The “trumpeters” were actually playing straight bugles – no valves. And they didn’t miss a note.
scotland 280 – From the islands…
A marching steel rum band. ALL steel drums.
scotland 281 – Limbo LOWER!
What steel drum band would be complete without limbo dancers?
scotland 285 – Along more traditional lines…
A “normal” military band. There was also one from Russia; not only did they play their instruments, but they also sand & did traditional Russian folk dancing as well.
scotland 293 – Lit up.
They lit up the castle for this tune… pretty cool, huh?
scotland 299 – Ending Massed Pipe Bands
In every tattoo, highland games, or scottish festival, it’s traditional for the pipe bands to all perform together at (or near) the end of the show. This was it; very cool. It’s one of the things I miss about being in a pipe band; nothing matches the way it feels to be in the midst of a big massed bands performance.
scotland 302 – Finale, front half.
The very final part of the show was a performance by ALL the participants. This is the leading half (I couldn’t get all of them in one photo).
scotland 303 – finale, tail end.
The trailng end of the finale – all the rest of the performers.
scotland 306 – Ghost Walk in edinburgh.
This was Euean, our ghost walk guide. For a young guy, he had some pretty interesting history to impart to us about Edinburgh… the body snatchers, the hangings…He began with a tale of two visitors to the city; one had his tongue cut out, and the other his ear lopped off… their crimes? The one was hard to toast the king (during Cromwell’s “republic”… the other shouted “hear, hear”. Now THAT’s strict!
scotland 307 – The underground vaults…
Edinburgh has been built on several levels over the centuries; some on top of previous construction. As a result, there are many underground vaults and passages, some as yet unexplored. The Ghost walk led us down there. Here you can see Susan & some others listening attentively to our guide’s tale.
scotland 308 – Spooky feeling?
Any time our guide mentioned a spot that was particularly known for causing a “haunted” or strange feeling, Susan would immediately go right to it to check it out. In this spot she felt nothing.
scotland 309 – Wine cellar or smugglers’ den…
These alcoves might have been used by smugglers, or even body snatchers. Body snatching was fairly common and lucrative, as the Medical College was always willing to pay for cadavers, no questions asked. At 7 pounds per body (equal to 6 month’s wage for a commoner), there was abooming market. Two enterprising fellows took it a step further, and suffocated people to sell to the college. They were eventually caught & hanged.
scotland 310 – Getting “that feeling”
No, not THAT one… Susan thought she felt something odd in this spot.
scotland 313 – Narrow Boats.
These cool little boats ply the extensive canal system in the UK. These are in Falkirk, near the wheel… What is “the wheel” you might ask?
scotland 314 – Arriving at the Falkirk Wheel
That big gray thing in the distance is it.
scotland 315 – Falkirk Wheel
The only one of its kind – The Falkirk Wheel replaces a system of ELEVEN canal locks. It is basically two “gondolas” at opposing ends of the “wheel” (which is NOT round at all). When a boat needs to go up or down, the wheel rotates, and in four minutes, the bottom gondola swaps ends with the top one, including the 80,000 gallons of water and boats in it.
scotland 316 – The Wheel
Here you can clearly see the upper and lower gondolas, and the central axis around which the structure rotates. This shot gives an idea of the change in elevation between the upper & lower canals.
scotland 318 – Upper canal
This is how boats on the upper canal get to the wheel.
scotland 319 – Big gears…
Here you can see the central gear in the geartrain that keeps the gondolas level while the wheel traverses 180 degrees, exchanging one gondola for the other. That’s one of the gondola’s at the top…
scotland 322- I is tourist, no?
Here I am on the touristy little boat that takes you through the wheel…from the lower basin, you board the boat. It motors into the lower gondola, and ties up. 4 minutes later you’re at the top, and motoring out of the wheel into a canal.
scotland 323 – Entering the wheel.
Looking out the top of the boat, you can see all the workings. Cool.
scotland 327 – Tony-geek.
Susan took this one jsut to show what a geek I am. Thanks, honey.
scotland 330 – going up!
about halfway through the cycle, this is the top of the big visitor center at the bottom of the wheel. The higher you go, the better the view gets.
scotland 331 – Tony’s butt.
Susan couldn’t resist taking this as I was going to the front for a better video shot.
scotland 332 – At the top of the Falkirk Wheel.
Once at the top, the gondola opens up to the upper canal, and the boat motors out. A short distance later it goes through a tunnel, and is then in the upper part of the canal system. What once took hours of traversing 11 locks, now takes 4 minutes.
scotland 336 – Into the tunnel.
Here’s the tunnel at the top.
scotland 337 – Return trip
After turning around, we went back through the tunnel & back to the wheel. That’s the upper gondola up ahead.
scotland 340 – Weird.
It’s very odd entering the upper gondola, since it “dead ends” with a sheer drop of 24 meters (about the height of an 8 storey building).
scotland 341 – Watch that first step…
That’s the dead end. Woof! Once the gondola reaches the lower basin, that wall comes down & the boat proceeds forward.
scotland 342 – The best part…
You may think this view out of the gondola is the beat thing about it but it’s not. This engineering marvel is amazing in that it is highly efficient, one cycle using the same amount of power as 11 toasters. WOW.
scotland 346 – Stirling
We rented a car for a couple of days… it was weird driging on the wrong side of the road…and CAR! Still, it gave us some freedom from “canned” tours. One of our first stops was historic Stirling, where the Scots, under William Wallace, kicked the hell out of the English. This was a cemetery in the shadow of Stirling Castle. We wanted to get down there & check out the headstones, but never got the chance.
scotland 347 – Stirling Castle
This is the castle from the parking lot. This castle was built up & added to over several centuries and was home to Scottish (and later English) royalty.
scotland 351 – Robert The Bruce
Here I am standing in front of a statue of Roberty the Bruce, who was instrumental in keeping the English out of Scotland. He wasn’t the prick he was made out to be in the movie “Braveheart”.. that was Hollywood, B.S. All I need is a sword, and I’d look just like him, right?
scotland 353 – Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders Memorial.
