Week 8

The weather in Scotland has been unseasonably warm for the past 10 days or so, nearly 60 degrees every day—“unheard of” as a local told me.  Everyone has been enjoying it by being outdoors as much as possible.  Our field trips and tours this week were all the more pleasant because of it, too.  For my class, we went to the Scottish Parliament and to Edinburgh Castle.  For a house trip, we ventured into England to see Alnwick Castle.  Enjoy the stories and photos!

Scottish Parliament:

On most Thursdays at noon, the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, answers questions from Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP).  We went this Thursday and were able to get tickets to sit in the gallery of the debating chamber.  The particulars of the questions and her answers were not always clear to us, but the pleasure or displeasure of the members was.  They either applauded by slapping their hands on their desks or grumbled loudly in response to something they didn’t like.  We have been following the local news so had some of our own opinions, too.  However, no noise from the gallery is allowed.  It was a fascinating interaction to watch.

The Parliament building is about 10 years old and provides a striking contrast to the 500 year old buildings in its neighborhood at one end of the Royal Mile.  The architect wanted to highlight features of the Scottish landscape as you can see it this image from its exterior:

   
Edinburgh Castle:

The first castle we saw this week, the Edinburgh Castle, sits atop volcanic rock at the other end of the Royal Mile from Parliament.  It has served as a fortress since the 12^th century, and the military still oversees the barracks and museums.  The multiple levels of the castle include military museums and memorials, a prison and a chapel, towers and cannon, and a palace with a great hall.  Tours and re-enactors engage visitors.  A very interesting place:

 

The Portcullis Gate

 

The GREAT Hall

 

Mary, Queen of Scots, teaching her courtiers how to properly enter the room.

She taught others, including me, how to dance : )

 

One of the prison cells

 

The bedroom where King James VI was born in 1566 (as noted on the wall)

The War Memorial in which names of those lost in battle are written in books

The memorial to the unknowns is striking as well

 

Here you can see how the castle is nestled in around the rock

Alnwick Castle:

First things first—this name may seem almost unpronounceable.  However, it’s one of those with silent letters that becomes simple.  An-ick. That’s it.

After a 2-hour drive south from Dalkeith, we arrived at Alnwick Castle and Gardens.  This is one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland that is open to the public from April to October when the family is living elsewhere.  It is more of the fairy-tale-type castle that many years ago stopped being a fortress and became primarily a residence.  And the residents clearly wanted a nice place to reside.  We joined a tour of the grounds led by a retired teacher who had lived there in the 1960s when the castle housed a teacher’s college. That section of the castle now houses students from St. Cloud State University who can do a semester abroad there.  We also toured part of the interior but weren’t allowed to take photographs inside (something about security for objects like the Van Dyck and Canaletto paintings and the Louis XIV furniture). 

 

The castle as we walked up to it, being photographed by my colleague from Kentucky, 

Jim McCoy and his wife Donna

On the inner bailey, you see a group of young knights approaching

         They practiced archery and sword fighting before going to look at the dungeon

 

The young ones also can learn to ride brooms and play quidditch,

like the characters in the first two Harry Potter movies that were filmed here

 

The Gardens at Alnwick Castle are spectacular--this Grand Cascade plus a fairy trail, 

rose garden, bamboo labyrinth, poison garden, ornamental garden, amazing trees and trails

As if all of the grandeur of the castle and gardens isn't enough, the town also has the most charming bookstore I have had the pleasure of getting lost in--Barter Books

 

It's in the old train depot and is reportedly the largest used bookstore in the UK

Note the quotations and the model train above the shelves

We bookish types hope that this bookstore is what heaven is like--and that we get to go there.  The town is lovely, too.  We quickly understood why Alnwick is regularly voted the nicest town in England.