And now for something completely different...

OK, the title of this post is totally misleading, because I am going to share with you another fantastic Scottish castle, which isn't very different at all from my regular programming... but there is something unique about this particular castle

I mentioned in a previous post that on our weekend out of Edinburgh we visited a castle named Doune. Back in 1975, Doune was a film location for a certain funny little movie. One that I am sure many of you have seen...

but maybe you'd recognize it better if we approached from the side...

just like the noble knights of the round table.

Or, maybe best if we "run away!"

Need another hint? Here, watch this: my directorial skills are nearly as good as Matt's delivery-

What...? You didn't get it from that reenactment?? Fine... here's the real deal-

Surely you know what movie it is by now! Unfortunately for us, that exact wall was the only part of the castle that was closed to visitors (they are taking away concrete bits so that water can escape the stone instead of causing the wall to crumble from the inside out, so I guess that's more important than us climbing on top and yelling poorly memorized taunts at one another in horrible french accents). We did get this wee view from an upstairs window!

Good thing there were other parts of the castle used in the film where we could play about! Like this stone staircase leading from the courtyard into the kitchen tower...

the same one stormed by brave Sir Lancelot as he massacres a wedding party rescues a captured bride-to-be...

Which has been fabulously recreated with Legos!

lego source

But if you insist, have a watch of the real scene (but don't blame me if it takes you 15 minutes to read this blog post!)

I took a photo of this view...

...out of this window.

We played about the great hall (one of the best preserved in Scotland for its age) but it looked different without myriad dancing knights,

And the kitchen, while amazing, was sadly (for Matt) temptress-free!

And according to the very funny and informative audio tour (narrated by Terry Jones) the huge stone oven, large enough to roast an ox on a spit,

was where the ladies made a bed for young Sir Galahad.

But just like there are lots of great scenes from the movie that are not filmed at Doune (like when King Arthur fights the Black Knight!), there are tons of interesting historical bits to the castle that have nothing to do with Monty Python.

\This stone, part of the frame to the huge window in the kitchen, shows the marks of where the cooks sharpened their knives nearly 800 years ago.

And the chamber where we found this fireplace was used to entertain and house the fanciest of guests (I wish the fire had been going that day, as it was a bit drafty in the castle. And sitting on stone, fireplae or not, is a quick way to get even colder!)

We broke a few rules, but only a tiny bit... cheeky naughty tourists! 

We checked out the loo- a most comfotable room, really. It had a window for ventillation and a vent to allow in heat from the adjacent room. It even had a little nook in the wall that would have had strips of linen or bits of moss to use to ... you know. 

And from the loo, you have this view- That is the river Teith, and one local said that when soldiers were called to protect the region, they were to come 'armed to the Teith'.

Of course we climbed stairs. Lots and lots of circular stone stairs! If I had a shilling for every old stair I've climbed in the last few months I'd have... well, nothing really, since nobody uses shillings anymore. But you get what I mean. Exploring historic sites = stairs!

So there you have it. Doune Castle... really quite magical.

After our visit, we rode off into the sunset,

and had ourselves a pint!

And just in case it's not utterly clear, the movie filmed at Doune Castle was Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Go rent it, you know you want to see it again!

Fair thee well... and Happy Christmas Eve!!!!

6 Castles and a Palace

Matthew and I dashed off for a weekend, and in the span of 3 days, we managed to stumble across six castles and a Palace. A couple of these places were so fantastic, that they warrant their own post... so, if I can find the time, I'll share them over the next few days (with more photos than you'd ever care to see). But for now, here's the mini rundown:

Blackness Castle

This was the first castle we came upon and is just outside of Edinburgh. It is right on the firth and within clear view of the Firth Rail Bridge.  If I remember correctly Blackness Castle was in use up until the 1920s. (but I could be getting facts confused through this entire post, so don't quote me on anything). We had a great time roaming about the grounds and through the towers. We saw the prisons- the nice one with the window and fireplace for fancy prisoners, and the pit, a windowless hole that was so far below that the freezing sea water would come in and out with the tides. When we arrived at Blackness,it was literally at the end of a rainbow... Ah, Scotland. You do rainbows like no other place I've been!

