Castles & Cathedrals

LD and I enjoy to see what this great country has to offer whenever we can. We have had the opportunity to visit many castles and cathedrals during this past year we've been living in Scotland. They are our favorite part of Scotland! They are so old, and carry so much history. History is a BIG part of this culture here and we're enjoying every bit of it. Many of these places Luis and I packed a picnic on a Saturday and headed out to enjoy our meal in such a picturesque place. Enjoy!

Heritage Park

The Palace at Holyroodhouse (the Queen's residence)

St Giles Cathedral

The Abby at Holyroodhouse

Glasgow Cathedral (this is where Luis proposed)

Craignethan Castle

Bothwell Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh, Scotland

Friday Luis & I decided to end our friends trip in Scotland with a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland's crowning city! We started out at

Edinburgh Castle.

And saw the Crown Jewels!!!

We saw The Queen's Official Residence in Scotland.

and walked down the Royal Mile...

We saw street performers!

And enjoyed our walk through town!

We had a great time!! We are all sooo exhausted though and didn't even get to do half of the things we had planned, because there is so much to see. Luckily we live here so we can come back another time!! Until next time Edinburgh!

Craignethan Castle: Part 2

We took so many pictures I couldn't just put them in one blog. Here are more pics of the insides of the castle. It was so cool! There were so many rooms, that I was getting lost! It was just amazing! I was actually picturing what it might be like to be living in that castle during the 16th century! Thoughts flooded my mind!

Enjoy the pics!

Craignethan Castle

Luis and I decided to go check out another castle this weekend. So...I packed the picnic this time, and off we went to Craignethan Castle. It was a beautiful drive on the way there and we enjoyed the countryside. We didn't know what we might find when we got to this castle, but what we found was someone actually still lives in a part of it!!! WOW!! A castle built in the 16th century still has tenants!

This is the part of the castle that is still being lived in!!

Built in the first half of the 16th century, Craignethan is recognised as an excellent early example of a sophisticated artillery fortification, although its defences were never fully tested. The castle is notable as the last purpose-built fortress to be constructed in Scotland.
The castle is surounded by the coutryside

Bothwell Castle

Luis and I decided to go see Bothwell Castle today. We had a great time! Luis packed a picnic, which consisted of 2 sandwiches, coke for one person, and a small bag of chips for one person. So cute, but next time I'll pack the picnic. Haha!

Bothwell Castle was built in the 1200's on a bend by the River Clyde. It has been owned by many people. Walter of Moray, and then his son William of Moray, then Edward I overtook Bothwell Castle when he invaded Scotland in 1296. Then the Scots took it back in the 1300's. Bothwell Castle has been owned by The Crown since the 1500's and is now cared for by Historic Scotland.

We took a walk by the river, it was so peaceful! We enjoyed the walk/hike and it was a beautiful sunny day! It was great to get outside and see Historic Scotland!!