Stirling Castle is the site of the Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders Museum. This is the monument to that regiment. Yes, up until relatively recently, they wore kilts in battle.
scotland 354 – Lest we forget…
Stirling Castle WAS built as a fortress. This it a starway down into one of the defensive positions. No frills…
scotland 355 – Defensive position…
Remember the stairs in the previous photo? This is the defensive position they lead to. Not the fireing ports on the left; they look out over the approach to the main entrance to the castle.
scotland 356 – ANother one of those spectacular Scottish views…
This is from the castle overlooking the surrounding countryside of Stirling. Wow.
scotland 357 – Castle Buildings
Looking into the castle from the front entrance – the buildings were built at different times. The darker one (on the left) is the palace, built by James for his French bride. He died before it was complete. The lighter colored building is the main hall, built at a later time.
scotland 358 – The Barbican
To get into Stirling Castle, you have to get past the barbican, which you see in this photo. It’s a formidable obstacle, but it’s only the first of many. Notice there are separate pedestrian and vehicle entrances…
scotland 359 – The Royal Palace
In 1538, James V married Mary DeGuise of France, and built the Palace at Stirling Castle for her. Work began in about 1538 and it is unlikely that James saw it in its complete form by the time of his death in December 1542, just six days after the birth of his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots. This is the most ornate and grand structure at Stirling – the exterior architecture alone is amazing.
scotland 360 – Obligatory pic of Susan’s Butt
It’s become somewhat of a tradition that wherever we travel together, I snap a photo of Susan’s butt. Here it is in one of the defensive machiciolations (look it up) at Stirling Castle. Cute, huh?
scotland 362 – Lord of all he surveys?
I stepped up on this pedestal to view the surrounding countryside from the battlements of Stirling Castle. Impressive view, btw.
scotland 363 – Entry to the inner Close (courtyard)
That’s the Royal Palace building on the right; the Great Hall is the lighter structure on the left. The only entry to the courtyard is the narrow opening between the two buildings.
scotland 364 – Oldest Building…
On the left is “the King’s Old Building” which was built for James IV in about 1496. Built on the highest point of the castle rock, it now houses the Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders Military Museum. On the right you can see a bit of the Chapel Royal.
scotland 365 – Hammerbeam Roof
The roof support joists of the great hall are of a type called “hammerbeam” and was fairly common in castle buildings (we saw another at Edinburgh Castle). VERY impressive, and clearly seen from the floor of the hall.
scotland 367 – Table for two…
The King & Queen’s chairs at the royal dais in the Great Hall. Think that table is big enough?
scotland 368 – Eastern Windows
Even the windows in the great hall are something special…
scotland 369 – Her Majesty…
Here’s my queen, sitting at the royal dais… looks like she was born to it, huh?
scotland 370 – Chapel Royal Interior
The Chapel Royal was built the same time as the King’s Old Building and as such is one of the earliest structures of the inner close.
scotland 371 – Tapestries
This unicorn tapestry (in the Palace building) is an exact reproduction of the original, and was made using the same methods. There were originally a series of seven related tapestries, two of which have been reproduced and are on display at Stirling Castle.
scotland 372 – Tapestry, part II
This second tapestry shows the preparation for the hunt for the Unicorn shown in the previous photo. Again, the originals were lost to the ravages of time, but these were made in the same way, and are faithful reproductions.
scotland 374 – Regimental Colors
In the King’s Old Building, is the Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders’ military museum. One of the exhibits is what remains of the regimental colors after battle in the Crimean war (at Balaclava. The flag (or what’s left of it) shows considerable battle damage, indicating the conditions under which the regiment served.
scotland 377 – Ahhhhh…
The Castle cafe was a cozy place to get a cuppa and some scones. All the sightseeing was wearing us out, so we took every opportunity to take a break where we could.
scotland 379 – Hereditary influence?
Susan’s surname originally meant “jester”, so when we saw this we had to get a pic of Susan with her namesake… lol. This guy was very cool – pushbuttons at the bottom of his display make his ears wag, his “scepter’s” eyes bug out, or his fingers waggle and tongue stick out (RASBERRIES!). Very cool.
scotland 381 – Strange bumpy mounds
We never did figure out what this was, but it looked kinda neat from the castle…
scotland 382 – Stirling Castle
This is the castle as viewed from the west. Once again, it’s built on a high point, making access difficult. Funny how that works, huh?
scotland 383 – Doune Castle
This castle may look strangely familiar, even to those who have never visited before. It depends on your taste in films: Doune Castle is a place of pilgrimage for Monty Python fans from all over the world who come to see the place where they filmed parts of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. Let the taunting begin!
scotland 384 – I’m HERE!!!
At last! One of the main reasons I was so hyped about this trip (the other being the Military Tattoo) was to visit the filming location of The Holy Grail. “I don’t wanna talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries”!
scotland 386 – the Tall tower of “Swamp Caslte”
In addition to the opening scene (“you’ve got two empty ‘alves of coconuts and you’re bangin’ ’em together”), and the infamous French taunting scenes (two of them), Doune Castle was also used for the “Huge tracts of land” sequences, in which John Cleese terrorizes the wedding guests… Those scenes provide an excellent look at the interior of the castle walls.
scotland 387 – The real scoop –
In reality, the “tall tower of swamp castle” was the principle domestic residence of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. The half- ruined structure projecting halfway up the tower (on the right) was the Duke’s personal toidy…
scotland 388 – DENIED!
Since Stirling Castle (which we visited earlier this day) took up so much time, we arrived at Doune just as they were closing the doors for the day. MAJOR bummer. So we had to be satisfied with a tour of the outside perimeter… in viewing the rear curtain wall, we got the impression that the castle was in a state of ruin & disrepair (based on these windows with scaffolding, but no building behind them..) Little did we realize…
scotland 389 – Rear wall – more…
Here’s another view of the rear wall and the empty windows… Upon returning the next day we discovered that the windows NEVER had any rooms behind them. Nobody knows why; many of the details of the castle’s construction (including exactly WHEN it was built) remain a mystery.
scotland 390 – Doune Countrryside…
This is the view from the back wall of the castle. Scenic.
scotland 398 – Killer rabbits…
From this angle, it’s easy to imagine killer rabbits f rollicking in the bushes.
scotland 399 – I’ve soiled my armor!
In exploring the path around the castle, I lost my footing on a steep muddy path and slid on my bum….here I am showing off the mud…the steep hill at the far end of the castle is the place I slid… I blame worn boots for the mis-step; after that it was just a case of gravity being a harsh mistress…
scotland 400 – none the worse for wear…
Mud or not; I was pretty jazzed to be there. See if you can read what’s on my shirt…
scotland 401 – Susan at Doune Castle
In case you think I was the only one who was thrilled at being there, I will tell you that Susan was just as excited. In fact, as soon as the castle came into view (we drove there in a rented Vauxhall – right hand steering & all), she was first to exclaim, “oh my goodness – there it is”! LOL.
scotland 403 – Why do Scotsmen wear kilts?
Because sheep can hear a zipper 100 yards away! Lots of sheep-critters in Scotland.
scotland 404 – I can’t understand it…
All the sheep critters seemed very wary of me. Wonder why?
scotland 408 – AT LAST!
