Stirling Castle

---

Yesterday was the free bus tour of the Stirling area for the International Students. It was actually quite fun. First we went up by the Wallace monument, but we didn’t really get too close, so I’ll definitely hike up there myself sometime soon. You can get to it right from campus, and it’s not too far, just a LOT of stairs to climb! Then we went to, I think, Bridge of Allan, and then to this huge old cathedral at, I think, Dunnborough? Dunn-something-or-other? I’ll look it up on the internet tomorrow before class. Anyway, it was a gorgeous old cathedral, the first one I’ve ever been in, and I took about a zillion pictures. There were so many of us there on the tour, I actually felt kind of sorry for the two people working there. You could practically hear them thinking things like “quit desecrating that sacred arm-rest!” I also discovered there that I have a real interest in old cemeteries. I had to really work not to spend the entire stop wandering around reading the old headstones.

After that was the Robert Bruce monument commemorating the Battle of Bannockburn. That was kind of underwhelming…just a statue and a flag, but it did offer a great view of Stirling. Actually, I think if I’d been ther by myself it would have been a nice place for contemplation, but there wasn’t a whole lot to see.

And then we went up to the CASTLE! The thing I’ve been waiting to see for like a year and a half now!

I was not disappointed.

The bus tour was actually supposed to continue on after that, but I got off with Erin S. and LeeAnn and “did the castle” instead. Cost 8.50 to get in, but it was worth every penny. I must have taken a hundred pictures, easy. It was everything you hope an old castle will be…full off big stone rooms and fireplaces and ramparts, and walls you can walk along and see for miles. It’s quite easy to see why Stirling Castle was such a hugely successful defense against the English…the view is amazing! And all along the way are little informative markers telling you about mysteries like “what was this little square cubby hole used for? A safe? A dog kennel?” and “So-and-so was murdered here and his body tossed over that wall.” Very interesting. There was even a little rose garden in one of the interior courtyards!

But alas, they closed at five and we left. I bought a card to send to Mom and Dad, and a little booklet about the MacLean clan, one of the “Sept Names” of which is apparently “MacPhadden” and another is “MacFadyen!” Those are the closest I’ve seen to McFadden. The book is pretty kitschy and cheap, but I think I’ll send it to Roberto just for a giggle. I was really tempted to buy the little pewter figures of “famous Scottish heroes,” but I managed to restrain myself.

So we walked back down from the castle to my flat, and then got Fish and Chips for dinner at this little “slightly sketchy-looking” fish-and-chip bar about a block away. But they didn’t have anywhere to sit, so we took it down the street to a Rob Roy pub, where the very friendly bartender let us sit at a table and eat! It was quite delicious, although I’m still not a fish fan…anything’s good if you deep-fry it, right? 😉

---

Photos

Stirling
An intersection downtown

Cathedral
The Cathedral of Dunn-something-or-other.

Churchyard
Some of the very old grave markers at the cathedral.

Stone Carving
This was a carved paved area in a little place to sit just off the churchyard.

Dedication
This was on the floor of the chapel

Bannockburn Memorial
One of the MANY statues of Robert the Bruce to be found in Stirling

Stirling Castle
A little guard or lookout tower that I thought was cool.

Stirling Castle
Inside