Exploring Stirling Castle (Friday, Sept 4)

Stirling Castle from viewpoint in King's Park.

Stirling Castle sits on top of Castle Hill, overlooking the town of Stirling. We walked from Victoria Square Guest House to the castle this morning, using one of the side entrances to the shopping area that has built up below the castle over the last 500 years. 

By the time we reached the parking area for the castle, the tour buses were beginning to accumulate, but overall the crowds were quite tolerable. The castle grounds cover the entire hilltop, three sides of which are steep cliffs, placing this castle in a strong defensive position. We learned that it has never been overtaken by warring factions, but it has changed hands due to siege eight times in its history.

Sir Patrick Wemyss explains the
queen's bedroom (not for sleeping!)

Historic Scotland has done a great job keeping this castle in prime shape for visitors. We got the audio self-guided tour, which provided lots of interesting information about many parts of the castle grounds. I would be writing all night if I tried to describe all we saw! One of the most exciting parts for me was learning about a recent project to reproduce tapestries for the Queens Inner Hall of the palace. You can read about this project on the Castle blog (note: you may have to search for unicorn tapestries) and on this website. Here's what the last link says about the tapestries:

Work began on the new tapestries in 2001 and was completed in 2014. Four of the seven were woven in a purpose built studio within Stirling Castle. In Spring 2015, visitors will be able to see an exhibition about the tapestry project in the studio - 'Weaving the Unicorn.'

One of the completed new tapestries
at Stirling Castle.

Closeup of another tapestry showing the beautiful detail.

Reenactor who told us
about the tapestries.

Guess what! We not only saw those absolutely amazing tapestries, we also got to visit the exhibition explaining how they were made! It was fascinating, so much so that I'm now eager to learn to weave!

The new tapestries are closely based on a set of seven held by the Metropolitan Museum of New York at its Cloisters Museum. The original tapestries were produced in the early 1500s in the Low Countries. The exhibition showed how the artwork of the original tapestries was duplicated and then used as a guide for the new ones. Each tapestry had a chosen weaver, who had to figure out how to work with the hand-dyed yarns to achieve the desired end result. What a project!!

As we were walking from one section of the Castle grounds to another, we climbed to the rim walk to see the view. In every direction, the view was remarkable. Some spots overlooked the city; others overlooked the King's Park, which is now a golf course.

By early afternoon, we were feeling in need of some lunch, so we stopped at The Portcullis Pub for lunch. The Portcullis is also a hotel and is very close to the Castle. We had a delightful lunch -- pub grub taken to a higher, home-made level! 

Church of the Holy Rood

After lunch and a visit to the Church of the Holy Rood, the medieval parish church of Stirling, and Argyll's Lodging, the most complete surviving example of a seventeenth century town house in Scotland, we felt jet lag catching up with us again, so we headed back to Victoria Square for a rest time!

Tomorrow we head to Pitlochry.

Late breaking news: Smoky just heard more DNA results, and he is definitely descended from people who lived on the Isle of Bute! Now we are going to try to revise our itinerary so that we can spend some time there before the end of our trip! This is exciting!

--Shann

Here are a few more of Smoky's photos from this day:

Doll that Mary Queen of Scots played with as a child.
(Kaye, this one is for you!)

Reenactor telling us about her job
(maid) and this room.

Unicorn painting in one of
the King's rooms.

Inside Church of the Holy Rood

Dining room at Argyll House, Stirling

Glasgow to Stirling (Thursday, Sept. 3)

September 3 has been a busy day! Our rental car, a Nissan Qashqai, is a small SUV-type car, well suited for Scotland's narrow roads, especially since it has Eyesight and a forward facing and rear-facing camera. We are accustomed to our Suburu telling us whenever we stray over into the adjacent lane, and this car does that too! Sweet!

So with the help of our Qashqai, driving today has been OK, especially once we made it out of Glasgow. I admit that we took some interesting turns, and our GPS "recalculated" quite a few times, but once we were driving through the rural areas, we were much more relaxed. It didn't hurt that the weather today was glorious!

Smoky got some incredible shots today. Some I'll integrate with the blog; others will be at the end.

View from Queen's View.

We made a quick stop at Queen's View on A809 toward Aberfoyle. At this pull-off, the hilltop was being repopulated with trees and other native vegetation. The view from near the top over the valley was so peaceful; the blue sky with scattered clouds added to the beauty. Along the trail were many wildflowers, and Smoky has some lovely photos of them.

Elaine captains the small
boat to Inchmahome Priory.

Next stop was the Inchmahome Priory, on an island in the Lake of Menteith. A small boat ferries 12 passengers at a time out to the island. You can walk around the island, explore the remains of the Priory, and learn about the Augustinian canons who settled there in the 1200s. Though the Priory is in ruins today, there is still enough of it standing to enable visitors to have a good idea of what it was like in its prime. I can hardly imagine how a place as large as this could have been built in the 1200s on an island!

Main section of Inchmahome where
visitors and canons worshipped.

Inner courtyard at Inchmahome.