The following day, we returned to Doune, making it the first stop of our day’s itinerary. This time the door was open, so we could get to see the inside. We almost passed the chance, since the previous day had us thinking there was nothing worthwhile inside the walls… boy would we have been making a big mistake!
scotland 409 – Inside…
After getting my coconut halves from the gift shop in the entry tunnel (they loan them for free to visitors), we clip-clopped inside the castle. Immediately upon exiting the tunnel, this was the view to the right. Those stairs are the ones John Cleese (as Launcelot) charges up, stabbing wedding guests & guards in the Swamp Castle sequence. From that point on, it was like deja vu… The building in the photo housed the kitchen with apartments above…barely visible on the right is the great hall, and just out of view further right is the dukes dwelling.
scotland 410 – The duke’s crib…
This is inner-courtyard view of the tall tower that was so strikingly visible from the outside – the entry gate & tunnel are at the base. This was the Duke’s main domicile. The tunnel is 14 meters (45.5′) long, which indicates the size of this building.
scotland 412 – deep subject…
Here’s Susan standing at the castle well. It still has water in it…
scotland 413 – Guardhouse.
Nobody is sure of what each chamber was designed for, or what they were actually used for… historians believe the castle’s end result is not exactly what was originally planned. It is guessed that this was a guardhouse, where prisoners were kept. It’s immediately adjacent to the gate tunnel. Similar rooms may have been storage cellars. Notice that I have two empty halves of coconuts, and I’m banging them together. Yay.
scotland 414 – Need I say more?
scotland 416 – interior walls
This view gives an idea of the complex stonework and wall thickness. The wooden floors are missing (only the stonework buttresses that supported them remain), so three levels are seen here.
scotland 417 – Castle life has its ups & downs.
Mostly in the form of spiral stairs. Here’s Susan at the base of one of the several at Doune. All of them are all narrow, steep and ascend clockwise, to make it impractical for an invader to use a sword effectively. Additionally, the entrances to the spirals were difficult to locate; you’d have to enter in another part of the building, and traverse several rooms before finding the stairs.
scotland 419 – Fireplaces
There are lots of them at Doune Castle… It was probably a very damp, cold place most of the year, and fireplaces were the only means of fending off the cold. Again, the stonework is impressive, if crude.
scotland 420 – Walls…
This gives a good idea of just how thick the walls are…
scotland 421 – exploring the nooks & crannies…
There are countless small chambers, whose original purpose can only be guessed at today. Here I am exploring one of several in this chamber.
scotland 422 – restored floor.
This floor (and other areas) was restored in 1883 – it gives an excellent view of how it was constructed & attached to the walls.
scotland 423 – Munchkinland?
All of the doors were REALLY small. Either people were VERY short back in the 1500’s or there was another reasons for it… perhaps to prevent an armored invader from entering?
scotland 424 – Ye olde crapper.
Yep; beneath that steel grate is a chute to the exterior walls for elimination of er, um… bodily wastes… There were several in this castle; this one still had the distinctive oder associated with such things. P.U.
scotland 425 – Spiraling down.
This is how it looks going down the spiral stairs… steep & narrow; the handrail was not part of the original structure. Imagine trying to descend these in a hurry…
scotland 426 – BIG fireplace
This is the kitchen fireplace, where feasts were prepared. It’s as wide as the entire room, and tall enough for me to stand in upright (over 6′). In use a servant would stand IN the fireplace turning a spit with some game animal on it.
scotland 427 – intreresting…
Susan, looking at a point of interest. Although much smaller and considerably less grand than Edinburgh or Stirling castles, Doune was our favorite, because of how interesting evey part of it is. It’s virtually the same today as it was at the end of the 1300’s when it was built. It’s what we felt that a castle should look like, in our minds. An entire day could be spent exploring Doune.
scotland 428 – More mystery..
No idea what this was used for, but there are a lot of these spaces built into the walls.
scotland 429 – Chimney
This is the chimney of the big fireplace in the main kitchen. As you can see, it’s still functional and goes up quite a ways…
scotland 430 – Now being served…
Susan is taking a break in this photo – in one of two “pass-throughs” from the kitchen to the adjacent great hall. This photo was taken from the big fireplace. Apparently they didn’t have any problems getting big meals to the diners…
scotland 431 – Yet another mystery…
This is the outer wall of the kitchen building.. the purpose of those stone projections is not known – they may have been for joining a future stone structure (which was never built) or perhaps a wooden building was built but did not survive to be documented. It’s unlikely anyone will ever know for sure.
scotland 432 – Great hall Ceiling.
Restored in 1883, this one is considerably less ornate than the hammerbeam rafters of Edinburgh & Stirling Castles’ great halls. There is an opening in the center of its peak (not visible in this photo) to allow smoke to exit…
scotland 433 – And this is why…
This brazier in the center of the great hall must have been some sight when fully ablaze. It’s the reason for the smoke port in the ceiling (previous pic description). This photo also gives some scale to the size of the great hall, where grand feasts could be held for large gatherings.
scotland 434 – stairway to window?
This window in the great hall overlooks the courtyard (after a brief climb). The large brazier is just barely visible on the right.
scotland 435 – More stairs
seems like everywhere we went in Scotland we were faced with countless flights of stairs. These, in Doune Castle were steeper than most, but still usable. So of course we had to use them.
scotland 436 – Rest stop # 473
Here’s Susan taking a short break on a VERY ornately carved bench that was, no doubt, added during one of the castle’s restorations.
scotland 437 – Dueling fireplaces
One (two?) of the more unusual features of Doune Castle is this pair of matched fireplaces. This room is where the Duke would have held audiences with lower-ranked persons; more important meetings would have been held in his private chambers, further into the structure. Another commonly seen feature is the “window” from a private room above, from which this room could be covertly viewed. Paranoia, anyone?
scotland 439 – Minstrel Gallery
The entrance to the audience hall (with the two fireplaces) was at the opposite end, beneath the wooden minstrel’s gallery (restored in the late 1800’s). This is consistent with the rest of the castle, providing one circuitous means of accessing the more important areas of the castle. Beyond this room, concealed in another small alcove a spiral staircase leads to the private chambers of the duke & duchess… the better to be defended.
scotland 440 – Emulating the duke…
Here I am scowling in a noble way, while resting my bum in the duke’s chair… Do I look intimidating or what? OFF WITH HER HEAD!!!
scotland 441 – deeper & deeper…
This is the passage leading to the spiral stairs from the audience hall in the previous photos… notice it leads down to the spiral stairs, which lead up… confusing, huh?
scotland 442 – Divining….
Here I am using my mystical powers to try and figure out what the heck this alcove was used for. Unsuccessfully, I might add.
scotland 445 – details
This photo gives some idea of how everything fits together in this castle… with the next floor above missing, it’s easy to see all the details.
scotland 448 – Drain?
