10 Days in Scotland: Part 2

Castles are not as spacious inside as you might think.  Edinburgh Castle is pretty roomy, but I actually found myself having to duck through doors in Eilean Donan.  I won’t go into the tiny little winding staircases inside the Abbeys except to say I now fully believe that human beings have gotten taller as we’ve evolved. 

Case in Point.

Eilean Donan.

Stirling Castle.

 Next to Edinburgh Castle, there is a little store called Whisky and Bookshop.  Perfect place for Episcopalians.  Speaking of, how many Episcopalians does it take to screw in a light bulb?  Three.  One to change the light bulb, one to pour the drinks, and one to complain about how the old light bulb was better.  

Inside Inchcolm Abbey.

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness.

  Speaking of Abbeys, Melrose Abbey is probably my favorite place on Earth.  Its majesty and beauty are utterly breathtaking, and as soon as I saw it, I was immediately reminded of Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth.  If you’ve never read it, leave this blog immediately and do so.  My words can wait.  For the record, if life had a soundtrack, Viva La Vida would have been playing during my time spent at Melrose.  To this day, whenever I listen to it, I’m transported back almost immediately.  

   Everything in Scotland is named after St. Andrews.  Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the only Cathedral we toured that wasn’t a St. Andrews was St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.  It was the one we spent the least amount of time in, but it was also one of my favorite places.  Interesting fact: you will always see St. Giles with an arrow in his arm and the deer from which he saved it.  

 When I asked my sister what her favorite thing about Scotland was, one of the things she mentioned was walking around the city of Inverness while we were waiting for the Highland Games to begin.  During the walk, I saw some of the most beautiful flowers I’d ever seen in my life, and as we made our way back downtown, we found ourselves on the bank of the river that runs through the city.  We decided to stop there, just to hang out and skip rocks.  Sometimes it’s not the big touristy destinations that really make a trip magical.  

 *All photographs © copyright by Jacqueline E. Smith.