Stirling yesterday, Luss and Glencoe today

We're all sad that this marked our last day in Scotland.

Tuesday we all got our exercise - after breakfast we toured Stirling Castle, a favorite royal residence of many monarchs, a 5 minute walk from our hostel. It was amazing - the castle has been recently restored with painstaking attention to detail, and done in the manner it would have been originally. We saw painted ceilings with brilliant colors and ornate detail in several rooms, and in a great hall, a reconstructed oak timber frame ceiling (400 oak trees were necessary to construct it, and it took two years) because when it was no longer used and the army occupied it, they had ripped out the original to make three floors for barracks. The tapestries of the unicorn hanging in the queen's chambers told a great story, an allegory of Christ. We were able to see the last one being woven... the originals are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, and were consulted so that these replicas would be exact in as many details as possible. It is taking 3 weavers, sitting side by side, 2 years to re-weave this tapestry. They are quite valuable, and were highly prized possessions because of the time put into them. THe new ones will be more brilliant in color (like the originals would have been).

The views from Stirling Castle were also great - overlooking all the surrounding area. It was a strategic spot to occupy, and a difficult castle to take. From it we could see the Wallace monument, which we visited after a pack lunch back at the hostel. The Wallace monument was well positioned and quite elevated - it was a challenge walking up the path just to get to it (part of the reason I fell asleep last night rather than blogging!!) Once inside, there were 246 steps up to the top in a narrow winding staircase. Fortunately there were two rooms as we ascended (about every 82 steps) with displays. The view from the top was amazing, but the wind was whipping through the top lookout, as it was through the slim vertical openings in the stone tower as we ascended. We were all glad for our warm clothing! While the sun occasionally has warmed the day, in general it's been on the cool side.

Today (Wednesday) we spent in Glencoe. On the way we stopped in a small town called Luss on Loch Lomond. It had quite a few cottages and a few gift shops and a coffee shop. We tasted shortbread, tablets (a buttery confection), and many got ice cream (natural, toffee, or chocolate).
We had quite a drive to the highlands, just more than 2 hours, but it was well worth it. The views were amazing. We had a guided tour from the Scottish National Trust through the glen, pointing out various things of interest. It was a somewhat damp walk - Scotland has received quite its share of rain over the past week or so, but today was mostly clear with just a few clouds. We saw snow on the tops of the mountains, deer, sheep, and highland cattle. We heard the story of the massacre of Glencoe.

One of the highlights of our trip has been the delicious meals out where traditional Scottish fare has ben available. Today we were at an Inn just past Glencoe. Menu items such as haggis, steak & ale pie and quite a few other entrees were enjoyed.

As I write, several have gone out to the coffee shop just down the street for their last outing! Tomorrow we will have the cars packed in time to get on the minibus and depart for the airport at 5am. It will be a long day adding back the four hours to our clocks. We land in Newark at noon, God willing!

Thanks for your interest & prayers for us - it's been a wonderful time.

Sunday & Monday

Sunday, our "Sabbath Day" was spent as a day of rest and worship. We joined the Reformed PResbyterian Church in Airdrie for prayer meeting & worship, followed by a hot luncheon of roast beef, potatoes, vegetables, bread, etc... a very filling delicious meal and time spent with the youth and pastor & family. The afternoon was spent walking in a beautiful natural setting filled with daffodils and wooded areas, as well as an old cemetary (very common in this country... often dating back to the 1600's). We returned to church for "tea", a lighter meal before evening worship. Just before worshp was a psalm sing - the Reformed Presbyterian Church only sings the Psalms, and sing them acapella, so it's important to be somewhat familiar with them so it goes smoothly. The Psalter was interesting - the pages split in two horizontally, so we could flip to one tune at the top, and a Psalm (words) on the bottom that fit the meter. (Actually the other way around... Psalm and then tune & meter to match it.) A great message, and his sermons are actually available on the internet - the Pastor's name is Andrew Quigley... you can probably find the church's website and listen to some of his sermons. He's an Irishman who has come to live here and help the Scottish church, which has greatly diminished in numbers ove rthe years, with currently four churches in the country. (Doubled from a few years back.)

