As we left the ghost tour last night, I took this picture of the Edinburgh Museum. It is supposed to be very good; each day we thought we would visit....tomorrow is the day! We arrived, as planned, to be met with the below notice!!! R U KIDDING ME???? The ONE day!!!??? After a brief discussion, we decided to go on to the Castle....the Museum is free, but you have to pay to get in the Castle so they probably won't close IT!!
Along our walk to the Castle, we passed yet another tribute to a dog....these people LOVE their dogs!!! They are allowed in most restaurants, museums, stores....they are everywhere....being walked and tended to by their doting owners. It's a wonderful sight to see....just another opportunity for random acts of kindness
Remember the famous story of J. K. Rawlings who scratched the ideas for Harry Potter on a napkin????
Another reminder that this is the 100th anniversary of WWI
McKenzie and I had noted this Celtic Heritage the first day we arrived. We made a mental note to try to do it on Thursday at 3 pm....Here we are, although we had forgotten all about it!
The "tour" started on the street. As we were ushered in, I whispered to Kenz that "we are in for some propaganda" Sure enough...note the red pamphlets......they are entitled: "Why Jesus?" We HAD to listen for the intro....but as soon as they went out on the streets, we BOLTED!
Sooooo nuts to the union and their strike and the Celtics and their tale of woe....we finally make it to one of the most famous landmarks in all of Scotland.
It is mammoth, beyond description. The castle was built on a huge volcanic rock (known as Castle Rock) high above the city of Edinburgh -- 250 ft. above the surrounding ground, 380 ft. above mean sea level.
The site was occupied from the bronze age or early iron age (around the second century AD).
There is evidence that early Scottish royalty lived here in the early 1100's.
The Castle changed hands many times mostly between Scotland and England during their turbulent and complex history. The site is so well located and fortified that the only way to take the Castle is by siege, surrounding it to prevent supplies from being delivered.
Queen Elizabeth loves flowers, as noted back at Holyrood Palace. The flowers below were stuck in the ground for the Queen's annual visit to Scotland. They cannot grow there. They will be replaced in a few days with the greenery which usually lives here. Perhaps there are those Scots who will vote for independence solely for this one issue!
Saint Margaret's Chapel is the oldest part of the Castle still standing. There was at least one takeover of the Castle that was not a result of a siege. On March 14, 1314, Thomas Randolph led a daring night raid with about 30 men to take over the Castle. Randolph was a nephew of Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots. As it happens, our McKenzie's uncle discovered that their family has lineage back to Robert the Bruce. Early in the tour, the guide said that Bruce had dismantled the Castle after taking it over. McKenzie was disapointed in her heritage until later in the tour we learned that Bruce had destroyed the castle to prevent the English from retaking it and using it against the Scots again. He also left intact Saint Margaret's Chapel.
The Castle is also the home of the Scottish Crown Jewels or Scottish Regalia. It consists of the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State. Over the centuries, they have been taken, destroyed, replaced, and recovered. The existing set was originally used for crowning Queen Mary II in 1543. In the mid 1600's, Oliver Cromwell set about melting down most of the Scottish Regalia. However, the main three items were hidden and saved to later reappear. When Scotland and England were reunited in the early 1700's, the Regalia were stored in a trunk and forgotten for 111 years. Now they are back on display in the Castle -- pictures were off limits.
A picture of a picture...of the Scottish regalia.
Another Scottish artefact is the Stone of Scone. The stone is a rough cut rectangular sandstone that weighs about 340 lb. It was first used in the 1300's for Scottish royalty coronations in the Abbey of Scone. In 1296, King Edward I of England conquered Scotland and as a spoil of war, he took the stone and all the regalia to Westminster in London for his own coronation. In 1950, a group of 4 Scottish students broke into Westminster and liberated the stone back to Scotland breaking it in the process. The stone was returned to England and used for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It now lives in Edinburgh Castle. You can view it but not take a picture.
Our McKenzie's VERY distant relative, Robert the Bruce had to come up with his own crown in 1306, because Edward I held the traditional one. He was actually crowned twice -- once by a bishop and once by Isabella of the family to traditionally crown Scottish royalty.
On to another bloody story of Scottish history...Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary was the only legitimate child of King James V of Scotland. She was crowned Queen at 9 months of age! They had to hold the crown above her head because she was too small to wear it. She spent most of her childhood in France -- all the while Queen of Scotland.
She was married at 15 to the Dauphin of France, Francis. A year later he became King Francis II of France. Mary was queen cohort for 2 years before Francis died.
Four years later she married her 1st cousin, Lord Darnley. Things then took a turn for the worse. Seems king cohort Darnley was a little jealous of Mary's Italian secretary. Darnley and a group abducted the Italian in front of Mary and stabbed him 57 times -- he died. Later, mysteriously, Darnley's apartment was bombed and he died. Mary fell from favour, was imprisoned, and forced to abdicate in favour of James, her 1 year old son by Darnley.
When she could not regain the throne, she fled to England to plea with her 1st cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I was concerned about Mary's Catholic ways and more than a little concerned about Mary's claim to the English throne. So she had Mary Queen of Scots beheaded -- end of that story.
The roof of the great hall was built by the royal shipbuilders and is made entirely of wood using wooden wedges and its own weight to support it. Way to go shipbuilders!
On the Castle grounds is a cemetery for military dogs and dogs owned by the soldiers.....This nation has loved their dogs for CENTURIES!! The Castle is still a military site.
A view of Edinburgh from the Castle.
The name of a huge cannon built by the Duke of Burgundy in 1449 and gifted to James II of Scotland in 1454.
The bombard was used in sieges until the mid 16th century. The gun weighed 13,200 lbs with cannon balls weighing 400 lbs. It took a hundred men a long time to move it. By the time Meg got there, the battle was pretty much over. After the mid 1500's the gun was fired only on ceremonial occasions. One of the firings burst the barrel and rendered it unusable.
David headed down. We are duly impressed with Edinburgh Castle.
Kathy likes doors.
It's time for linner/lunner when we leave the Castle.
Tired and hungry but happy.
You've heard the phrase: " ____ on someone!"?
Called the black Gothic rocket ship by author Bill Bryson, this is really a memorial for Sir Walter Scott. All this for being a well known author/poet??!!
Beautiful views from the other side of the river...the scenery is beautiful, the weather is lovely, the camaraderie cheerful, but the Scottish history is bloody, brutal, confusing....and they are gonna vote to change it again on September 18, 2014....this time peacefully.
Back to the Butterfly House....David finds a documentary on WW I...We, all four, are hard pressed to explain to one another how the war started.
Mom and Tom are enjoying it, engaged with the video and learning....feet up and relaxed.
Others "checked out" immediately....sound asleep.