The small opening in the center of this photo is pretty obviously a drain, judging by it’s shape & downward slant… perhaps guards stationed in this room had the luxury of not having to leave to answer nature’s call…at least the liquid kind.
scotland 452 – View from the top.
Remember all those spiral stairs? This is what’s at the top of tall tower above the Duke’s chambers. The view is pretty spectacular.
scotland 456 – Roof & Parapet
Looking down from the tall tower, this is the roof of the great hall (the one with the brazier). Along its edge is the parapet featured in some of the Monty Python scenes (Guards debating coconuts & birds). The French taunting scenes were also supposed to have been filmed here, but John Cleese (who played the French Guard) had a fear of heights, so they built a 4′ replica to shoot his scenes. Ahhh, the magic of movies… Anyhow, I stood there & yelled his lines .
scotland 457 Kitchen tower & inner courtyard
From the tall tower, looking into the courtyard, you can see the kitchen tower (which John Cleese, as Launcelot, attacks during the wedding scene), and the inner walls. The scaffolding and windows (??) along the back wall had lead us to believe the castle was in ruins when we visited the day before. No one knows why the windows are located in a defensive wall with no building behind it.
scotland 458 – More view…
From the tall tower, the view of the surrounding countryside is not too shabby.
scotland 459 The Wallace Monument.
Standing on 330′ Abbey Craig, where William Wallace is believed to have watched the approach of the English army prior to defeating them at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, stands this 220′ tower; a monument to William Wallace. This view is from a spot near where the original (wooden) Stirling Bridge stood.
scotland 460 – “Old” Stirling Bridge
This stone bridge stands on the site of the original wooden bridge, which on September 11, 1297 collapsed beneath the English army , giving the Scottish forces of William Wallace and Andrew De Moray victory over the British.
scotland 462 – A closer look…
From the car park (parking lot, for the colonials among us), Abbey Craig and the monument loom overhead.
scotland 464 – Mel Gibson monument?
In 1997, a statue of ‘William Wallace’ was placed in the car park of the Wallace Monument. The statue however appeared not to resemble the historic face of Wallace; rather it seemed to be modelled after Mel Gibson’s appearance as Wallace in the film Braveheart. Wallace’s shield even reads the word ‘Braveheart’ as can be seen on the base of the statue. It is claimed that Scottish people found this disturbing and that groups have agitated for the removal of the statue due to its obvious lack of authenticity. I’d be pissed too. Everyone knows that this is a statue of Mad Max…
scotland 465 – *panting breathlessly* Top of Abbey Craig.
After a LONG, STEEP hike to the top of the hill, we discovered that there is a free shuttle van from the parking lot that would have saved a LOT of energy. But then we’d have missed this photo-op, and an extensive cardio workout. Oh, and this is the Wallace Monument from its base.
scotland 466 – View from the base of the tower
This is the view Wallace had when he spied the English army approaching Stirling Bridge.
scotland 467 – Stirling
From the base of the monument, Stirling is clearly visible, and quite picturesque.
scotland 468 – Monument exterior
On the right of the 220′ tower is a life-sized statue of the Lad himself, William Wallace. On the left corner is the spiral staircase that leads to the top (246 steps). There are several chambers inside the tower containing exhibits relating to Wallace.
scotland 470 – Wallace’s sword.
Here I am standing next to one of the exhibits in the monument – the sword used by William Wallace at the battles of Stirling and Falkirk. No, I haven’t shrunk – this puppy is 5’4″ long overall, and it’s estimated that Wallace had to have been at least 6’6″ in to be able to wield it. In a time where the average man’s height was 5’4″, he was truly a giant. The sword was restored in 1505, and the scabbard, belt and hilt. Wallace’s original scabbard, hilt and belt were said to have been made from the dried skin of Hugh Cressingham, one of the English commanders at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. KEWL! (it was pretty amazing standing next to this blade).
scotland 473 – The lad himself…
Stained glass in the monument depicting William Wallace. Big guy; bushy beard. Looked NOTHING like Mel Gibson (who is 5’10”).
scotland 475 (panting even more heavily, and on the verge of collapse) View from the top.
After climbing the 246 spiral stairs (what IS it with spiral stairs???), this is the view from the (very windy and cold) top of the Wallace Monument.
scotland 480 – More view from the top…
HEY- after climbing that hill and those 246 steps, I’ll post as many pics of the view from the top as I damned well please, OK? So SHUT IT, SALLY! Anyhow, this would be the river where Wallace’s army whupped the English.
scotland 483 – Susan at the top.
Proof that Susan climbed those 246 stairs. Her hair is defying gravity because it was windy as all get-out up there.
scotland 484 – Me.
And here I am at the top. Out of breath. Exhausted from the climb. And COLD. Quick look around and then we went back down those SAME 246 spiral steps (while others were coming up the narrow way).
scotland 485 – Capstone of the Wallace Monument
This is the capstone; it supposedly holds the whole monument together (Susan was not happy to hear that, and wanted DOWN afterwards). The placement of the capstone in 1869 was so hazardous that they drew lots among the town’s unmarried men. Yikes!
scotland 486 – Happy Susan
Why is she happy? Several reasons: We survived the climb up (and down) the Wallace Monument and Abbey Craig. The Capstone didn’t fail while we were there (and still hasn’t). We’re on the way back to our lovely B&B in Edinburgh, where we can get some rest. I’ve been driving on the left side of the road for TWO WHOLE DAYS in a rented right-side steereing Vauxhall, we’re returning it, and I haven’t killed ANYONE!!! All good reasons, I think.
scotland 490 – STAY TO THE LEFT!!!
If I had a nickel (5 pence) for every time Susan reminded me… lol. Actually, she was a great help in keeping me from killing anyone. And she helped navigate pretty well too. Mostly.
scotland 491 – Bus tour…
Next day we took a bus tour through the highlands. First stop was a quaint little village called Dunkeld. Touristy, but nice; planters full of colorful flowers everywhere (like everyplace in the UK, it seems).
scotland 492 – Rock Cakes in Dunkeld.
While in Dunkeld, we stopped for morning tea in a little bakery. you’ll notice that there are only two cakes on this plate; there were four when we arrived. Also, there was this old gentleman who had to be almost 100 – he could barely walk. But that didn’t keep him from trying to get a date with all the young girls working at the bakery. What a hoot!
scotland 493 – Appropriate apparel?