Today (Monday) we toured Covenanter sites in the country... even if we had been told where they were, and how to find them, I doubt we could have. We often had to park and walk across a field... one of them down a steep hill to an area by a brook where an 18-year-old farmer was sitting when Dragoons came down the trail, saw him reading (a Bible) and shot him on the spot. His sweetheart from a neighboring farm heard the shot (she was on her way to meet him for lunch) and ran over. A dragoon threatened her with his sword, she grabbed it from him, unseating him, and only escaped murder herself because his fellow-soldiers laughed at him being bested by a girl. We've heard numerous stories of murders on sight (no arrest or trial) for possessing a Bible, or being suspected of being a Covenanter.

What was a Covenanter? In the 1600's (I'm forgetting the year) many signed the Solemn League and Covenant that declared Jesus to be the King with authority over how he was to be worshipped, not the King. The Scottish Presbyterians wanted religious freedom, not to be told to worship in the Anglican Church (similar to the Roman Catholic church, but with the king as head) but to be able to worship as Scripture directed. For this belief that was deeply held, many paid with their lives. They were cruelly persecuted by Dragoons, betrayed by neighbors and relatives, and often promised freedom and then betrayed.

Hope to write more later.

To start the morning off we had a hearty Scottish breakfast - tatty scones, potato cakes, sausages, fried ham, eggs, toast, etc. We left at 9:30 for Edinburgh and toured the Covenanter sites in the town, managing to climb the Granny's Green Steps not once but twice. (Not just any granny could make it up these steep steps!) We also saw St. Giles Cathedral, parts of the National Museum of Scotland, Greyfriars Kirkyard, and The Grassmarket (where an X marked the spot the gallows stood for many Covenanters).

After a pack lunch we toured Edinburgh Castle, seeing the crown jewels, National War Museum, dungeons (including where Americans were imprisoned for being privateers during the "War of American Rebellion."

We had just under two hours for shopping and sightseeing before meeting for a three course Scottish dinner at MacGregor's on the Royal Mile. It was amazingly good food, and many traditional dishes. Haggis was enjoyed by many, and the meal ended with sticky toffee pudding or a traditional berry dessert with whipped cream. Yum!

Returning to Stirling, we stopped at a Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-lee), where there were bagpipes, accordions, singing, and Scottish country dancers. Traditionally, families or villages would gather during the winter, supplying their own entertainment in this manner. Much of the singing was in Gaelic, but once they realized there were visitors from Delaware, they were kind enough to explain some of the songs. It is a local effort to keep alive the traditional Scottish arts.

A few just returned from a jog, and we'll gather at 8:15 for devotions before breakfast at 8:30. Tomorrow we'll be going to Airdrie for prayer meeting and morning worhsip at the Reformed Presbyterian church there, having lunch with the congregation, going for a walk (here "hike" is outdated) at Dalzell Estate, then having tea and evening worship before returning to our hostel.

We've received comments from others who are surprised at the good behavior and polite manners of our group. We're asked what kind of school and where we are from. It's a delight to be escorting this group - they are pleasant to be around, engage others in conversation, are thoughtful of others, and represent themselves well.

Good night!

Two packed days!

We had a good, uneventful trip here - made it to the airport in record time, the flight went well, though nobody slept well if at all, and arrived in Edinburgh in time for breakfast! Even though we had a light breakfast on the plane, everyone was thrilled to be told "order anything on the menu" and have the chance to experience a "Full Scottish" meal.

We were hurting Thursday, taking advantage of the van ride to catch a few naps, but were spent the day touring, starting with the bridge at the Firth of Forth, and then visiting Glasgow. Provand's Lordship, a lone surviving medieval buildling, and then Gladgow Cathedral.

Friday (today) we spent most of the day in St. Andrews after stopping to see a field where there's a monument to the tomb of Covenanters who were slain. We ran on the beach where Chariots of Fire was filmed, and almost picnicked on the beach, but Scottish weather drove us back into the van. Not for nothing... we were happy to see several rainbows. More common in Scotland than here - as rain with sunshine isn't unusual.

We heard lots of history, saw graves, was reminded of looking up the letters of Samuel Rutherford, available online, and had time to tour the town on our own before meeting for dinner... actually not dinner, but tea.

We ended the day with high tea (a more substantial tea) at a restaurant overlooking the beach and another monument to Covenanters. We began with tea or coffee and toast with butter & jams, then the fish and chips was a favorite, but all was delicious, ending with tea, scones, and pastries.

I think my time online is expiring... we're off tomorrow to Edinburgh, visiting Covenanter sites, then a tour of the castle, shopping time, dinner in town, and back to Stirling for a Ceiligh (spelling?)

Everyone is well and enjoying their time here. The hostel is a nice place to stay, and our guides and driver are the best!

Travel Day