Windows in section of Inchmahome
Chapter House, converted to a
mausoleum. 

Lovely ferns find footing
in stone at Inchmahome.

The Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve (NNR), near Kippen, was our next stop. This is a quietly exciting place to visit. You'll find a car park, a picnic table, and a simple path that leads to a tower overlooking the bog. We climbed the tower first, just to get an idea of what this NNR encompasses. From the tower we could see the boardwalk path around and through the bog. The heather was in full bloom! 

Down on the path, we noticed a number of small wild flowers growing among the heather, and in one section several examples of a lovely species of butterfly appeared. This is what is known as a "raised bog" and is one of the last fragile remains of the bogs that covered much of Scotland. You can read more at this website. 

Flanders Moss Nature Reserve from tower.

Reluctantly, we left Flanders Moss and headed for Stirling, where we are spending two nights at the Victoria Square Guest House. The classic 1880's Victorian building has been recently remodeled to bring out the amazing original features of the house. As we walked along the street facing Victoria Square, we noticed many other large homes built in the same period. It was easy to "step back in time" and imagine oneself living a simpler life!

Peacock butterfly at Flanders Moss.

We walked to dinner at Brea Bistro on Baker Street, just a short distance from Stirling Castle. Kari, our Guest House host, recommended Brea, and the food was amazing. I had a carrot and cumin soup that was incredible, followed by a sweet pea and asparagus risotto that made my taste buds sing songs of delight. Smoky had the sea bass, beautifully presented and very tasty. We were impressed with this meal. 

Afterwards, we walked back to the Guest House along a different street, noting slightly different architecture and feeling the presence of the Castle just above us. Tomorrow we explore that castle!

Street scene near Stirling Castle.

We loved the chimneys against the night sky in Stirling.

--Shann

Glasgow (with photos!) (Wednesday, Sept. 2)

[updated September 4; reminder: click a photo to see the larger view.]
We touched down at 6:56am on Wednesday. Because our seats were almost in the back of the plane, it took some time to get off. While we were waiting, one of the crew announced, "Are Sharon and Ron McConathy still on the plane?" We waved and indicated our position. He added that we should make ourselves known to the crew as we deplane. Smoky and I looked at each other and said "Jackie!" Joel's colleague Jackie greeted us so warmly. We felt officially welcomed to Glasgow! Thanks, Jackie and Joel.

We gathered our bags, stood in line to have our passports stamped by the customs officials and then walked right across the street to the Airport Holiday Inn. Our basic room was not ready as promised, so we were upgraded to an "executive room" with a desk and a large bed! Even though we were staggeringly tired, it took a while to fall asleep. Our alarm was set to allow for 3 hours of sleep. This short nap was designed to get us through the day. Let's hope it works!

Glasgow Cathedral, front view.

After grabbing sandwiches at Tesco at the airport, we caught the 500 bus into Glasgow City Center. Glasgow has a great public transportation system, and lots of people take advantage of it. Visiting the Glasgow Cathedral was high on our list for the afternoon; the 500 bus driver told us he would let us off at his closest stop to the Cathedral, and he provided directions for finding it. Just a 5 minute walk, he said. How great is that!!

As we started toward the cathedral, Smoky and I remembered how in Ireland a "5-minute walk" turned into 45 minutes and a "30-minute walk" meant hours for us, and we wondered what we were in for. Well, it was longer than 5 minutes but we got there, and it was well worth the walk!

Inside Glasgow Cathedral.

Smoky has some wonderful photos of the cathedral and grounds (some now added here). One thing we noticed as we approached was how the cathedral felt to us. I'm not sure I can adequately describe the feeling, but I will say that I was distressed on finding so much attention inside to visitors. I can understand the necessity of this because people yearn to see this remarkable building, but it was sad in a way because the emphasis has seemed to shift away from its original purpose.

View of side of Cathedral across
the cemetery.

Here's what the cathedral website says (amazing, isn't it?):

The first stone built Glasgow Cathedral was dedicated in the presence of King David I in 1136. The present building was consecrated in 1197. Since that same period the Cathedral has never been unroofed and the worship of God has been carried out within its walls for more than 800 years.

Small section of path through the
Glasgow Necropolis showing some
of the grave markers.

Beside the cathedral, we noticed an ornate gate and a stone road that led across an overpass and up to the top of the hill behind the cathedral. After following this for a while, it led to the Glasgow Necropolis, which is described as "a unique representation of Victorian Glasgow, built when Glasgow was the second city of the empire." This memorial to merchant patriarchs contains the remains of almost every eminent Glaswegian of its day. The monuments are amazing, sitting there on top of the hill overlooking this energetic city.

After leaving the cathedral and the necropolis, we walked back toward George Square, where we found the Counting House, which now houses an interesting pub. The old bank building is remarkable, and Smoky has some great shots showing details, such as the bank vault where a lucky group of four can have dinner and drinks! Tonight was "wing it Wednesday" -- the special, as you might expect, was chicken. Smoky and I were tired and hungry and this was intriguing.

