Day 9: Stirling Castle and Back to Edinburgh
Stirling Castle
We drove to Stirling Castle today. Our guide, Nigel, grew up in the area, so he was able to provide some personal insights which was really neat. This castle is nicer than Edinburgh Castle, and the weather was once again awesome. We took the castle tour and then ate in the little castle restaurant. It's not often a person gets to eat in a castle! There was an intriguing special display about the tapestries that were recreated in the castle according to original specs. It took two years to reproduce just the first one.
Part of the castle exterior was also painted as it would have been originally. This was to ensure people saw it and recognized their wealth and stature. The castle is still functioning today with royalty visiting and weddings being held there. It was especially interesting to see a different type of castle and to contrast it to what we saw in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.
Part of the castle exterior was also painted as it would have been originally. This was to ensure people saw it and recognized their wealth and stature. The castle is still functioning today with royalty visiting and weddings being held there. It was especially interesting to see a different type of castle and to contrast it to what we saw in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.
Back to Edinburgh
On the way back to Edinburgh, we stopped at a memorial for a Scottish military victory over the English. There, we toasted to our tour with the whiskey Beth (one of our members) donated to the group. We also drove past a couple interesting sights including some horse head sculptures that were built when hosting the Olympics and the stadium in town which only hosts rugby and concerts.
Tonight we had our last supper together. It was at a really fancy hotel in town, complete with a three course dinner and fancy portions. This was a nice chance to reflect on our travels with the other group members. We told stories, laughed and talked about what was ahead for each of us. There was a nice balcony with an overlook of the city. Many of us took turns taking pictures together against the beautiful backdrop.
Tonight we had our last supper together. It was at a really fancy hotel in town, complete with a three course dinner and fancy portions. This was a nice chance to reflect on our travels with the other group members. We told stories, laughed and talked about what was ahead for each of us. There was a nice balcony with an overlook of the city. Many of us took turns taking pictures together against the beautiful backdrop.