Edinburgh Castle

July 2009

I had intended to skip Edinburgh Castle, as I had been there during our family's European summer after my schooling in France.  The memories of the pipers and drummers of the  Military Tattoo of that long ago August Edinburgh Festival still seemed fresh, so I planned to walk the Royal Mile seeing other sights.  But when I arrived at the base of the stone castle walls and heard a lone piper start to play as the gates opened, I was drawn inside to rediscover the mighty Castle Rock.

Although this volcanic precipice has been inhabited for over 3,000 years, the earliest ruins are the crumbling King David's Tower and the charming chapel he had built in 1130 in memory of his mother, St. Margaret, who died of a broken heart upon hearing that her husband, Malcolm III, had been killed at Alnwick.  In 1296, the castle was conquered by the English; then it was reconquered by the Scots; then the English; then again by the Scots where it continued as a royal palace of the Stuarts, housing the oldest crown jewels in the British Isles--the Scottish Honours (crown, sword, and sceptre), and the massive medieval Mons Meg cannon (1457).

Mary Queen of Scots preferred to live in the newer, less drafty Holyroodhouse Palace, but went up the hill when she was ready to give birth to her son, James VI, in 1566.  In 1603, he became King James I of a "united" England and Scotland at the death of Queen Elizabeth I.  There were still battles to be fought between the English and Scots over Edinburgh Castle, but none of the later kings and queens of Great Britain returned to lived there.  The Honours of Scotland were hidden for 111 years until rediscovered by Sir Walter Scott; the famed Stone of Destiny upon which the Scottish kings were enthroned was only returned to Edinburgh in 1996 after having been taken to England by Edward I in 1296.

More recently, the castle complex added the Dog Cemetery for regimental dogs; the Scottish National War Memorial to honor those who gave their lives in World War I and subsequent battles; the National War Museum; and the One O'Clock Gun (cannon) which fires exactly at 13:00 everyday except Christmas, Good Friday and Sundays--I guess no one needs to check their watches those days!  The view over Edinburgh is magnificent from these walls that could indeed tell tales.  I've also included photos from the nearby Princes Street Gardens.


Click link for slideshow:
Edinburgh Castle
Music: Amazing Grace
More information:  
http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/
http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/

Scottish Castles and Gardens

There are the big and famous ones--Balmoral, Edinburgh, Stirling, Holyroodhouse, Glamis, Iverness--and the small country ones.  Built by kings and local lairds to protect families, clans, or the nation, Scottish castles still dot the landscape  in fields and towns and  on top of volcanic hills.  Many come with their own local ghosts.  From Shakepeare's tales of  King Duncan's supposed haunting of Macbeth  to  sightings of the green lady with her babe at Crathes Castle in Banchory  (Dee Valley), these castles are intertwined in the histories and mysteries of Scottish families in a turbulent era.

In two days, I walked by the Aboyne Castle, met the Bradfords (Julia's friends) at their home, Castle Kincardie, toured  Crathes Castle (maintained by the National Trust of Scotland), and hiked on part of the royal Balmoral Estate--leaving many more castles in the area unseen.  Crathes is a 16th century tower castle that was home to the Burdetts for 14 generations.  Still displayed is the treasured Horn of Leys given to their ancestor by Robert the Bruce.  Although somewhat austere on the outside with few low windows as part of its defense (common design), the interior beautifully showcases the eras of its occupation.  The castle is particularly noted for its Renaissance-era painted ceilings in the Room of the Nine Nobles (Hector of Troy; Julius Caesar; Alexander the Great; King David, Joshua, and Judas Maccabaeus; King Arthur; Charlemagne, and Godfrey de Bouillon, the Crusader), the Muses room with its painted figures of the 9 Muses and 7 Virtues, and the Green Lady's room with its paintings of grotesque faces and moralistic sayings.  But no ghost sightings that day.

While I had anticipated seeing many castles in Scotland, I had not expected to find such beautiful gardens.  With a short growing season, the Scots seem to delight in creating a profusion of flower colors and textures.  Julia's friends, the Salvesens, were having their garden opening at Findrack with remarkable floral borders and sunlit woodlands that could easily conceal a hobbit or two.  We then visited the gardens at Kincardie with its lovely roses, weathered benches, and an creative garden area interpreting medieval understanding of the universe.  At Crathes Castle, I followed the nature path through shaded pine forests with ferns and tall pink stalks of foxglove to its 3.75 acres of walled gardens.  What a delight!

