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Published: November 19th 2007
While Gina was in class on Monday morning, Nancy and I took a bus to Princes Street and walked up the hill to the castle. As the tour guide pointed out, it takes only eleven pounds to get through the four gates these days; in the past it required some serious weaponry. Some of the architectural highlights of the castle were the portcullis gate and St. Margaret's chapel, which is the oldest building in Edinburgh. Lots of people have weddings in there, and the father of the bride loves it because the building only holds twenty people ("Scots are cheap" jokes were included in the price of the tour).
We visited the room where Mary Stuart gave birth to her son,
James 6th of Scotland, who also became James 1st of England. It look us a long time to figure that one out; we discussed it as we threaded our way through halls lined with murals showing the succession of Scottish monarchs, including Duncan and
Macbeth, who, I learned later, wasn't quite as evil as Shakespeare made him out to be. There were also dioramas depicting the making, losing, and finding of the Scottish Crown Jewels. That story involved another of
our favorite characters, Sir Walter Scott. We didn't have time to read all the history, but he had a hand in retrieving them, and they are impressive: crown, sword, and scepter. Prince Charles will hold them during ceremonies when he is crowned King.
Of course, it's a castle, so there was a lot to learn about war. We briefly paid our respects at the Scottish National War Memorial, where are recorded the names of soldiers from World I forward. There is even a tribute to the animals who lost their lives in war. Right before we left, we flew through the museum of Scottish war history, where we learned a little bit about the Highlanders. With their tartans and clans, they were seen as a threat by the English monarchs, who feared their independence and potential power.
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