Saturday 14th July, we went into Scotland from England. We arrived at the city of Edinburgh first to see Edinburgh Castle as well as the Holyrood House, which is the palace for the royal family when they go to Scotland.
In Scotland
Railway connecting England to Scotland
Scottish hills houses
Windmills in Scotland
Shakespeare in Scotland!
Castle on a hill
We parked somewhere near this hill, which is just five minutes away from the railway station. From there, we walked to the town centre, then to Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh Castle is really spectacular! An old medieval building with cobbled stones, full of historical value. It was the castle where Robert Bruce and William Wallace defended from the English, and the statues of these two great heros still stand at the entrance of the castle.
Scottish Railway Station
Memorial to Sir Robert Frost
Sir Robert Frost, Scottish Poet
Braveheart?
The sentry post outside Edinburgh Castle
Entrance of Edinburgh Castle
On the left is William Wallace and the right is Robert Bruce (King Robert I of Scotland).
Inside Edinburgh Castle (staircase leading to the top)
View of Edinburgh from the top of Edinburgh Castle
Part of the wall of Edinburgh Castle
The cobbled streets of Edinburgh Castle
Sitting on the cobbled streets
One of the towers of Edinburgh Castle
St Margaret's Chapel (in memory of one of the Scottish queens)
The crest of King James VI (and James I of England)
King James VI of Scotland was distantly related to Queen Elizabeth I of England. When she died without a heir, he was invited to take the throne of England, thus becoming King James I of England. From then on, England and Scotland have been ruled jointly by the same sovereign. The crest actually shows the fusion of the English rose and the Scottish thistle, to commemorate the joining of the two crowns as one.
Underground dungeons where prisoners-of-war were held
Dog Cemetery of Edinburgh Castle (where soldiers' dogs were buried)
How I wish I can have a dog cemetery within the grounds of my house too! But then I will be too upset to actually witness the burial.
The old stables of Edinburgh Castle (converted to shops and cafes)
The big cannon
Sitting on the cannon balls
Inside St Margaret's Chapel
It is actually a very small chapel, can only take in about twenty people or so. Yet, many couples like to get married in this chapel. Good idea actually if one is planning for just a small reception, anything bigger will not be feasible.
Model of Edinburgh Castle
After Edinburgh Castle, we went down the hill to the streets of Edinburgh city, collected the car, then proceeded to Holyrood House.
Streets of Edinburgh town
My knight in shining armour!
With a bagpiper
A Cathedral in Edinburgh
Jonathan Livingstone Seagull?
A fudge shop in Edinburgh
We parked the car right next to the fudge shop. Seeing all those fudge, I simply could not resist taking a picture! We had to walk downhill in order to reach Holyrood House, so we passed by some old pubs, a little church where famous personnels used to attend, Edinburgh Museum, Queen's Gallery, before finally reaching Holyrood House itself.
Holyrood House used to be the palace of the Scottish royalty, before the crown was joined with England. There were portraits of old Scottish kings and queens, as well as modern British kinds and queens. We actually saw the bedchamber of Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as her private apartments.
Inside Edinburgh Museum (yes, the person is not real)
Holyrood House
The front of Holyrood House
The ruined Abbey in the grounds of Holyrood House
The hill behind Holyrood House
Close-up of the ruined Abbey
The side of Holyrood House showing the private apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots
The gardens of Holyrood House
Statue of a violinist in the grounds of Holyrood House
Full view of the ruined Abbey
Typical Scottish mailbox
With one of my literary idols - Adam Smith
Outside a Children's bookshop
The bookshop sells old children's book, ie old and first editions of children's books in print. I will not mind owning a shop like this! All my favourite stories since young, in the original editions! After passing by the bookshop, we went back to the car and proceeded to Glasgow, where we spent the night.
Somehow Glasgow is not like how I imagined. Edinburgh is an older city, but Glasgow seems more modern. In a way, I like Edinburgh better. Glasgow is quite a disappointment. We checked into Marks Hotel in Glasgow, which is another disappointment, as the hotel was in the midst of a takeover, so it was under renovation when we checked in. Besides, the decoration of the hotel and rooms seem a bit too bright for my liking.
Entering Glasgow
A building in Glasgow (reminds me of our own HDB estates)
Streets of Glasgow
Room 328 of Marks Hotel, Glasgow - where we spent the night
After settling into the room, we went out for dinner. My parents could not find a Chinese restaurant anywhere (good news for me!) so we went to a Fish and Chips place instead and had British Fish and Chips and roast chicken.
Where we had dinner
Name of the Fish and Chips restaurant
Glasgow Town Centre
Other streets of Glasgow
The next day (Sunday 15th July), we left Glasgow and Scotland and continued on our journey back to England. And that concludes our Scottish tour!
Going back to England
A pit stop between England and Scotland
Hills outside the pit stop
Part of the Irish Sea
An old house in Wales
Streets of Lluduno
Houses by the sea
Houses up the hill
Houses by the beach
View of the sea
Posing at the beach right next to the sea
Ducks swimming in the water
Buildings by the beach
A hotel in Lluduno
A structure in Lluduno town
Breathtaking view of the sea
Up the mountain
Going down the mountain
Leaving Wales
Close-up of the mountain
Going back to England
On the way back to England
