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Published: December 6th 2008
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We spent a few nights at the George Hotel on George Street and then three nights at the Classic House bed and breakfast. Both are very nice but the later was not as near to the Royal Mile as we would have liked, but it is within a few miles.
We walked the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. It is a beautiful city. We also enjoyed the food and nightlife on George Street … there is no sign of any economic trouble there. The taxi drivers said that business is good so they are only making a little less than they did last year at this time.
Kim’s ancestors are Scottish, Irish, and Cherokee Indian, among other things. In Scotland, her family was part of the MacGregor clan. We found her tartan for the MacGregor clan. A tartan is a plaid fabric associated with an area or clan in Scotland. The tour bus driver frowned when she told him she was MacGregor, for reasons you’ll read below. He told a story of how the phrase "black mail" originated from the MacGregor clan. You could pay the MacGregor's clan black mail to protect your cattle from MacGregor
thieves.
According to one of our taxi drivers, everything was invented or originated in Scotland except the Internet. The Internet was invented by Al Gore.
Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of the “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was born in Edinburgh. The novel was inspired by the life of Deacon Brody of Edinburgh. He was a business man by day, but a burglar at night. He needed the extra money to pay for his gambling and womanizing.
“Edinburgh Castle is an ancient stronghold which dominates the sky-line of the city of Edinburgh from its position atop Castle Rock. It is Scotland's second-most-visited tourist attraction. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC. As it stands today though, few of the castle's structures pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, with the notable exception of St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, which dates from the early 12th century.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle
“The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scotland since the
fifteenth century. The Palace stands in Edinburgh at the bottom of the Royal Mile. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence in Scotland of Queen Elizabeth II, who spends time at the Palace at the beginning of the summer.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyrood_Palace
“Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The Castle sits atop the Castle Hill, a volcanic crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding the crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification from the earliest times. The Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is managed by Historic Scotland.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Castle
“The Clan Gregor is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 800s. The MacGregor's suggest that they take their name from Gregor (derived from the Latin 'Gregorius' and the Late-Greek 'Gregorios' which means "Alert, Watchful, or Vigilant". Gregor is said to be a son of the Scottish king Alpin II Mac Eochaidh and younger brother of Kenneth MacAlpin, the now famous Scottish king who first united Scotland in A.D.
843. Alpin II was the son of Eochaidh VI 'the Poisonous,' High King of Scots, by his marriage to his cousin, the Pictish Princess Royal, and thus had claims to the Scottish and Pictish Thrones.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_MacGregor
“The MacGregors suffered a reversal of fortune when the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, granted the barony of Loch Awe, which included much of the MacGregor lands, to the chief of Clan Campbell. The Campbells ejected the unfortunate MacGregors from these lands, forcing them to retire deeper into their lands until they were largely restricted to Glenstrae. The MacGregors fought the Campbells for decades and were eventually dispossessed of all their lands. Reduced to the status of outlaws, they rustled cattle and poached deer to survive. They became so proficient at these endeavours many other clans would pay them not to steal their cattle as they exhausted other means of stopping them.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_MacGregor
“Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns. … Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were associated with regions or districts, rather than by any specific clan. This was due to the fact that tartan designs were produced by local
weavers for local tastes and would tend to make use of the natural dyes available in that area. The patterns were simply different regional checked-cloth patterns, whereof one chose the tartans most to one's liking - in the same way as people nowadays choose what colours and patterns they prefer in their clothing. Thus, it was not until the mid 1800s that specific tartans became associated with Scottish clans or Scottish families, or simply institutions who are (or wish to be seen as) associated in some way with a Scottish heritage. ” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan
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Jen Deming
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Hi Bro and the Fabulous Ms Kim, Please label your photos. They are so gorgeous and I want to know what I am looking at. xoxo, Jen