Castles in the Sky

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye worthy o' a grace

As lang's my arm.

- Robert Burns, Address to a Haggis

Doune Castle. Monty Python fans, if you don't recognize this place, I shall taunt you a second time. Photo KAH

It's almost a cliche, but our tour of Scotland has been defined by castles.

We left London on an early train to Edinburgh. It was a clear, sunny day in England, so of course we were leaving. I was excited to have a stop in Rugby, birthplace of the only game that matters (Link: Give Blood, Play Rugby), though we weren't there long enough to disembark. We had a brief lay-over in Preston, then it was on to Scotland. Watching the countryside roll by through the windows, the scenery was so much like New Zealand that we felt instantly at home. In Preston, we were joined by a boisterous group of Scots returning from holiday. As we got deeper into Scotland, the sky got more grey and dreary, and the Scots’ accents got thicker. We knew we were close to Edinburgh when we heard English language words but couldn't understand a thing they were saying.

Edinburgh is the end of the European portion of our travels. It is also very near to Stirling, home of a good friend. Tip and I played rugby together in Galveston TX, drank together almost everywhere, and even lived together for about a year when I first got into med school and had no money and nowhere to live. When I was racing triathlons, it was Tip who became my training partner, my coach, and who showed me how to win races. He left the US 14 years ago, chasing opportunities first in Birmingham (England), and now in Stirling. He had to be in Cologne on the day we would arrive to Edinburgh, so we made plans to spend our last few days with him on his return. But first, we needed a place to stay for one night in Edinburgh.

Rugby and Preston stations. Photos RGH

Throughout our trip, Kari did her usual amazing job finding us cool, unique, and fun places to stay. Our accommodations have included a traditional Japanese ryokan, a classic Dutch canal-side 3rd floor apartment, a street level apartment in a gritty area of Berlin, a Monastery in Prague, a funky modern hotel in Munich, and perfect apartments in the heart of it all in both Lyon and Paris. Each place has been in an interesting neighbourhood convenient for exploring the cities we visited. Having an apartment has given us room to spread out, kitchen facilities for preparing breakfast and snacks, and a way to experience our trip as locals might. It has invariably been cheaper than staying in hotels. Knowing we would be in Scotland, though, I wanted to stay in a castle. Kari set about looking for a castle-stay, but even 2-3 months out, everything was booked. She put us on some waiting lists and we hoped. She finally found a room at Dalhousie Castle, a place way more posh than we were hoping for. She also booked dinner in their dungeon restaurant.

Simon of Ramsay constructed the first castle at Dalwolsey, overlooking the River Esk, some time after 1140. The current construction dates to the 17th century. The castle has quite a distinguished history. King Edward I (Longshanks) stayed there en route to fight Sir William Wallace (more on him later) at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. In 1400, Sir Alexander Ramsay withstood a 6 month siege at Dalhousie by King Henry IV. At the time of its sale in 1977, Dalhousie Castle had been retained by the same family for over 800 years, longer than any other castle in Scotland. On 27 Sept 2017, in our minds, it became a little more famous ...

Dalhousie Castle, Bonnyrigg. Photos RGH

  

Dinner in the dungeon was amazing. Photos RGH/KAH

  

In the evening, we retired to the library for drinks. Photos RGH/KAH

  

  

  

Unfortunately, we did not have time for the sport of kings. Photos RGH

Edinburgh Castle sits high atop Castle Rock, overlooking the city. The exact dates during which a fortified site was first established there is unclear, however there is evidence of continuous human habitation at the site since at least the 2nd century. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the 12th century and it was one of the most important Scottish strongholds through the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296-1357) and the Jacobite uprising (1745). It lays claim to the title of "The most besieged place in Great Britain" having withstood 26 sieges in its 1100 year-old history. Many of the sites we have been to have had self-guided audio tours, either free or for a nominal fee. Edinburgh Castle was no exception. We have really been impressed with the quality of the tours and information therein. We wanted to do a whisky tasting before leaving Edinburgh, but the day was drawing late and we still had a train ride to Stirling ahead of us.

