On The Road to Edinburgh Castle, Rosslyn Chapel and the Military Tattoo
/First and foremost - Sara is doing just fine after that scary vertigo episode the other night. Thanks to all for your well wishes. Now, onto our final day as a group. As we got on the coach for the last morning, our tour guide Mike played our “theme” song for the last time. I thought I’d share!
As we got “on the road,” our first destination was a a tour around the capital city of Scotland. Edinburgh was built on top of seven extinct volcanoes! It’s one of a handful of capital cities NOT developed along a river - think London, the River Thames, Cairo, the River Nile, Washington D.C., the Patomac River, etc. The architecture is intriguing. with a mix of Old Town (medieval) and New Town (Georgian and neo-classical).
We passed by many homes where notable people lived - The building below with the red door is currently owned by the family of Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde).
From our city tour, to the most famous building in all of Scotland - Edinburgh Castle!
As you walk up toward the gatehouse, you will see the lion crest above with the Latin phrase "nemo me impune lacessit" meaning “No one may attack me with impunity.”
The view from the overlook is beyond amazing! You can see the Old and New Towns, and the Firth of Forth (a fjord of several Scottish rivers, including the River Forth).
The overlook also is home to Mons Meg, one of the largest cannons in the world! It was given to King James II of Scotland in 1457.
The most popular building by far - the one that houses the Crown Jewels, the oldest in Britain. No photographs are allowed inside, but here is one courtesy of Edinburgh Castle.
Courtesy Edinburgh Castle
We also say the Scottish National War Memorial and the Prisons of War, recreated to look as they may have in 1781.
American prisoners of war stayed here in the 1700s and 1800s. You can see carvings of what may have been an early version of the the American Flag outside of America!
By the time we left the castle, the Royal Mile was filled with wall-to-wall people - a combinations of shoppers and those in town to see the street performers for the annual Fringe Fest, that was also going on. We didn’t have enough time to see a performance, so we just shopped!
Our next stop before the farewell dinner was at the famous Rosslyn Chapel founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair. The chapel was already one of the most famous religious sites in Scotland, but it gained international status after a novel you may have read by Dan Brown, or a movie you may have seen with Tom Hanks - yep, The DaVinci Code!
Again, no photos allowed inside, but there’s plenty of symbolism on the outside - a fox, dressed dressed as a priest, preaching to a flock of geese - a secret beehive (look at the open flower above the carved face0 that was installed by the original architects! You can see examples of how the stone was carved into specific shapes and statues. Simply amazing, or as our guide explained, “Mystery through history!”
Our farewell dinner was at a delicious tapas restaurant, Cafe Andaluz. I had to get a photo with our talented tour guide Mike and our exceptionally talented coach driver Iver!
The high point of the evening - actually of the trip, was back at the castle to see The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. We even had a Royal spotting - Prince Edward was a guest that evening! Rather than try to explain it, it’s easier for me to show it to you - at least a sample (90 minutes shaved down to 3!)
The tour portion of our trip now comes to an end - but Sara and I are back in Glasgow for a few days to explore on our own. We leave with memories and new friends, with hopes of seeing them “on the road” again in the future!
Courtesy Mike Brabenec