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| Edinburgh and Inchmahome Priory, Scotland (part 7 of 8) |
| On just a day visit for us, we found Edinburgh to be a bustling, interesting city. A visit to Edindburgh Castle filled about 1/2 the day. It was a long hike up to the castle from where we parked and we could easily appreciate its defensive advantages. It reminded us of Mont St. Michel in Normandy as both were built up in a spiral fashion. The three left-most pictures were taken from the castle. We walked along most of the Royal Mile - the long street between Edinburgh Castle and the palace. In honor of all of the Presbyterians in the family, we stopped at St. Giles Church, below right, where John Knox led the reformation in Scotland. Rachel made friends with the ladies in the gift shop. Before heading back to the car we stopped at a toy museum and a fudge shop (tasty!). |
| EDINBURGH |
| INCHMAHOME PRIORY |
| We discovered that a small monastery is called a priory. Inchmahome Priory was actually on a small island in the middle of a lake. It was founded in 1238 and served as a hiding place for Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1547, when as a young child her life was believed to have been in danger. You had to take a short boat ride to get there. The kids had fun imagining life in the warming room, which was the only source of heat in a priory or monastery. |
| Edinburgh Castle is on the right as seen from the city below. The picture above it was taken from a hill, Arthur's Seat, on the opposite side of town from Edinburgh castle. We hadn't had a real hike in a few days, so the hill provided an opportunity for Ralph to keep his spirits up. |