  

Edinburgh Castle. Photos RGH/KAH

On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated a much larger English force on the banks of the River Forth, near Stirling. It was a battle that showed infantry can defeat cavalry (in certain circumstances) and was a turning point in the Wars for Scottish Independence. As Tip explained it, "Moray died of his wounds, and William Wallace lived. That's why Wallace is famous and Moray is not." Wallace went on to lead a destructive raid into England, and in 1298 was declared the Guardian of Scotland until he was defeated that same year at the Battle of Falkirk. He was betrayed, captured, hanged, drawn, and quartered in 1305 (despite what Hollywood would have you believe ... Freedom!) and his tarred head was placed on a pike on London Bridge. The Wallace Monument sits on the promontory from which he led his offensive, and Stirling Castle sits on the ridge opposite. Today, the fields between these sites feature an extensive rugby facility where battles of a different sort are waged.

Tip welcomed us to Stirling, then took us to his local pub for Scottish beer and a pub dinner. The next day, he showed us the campus of Stirling University, took us to Doune Castle, and drove us through several towns and villages. We ended the day with a wee hike to the Atlantic Wall and the Wallace Stones. Along the way, he regaled us with tales of the Picts, the Gaels, and the Scots. He spoke of historic battles and the Jacobite conspiracies. His intimate knowledge of the places, names, and dates was impressive. Tip and I had one last ramble in the muirs early the next morning. The wind was blowing hard, the sky dark and lowering, and the tall grasses moved like waves. It was about as perfect a Scottish experience as I could have imagined ... except maybe if I had been wearing a great kilt (though it would have been a wee bit drafty).

Stirling Bridge. Photos RGH

  

Making Monty Python proud at Doune Castle. Photos RGH/KAH

  

Village views. Photos RGH

Tip and his dog Riever in their native habitat. Photos RGH

This is the end for our tour of the unfamiliar. Everywhere we have been up to this point has been new to us, with new adventures, and new experiences. As I sit and write this post, we are winging our way across the Atlantic Ocean on our way to to the US. We will have two days in NYC, then continue to visit with old friends as we make our way down the east coast, and eventually return to Myrtle Beach. We have certainly enjoyed the ride.

Watch out for hairy coos ...

Rule, Brittania!

London calling, yes, I was there, too

An' you know they said?

Well, some of it was true!

London calling at the top of the dial

And after all this, won't you give me a smile

- The Clash, London Calling

The River Thames in Chelsea. Photo RGH

London was not initially in our plans. It's a big city with lots to do and see, we have friends here we would want to visit, and we knew that we would want to spend several days there. It was, however, a necessary transfer point when getting from Paris to Edinburgh. When I mentioned our travel plans to a friend from my days growing up in Canada, he told me he was living in London while working in Paris and Amsterdam. We hoped to catch up with him in one of those cities during our tour, and it so happened that he would be at home the day we were passing through London. We ended up staying with him and his family; unfortunately, our stay would be brief ... a half day and overnight. We dropped our bags, stopped for a short visit, and headed out to explore.

We had a Sandemans tour scheduled, but missed it by 10 minutes. We re-grouped, ate lunch, and decided to improvise. Kari had friends visiting London, so we made plans to meet up with them. They gave us an abbreviated tour of the area surrounding Parliament and Westminster Abbey, then treated us to a Thames River cruise. We disembarked from the boat at the Tower of London. I've tried before to get on a tour of the tower, but never seem to have enough time. This visit marked the 3rd time I have stood outside the gates without going inside. I guess I will have to try for a 4th time.

  

  

  

Scenes from London. Photos RGH

We spent a great night telling stories, laughing, and making fun of siblings who were not there (Here's looking at you, David). On this trip, Kari has met a number of friends I have known for 20+ years and says that she has had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs meeting and hanging out with everybody. Little H even conceded that I have some cool friends (though she still won't admit that I am pretty cool, too).

It is through the kindness and generosity of friends that our lives are enriched. This has been true for us at home in the US, during our year in NZ, and especially true on our journey home. We started out visiting friends in Japan (Link: Konnichiwa!), then spent two weeks on our own. The last week of our trip will be a string of visits with friends in London, Edinburgh/Stirling, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Delaware. We will be back in the US in 3 days and sleeping in our own beds in less than 2 weeks. It's been a heck of a ride.

