Sunday 31 May 2009

Edinburgh Day 2


We woke up on our 2nd day in Edinburgh, got ready and had a great breakfast and our B&B and then headed off to Edinburgh Castle!  It is a massive stronghold on top of the volcanic Castle Rock and there's proof of settlement on the rock that dates back as far as the 9th Century BC.  There's been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of David I in the 12th Century.  There are quite a few different buildings that make up the castle and it was amazing to walk all around the grounds and see the different sections.  

The front of the Castle

Us waiting to go in the castle
Josh and Brandie in front of the castle
The guys
The back of the Scottish war memorial
The front of Scottish War Memorial...every Scottish man, woman, and child who have been killed fighting for Scotland have their names written in the building.  You cant take pictures or anything out of respect for the dead. 
The guards coming in to guard the War Memorial
Part of the castle
The beds in the Prisoner's of War section
In the Prisoner's Of War cells
And it is becoming customary for everyone to "use" any facilities we come across in castles and such while visiting...lol I know, I know, but its what we do.   So, here the 4 of us are in the Military prison.  It was built in 1842.


Changing things up a bit...lol

The receiving room where townspeople would wait to talk to the King and Queen about things
The Great Hall was built in the 16th Century and was used as the main banqueting chamber until Cromwell converted it into barracks in 1650 and it remained barracks until converted back to its original state in 1891.  The roof is the only thing that is still medieval...the wall panelling, stained glass windows, and fireplace are Victorian.

Christopher holding a sword
With a suit of armor in the great hall.  All the arms and armour are on loan from the royal armouries in the tower of London
The tower where the crown jewels of Scotland are (we couldnt take pictures of them).  But there is a beautiful crown, sceptor, and sword.  And a bit of trivia, the Queen is not allowed to wear that specific crown because it is a Scottish crown.  The Stone of Destiny is also housed with the crown jewels and when a royal sits on the stone, they become king or queen.  So, in the next couple of years, they're bringing the stone down to London for 3 days and a prince will sit on the stone and will stand up a king.  
The street below
The cemetery for Soldiers dogs... I thought that was really sweet.
View from the top
Christopher and Josh with the huge cannon
St. Margaret's Chapel.  Its the oldest building in Edinburgh Castle.  Built in the 12th Century by King David 1st in Honor of his mother who died there in 1093.  She was made a saint in 1251.  If you're in the Royal Armed Services, you can have your children baptised here. 
The view from the castle
Brandie and me with "William Wallace"
Walking around Edinburgh
Downtown Edinburgh
The Palace of Holyroodhouse.  The Queens official residency in Scotland!  
The coast
Newcastle, on the way home from the train

1 comment:

  1. Of course it would be Jessica Koenig who does a sassy pose while "peeing" in a picture! Haha.

    ReplyDelete