Stirling

Previously: Edinburgh and the Bishopton, home of the sweetest hotel room on earth.

Stirling!  Day... 4?  Are we really only on Day 4?

After my official work obligations were completed, we were all set to go America tourist all over everybody's asses.  Our original plan was to hit up the town of Stirling, see the castle and whatever else there was to see, and then jet over to St. Andrew's to absorb some golfing culture and get my dad his much-coveted St. Andrew's golf shirt.  It seemed simple enough, looking at a map.   Stirling and St. Andrew's are both relatively near Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the major train stations are, and only 75 miles apart from each other.  It seemed very doable at the time*.  Looking at a map now, I have no idea why it seemed feasible, but it did.  Either the travel bug renders me even more impervious to logic than usual, or I really have inherited a full copy of my mother's Vacation Overachiever Gene.   In any case, we did not make it to St. Andrew's.   But it's OK, because Stirling was very pretty.  And we managed to get my dad some bootleg St. Andrew's gear in a department store back in Glasgow, which is what REALLY matters.

So!  Stirling.  Bonnie place.

The train ride from Glasgow to Stirling was typically idyllic.  There were lots of sheep and the grass was very, very green.   We followed the Back Walk along the border of the old city wall, meandering higher and higher until we finally reached the castle at the top of the hill.

 

The border of the castle is just surrounded by these purple plants, which I won't even try to identify.  The air was positively filled with dandelion-like floaters.  You can actually see them in some of the pictures.  It almost looked like snow!

We spent a good part of the day walking around the castle, taking a free tour, stunning the tour guide with my knowledge about castle engineering (kitchens are far from the main house because they catch on fire!), you know.  The usual. 

 
(The formal gardens and courtyard)

 

(Dude, even dandelions are pretty in Scotland)

(Another close-up of a flower.  [Insert exasperated sigh from travel companion here.]  I just cannot help myself.)

I took about a frajillion pictures in the castle itself, but I'll spare you the rest.  If you are interested, I've helpfully tagged all the pictures with "Stirling Castle" on flickr because I'm compulsive like that.  

After stopping for some lunch (pizza), we walked across the city to visit Stirling Bride.  Which, you know, is only cool because BRAVEHEART ONCE FOUGHT THERE.  

The Battle of Stirling Bridge took place in 1297 and that just blows my mind.  I forget just how young our country is.

And that was Stirling!  One day, 123 pictures!  I think that might just be a personal record.  I think I'll go have a cookie.

*It might have been doable if we'd rented a car.  Maybe.   

Comments

[nancypearlwannabe]

Did you yell, "THEY CAN NEVER TAKE MY FREEEEEEDOM!", and have Joel videotape it? No? Bummer.

[ccr in MA]

I love the flower photos. I have an aunt who takes them too, and she calls such pictures "wallpaper shots".

[Wickedly Scarlett]

That photo with the pink rose is stunning!