A wee bit MORE of Scotland

Our third day in Edinburgh we took a bus tour outside of the city.  It was a small tour with about 15 people and our Scottish guide.  I wish I had taken a picture of him!  He was a tall guy with reddish, curly hair decked our in his kilt and raincoat.  His stories and commentary really made the day awesome.

Riding on the bus

Our first stop on the trip was Stirling Castle....made famous by the movie Braveheart.  In the movie Mel Gibson plays William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the first war of Scottish independence against King Edward I of England.  His biggest battle was fought at Stirling Castle.  Some of the early buildings go back to the 12th century and the castle has changed hands between the English and Scottish many times over the years.  Several Scottish kings and queens were crowned at Stirling, including Mary Queen of Scots

View of the castle on our way up

Castle entrance

Decorative bust on the wall of the castle

Are you wondering what that giant yellow thing is in the background?  Yeah it kinda sticks out like a sore thumb huh?  Well back in the day (when the castle was originally built) this is what all the buildings would have looked like.  They were made of sandstone and washed with a Lyme wash.  This is the Grand Hall and was restored to its originally look a few years back.  Our guide said "some people love it and some people hate it"....I think I would have left it alone! Looks like a giant sand castle : )

Inside the Grand Hall

The Kings Bedroom

After Stirling Castle we got back on the road and headed along the edge of the Highlands to the town of Aberfoyle.  We stopped there for lunch and got to see a little sheepdog training in action.

Herding some ducks

Town of Aberfoyle

Back on the road we headed for Loch Lomond. Loch means lake in Scottish Gaelic and Loch Lomond is the largest lake in Scotland/Great Britain.  You might recognize the name from the famous song written about it, The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond .  Chad, who happens to be a fan of Lady and the Tramp, couldn't stop singing "on the bonnie, bonnie banks of the backyard".  If you remember, Jacque the Scottie, sings that while he's burying his bones.

The song itself was written in 1841 and tells the story of two Scottish soldiers (brothers) from Loch Lomond who were captured by the English.  They sentenced one brother to death and were going to free the other to return to his home and tell of the sentence.  The brothers had to decide who would die and who would live.  The words, "you take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before ye" is a reference to the Celtic belief that if someone died away from home, then his soul would be returned to where he lived.  The next line "but me and my true love will never meet again, on the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond" refers to the wife the brother would never see again.

At this point the rain had started and the lake had a mist/fog all around it.  We wandered around the banks and took in all the scenery. 

The last stop on our tour was another famous castle, Duone Castle.  This castle was made famous by the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail...honestly I haven't seen it but I heard it was pretty funny.

Duone Castle

During all of this sight-seeing, Chad did actually have a meeting to go to.  That left me plenty of time to go to the spa to get a massage and facial and spend the day with my Barretstown friend Joanna!  Joanna was so sweet to take the train in from Glasgow to Edinburgh to hang out.  We had grand plans to see a few things in the city....BUT you put two directionally challenged girls together trying to navigate in an unknown city and what do you get? Lost.  Oh well we had a blast wandering around and then were able to meet Chad for dinner at The Deacon's House Cafe before Joanna headed home.

Me and Joanna

Before we boarded our plane for Paris we made a quick stop at the Royal College of Surgeon's Museum.   I couldn't take pics inside but the history lesson was great and I learned a few things about the origins of the medicine we practice today.  Below is the sculpture in the courtyard, a scalpel with 2 hands.

Next stop Paris!!!