Edinburgh: Part 2

Time flies by like a bowl of petunias hurtling through the atmosphere on it's way to the ground.

Even though Sarah and I have largely been apartment-bound since we returned to Gliwice -- and honestly haven't been doing much -- this seems to still be the case.  Especially now that these adventures abroad have a deadline -- and it makes a very loud whooshing noise as it approaches.  To tell the truth, I haven't been very focused on writing even though I know I should get all of this written down before I forget something.  Pictures are very useful for helping one to remember.

Sarah and I at the top of Queen Margaret's Tower

When Sarah and I sat down to figure out our Sunday, Isabel offered to take us to Sterling, since it's a very common destination for people visiting Edinburgh.  However, I was the only one of the four of us who had never been there.  Also, Rab and Isabel had just visited with Ardell and Merv -- so I suggested trying to find something that would be new for the seasoned travelers in my company as well.  A thorough perusal of the Historic Scotland guide's offerings in the area gave us Linlithgow Palace: the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.  None of us had been there before, and none had been to nearby Blackness Castle either -- so it was decided that these would be our adventure for our hosts' last day of freedom before returning to work.

Rab and Isabel at the bottom

We started the day with a hearty Scottish breakfast before hitting the road.  I have to be honest, the countryside surrounding Edinburgh made me long for home a little.  There's a great deal of resemblance between this landscape and the view that presents itself as you drive through the North Thompson...at least until you get to the twisting, rugged, caught-between-a-rock-wall-and-a-long-fall parts of the North Thompson.  By now I had gotten used to the fact that we were driving on the wrong side of the road (our first days in the UK turned me into a very nervous pedestrian/passenger), and was just enjoying being a passenger -- a luxury I almost never get back home.

By the way Sarah -- you're going to be driving more when we get home, and not just because you need the practice before you get rid of your N.

The view from the top.  Sometimes panorama shots are a little strange.

Normally when we hear the word "palace" we think of the likes of Buckingham in England, or St. Catharine's in Russia.  We think of grandeur and opulence -- but we never stop to think about how much the definition of those words has changed.  Rather than ramble, I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Queen Margaret's Tower is the highest point of the palace.

Fireplace in the lower kitchen.

Fireplace in the Great Hall.  Sometimes they would only light a fire in the middle and either read a book or have chess matches in the side niches.

We were expecting to pay our own way and had budgeted accordingly, but here our hosts foiled us again.  Since Isabel is a member of Historic Scotland, she gets entry to a lot of these places for free and has a discount on tickets for people she brings along.  So we decided we would pay her back.

The courtyard.

Nope.  That wasn't happening, apparently.  Not only did she get us entry into Linlithgow, she purchased a student deal for us that gave us a week to explore as many as three castles.  It would cover the entrance to Blackness and Edinburgh castles as well!  We tried to pay her back -- even just half -- and she refused, only taking enough to pay for our tea break later.  Please don't mistake this for ingratitude -- far from it -- I just want all of you reading this to know the remarkable couple who took us in.

The view from the parking lot.

As you can see, the palace is very similar to the average mansion in terms of size -- but it looks a lot bigger once you're inside.  We were given a tour by three young volunteer guides in period attire that completely enhanced the experience before we were given free reign on the castle.  At least as free as we could get given some of the areas were caged off for restoration work.  That's still quite a lot of palace, and far more stairs than I have ever seen Sarah willingly climb.  Sufficed to say I was really quite proud of her -- and still am.

 The chapel is one of the few places on the grounds that has seen relatively little destruction even if it hasn't always been treated with the utmost respect.  The Stuarts came here for services quite frequently when they stayed and even had their own entrance.  However, when Cromwell stayed at Linlithgow after the Reformation, he used it as a stable for his horses and you can still see holes where his soldiers used the stones for target practice.

After we finished exploring Linlithgow, we made a stop at Blackness Castle, which is built on the very edge of the Firth of Forth and is fortified on most sides by the sea when the tide is high.  There wasn't really a guided tour for this one, and it wasn't really necessary because the fortress is a lot smaller than Linlithgow and there were plaques everywhere explaining the history of it.  One cool thing to note is that they didn't do much to the courtyard in the way of paving.  All of that is just built on the rock as it is.

Prisoners were typically brought to Blackness by boat.

A view of the Firth from the dock.

You can see why  it was used as both a stronghold and a prison.  There isn't a lot of escaping from this place.

While noble prisoners were given run of the room, other people were left in the pit.

The courtyard.

View from the residential tower.

Dining hall in the residential tower.  This would be an awesome place for an SCA style feast.

Not sure why they have what looks like a random grave marker in the fireplace.  Maybe it contributes to the rumours that the residential tower is haunted.  Or perhaps -- as was the case at Linlithgow -- when they ran out of stones to build the place they sacked the graveyards.

View from the battlements.  The only thing that prevented us from walking around the circumference of the castle by this route was a wasp nest under the stairs.

After a productive day spent exploring, we stopped in Queensferry for a glass of cider and a rest before going back to the cottage.  Needless to say we all slept quite well that night.  It was definitely an amazing day.

Queensferry

Linlithgow Palace
Blackness Castle