Notice the shirt I’m wearing. The artwork was designed by Linda & Eddie, two of my favorite people, for the 1995 tattoo hosted by the pipe band we were all in at the time. The shirt says: Warm winds; cool drafts, and shows a piper from behind, his kilt blowing up in the breeze. This should answer all of your questions about what we wear underneath. Sheesh… grow up, willya?
scotland 494 – Stunted growth…
This Douglas Fir used to be the tallest tree in the UK, but now it’s #3. Still pretty tall though.
scotland 495 – scale…
So you can tell just how tall that tree is, I had Susan stand next to it for scale. Good idea, huh?
scotland 496 – Cool mountain stream…
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, pretty countryside is the rule in Scotland.
scotland 497 – Relaxing
This seemed as nice a spot as any to take a break. So I did.
scotland 499 – Us.
Here we are, posing… relaxing is SO much nicer with company…
scotland 504 – Distillery…
One of the highlights of our bus tour was a stop at the Blair Athol distillery. At this location they distill the Blair Athol single malt scotch whiskey. Only 1% or so of the single malt is sold as such; it’s very smooth. The other 99% is used to make Bell’s BLENDED scotch (which is generally considered nasty).
scotland 505 – Courtyard
These buildings are pretty much the entire distilling operation… No photos were allowed INSIDE the distillery, but it’s fairly modest, and the process hasn’t really changed for hundreds of years. Basically, they prepare the barley malt with the same steps used in brewing beer… then they distill the beer wort two times, and fiddle select & mix the products of the distilling operation, to keep control the alcohol content, and prevent people from going blind.
scotland 507 – Susan & Tony at the distillery
One of the coolest parts of the distillery tour was seeing the warehouse where they age the single malt in Oak wine barrels. It has to be aged that way for at least 3 years to be called Scotch, but most age for much longer. This is a double edged sword, since (even in sealed barrels) there is loss from evaporation. We were shown barrels that were put up in 1964, and they are only 1/3 full at this time… that’s a 66% loss. But what’s left has aged for 43 years – It will probably be bottled (at which time it stops aging) at the 50 year mark and sell for four figures per 750ml bottle. SMOOTH!
scotland 508 – The distillery Building
Susan likes the smell of the Single Malt, but not the taste. Since the age, wine-barrel type, geographical region, and even the SHAPE of the distillation tanks affects the flavor of each brand of single malt (and even different varieties each brand), I’m still hopeful that she’ll find one she likes. She HATES the smoky/iodine/peat moss flavor of the Islay area whiskeys (I’m not fond of them either)… perhaps something from Speyside…
scotland 509 – MacDonalds… but not the golden arches.
This restaurant, in Pitlochry was opened by a Mrs. MacDonald in 1959. Sometime later, a mega-corporation of the same name had the audacity to sue her. She won; ##### it, Ronald! So we had to eat there… the food was pretty good, too (no big macs to be seen anywhere).
scotland 510 – Interesting trend…
It seems like every picture of Susan taken after a meal, she’s smiling. Me too, come to think of it. Guess we enjoyed the food.
scotland 512 – More countryside
The bus tour was big fun; we got to see some interesting places. All of them were very pretty. This was a place called Queen’s View, from a visit by Queen Victoria.
scotland 513 – See?
This is the plaque commemorating the visit by Queen Victoria in 1866. The plaque shows the points of interest that can be seen.
scotland 514 – The view
No, not the show; the VIEW. Just like on the plaque in the previous photo. You can see a LONG way from this vantage point.
scotland 515 – The flip side
This is what you can see in the opposite direction from the overlook at Queen’s View… but wait.. what is that, way down there???
scotland 516 – Look!
What’s that I see down there? Could it be? Is it???
scotland 517 – IT IS!!!!
SHEEP-CRITTERS!!!!
scotland 519 – Obligatory photo
Couldn’t visit Scotland without bringing back at least ONE photo of the national flower… so here it is… Heather in bloom.
scotland 521 – World’s oldest living thing.
This Yew tree has been dated at over 5,000 years old. That makes it the world’s oldest living thing. Doesn’t look a day older than 4000….
scotland 522 – Why humans ##### (warning: rant).
Ok, here’s the 5,000 year old yew tree… if you look in the background, you will notice a ring of wooden posts surrounding the tree. That was its ORIGINAL diameter before people started cutting off souvenirs. PEOPLE #####. At least the tree is protected now, and seems to be doing ok.
scotland 523 – Loch Lomand
You take the high road, etc. This is it. Pretty lake…er… loch.
scotland 524 – So THAT’s what they look like.
I’ve always wondered what “bonnie bonnie banks” looked like. Here they are.
scotland 525 – Even the toidy breaks were scenic.
We had a 15 minute stop to “attend to personal needs” in this small town. The river flowing through was just too pretty to ignore, so Susan took a break on the bridge and let me take this pic.
scotland 527 – Interesting
We didn’t have time to explore it (we were only 15 minutes to pee, stretch & shop), but we would have liked to explore this – it’s the Clan MacNab burial ground… the sign said “enter at your own risk”. How cool is THAT?
scotland 528 – Hamish
This is Hamish (pronounced hay-mish). He’s a Bull of the highland cow (pronounced hee-land coo) variety. He’s a tourist attraction at a little country store on the way back to Edinburgh from Perth. He is very tame, and enjoys being fed by tourists, who can buy “Hamish-cow-chow” in the store.
scotland 529 – Wooly Bully
Hamish might well have been the inspiration for the 1965 song by Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs. Highland cows have almost no body fat, so they have a very shaggy coat of fur to keep them warm. I’m just not sure how they can see.
scotland 531 – That’s a lot of bull!
Hamish is a very big boy. He was originally going to be destroyed for hoof & mouth disease, but they rescued him and he’s now a tourist attraction. He has to be kept isolated from all other livestock, but at least he gets plenty of attention (and food) from the tourists.
scotland 532 – Back in Edinburgh
You can tell by the stairs. Did I mention that there are many, MANY stairs in Edinburgh? And hills; lots of hills, too.
scotland 533 – Deacon Brodie Pub, on the Royal Mile
Here I am pretending to be hanged. That’s because in the mid-18th century, one of the most upstanding, respected citizens of Edinburgh (indeed, member of the burgh council and deacon (or president) of the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons. At night, however, Brodie became a burglar and thief. He used his daytime job as a way to gain knowledge about the security mechanisms of his clients and to copy their keys using wax impressions. As the foremost wright of the city, Brodie was asked to work in the homes of many of the richest members of Edinburgh society. He used the illicit money to maintain his second life, including five children, two mistresses who did not know of each other, and a gambling habit. He and his accomplice were hanged in 1788. Popular myth holds that Deacon Brodie built the first gallows in Edinburgh and was also its first victim. He was supposedly the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. We had lunch there; Susan ate Haggis. Ugh.