Linlithgow Palace

There has been a royal structure on this site since the eleven hundreds... but this particular building was built a few hundred years later. James V and Mary Queen of Scots were both born in Linlithgow Palace, and spent time in this palace during their reigns. It is thought to be haunted by Mary of Guise (mother of Mary Queen of Scots.. lots of Marys... got to keep them all straight). Now, it is partially destroyed, without a roof in several parts, but still very impressive. Walking through the halls and chambers, it is easy to imagine it in its former glory.

Airth Castle

 This place is now a spa and hotel. Matt and I stopped because it was right on our way to where we were staying for the night and we though we would grab a bite in the restaurant. But, we ended up stumbling into someone's wedding preparations. The place was crazy with flustered women, and I think I spotted the mother of the bride-to-be hurrying about holding and armful of gowns. We got out of there pretty quickly. Maybe we'll try Airth again another time (especially since there is a spa! Castle + Spa = Happy Place)

Broomhall Castle

This is our castle... in the sense that this is where we spent two nights. It is outside of Stirling, surrounded by beautiful countryside and huge craggy mountains.  Our room had a super deep claw foot bathtub and a ginormous bed (well, I think it was a king, but after sharing a double bed for the last few months, it felt ginormous to us!). The place was not very busy, but well staffed, so it kind of felt like we were royalty!

Doune Castle

This was my favorite stop, and it will definitely get its own post.  But for now, I'll say that Doune Castle, right on the River Teith, has its own kind of magic. It has history, of course, that matches many of the other castles we visited... but it has something more. A little bit of movie magic happened here nearly 40 years ago and still draws the goofiest of fans to the site. What movie, you ask? I'll tell you later, I promise.

Menstrie Castle

Since we had a rental car, we decided to follow a few road signs that lead us here, to Menstrie Castle. Built in 1560, it is now 4 residential flats, and one was becoming occupied as we walked about. Kind of funny to be snapping photos as the moving guys unloaded the truck. I got the feeling that it was no big deal to live in or around this place... it was just part of a suburban neighborhood. It's as if this country is overrun with castles!

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is said by many to be the best castle Scotland, and it lives up to this reputation. We spent a few hours there and didn't see it all. Luckily for us, it is only a short train ride away from Edinburgh and as members of Historic Scotland, we can return for free any time! The day we visited was misty and cold, and that just added to the atmosphere. This place has all the castle-y highlights...moats, iron portcullis, gardens, walls, kitchens, great halls, and a beautifully refurbished Palace (that of James V and Mary of Guise, parents to a little lady known as Mary Queen of Scots- in fact the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots occurred here on December 14th 1542 when she was just 6 days old).

You go, Glasgow!

One has a lot of options when choosing how to spend a day in Glasgow. There are museums, pubs, parks, galleries, clubs... all this things you'd expect to find in a good-sized European city. But, being a touch macabre, Matt and I opted to spend the majority of our Glaswegian day in the Necropolis, or The City of the Dead. It is the final resting place to over 50,000 buried persons, so it has earned it's name! (It is neither here nor there, but this cemetery's population is about 5 times of that of my hometown.)

The Necropolis is on top of a hill dotted with old gnarled trees (of course) and the tombs in some places seem stacked on top of each other. 

It is not a particularly hefty climb up, but once you reach the top, the views stretch out over the whole city.

Some of the tombs are elaborate, some of them are cracked or tumbled to the ground. All of them have seem a lot of weather.

We saw a tomb for a Tennant, and we saw the brewery for Tennant's beer that borders the lower section of the cemetery. Not sure if it's the man responsible for the brand, but if it is, he sure didn't get too far away from work.

