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Published: September 19th 2005
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A braw view
Fae Stirling Castle Nine days back in Scotland, 4 of which were in Edinburgh, and the remaining 5 in the Glasgow area. Welcome to a cold and rainy country, my luck finally caught up with me weather wise, but in Scotland I would have it no other way, haha!
I mostly took the time to relax and do normal things while back here. So I didn't get very much tourism done. Some may wonder why I am not seeing more than I am while here like I did in other places, or why I am not going up north to Loch Ness and such. Well.....I have done all of that before, seen it all, so I don't feel the need to do it. If I had a friend with me to tour around or something then I would possibly have done it, but for me personally, I don't feel the need to revisit any of it all this time.
This time I ended up staying at a youth hostel in the Leith area of the city since my friends were abroad on holiday. Leith is the harbour area of Edinburgh, and it used to be notorious for its high crime levels, overflowing
with drugs and prostitutes and the like. Or at least that was the case when I moved away from Scotland about 7 years ago, since now Leith is very different. Due to a large redevelopment project over the last few years, it is actually a rather swank neighbourhood filled with new office buildings, apartments, and a large shopping center known as "Ocean Terminal". I spent a day exploring Leith itself purely because it has changed so much from how I remember it.
Other than seeing Leith, I spent a day in Museums. I visited the National Portrait Gallery, which has a lot of portraits, I got bored rather quickly there. Afterwards I headed back up to Princess Street to see the brilliant National Gallery again before working my way past the Royal Mile to the "National Museum of Scotland"and the "Royal Museum", a 2in1 museum of sorts since they are connected buildings. The place was fantastic, huge and had an incredible variety of artifacts on display. I got to see a lot of things, like an old car that was made in Scotland back around the early 1900's, apparently Scotland was once Europes car manufacturing capitol. I saw an
Scott Monument
Dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, a former resident of Edinburgh. old sword that is believed to have been used by Robert the Bruce, and on the topic of sharp things..... I also saw "The Maiden", a Scottish guillotine which dates back to 1564, predating the French use of such grisly items. There was a lot on view there, but to keep listing things would make this all very tedious, so suffice it to say that if you are in Edinburgh then you should definitely take a look in at this place. I think the most astonishing thing about this day was the realisation that I was visiting incredible museums and not paying a single penny to see them, it was nice for a change.
The rest of my time in Edinburgh was spent on catching up with the city I grew up in, revisiting old memories and enjoying the feel of a city I know so well. I also went out for a few pints with a few new friends from the hostel one night, before the place emptied when the golfing open ended and I had my 14 bed dorm to myself.
I went through to Glasgow on Tuesday and spent my last few days with my
Cannon Cam
Stirling castle Aunt. Lot's of stories to tell, mementos from my travels to show, and so on. We got caught up quickly enough, and I was treated to amazing Scottish fry-up breakfasts once again!
Aside from all the time spent relaxing with family, I was also taken to see the Glasgow Science Centre, a large centre to teach kids about science, fun place! I also saw the Glasgow Tower while there, a new tower they built which gives a great overview of the river Clyde and Glasgow. At the science centre they showed a few video's relating just how much Scottish people have contributed to science, and it's no small amount. Television, the Telephone, Fax machine, Steam engine, Electric locomotive, Modern rubber tyre, rear-wheel driven Bicycle, Thermos flask, ATM (back machine), adhesive postage stamp, and more, all invented by Scots!
Another excursion I was taken out on was to Stirling Castle with my Uncle Johnny. Stirling Castle is very centrally located in Scotland and was built on a very defensible location. As a result of these two facts, the castle itself has strategically been the gateway to Scotland throughout the centuries; hold the castle and the country is open to
you. This made for a very interesting history. Two examples of the many battles that occured near this castle over the year would be the "Battle of Stirling Bridge" in 1297, a decisive Scottish victory which saw William Wallace lead an army of 15,000 Scots to defeat over 50,000 English troops. The other example would of course be none other than the "Battle of Bannockburn", the legendary victory lead by Sir Robert Bruce that earned the recognition of Scottish independance.
A few other noteworthy people relating to this castle would include none other than Mary Stuart/Queen of Scots, and her son James VI of Scotland or alternatively James I of Great Britain. Oh yes, the first King of Great Britain was indeed a Scot, and he grew up in Stirling castle, fancy that! Stirling castle is an remarkable place.
And so my time ran out and I headed off to catch my plane back to Canada a little under 3 months from when I set out on this adventure. "Was it worth it?" some might ask me. I think the answer should be obvious to anyone who has followed along with me through these journals.
But I
am also sure that there will be more adventures and journeys to follow this one, time is very much on my side.
-
That wraps up my Europe 2005 trip, and I am actually sitting back in Canada at CF Base Borden just now, staying with my buddy Matt "The Crippler" Krull and his wife for a little before returning to Kingston to get back to so-called real life. I can hardly wait, haha!
Cheers everyone!
- Ryan
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David Thomson
non-member comment
G'day from WA.
Hi Ryan. Just started reading the website about your European, etc trip and it's excellent. On your Dachau visit, I've always been deeply moved when I see videos about the Holocaust. It's hard to believe that such hatred can exist which causes inhumane acts to be carried out on fellow human beings. And yet it still persists in the 21st century. I look forward to reading more of your exploits in the coming weeks. Well done and take care. Uncle David. Perth, WA. 11 August 2005.