 |
| Stirling Castle |
Our guests have departed, fun time. Also fun time visiting Stirling Castle (see photo). A 13 year period of refurbishment was completed not long ago. The result, spectacular. We have visited myriad castles in Europe, including some of Scotland's finest, and were unprepared for just how non-gray and non-dinghy the interior spaces of this castle are. Bright colors, intricate ceilings, and remarkable tapestries. Note that seven of the tapestries were painstakingly woven using century's old tools and techniques. This was the biggest weaving project undertaken in the UK for a century.
This castle literally and figuratively sits at the center of Scotland's history. It is at a geographic choke point between northern and southern Scotland, and it is hard to name a famous Scottish ruler who was not somehow associated with it. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here, multiple Stuart Kings ruled from here, you get the idea. And, in contrast to the many unsuccessful battles with the British (especially Culloden), they were remarkably victorious, even when outnumbered, at the battle of Stirling Bridge.
