Stirling to Edinburgh

Stayed last night at a lovely B&B, the Roslin Cottage in Callander.  No overly scented sheets, thank God.  I could sleep through the night without itching and was able to breathe in the morning.  Amen to that.  Ate breakfast and headed out, stopping first at Stirling Castle.  As with many medieval fortresses, it was built high on a hill.  Easy to defend, not so easy to get water.  But wait--you're the king!  You can just send people to FETCH the water for you!  Such a deal.  The view from the castle is amazing.

Took a tour of the castle, learned that each of the statues on the side of the castle has a meaning.  You can also see quite clearly how many times the castle has been altered and/or rebuilt.  There are headings and doorways from earlier windows, etc. all around, but they've been filled in.  The castle isn't nearly as tall as it was in medieval times, either.  Apparently after the invention of the trebuchet (see earlier post with pictures) someone decided that a really tall castle made a really good target, and took things down a notch or two. 

It's still a very impressive structure, no matter how you slice it.  Hmmm, my husband made me promise not to buy any furniture on this trip, but what about property?  THAT doesn't have to clear Customs.  "Hi, honey?  Yeah, I didn't buy furniture.  But guess what I found?" 

After Stirling we drove south to Bannockburn, where a decisive Scots victory was had in 1314 by Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, over Edward II, King of England.  This led to the poem by Robbie Burns (an ancestor of ours, we found out recently) titled "Scots Wha Hay" and the "Flower of Scotland" song--one of my favorites. 

And here's a tribute to the man himself, King Robert the Bruce who, we found out today, undoubtedly had leprosy.  He clearly hid it well.

After Bannockburn we drove the M8/M9 into Edinburgh (THAT was quite an adventure) and found our way to our hotel (the Best Western Bruntsfield Hotel) where we parked the car and will take the bus to the Family History Centre tomorrow.

Who knows what we'll uncover there?