Just got home from our weekend road trip to Edinburgh. My mom and I were so taken by the beauty and serenity of Scotland...every place seems to have a different story and everywhere you look there is so much richness...it's in the buildings, the ruins, the landscape, the people...
On our way down to Edinburgh, we "accidentally" stumbled across Glamis Castle. It appeared on one of the brown tourist markers along A90 and at the last minute, we looked at each other and said "let's do it!" Little did we know that that one phrase would capture the essence of our entire weekend. No distance was too far and nothing was off limits...
Glamis Castle (pronounced Glah-ms) is a cozy little castle tucked away in the hills of Scotland. The Castle which was built in the 1300's was once home to the Queen Mother and, although still owned by the Earl of Glamis, is open to tourists. This castle is most noted for uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland together; this can be seen symbolically throughout the castle through illustrations of intertwined rose and thistle bushes.
Next stop on the list was Edinburgh Castle. This fortress sits high up on a hill, dominating the city's skyline. Although it felt like we had climbed hundreds of stairs to finally reach the castle, the views from the top were worth every step! From the top, you could see the entire city outlined by the beautiful North Sea. Although the scenery was breathtaking, we soon learned that the Castle was not built there for beauty. It was a place of warfare and a place where prisoners of war were kept against their will. Edinburgh Castle is now home to the Scottish Crown Jewels and Stone of Destiny.
After touring the castle, mom and I ventured down the Royal Mile and spent some time going in and out of the local shops. As we were walking, we could hear the distant but noted sound of bag pipes. The more we walked, the louder we could hear them. Eventually, we found them--a man standing on the corner along the Royal Mile wearing a traditional Scottish kilt and playing the bag pipes. Simply beautiful! After standing there for some time, the rain forced us back toward our hotel.
On the drive back home to Aberdeen, we once again had a "let's do it" moment when we ran across the sign for Falkland Palace. Although the palace was closed, we were able to capture a few pictures from the perimeter and also took some time to walk through the quaint little town.
Further down the road, we had another "lets do it" moment and found ourselves at Edzell Castle which was built in the 1100's. Much of this castle lies in ruins today, but the remains are truly beautiful.
Our final stop on the trip home was to the coastal town of Stonehaven. Although much of the town appeared to be deserted, we found signs of life along the coast. It was here that mom and I ate THE BEST fish and chips EVER at "The Bay Fish and Chips!"
