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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Edinburgh Castle

The day of our bus tour, yours truly forgot to bring the spendy Edinburgh Castle tickets she had purchased as part of a package at Stirling.  So we went back on another day.  It was on my “must see” list.  It contains The Honours of Scotland (the crown jewels) and The Stone of Destiny (the stone that monarchs of Scotland and later Great Britain have sat upon when crowned – Edward I of England pinched it in 1292.  It remained in London until 1996 when Queen Elizabeth sent it back where it belonged!).  These I had to see! 

The castle dominates the skyline in the most beautiful way.  Can you imagine THAT being the view from your window?

And when you are right up on it, it is no less impressive. 

The left flag is the governor’s flag and is flown when he is present in the castle.  The center flag is the Saltire – the Scottish national flag.  The right flag is the flag of Edinburgh Castle. 

A view of the cannon battery facing out to Edinburgh (towards Princes St).

Stairs heading to the upper area of the castle.

Beautiful stonework was everywhere.

And there are fantastic carvings and stained glass windows.

The castle grounds are like a small village.  It is huge. 

More lovely architecture.

A window commemorating William Wallace (Braveheart). 

Mons Meg – a siege gun given to King James II in 1457.  The gunstones were found as far as 2 miles away.  That’s Himself peeking over the middle.  He is 6’1”… more with his shoes on.  The roar of that massive gun must have been deafening.

And you can see that the gunstones are not small!

A monument in the army garrison area.  The realism is fantastic.


Having fun with some statues…

Love this thistle pattern!  It will be used in some sort of upcoming crafting I do!

1 comment:

  1. Wonderful photos. Edinburgh Castle is definitely a spectacular landmark. It has an unique atmosphere and offers a breathtaking view to the city. It is definitely worth seeing!
    Regards!

    ReplyDelete

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