We arrived at the top of the castle in short order, only to find that the bright sunny sky was just a ploy to get us outside. It was freezing and gusty. It made our cold day at Stirling feel like a sauna. But being the troopers that we were, we carried on.
The site has been inhabited by humans since as far back at the 9th century BC, and it has been a royal residence since the 12th century, serving as the Royal Court until 1603 when King James ascended to the throne of England and united the two countries. Most of the original structures of the castle were lost to bombardment in the 16th century with the exception of St. Margaret's Chapel, which was constructed in the 12th century by King David I, in honor of his mother who died at the site in 1093. Amazingly it survived all the sieges and bombardments, only to be forgotten for centuries. For the majority of it's existence it was used as a gun powder storage room, but has now been restored to it's former glory.
From the top of the castle you get a fantastic view of the city of Edinburgh and Princes Street, the commercial heart of the city. What you can't see or feel from this picture is the numbness in my fingers from the biting cold.
The One O'Clock gun is an Edinburgh tradition going back to the middle 1800's. The gun is fired every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas. It serves as a time signal for the ships sailing nearby. We were present for the firing, but my camera could not get the shot in time.
Another of the highlights is the Scottish National War Memorial. The site were this building stands was originally a church, then turned into barracks and an armory. When it was demolished in the 1700s, the original stones were reused to construct the present building. It serves as a memorial and houses the names of all those serving under Scottish regiments who died during the Great War (WWI).
The Royal Palace was constructed in the 1500's and served as the Royal Apartments until they packed up and moved to England. It now houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, which are on permanent display, as well as the Stone of Scone, upon which all monarchs are crowned. It was moved here in 1996 since it was originally a Scottish ritual, but before that had been at Westminster Abbey. Provisions are now in place for it to be transported to London for every subsequent coronation.
My personal favorite site at the Castle is the Dog Cemetery. Located on the upper ward, one of the highest points of the castle, it contains the graves of soldier's dogs from the 19th century.
The castle still has portions used by British Military. A military garrison is housed at the castle, although it is largely a ceremonial presence. Still it is one of the few ancient castles in Britain that maintains an active army post.
As our visit to the castle drew to a close, we were lucky enough to spot Mel Gibson entertaining outside the entrance. I guess since his drunk driving arrest and recorded racial and anger slurs, he has had to fall back on his Braveheart role to earn a living. (It was actually just a guy posting for photos to raise money for Leukemia Research).
The church is over 900 years old and is named for St. Giles, who was the patron saint of Edinburgh as well as cripples and leppers. People used to come from all over to see the relic, which was St. Giles arm with a diamond ring on it's finger. Following the Reformation, most of the ornate art and gilded treasures were removed from the church.
You had to pay two pounds to be able to take pictures inside. Bruce inquired about the Presbyterian discount, but alas there was none. As soon as we paid our fee, Bruce's camera died. I was still able to take several shots.
John Knox was a prominent figure at St. Giles during the Protestant Reformation. Originally a priest, he got caught up in the excitement of the times and converted to the protestant faith. Today he is considered the founder of the Presbyterian faith. He clashed with the Catholics though and was one of the leading supporters who successfully convinced Elizabeth to execute Mary, Queen of Scots. (That part is left out of church history).
We proceeded down the Royal Mile and did a little shopping (also getting batteries for Bruce's camera) before hopping back on the bus (the second bus actually as the first one never stopped and just drove right by). We completed the circuit and got back to our hotel just in time for a massive rainstorm.
That night we had dinner with some of my friends, Harry and Debs. I first met them thru my friend Carla, when she moved to Edinburgh and married her husband Steven. Through the power of Facebook we kept in touch and so we spent the evening with them, enjoying good food and drink! Bruce had actually met them before at Carla's wedding, but that was a night we all overdid it, and so for most of us, it is just a fog.
I also had some pictures of Bruce trying haggis while we were having a scotch in the hotel bar, but for some reason I cannot get the pictures to come out right from my iPhone. We'll just say that he tried it, thought it was ok, but couldn't get beyond the fact that he was eating sheep intestines, so he never plans to eat it again.
It appeared that the rainy weather was here to stay and the flights on Saturday were looking bleak since I travel standby. I ended up leaving a day early and catching a flight to Paris where I connected home to Dallas (in coach....blah!). Bruce would head out the following day.
So all in all the Man-Cation was a success.
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