Although the skies have threatened, most of our touring has been rain-less. Two days, one in York and today were drenchers. It being Sunday, we took our day of rest and holed up in this B&B near Warwick and Stratford upon Avon. Nice day to blog....
I will post a bunch of pictures from the last 4 days in Scotland. On a map, you could trace our drive from the west coast to the east of Scotland along a scenic drive north of Loch Lomond, along the river Tay, to the river Tweed. All postcard material.
Each of the castles, abbeys and cathedrals we've seen have a part in Earl's ancestry. Names like McAlpin (during Macbeth's time); Hume, John Knox, Scone, Stirling, Blair Atholl, Dunkeld are known to locals. But when Earl arrives, he often knows more about parts of the history than do the guides. He can spend hours in a room, a site, old stones and bones and it's truly meaningful to him. I enjoy his fascination with history, but I would never plumb the depths he does.
We have hundreds of photos, of course. My skim-the-surface interest makes the blog just a taste of what we've seen. But I do now have a deeper appreciation for the bloodshed over kingdoms; over belief systems, over genealogies that determined "divine right of kings and queens". And all this is a huge part of our own inheritance. Many Scots would love to independent from Britain. A very proud people, yet open and welcoming.
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| Blair Athhol above; piper plays on the hour here, below. |
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| Entry to Blair Athol had four walls, at least 50 ft high like this. |
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| Dunkeld Cathedral is being restored. |
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| The front of the Cathedral is used for church services today. the huge rear section is being restored by Historic Scotland |
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| Been waiting for the church mouse. |
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| You gotta love these old places....when's dinner? |
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| Hume Castle. Earl's great grandmother was a Hume and her ancestry is traced to | this place. |
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| Hume Castle-Fortress like walls on a hill with 360* view. |
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| The Hume Coat of Arms |
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| More family at a place called the Hersel...near Coldstream. Imagine heating this place? |
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