| SCOTLAND VACATION 2004 May 18 - May 30, 2004 JOURNAL ENTRY 10 entry begun on May 24th, 2004 at 18:30 Stirling Time We started out from Kelso at around 10:30. We took some back roads that would put us in our destination later but were more scenic and less traveled. Stopped at a station to get some petrol and picked up a variety of crisps; Thai Sweet Chilli, Beef and Onion, Four Cheese and Red Onions, Chargrilled Steak and Peppercorn Sauce, and Ketchup flavored. We never stopped to take pictures of them, but there are wind farms on the way up to Edinburgh from Kelso, like the ones near Palm Springs in California. Not as many generators mind you, but I guess they are dotted all around Scotland and England. Makes sense, with all the hills and the ocean nearby you'd be sure to get some good wind patterns going. Further down the road, on the farther outskirts of Edinburgh, we stopped at a Burger King for a bite of lunch. I had chicken strips with a "blazing BBQ" sauce, Ginger had a different grilled chicken sandwich than the ones in the states, and Mick just went for the Coke and "king fries". Soon enough we were off again. We got in to Stirling a bit later, stopping first at a Travel Lodge gift shop to use the restroom. While there we checked out the rates of the hotel and decided to book rooms there for the night. There was a hint of trouble due to us forgetting to bring our passports with us (forget is the wrong word; we didn't realize we'd need them), and to rent a room anyone not from Scotland or any of the countries in the European Commonwealth is supposed to have them. However, Mick renting two rooms was no problem at all, so crisis averted. Our journey then took us to Doune Castle. The steward on duty welcomed us and showed us into the gift shop. We asked for the coconut halves to use as a horse along the tour of the castle and were promptly handed them. There was a book in the shop with photos of others who had used the shells and/or dressed in costume to some degree. Doune was easily the best castle we'd seen so far, even without the Monty Python tie-in. It is essentially a keep with four walls going out from it and protecting it from invading English Kaniggits. In the center was a nice courtyard that could probably be used for ceremonies of all sorts, and in fact was to be the location of a special screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with most of the people responsible in attendance this September. There was an introductory room on the ground level with a ton of information about the history of the castle's construction, the history of the Roman occupation of the area well before the castle was even conceptualized, and even the prehistory of the area. After that room decorations were rather sparse, but that was part of the castle's appeal. It was much more like what it might have been like when it was in use than any of the others we had visited (minus the smells and disease, of course). The spiral staircases (there were a couple of them) were quite tall, leading four and five stories up to different rooms and the battlements at the top. At the very top were magnificent views of the surrounding area, including a great shot of a bridge in the distance. I had the odd sensation that I ought to launch a bovine at someone, but I contained my urge (also, I did not have a cow handy). Got some good pictures of me on a chamber pot, and we took lots of footage at different spots with each of us taking turns playing the roles of King Arthur and Patsy. Before we went touring around the castle we spoke to the manager, who suggested we wend him our photos and films when we get back so he can put them on his website. You never know what that might lead to, particularly if I can convince him that his site needs to be redeveloped professionally (and that I am the man for the job). In any case, it should be good fun. He wasn't in the shop when we returned the coconut halves, or we'd have shown him the footage then. The original plan was to get to Stirling Castle that day as well, but it was well past three when we left Doune and the castles tend to close between four and five. We decided instead to drive up towards the William Wallace monument on the northeast side of Stirling. Along the way we stopped at a town called Bridge of Allan for tea and scones, in a café called the Coffee Pot. We then wandered to the local Post Office before heading back to the car and off to the monument. When we arrived at the William Wallace monument it was almost time for them to close, and the shuttles had stopped running. We wandered through the gift shop for a bit, buying some Haggis flavored crisps (so I could honestly say back home that I had tasted haggis while in Scotland). Ginger and I hiked up the steep hill on which the monument was built, got some great shots of it and its surroundings, and then hiked back down a different, more challenging way. All in all, with that path and the narrow staircases at Doune Castle, it was a good day of battle against my phobia of widths. From the Wallace monument we drove back to the Travel Lodge. We freshened up a bit, then all went to the attached food complex, where we ate at a cafeteria called Moto. Mick told us the Harry Ramsden's fish and chips being served there was the best going. I got navy beans with mine as well, and Mick got an interesting sort of mashed peas. This was also the first place I've found with free drink refills (the cup was £1.79 though, so still not good value for money really). After dinner we retired back to our rooms for a bit of conversation and television, then soon went to bed. IMAGES FROM JOURNAL ENTRY 10 ---> |