scotland 534 – Train to York
We took a two day mini-vacation from Edinburgh to visit York. Susan had been telling me of the rich and lengthy history of York, so I had to see it. The train trip there was enjoyable on its own merit.
scotland 536 – Train south…
From Edinburgh, the train took us south through the surrounding farmland & countryside.
scotland 537 – More scenery
It just seemed that there were no bad views from the train. This is pretty typical of what we saw as went south at a pretty good speed – a lot of the scenery was a blur, since the trains in the UK move along at a pretty good clip. I guess that’s the benefit of actually maintaining their rail system, unlike what we do with ours, here in the US.
scotland 538 – Coast view
the tracks paralleled the coast for a while – there were some pretty dramatic cliffs, but it seemed that every time I’d try to photograph them, a tree, power pole or some other obstruction blocked my view. This lighthouse was a notable exception.
scotland 539 – Old & New
Two bridges in this pic – one modern; the other dating back to Roman times.
scotland 540 – quaint villages
This was one of many quiet little towns we passed on the train trip to York
scotland 543 – and big cities.
We also passed some fairly populous areas like Newcastle. Not the beer; the town.
scotland 544 – Tract housing…
British style. They’re more commonly called “row houses” there, and look pretty nice. All of them have at least a small garden in the back.
scotland 548 – Tickets… tickets, please
Did I fool you into thinking I was the conductor? I wouldn’t want to be… People bring their dogs with them almost everywhere in the UK (much better idea than here). On one train trip a woman’s border collie was a bit put out at having to squeeze under the seat, and when the conductor came by, the dog casually leaned out and nipped him on the leg. He was a bit peeved, to say the least. The woman who owned the dog was horrified & quite apologetic, and they finally decided to allow the fuzzball to stay on the train. The dog, too.
scotland 549 – York
Here’s Susan in front of the Minster in York. We’d just arrived in town, and stopped for a photo in front of this amazing church (MUCH more on this later).
scotland 551 – Susan in our room in York
Smiling again, just the way I like to see her…We stayed in a hotel that was originally a 16th century carriage house, and reputedly the birthplace of Guy Fawkes. His claim to fame is, in 1605 he attempted to blow up the English Parliament. It didn’t work; he got caught and was sentenced to be hanged, drawn & quartered. But Guy was smart, and jumped from the gallows scaffold, breaking his neck, and thereby avoiding the worst part of his punishment (castration, disembowlment, and dismemberment – all while still alive). There’s a saying that Guy Fawkes was the only man to enter parliament with honorable intentions. Guy Fawkes day is celebrated on November 5th, throughout England.
scotland 552 – Streets of York
As you can see, the streets are pretty tight in the old part of York. A street called The Shambles is even narrower…
scotland 553 – Stonegate
York was once an ancient Roman “walled” city, and the wall is still there – in the distance is Stonegate, one of the fortified entrances to the city.
scotland 555 – Funny
I had to take a pic of this sign in one of the tourist shops… too funny.
scotland 556 – Guess why I’m scowling…
That’s right… I’m waiting for my food/beer.
scotland 557 – MUCH happier.
And here I am extolling the virtues of the humble, roasted potato. Yummy.
scotland 558 – Recycling…on a city-wide scale
York was built on the ruins of a Viking settlement called Jorvik, which itself was built on the Roman ruins of Eboracum. So, York was originally founded in AD 71. The “recycling” is still going on… the raised area the tourists are sitting on in the background is actually a cemetery dating back several hundred years.
scotland 559 – The Shambles
This street was originally where the butcher’s shops and slaughterhouses were. The hooks for hanging the animal carcasses can still be seen on the buildings. This photo is not distorted with a fish-eye lens; the buildings actually DO lean out over the street – seems that they were originally taxed for the amount of land they were built on… so if the upper floors spread out a bit…more building, less tax. The Shambles is now home to some great touristy-type shops.
scotland 560 – Beating the tax
Here’s a great example of how they built the upper floors bigger than the ground floor, to beat the tax. Those are the original wooden beams.
scotland 561 – Jorvik
In 1979, Archaeologists started digging on the site of an old sweet factory and unearthed remains of 10th century Viking-age buildings that were surrounded by moist, spongy layers of earth similar to that of a peat bog. These damp conditions helped preserve everyday Viking items such as wood, leather, cloth, bugs and even a Viking toilet and its contents. The site is still a working “dig” but they’ve also made it into a tourist attraction to fund itself! These are the stairs showing the multiple layers of the various settlements of York.
scotland 562 – Jorvik – the tourist ride…
What they’ve done is accurately recreate the viking village of Jorvik, based on the artifacts found there. So, this life-sized diorama is on the exact spot where they believe a woodworker’s shop stood. The coolest part is, the ride is accompanied by what I call “smell-o-rama” – they’ve recreated the SMELLS of village life, even including the guy noisily answering nature’s call.
scotland 563 – Leatherworker
This leather-worker’s shop was where skins, scraps of leather, and even completed shoes were unearthed by the archaeologists.
scotland 564 – Ahh… fresh meat.
Small animal carcasses marked this as the site of the local butcher.
scotland 565 – really OLD wood.
This is some of the original wood, as preserved by the peat. It’s over ten centuries old (a millenium). Wow.
scotland 566 – Dem bones…
The guy has been laying here for over a thousand years. Lazy bugger!
scotland 567 – Big Dig.
So, what started out as a construction excavation on the site of a Coppergate candy factory wound up being one of the most complete archeaological finds in the region. In total an incredible 40,000 objects were uncovered by excavating 36,000 layers and sieving 8 tonnes of soil!
scotland 572 – The Plague.
Susan & I share a fascination for things historical, and one of the ways we’ve found to enjoy experiencing that history is to find local ghost tours, or “dungeon” tours. The York Dungeon is an excellent example, and the next batch of photos show some of the highlights of the exhibits there. This one relates how the Black Plague coursed through the city, and whole families were walled up in their homes; left to die rather than permit the spread of the disease that wiped out 24 million people throughout Europe.
scotland 574 – Susan, being scary.
Susan really gets into the “spirit” of things… here in the York Dungeon, she was right at home… In the dungeons, they have recreated in gruesome detail the events that occurred centuries ago; Infamous highwayman ##### Turpin, The “lost” Roman Legion, Courts of inquisition, torture chambers, Guy Fawkes, and the previously mentioned Plague.
scotland 577 – Torture methods…
In the dungeons, they aren’t shy about going into all the gory details. This fellow takes great delight in describing, to the last detail, the processes of punishment… The scene in the background depicts an unlucky prisoner who is being subjected to a torture called the blood eagle… While still alive, they break open the rib cage, and pull out the lungs, spreading them to either side of the victim. As the victim draws his last breaths, the lungs inflate, giving the appearance of flapping wings. Nice, huh?
scotland 581 – Back to the surface…
Having finished with Jorvik and the dungeons, we continued to enjoy the architecture of York. This is the Barclays Bank building.
scotland 582 – Relaxing
Susan was able to locate the restaurant she’d been looking for… she was very pleased with herself.
scotland 583 – high tea
At the aforementioned restaurant, we enjoyed “high tea” with scones served with clotted cream. It was VERY good; notice the pinkie held aloft. How posh can you get?
scotland 584 – inferiority complex?
