The Castle Tour

Entrance to Edinburgh Castle

This morning I woke up bright and early, despite having to ‘spring forward’ an hour, to check out of the Holiday Inn and visit Edinburgh Castle.

It was somewhat bizarre to be finally approaching the base of the volcanic rock on which the Castle was built. I had seen the Castle on numerous occasions since arriving: from my hotel, riding the bus, walking up and down the Royal Mile, but I had never been this close to the building that dominates the skyline of Edinburgh.

My trip to the castle was shorter than expected, and my early arrival allowed me to take some beautiful pictures of the scenery, and of the castle itself, without a bunch of tourists in the way. St. Giles Cathedral is most impressive.

After taking a quick half hour ‘orientation’ tour of the castle, learning a bit about the history of the castle and what each building actually is, I was able to wander around on my own for the rest of the morning into the afternoon.

I started by visiting the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny. The exhibit explained the interesting history of the jewels, from how they were made to who wore them, to how the stone of destiny, used at the coronation of Scottish Kings, was taken by the English and not returned until recently. No pictures were allowed. These below are stock photos.

After stopping to browse in the first of many castle gift shops, I went into the Scottish War Memorial. The memorial housed book after book of recorded names of those who died in the service of Scotland in various wars, both past and present. Looking through the books was a heavy experience, something moving that I hadn’t expected to feel during my trip.

From there I moved around the court yard, stopping in to look at the Castle’s Great Hall. The room was impressive with his high, beamed ceiling, walls of swords and suits of armor, chandeliers, and stained glass.

After taking tons of pictures, I walked around the backside of the war memorial up to St. Margaret’s Chapel, in which barely 30 people could fit at a time. Although less grand than other castle chapels I’ve been lucky enough to visit in Europe, its size gave it a certain charm.

Walking back down to the lower levels of Castle Rock, I passed Mons Meg, the castle’s prized cannon that could fire a gunstone up to two miles away! Impressive! Next I walked by the castle’s well on the way to the Dragoon Museum, which displayed all manner of historic Scottish military regalia.

After a quick bite to eat in the Queen Anne Café, featuring home baked shortbread, I went through the prison exhibition, where the dungeons of the castle were renovated to simulate the prison arrangement as it would have been in the past.

I spent the rest of my time in the castle taking pictures and visiting gift shops. You may see me wearing my new Edinburgh Castle Tartan Scarf sometime next season!

After walking a little more of the Royal Mile for a bit more shopping, it was time for me to say goodbye to Edinburgh, catch a cab to the airport and head back to London.

This was one of the most amazing weekends of my life, giving me the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful countryside landscapes in the world, and I’m glad my parents encouraged me to do it. When I realized that no one would be able to travel with me, I was hesitant about traveling completely on my own in a place I’d never been to before. But thinking about it now, I can see all that I would have missed if I hadn’t found the courage to go out and do something I really wanted by myself.

The trip went off without a hitch, and I now know just how much I really can do on my own. OK, so maybe I wouldn’t do it in a country that speaks a foreign language just yet, but hey, maybe soon.

The Twelve Hour Tour

Saturday (Day 83): Touring the Land of Kings

Waking early, I took a bus into Edinburgh to meet our tour guide and fellow passengers - all couples, Scotland, England, Australia, India and China were represented. I was the only American. After a few pictures of the surrounding neighborhood we were off.

We traveled northwest past Linlithgow palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, and Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle was once known as the 'Key to Scotland', with its imposing position in the centre of the country.

Next, we drove past the National Wallace Monument, a 220 ft. commemoration of Scotland's great hero William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson in the Oscar-winning movie Braveheart, and the scene of Wallace's greatest triumph, the battle of Stirling Bridge, where he defeated the English army in 1297.

We had to drive away quickly as we approached Doune Castle, for fear that the French would "taunt us again." This is a privately owned castle used in the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

To our south, we passed Bannockburn where, in 1314, the great Scottish warrior-king Robert the Bruce defeated the English army of Edward II, restoring independence for Scotland.

Our first stop was a short one for coffee at Callander, a 'frontier town' on the edge of the Highlands.

Crossing the Highland boundary fault line, the scenery changes quickly and dramatically, the flat fertile plains of the lowlands give way to shimmering lochs, rugged mountain tops and forest-filled glens. It's easy to forget that this was once thought of as a dangerous frontier, fought over by the fiercely territorial Highland clans.