Click link for slideshow:
Scottish Gardens and Castles

Interior photos from: National Trust of Scotland, Crathes Castle and Garden
Music: Pete Clark, Colisfield House, The Rough Guide to Scottish Music
More Information:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/crathes/crathescastle/index.html
http://www.medieval-castle.com/scottish_haunted_castles.htm
http://www.aboutaberdeen.com/crathescastle.php

The Highlands

July 2009
"So who is Julia and where is the Dee Valley?" those who read the prior post may wonder. After I graduated from high school, my older sister and I studied (sometimes) in Tours, France, where we became friends with a delightful English student, Julia. The photo shows us as 3 Friends in France. Carol faithfully stayed in touch with Julia through the decades that followed.  So when planning this trip, I asked if I might come see her and stay at Tigh-Na-Geald, her Bed and Breakfast in Aboyne, a charming town in the Dee Valley of the Eastern Highlands.  They had raised their family there while her husband worked out of the nearby port of Aberdeen for a company bringing oil out of the North Sea.

Julia picked me up at the Stone Haven train depot and, instantly the years peeled back, leaving us young and best friends again.  Then followed three delightful days.  We watched a movie at the community center film festival; chatted over breakfasts and afternoon herbal teas; watched the intense Wimbledon match between  the US and UK; drove through the Dee Valley and hiked at Loch Muick (prior post); bought water in Ballater where royals shop near Balmoral; attended the centennial celebration of Julia's local Anglican church; met Julia's friends; went to a garden opening and to a friend's castle gardens (check upcoming post); ate a delicious organic lunch at Finzean's in the countryside; and enjoyed a luscious evening and delicious patio dinner, ending with sweet berries and English cream.  And through all this, Julia kept up her demanding hostess duties for her B and B guests (by reservation only).

For part of my visit, Julia also had a lovely friend, Isobel, stay with her, and we took a healthy constitutional (walk) early Sunday morning by the local castle and through fields to see a small pre-historic rock circle whose history and purpose are obscured in the distant past.  I also enjoyed a stroll across the town green, which has been the home of the Aboyne Highland Games since 1867, to have an evening pub dinner along the Dee River.

Perhaps it is finally time to address the issue of English and Scottish food.  I first went to London in 1964 and remember nondescript breakfasts and boiled foods.  Things had not improved much when I returned a few years later.  However, I definitely noticed a change for the better this time. Throughout my trip, I consumed fresh natural vegetables, hearty substantive breads, tender and tasty fish and meats, and scrumptious ice creams and desserts, all delivered with pleasant presentation. In the shops, there were countless types of creams and cheeses and healthy fresh produce. I even found good "fast food" in the train stations, which I grabbed for many a lunch--my favorite being a tomato and white "mature" cheddar cheese sandwich on a crisp baguette.  If feeling a little homesick, I'd also queue up for one of Mike's American style cookies. It was a good thing I also did a healthy amount of walking.

There are those who try to tell me that the Highlands are gray and cold and rainy, but I will always remember blue skies and warm sunshine.  Although we packed those glorious days full, the time went too quickly.  As Julia was needed for a tennis meet on the morning of departure, I took the bus (much nicer than US buses) to Aberdeen to catch the train down to Edinburgh.  The Highlands were beautiful, but the real treasure was a re-discovered friendship that will not again be neglected.

Click link for slideshow: Aberdeen to Aboyne
Music: Donald Black and Malcolm Jones, 6/8 March, Rough Guide to Scottish Music
More Information: http://www.royal-deeside.org.uk
Tigh Na Geald Bed and Breakfast

Loch Muick Magic

July 2009

Some moments are simply magical.  On a perfect Saturday afternoon, Julia drove me up the Dee Valley through pine forests, along sparking rivers and lochs, past rocky hillsides to Loch Muick.  Loch Muick is on the far side of the royal Balmoral Estate at the foot of Lochnagar, a Highland "hill" about 3,000 feet tall that both Lord Byron and Prince Charles have written about. The fanciful castle built for Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert about 1854 is open April-July when the Queen and family are not on holiday.  While I am certain that the royal palace is, as they say, quite lovely, Julia and I chose instead a hike in the Highlands.

The sun was shining; the sky was brilliant blue; the purple heather was blooming; and a gentle breeze  was stirring.  Then suddenly, they appeared-- a herd of more than 30 wild stags silhouetted along the crest of the Highland hills.   We stood spellbound (ok--my camera was shooting off as fast as it could) as we watched them graze and eventually move on.  Julia said she had never seen so many at once.  I was reminded of the scene when Queen Elizabeth II saw that magnificent stag in these same Balmoral hills  (The Queen).  We continued down to the shimmering Loch and back around by rentable cottages.  It was a feast not merely for my eyes, but for my soul.  We are given so few perfect moments in life. Words fail me--enjoy the slideshow.

My heart 's in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe--
My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go....
                                     Robert Burns

Click link for slideshow; then click black area above white title
Loch Muick

Music:  Bonnie Rideout, Ainsling, Celtic Circles
More information:http://www.balmoralcastle.com/