SCOTLAND, YEA OR NAE?

As I write this (belatedly, as usual), Scotland is less than a week away from the vote on full independence from Great Britain.  The issue, naturally, dominates the news and the landscape is full of YES signs and NO, thank you (that’s what they really say) ones.  It’s instructive that such a divisive issue (running 50-50 at the moment) is debated and reported upon without any of the rancor that we see in American politics.  Rationality and restraint is all you see.  It’s disheartening to see how low our public debate standards have fallen.  OK, enough moralizing, on with the haggis!  As noted in the last post, we have entered Scotland and are in Stirling, home of Stirling Castle.

Sitting 250 feet above the plain on an extinct volcano, Stirling became the strategic military key to the kingdom during the 13th and 14th century Wars of Independence and was the favourite royal residence of many of the Stuart Monarchs.  The first fortification on the site dates to the 11th century. Robert the Bruce raised the original castle after the Battle of Bannockshire in 1314, where he defeated the English king Edward II.  The Great Hall was built by James  IV in 1503.  Much of the castle which exists today, including the Palace (1540-42) and Chapel Royal is Renaissance architecture with a strong French influence.
Many important events from Scotland's past took place at Stirling Castle, including the violent murder of the eighth Earl of Douglas by James II in 1452.  Mary Queen of Scots spent her childhood in the castle and her coronation took place in the Chapel Royal in 1543.
We took off from our B&B, and hoofed it up the trail to the castle, stopping along the way to admire the views over the plain.

At the top, the castle was magnificent.  That ochre-colored building is the great hall, and it was called King’s Gold. At one time, the entire castle was painted the same color, so that it would show the glory of the monarchy shining for all to see.  Some of the coloring is still faintly visible on the rock walls of the castle.

Our guide must have been a frustrated thespian.  His voice rose and fell with great emotion, especially when he had to utter the words, “the English,”  which were voiced with a snarling sneer. He especially enjoyed pointing out the stone devil which forever casts an evil eye in the direction south towards England.

The Great Hall is the largest medieval hall in Scotland, and could host 500.  The roof consists of the equivalent of 400 oak trees, all held together by wooden pegs.  No ironwork.  The present monarchs lack a little something in the reignments department.

All the cannon of the castle point in one direction, towards the crossing of the river Forth below, which the castle was designed to protect.  You can just see the curve of the river in this picture.  The tower across the way is the memorial to William Wallace, the original “Braveheart,” who was a main leader of the Scottish wars of independence before being executed gruesomely by Edward I.

One of the things you see repeatedly in this and other castles are the symbols of the rose and the thistle, representing the union of Scotland and England under James I.

One of the interesting things to come out of our various tours, including this one, was the widespread use of color inside castles and cathedrals.  At Stirling, this was best evidenced by the remarkable ceilings that were centerpieces.  Those shown below are reproductions. 

They also are weaving seven medieval tapestries of the period to hang throughout, depicting “The Hunt Of The Unicorn,” the Belgian originals of which date from 1495-1505 and hang in the Met in New York.  The project that has been ongoing for thirteen years.
 
  The Queen’s Inner Chamber was incredibly elaborate, with the King’s bedchamber not far behind.

A fairly extensive museum celebrated the exploits (which were indeed, incredible) of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, filled with more silver cups, weapons, and memorabilia than you can imagine.  I especially liked the painting by Robert Gibbs of “The Thin Red Line,” documenting the Battle of Balaklava in 1854 during the Crimean War.

All this walking around was exhausting, at least for Loni and Alice.

So it was time to take aim at our destination for tomorrow, Loch Lomand and the town of Luss, ancestral home of the Colquhouns.  The cannon is pointing at Ben Lomand, the mountain that overlooks the Loch.