The headstones went on and on. Row after row...

Predating the majority of the cemetery is the monument to John Knox, supporter of the Protestant Reformation and father of Scottish Presbyterianism. I don't know too much about the man, but he does seem to be a bit... what's a good way of saying it... dour.  Below, I am inappropriately dancing about and waving flags on his monument, which I am certain he would not appreciate. Although I think it's pretty safe to say he did not appreciate the activities of most women, considering he wrote a book titled The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women. Lest you find my dancing too disrespectful, let me tell you that this is not the grave of the late reverend. He is buried in Edinburgh, outside of St. Giles Kirk, beneath a perfectly ordinary parking spot.  And you can blame Matt, not me, for his decapitated state in this photo!

So, what is the tallest monument in the Necropolis, the monument of John Knox, anti-Catholic and champion to Presbyterianism, looking out upon?!

This huge Cathedral. The Glasgow Cathedral was built in 1197. (I repeat, 1197.) And it has never been burned down or sacked or blown apart or anything in all those years. It is in remarkable shape...  

... even though it was heavily covered by scaffolding! Maintenance aside, it was very cool to roam about a Cathedral that has the same roof, even some of the same doors, as it did nearly 1000 years ago.

And whether or not you agree with any of the ideology, you've got to admit that when it comes to building impressive structures, the Catholics knew what was what!

The Glasgow Cathedral (Called St. Mungo's to the parishioners) has an extensive series of underground  chapels, altars and tombs. Matthew posed me for this photo in the Blacader's Aisle (seriously, he told me right where to stand and this is what I get!)

And deeper down below the nave, is the tomb of St. Mungo (or St. Kentigern, but his friends all called him Mungo) who was believed to be buried on this exact location in 603.

We didn't hang out in cemeteries and underneath cathedrals all day. We also took in Glasgow's beautiful architecture...

I'm kidding with this picture! Really, this picture aside, Glasgow is beautiful. I am just teasing since I've heard there is a competition between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Rumor has it that it goes something like this: Glaswegians think that Edinburgh is snooty (enlightened), pretentious (artsy) and expensive (expensive). Edinburghians (although no one really calls them that) find Glasgow to be gritty (edgy), plebeian (working class) and rowdy (rowdy).

But back to our lovely day in Glasgow...

It's where I found the TARDIS!

And my first clootie tree! Clootie, in Scots, means cloth. And there are little bits of cloth tied around this tree's branches. I did a little asking around and I found out that clootie trees have been around since the ancient Celts. Usually, they were trees that grew beside some sacred waters, a spring or a well with some significance. These waters and clootie trees attracted pilgrimages and were part of a healing ritual.  A  person would bring along a scrap of cloth, dip it in the waters, and tie it on the tree. If you made the pilgrimage to rid yourself of an ailment, you  might use a bit of cloth that was grotesque as representation. If you were making an offering to the spirit of the well, or making a hope or prayer, you would use a bit of beautiful fabric.

Most of the clooties on this clootie tree were brightly colored ribbons and even a few bits of silk. It was growing beside a iron a fountain.

We also saw another kind of special tree. A Christmas tree! The workers were setting it up in George Square, along with thousands of fairy lights and other decorations. We may have to take another trip to Glasgow in December to see it all lit up!

Matthew and his trusty iPhone led us to the banks of the River Clyde. Where we got to do some birdwatching and then stomped across the pedestrian's suspension bridge (trying to see if we could make it sway).

We grabbed some nourishment at a little pub in the city centre. After spending most of the day walking around town, around graves, over rivers and around trees, I was pretty darn drookit (drenched) and for the first time in my life, I used a hand dryer in the loo to warm up and blow dry my hair. I am getting to be pretty hardcore.

The day ended at Barrowland-- where Matt and I danced the night away in the second row of the totally wonderful Alabama Shakes show. Man, I knew that girl could sing- but I had no idea she was such a rocker!