This church would be perfectly adequate anywhere else. Unfortunately, its location makes it seem pretty insignificant… directly across the road stands its somewhat more ornate neighbor…
scotland 585 – York Minster.
Though a stone church has stood on this spot since the mid-600’s, construction on the current building was completed in 1472, having been constructed by nine generations of workers. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. One of the following photos captures this stained glass from the inside…
scotland 586 – Ornate exterior
York Minster has incredibly ornate architecture, both exterior and interior. It’s easy to see how it took several hundred years to complete.
scotland 588 – Gargoyles
One of the distinctive features of Gothic design is the abundance of gargoyles. York Minster is no exception, with a variety of these guys.
scotland 589 – Susan at york Minster
The hotel we stayed at, the Guy Fawkes is just down the street behind her, next to the red brick building.
scotland 591 – York Minster interior
If you thought the exterior was impressive, take a look at the next series of photos… Wow.
scotland 592 – York Minster Interior, continued.
scotland 593 – York Minster Interior, continued.
This is just a small portion of the pipe organ. There were two more LARGER pipe lofts.
scotland 594 – York Minster Interior, continued.
scotland 595 – York Minster Interior, continued.
Lots of stained glass, too.
scotland 596 – York Minster Interior, continued.
Look closely at this photo – this is only part of the interior – the other half is behind the organ pipes (look at the ceiling for perspective).
scotland 597 – York Minster Interior, continued.
scotland 598 – Don’t worry…
The bird’s not in danger; it’s not even real. Both the bird and the cat are two-dimensional figures. At one period in York’s history, statues of cats were considered to be good luck. The custom has seen a resurgence in modern times, and this is one example.
scotland 599 – another one…
Here’s another example; this one is more obviously not real.
scotland 600 – Dark alley, anyone?
Like Edinburgh, York is criss-crossed by narrow alleys or “closes” (pronounced close-es). During the day, they seem fine, but at night they take on a much more sinister appearance.
scotland 601 – Stonegate
This is part of the old Roman wall that still surrounds the inner city of York. This one is called Stonegate (for obvious reasons). Not bad for almost two millenia old.
scotland 602 – The wall.
The wall goes completely around the old part of town. They close the access stairs at night, so we didn’t get to walk on the wall, but it was still pretty cool.
scotland 603 – Typical…
Like most cities in the UK, there’s more green space and scenic areas than you’d expect to see in a major population center. This was on the way to the railway station.
scotland 604
scotland 605 – View from the outside…
This is the outside of the wall; typically, it sits on an elevated berm, to make approach more difficult.
scotland 606 – On to Settle
After a day and night in York, our next destination was the village of Settle. The Rail line running there from York is claimed to be one of the most scenic in the UK. What do you think?
scotland 607 – Contrails
For some reason, we saw plenty of high altitude contrails, of the type made by jet aircraft. There are several Nato bases in the area, and we even got a glimpse of an RAF Tornado blasting by at pretty low altitude.
scotland 608 – Yorkshire dales…
After checking in to the Golden Lion Hotel in Settle (one of two hotels there – it’s a REALLY small village), we loaded our packs with lunch sandwiches and bottled water and headed off with Pete, our guide. This was what we were hiking into.
scotland 609 – “little bit of up”
After about 30 minutes of what Pete referred to as a “little bit of up”, we came to a quarry area.
scotland 610 – Outta sight!
After just the short hike up to the quarry, we looked back to find that our starting point, Settle was miles behind us and completely out of sight (behind the hills to the far right).
scotland 611 – Ah, there it is!
After hiking a bit further up the ridgeline, we were able to see Settle again… if only briefly (That’s it, off in the distance behind the trees – all you can see is the rooftops). That double-track trail coming out of the woods and winding up to the right is the path we took to get there. The zig-zag things at the bottom right are stone walls – there are a LOT of them in this area; they’re hundreds of years old, and are just rocks piled up with no mortar or cement. More on them later.
scotland 613 – Quarry
Hidden amidst the scenic country hills we found this quarry.
scotland 614 – Out of place?
The contrast between the quarry and surrounding countryside was pretty sharp… to put it’s size into perspective, that tiny little truck down there is an 18 wheeler.
scotland 615 – Idyllic
After a bit more walking, we took a lunch break (the first of several); this was our view as we ate.
scotland 616 – Cave
We debated whether or not to climb up to see what critters might occupy this cave, but saner heads prevailed (our sore feet had a little to do with it…).
scotland 617 – I can see for miles and miles…
This could have been the inspiration for the song…
scotland 618 – Thistle
Six thick thistle sticks… ok, there are only there here… I was using poetic license.
scotland 619 – In case you’re wondering…
What is all this land actually USED for? Sheep critters! There were also some cattle, but the overwhelming majority of livestock were various varieties of sheep.
scotland 620 – Shhhh! Be Vewwy quiet; I’m hunting wabbits…
These guys might dispute my previous statement, and I’m sure they’re working hard towards shifting the odds… There were four rabbits in this one photo alone. Who knows how many hundreds were hiding?
scotland 622 – Flowering Thistle
This one is being serviced by an obliging bumblee-bee.
scotland 623 – Did I mention…
There were sheep critters?
scotland 624 – hmmm
I wonder if the sheep critters are friendly….
scotland 625 – I’ll find out!
Here, sheepie, sheepie, sheepie… Why are they running away?
scotland 626 – WAIT!
Come back, sheep critters, come back!
scotland 627 – How sad…
All the sheep critters have gone away… do you think they knew something?
scotland 628 – on the other hoof….
The moo-cows were VERY friendly.
scotland 630 – umm, maybe TOO friendly…
No, really; I approached this wall and all the cows came over to say hi.
scotland 631 – Not all of them, however, were as amicable.
Notably the BULL-critters. This fellow was NOT amused. Don’t believe that “herbivore” crap, either – this guy wanted to chew on my entrails.
scotland 632 – No, not another butt-shot.
