7/3/19 - Scotland = Castles, Churches, Ghosts & Haggis
/Day 17. We only two full days in Edinburgh and are using one for a bus trip so we really only have one day to cram in as much as possible. As we approach the castle, we get lucky and they are just starting a procession of guards marching to the tunes of a formal marching band. The Castle was an impressive physical display. They had really impressive displays with life-like recreations of past kings and queens of Scotland. As with the other castles we’ve seen, it served as a defense fortress as well as a royal palace. There was an impressive chapel that was converted to a war memorial for Scottish soldiers who died in World War I & II.
Next, we walk to St. Cubert’s Church which is rooted in Celtic Christianity and the oldest Christian site in Edinburgh. The church is surrounded by an old cemetery. The oldest grave we can find is from 1768 – pretty cool to think that was before the US gained its independence. The inside of the church is impressive. The highlight is an adapted reproduction detailed stone carving in alabaster of Leonardo da Vinci’s the Last Super which is above the altar that stretches the length of the apse.
We have a picnic lunch in a neighboring park and see a famous clock made of flowers which was the world’s first floral clock. Besides being a work of horticultural art, it is a dependable timekeeper. It takes 30,000 flowers to make the clock and display and the flower display is changed twice a year. Each display celebrates the 100 year anniversary of an event. Justin & Corey were excited to see a picture of the floral clock display from 2007 that celebrated the Centenary of Scouting (1907 – 2007).
Next, we go to the Scottish National Gallery which is our first real museum of paintings. The early period paintings were almost all Christian based ones depicting Jesus and the Virgin Mary with an occasional Greek or Roman God mixed in. They had a room with impressionist paintings by Serat, Van Gough, Degas and Monet. Monet’s Waterlilies was my favorite and it was a good warm-up for Paris later in the trip.
Next, we go to The Royal Yacht Britannia which served the Royal Family from 1953 – 1997. The self-guided audio tour is surprisingly interesting. I guess we’ve spent enough time in the UK that we’ve started developing an affinity for the Queen and Royal Family. The Britannia was used a lot of receiving heads of state, dignitaries and other high-up people such as Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela (which explains why I never got an invite). Leanne has tea with Ashley & Ashlynn in the tea room with a gorgeous view overlooking the harbor.
On to the Palace at Holyrood. The palace is where Mary, Queen of Scotts, lived for a period of time in the 1500’s and is the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland. Our luck runs out on our so far perfect day as it just so happened The Queen herself was in residence at Holyrood and therefore closed to the public. Alas, it seems Ashlynn has once again come close to The Queen without actually seeingher. We take some pictures from the outside.
Dinner is at Albanach (which I think means Scotland in Celtic) which has authentic Scottish food which is even labeled on the menu as Taste of Scotland. Scotland is known for Haggis which is effectively sheep’s innards. We order the Haggis for the brave to try. I shock myself and find that it’s actually not bad and have a second taste.
Ashlynn and Justin had wanted to do a Ghost Tour which started at 10:15pm and was marketed as “not for the faint of heart” so I agreed to go with them. We keep waiting for the scary parts to come but to no avail. It’s getting later and later and we are far more tired than scared. We keep slogging it out convinced that the finale will scare us half to death. We go down into an underground tunnel that ends in a “vault” which is a dark rock room. This must be it. The guide points to sold old toys and dolls and said children were kept down here at one time. Ok, the tour is over, thanks for coming. I stayed up with the kids until 12:45am for that? That’s it??? Are you kidding me? If this company had a money back customer satisfaction guarantee, they would be bankrupt. Ghost Tour = Ghost Failure.
