Adventures in Scotland - April 11-14
After arriving in Glasgow via Boston-Detroit-Amsterdam flight we picked up our hire-car, a Vauxhall Astra. We'll see if it does as well as the Peugeot we had last May. Our friend, Regina, arrived via Boston/Amsterdam. We left Boston about the same time so we flew longer but she waited longer.
After the ordeal we drove through the countryside north from Glasgow then east to Dunblane where we spent a couple of days with our friends Geordie McIntyre and Alison McMorland.
On Friday we toured Dunblane Abbey. This is a Norman era building "repurposed" during the Reformation and is currently Church of Scotland.
Stirling Castle
The most outstanding feature of the King's Chamber is the ceiling of heads.
The heads are about 30" in diameter, carved in high relief from Polish oak. The colors are based on microscopic paint fragments found on the originals. The great weight of the ceiling caused it to collapse and the heads were in storage for a few centuries.
The Queen's Inner Chamber, Outer Chamber and Hall were also restored.
The tapestries are replicas of some found in France and currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The weavers are using traditional techniques of weaving and dying. They are working on the last panel, which may take two or three years to complete.
We had lunch at the Nickie Tams Pub, took the train home as far as Bridge of Allan then walked back to Dunblane via the Darn Road.....
After the ordeal we drove through the countryside north from Glasgow then east to Dunblane where we spent a couple of days with our friends Geordie McIntyre and Alison McMorland.
On Friday we toured Dunblane Abbey. This is a Norman era building "repurposed" during the Reformation and is currently Church of Scotland.
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| Regina took this photo. None of the other photos we took had an orb and we didn't see any in the church. |
Stirling Castle
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| We took the train down to Stirling and toured the castle. |
The great hall, the most important room in Scotland in its heyday, is just as we saw it six or eight years ago. At that time they were just getting ready to restore the royal apartments to the splendor of when they were new, in the reign of James III (1460-88).
The most outstanding feature of the King's Chamber is the ceiling of heads.
The heads are about 30" in diameter, carved in high relief from Polish oak. The colors are based on microscopic paint fragments found on the originals. The great weight of the ceiling caused it to collapse and the heads were in storage for a few centuries.
The Queen's Inner Chamber, Outer Chamber and Hall were also restored.
The tapestries are replicas of some found in France and currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The weavers are using traditional techniques of weaving and dying. They are working on the last panel, which may take two or three years to complete.
We had lunch at the Nickie Tams Pub, took the train home as far as Bridge of Allan then walked back to Dunblane via the Darn Road.....
which goes past Ben Gunn's Cave. Robert Louis Stevenson used to play in this cave as a boy. The road itself may date to Roman times.
This tree isn't that old, but it IS an impressive specimen.
As usual, the road home to Geordie & Ali's house leads past the Tappit Hen!
After a pint of Orkney Ale it was back to the house for a good supper and another good night's sleep.
Labels: alewife, Dunblane, Stirling Castle, tapestry
posted by Fred Gosbee at
2:11 PM
1 Comments:
I know it isn't polite, but I'm near cross-eyed with jealousy. All that glorious countryside and castle-keeking, and time with Geordie & Alison too? Ah, weel...Bless you anyway. And welcome HAME!
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