It's in this area too, that one finds the famous train tressel that the Hogwarts Express crossed, taking Harry, Hermione, Ron and all the rest to and from wizzard school. The structure is actually called the Glenfinnan viaduct. You can ride the Hogwarts Express during a Harry Potter tour of England and Scotland. The tour takes place in July and is very expensive. The shortest is 5 days and 4 nights. Maybe some other time?

Travelling north through Breadalbane - the 'High Country of Scotland' - we climbed towards the desolation of Rannoch Moor. At an altitude of over 1000 ft., covered by heather and peat-bogs and dotted with dozens of lochs, it's a unique landscape.

The contrast was dramatic as we approached spectacular mountain scenery, specifically the majestic peak of Buachaille Etive Mor - 'the great shepherd of Etive' and then traveled down into Scotland's most famous valley, Glencoe.

Glencoe is infamous as the site of the Glencoe massacre in 1692. Following orders from King William, Scottish soldiers under the leadership of Captain Robert Campbell slaughtered men, women and children of the Macdonald clan. No one was ever punished for this crime, since the King himself had signed the order. For the film buffs, Braveheart was filmed here.

Beyond Glencoe, we entered Great Glen, a deep glacial valley. Passing through the town of Fort William, we drove under Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis before arriving at Fort Augustus on the southern shore of Loch Ness, yet another place of magnificent beauty.

At 23 miles long and over 700 ft. deep, it's the largest loch by volume in Scotland and contains more water than every lake in England and Wales combined! The loch is best known for the legendary sightings of the Loch Ness Monster.

Luckily for us, this was the first day of the boat cruise season. While it was cold and windy, we searched for the monster, but alas found none.

We also had lunch here. I played it safe with Fish and Chips - the best I have ever had, ever! From Loch Ness we headed south through the mountains of the Cairngorms National Park, and alongside Loch Laggan, the setting for the BBC series 'Monarch of the Glen', then over the Drumochter Pass and past 13th century Blair Castle, ancestral home of the Duke of Atholl.

We drove through the Highland resort town of Pitlochry, built on Victorian tourism and nestled amongst the mountains of Highland Perthshire, and continued south, passing through the forests of Perthshire, famous as Macbeth country, and past Perth itself. Perth was the medieval capital of Scotland, where for hundreds of years Scottish monarchs were crowned at nearby Scone Palace.

South of Perth, we drove past Loch Leven, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned by Protestant nobles, before escaping to England where she was eventually executed by her cousin Elizabeth I. Then it was over the famous Forth Bridge and our return to Edinburgh.

To my advantage, the route took us past my hotel on the way back. Since we will be "springing forward" later tonight at 1 AM and losing an hour of sleep, I asked to disembark at my door step. After a quick Skype with the 'rents, a pot of tea in the cafe and a final bubble bath upstairs, I hit the sheets early. On the agenda tomorrow is a tour of Edinburgh Castle, a little shopping in the town center, and then a short flight back to Kensington.

Travel Day

Friday (Day 82): Scotland Bound.

Thanks to Matt, I have Friday off so that I can begin my Scotland adventure a little early. One of the side benefits of the Global Citizens Program is that you get an opportunity to make travel plans on your own. You have to learn to get to where you need to go in a timely manner, read and follow directions closely and budget your money carefully. When you don't, you miss out on some really good times. To cover a lot of ground and to avoid wasting time, organizational skills are key.

Modes of Transportation

A Two Night Stay.
I can see Edinburgh Castle from my room.
Thanks Mom and Dad!

The View From My Window!

Dinner Here Friday Night!
A short bus ride from the hotel.
I think I may have sat where J. K. Rowling wrote her first pages!!!!

Plans for Scotland

People, priorities and plans change over time, sometimes without notice - even in London. Even so, I am still committed, one way or another, to traveling to Scotland this weekend to tour the countryside. Castles and J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter will be high on my priority list. Distilleries less so.

I've arranged my Gatwick Express to the airport, an Easy Jet flight to and a room reservation at the local Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. I have a guided tour of the country side scheduled and an early morning ticket for the castle on the agenda before returning home early Sunday.

Edinburgh is where the first pages of the seven volume story of Harry, Hermione and Ron were written - and there will be much to see and do in just a short two days time.

The Land of Kings

Edinburgh Castle

The Streets of Edinburgh

The Birthplace of Harry Potter
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