Well, ok, it is. But the REAL reason I took this was to show just one of the ways to get past the many, MANY walls. There were a variety of gates, ladders (like this one), narrow, and zig-zag openings. My favorite was a series of flat stones built into the wall, extending to both sides. They were arranged in a diagonal pattern on each side, forming stairs! Cool.
scotland 634 – World’s largest…
This is the Hoffman Lime kiln – one of the world’s largest & best preserved limestone kilns. I used the flash on this pic so you could see what the inside looks like.
scotland 635 – Same photo…
…without the flash. This thing is oval shaped, and about the size of a football field. They’d bring the limestone in on carriages, and drop charcoal in through holes in the roof, to leach the quicklime out over the course of several days.
scotland 636 – openings…
Every 20 meters or so, there’s one of these openings, for bringing in the raw materials & bringing out the lime.
scotland 638 – Top of the kiln
Here’s Susan standing on one of the exhaust vents on top of the Hoffman Kiln. The rock face in the background provided raw material for the kiln.
scotland 639 – Spy sheep
I think this sheep was sent to spy on us & report back to sheep-critter headquarters.
scotland 640 – Cart track between stone walls.
This is a good shot of the walls. Remember; no mortar or cement; someone just fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle. Hundreds of years ago.
scotland 645 – Leaving Settle.
After sleeping REALLY well at the Golden Lion Hotel after our hiking adventure, we were up bright & early to catch our train back to Edinburgh. Here, I’ve placed my camera on a bench & set the self timer to get this hot of Susan & I together. It’s the first (and only) time I used the self timer on the entire trip. The train station, like all of them in the UK, was very lovely, and had plenty of flower planters.
scotland 646 – crossover bridge
We had to drag our luggage over this bridge to get to our platform. After the previous day’s hiking, it was a rude way to awaken our muscles for the day.
scotland 647 – Another day; another train ride.
Back to Edinburgh. This was an exceptionally scenic train ride, but I nodded out & missed it. Susan is still giving me a hard time about that.
scotland 649 – Guitar dude.
When we got back, the Edinburgh fringe festival was still in full swing. This guy was playing some amazing spanish guitar music. I recognized a piece from Elegant Gypsy by Al DiMeola; this guy played Mediterranean Sundance note-for-note. Not only did I drop a couple of pounds in his guitar case, but I bought his CD.
scotland 650 – Seeing double?
Not even; on our last full day in Scotland, Susan’s sister Pam flew over from Norway (and boy, were here arms tired). What did they immediately do? You guessed it; shopping. No family resemblance here, huh?
scotland 651 – Holyrood House
After lunch (there was Haggis…UGH!) we toured Holyrood House, which is the Royal palace in Edinburgh. Whenever the queen visits, this is where she stays. Nice shack, huh?
scotland 652 – Done up.
Like everything else we saw that had anything at all to do with royalty, Holyrood House was more than a little ornate. No photos allowed inside though, so you have to believe me on this.
scotland 653 – Ruins.
After touring the interior (no photos, remember), we exited into the Royal Gardens, and found these ruins adjoining Holyrood House. This was a Catholic church, destroyed during the protestant reformation.
scotland 654 – inside the ruins
Lacking any semblance of a roof, withthe support columns all but gone, it’s hard to imagine what a beautiful church this must have been…
scotland 655 – Ruins, continued.
Nestled in the perfectly manicured royal gardens, the ruins seem almost ethereal.
scotland 656 – alternate perspective
From this angle, with the sky darkening, the ruins take on a more foreboding, sinister appearance.
scotland 657 – complete destruction…
The church buildings not connected to Holyrood were more thoroughly demolished.
scotland 658 – Last part of the ruins, I promise!
The standing ruins still have some elegant stonework to see. This is one of several arched domes in the entrance.
scotland 659 – Arthur’s Seat..
Remember way back, in the first day’s photos of our trip, there were photos of that volcanic outcropping called Arthur’s Seat? Well, after touring Holyrood House, the girls decided that we simply MUST ascend to the summit of the highest point of Arthur’s Seat. So, with daylight ebbing rapidly, up we went. This was our first rest stop, looking back along the way we climbed thus far (via those paths on the hillside).
scotland 660 – Edinburgh, from above…
While arduously making our way up, I turned to photograph this shot of Edinburgh’s suburbs on the far side of the mountain.
scotland 661 – how VERY dare they…
THey don’t even have the good graces to look tire! The climb was… invigorating.
scotland 664 – Showoffs.
Near, but not quite at the summit, we took a short break. The girls wanted to press on, so we did.
scotland 665 – Winded? Me? Naw…
Finally, we reached the summit. Are we there yet?
scotland 666 – Top o’ the world!!!
Well, close enough for government work…
scotland 667 – At the top – 823 feet above the city…
There’s a metal compass rose at the top, with bearings and distances to other cities etched in it. Cool.
scotland 668 – Better rested…
But chilly… like all the high places in Scotland, there was a strong breeze, and with the sun setting, it was getting cooler.
scotland 669 – Pam, triumphant
Here’s a great pic of Pam, with all of Edinburgh sprawled out behind her.
scotland 670 – Happy Susan (again)
She was really pleased to have made this climb.
scotland 672 – Pam, doing the happy dance at the summit.
scotland 673 – Pam & Susan
Posing at the marker compass, Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland.
scotland 674 – The descent…
about halfway down, I snapped this shot of where we’d been. Those tiny dots on top are people standing where we were. Woof.
scotland 677 – VICTORY!!!
Susan points to the summit that we had just conquered. I show my disdain for the “small pimple” of rock by flashing a ##### at it.
scotland 678 – Pointed commentary
Here we both are, pointing to Arthur’s Seat; Susan in a more conventional manner. In case you’re wondering, why I’m being so antagonistic towards a chunk of geologic extrusion in this and the previous photos… We began our climb near twilight, in drizzly, cold conditions. Compounding this, my boots had proven less than stellar in the traction department (as the slide on my butt at Doune Castle earlier in the week proved). So I was not entirely in favor of the ascent at the time; even LESS in favor of having to DESCEND in worsening/darker conditions. The climb up and down from Arthur’s Seat had me concerned, and there were indeed some slippery, treacherous sections (which had my butt puckering so tight you couldn’t pull a pin out of it with a John Deere tractor), with sheer drops as the consequence of mis-stepping. If I had to do it again, I’d do it in drier conditions, and earlier in the day. But it all worked out; no one died, and we were very thrilled to have done it.
scotland 680 – Pam, showing her disdain for the peak…
Using the little known “press it down with a thumb” technique, Pam maintains geological balance by preventing Arthur’s Seat from spontaneously rising higher than its allocated height. Oh, by the way, this is the last photo in this album. Hope you enjoyed our trip to Scotland vicariously through these photos & narrative. Now go there & live it yourselves!