Inside the Counting House, once a
bank, now a friendly pub.

Euen and Smoky at the
Counting House.

We are delighted that we stopped because we met Euen, a native Glaswegian and professor at Glasgow University. As we talked, we learned he met his wife (a native of Alabama!) while teaching in New York (I hope I remembered the right city), and Nashville is his favorite city in the U.S.! We enjoyed our conversation with Euen, exchanged emails, and hopefully will have a chance to connect with him again.

We had heard from several people who have visited Scotland about how welcoming the people are to visitors like us. Euen certainly reinforced that for us, along with a number of other people we've met and interacted with in our short time here. We can't wait to see what the rest of the trip brings.

-- Shann

Our Scotland Adventure Begins

Tuesday, September 1 (written as we were flying but posted later)

We lifted off at 3:35pm from the Knoxville airport on the first leg of our journey to Scotland. The small American Eagle plane is only half full, which is a very good thing considering Smoky's knees are bumping the seat in front of him. I moved to the empty seat across the isle, and now we can both spread out a little.

Jo, our flight attendant, says we should get to Philadelphia early. Once there, we follow the signs to the bus that takes us to A wing. Cousin Joel recommended an Italian restaurant on A west. That sounds good for dinner.

Our Glasgow flight boards a little after 6, and it is packed. No empty seats, so we will stretch out while we can!

The weather is beautiful today. Smooth skies ahead!

6:46pm
We are pulling away from the gate in Philly in a packed jet. For a short while we thought we might have an empty window seat beside us. A nice young lady asked if she could have it because she gave up her seat so that a husband and wife could sit together. Then, well after the doors had closed, a lady came down the aisle saying that was her seat. She had been delayed getting on the plane because there was no seat for her daughter, even though they had had their tickets for a long time. 

At 6:50pm our pilot announced that we were in Philly's rush hour traffic. We were number 12 in the taxi line, he said. At 7:15, he revved the engines and we were off. About 6.5 hours from now, we will be in Scotland! Yea!

--Shann

We are getting excited!

We've been making lists and checking them more than twice to make sure we don't forget anything before we leave on Tuesday! It's amazing just how many things there are to do. Today Smoky is mowing grass and working on the road. I'm trying to keep my obsessive compulsive personality in check regarding leaving a clean house.

Penguin cookies. Yum, yum!

We've gotten lots of great advice from our pilot cousin Joel, who flew to Glasgow for quite a while, and from some photography friends who lead trips to Scotland. Have you even heard of Penguin Cookies? We had not either, but we will definitely check them out! A web search revealed that they are a product of McVitie's, whose biscuits we learned to love while in Ireland a number of years ago! Check out their website at http://www.mcvities.co.uk/products/penguins. Pat and Tom recommend the mint flavor.

Smoky has been checking out the weather reports for some of the locations we will be visiting early in our trip. Not much sun is forecast, but the temperatures seem very reasonable. Now if we can just master driving on the left side of the road!!

Stay tuned for more as our Scotland adventure unfolds.

--Shann

A Week Plus 4 to Go!

Just a little over a week before we leave for Scotland! And still the list of things to get done before that day is a long one.

Smoky's DNA results are not back yet. We're still hoping they will come before we leave. I don't think that will prevent us from having a great time. Our base plans are made, and we left plenty of time to see where the path leads us. We've made multiple trips to our local REI store for more equipment. Hopefully, we have most of what we need. If not, it will be fun shopping for local items.

Just today a cousin who has traveled to Edinburgh said she found there were lots of great vegetarian restaurants. Yum. And some photography friends who lead trips to Scotland have given us some interesting leads for things to do. One of those tips was the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre,   http://www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk/, where you can hike up the mountain to the reindeer herd and mingle with them. This is a free-range herd, but apparently they are accustomed to visitors bringing them some reindeer food.

I had better get back to my packing! I'll try to post again closer to time to leave.

Before I go, I wanted to share a photo I found of Sean Connery in highland dress. I'm still trying to convince Smoky that this would be a really great look for him. What do you think?

--Shann

August is prep month for a Scotland adventure!

The planning is almost complete for our month-long adventure in Scotland. This is a trip both of us have been wanting to do since we traveled to Ireland (and fell in love with the country and people) quite a number of years ago.

Strawberry scone with clotted cream

Smoky sent off for a DNA test to determine his ancestry. Results should be in soon. From what he already knows about his forefathers, we expect he belongs to the Donachaigh Clan, but once he hears from the test, we will know for sure.

Meanwhile, we have made plans to travel around a good bit of Scotland. I think we're on version 18 of the travel itinerary! We have a few remaining reservations to make, but most of it is done. There will be many visits to castles in our future, and we're hoping to experience some great food (scones with strawberries and cream, yum!), beautiful music, and lovely scenery.

We're preparing for any kind of weather and expect to be out in it, no matter what the weather gods bring our way. Stay tuned as I report on our plans and our progress fitting everything we need into a couple of suitcases and a couple of day packs!

--Shann