It's lit, mate ...

We'll Always Have Paris

Sous le ciel de Paris

Coule un fleuve joyeux

Il endort dans la nuit 

Les clochards et les geux

- Hubert Giraud, Sous le Ciel de Paris

Bonsoir a Paris. Photo RGH

Ever since she was a very little girl, maybe 5 or 6 years old, Little H has dreamed of Paris. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she would reply that she wanted to go to New York or Paris. Wouldn't we all? For her 7th or 8th birthday, she had a Paris-themed party with faux mustaches, Eiffel Tower party favours, and a painting party at which everyone got to paint their own version of la tour Eiffel. When she finally saw the Eiffel Tower in person, she wept. For real ... actual tears streaming down her cheeks.

Little H's birthday always seems to fall on the first week-end of Spring Break, so travelling is not completely out of the question. For her 9th birthday, we did go to New York, a city I hated but have grown to love. We went for Spring Break, but we met friends there and had a birthday celebration at Ellen's Stardust Diner, and thus started a tradition. The following year, we went to San Francisco. Now, finally, we are in Paris. It isn't April in Paris, but it is magical. Unfortunately, the theme of our tour continues ... a brief stop, then moving on.

We only had 2 1/2 days and three nights in la Ville-Lumiere, so we each had to decide what was most important to us. For me, I hoped to see Notre-Dame de Paris and the Louvre. Little H wanted to eat French crepes and macarons, accomplished in Lyon but to be repeated in Paris, and la tour Eiffel. Kari chose L'Arc de Triomphe and Jim Morrison's grave. Our apartment was in the septieme arrondissement de Paris (Palais-Bourbon), just steps from the river Seine and about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower. We arrived into Paris the first night with plenty of time to explore our neighbourhood and walk along the river at a leisurely pace. Kari and Little H rode the carousel at the tower entrance, and we took photos from every conceivable angle, waiting for the light to be just right. We closed out our first night in Paris with an amazing Italian meal in a tiny little restaurant, then had one more look at the tower before turning for home.

  

  

Le 7e arrondissement de Paris. Photos RGH

The Louvre Palace was originally built in the 1100s and remnants of that first structure still exist today. Additional construction eventually led to it becoming the residence of French kings in 1546. After multiple expansions and renovations, its current form was completed sometime around 1682, at which time Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence and construction slowed. It was converted for the display of art and artifacts in 1750 and officially opened as a museum in 1793. Almost 1000 years of history and construction has resulted in a building, grounds, and art collection on an enormity of scale that I can't describe and that pictures do not adequately capture.

Friends and guidebooks said that you can spend weeks going through all of the galleries and exploring the collection. We had a few hours. My preference was to explore the statuary and carvings. My mother wanted to see the paintings, and Kari wanted to see the Mona Lisa. I was out-voted, so we concentrated our time in the galleries for French and European paintings.

The Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries. Photos RGH/Little H

  

Some of these might be familiar. Photos RGH

The cornerstone for Notre Dame de Paris was laid in 1163 under the reign of Louis VII and continued for another 182 years with construction being completed in 1345. During the 854 years of its existence, the cathedral has undergone multiple changes and reconstructions. It was desecrated by the Huguenots in 1548, "modernized" by Louis the XIV and Louis XV, plundered and destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, and underwent its most recent restoration beginning in 1991. Visiting the cathedral was on our "must do" list while in Paris. We had wanted to climb the towers. Unfortunately, they were closed the day we were there. The cathedral itself was impressive, though we found the atmosphere inside very dark, cold, and foreboding. Visiting Notre Dame de Paris was a "must do", but we all agreed that the cathedrals we visited in Prague (Link: From Prague With Love) and Lyon (Link: Vive La France!) were more awe-inspiring.

  

  

Notre Dame de Paris. Photos RGH/KAH

We bought a Turbo Pass for Paris that allowed us free admission, and sometimes an express line (no waiting!) to dozens of museums and attractions. The plan was to hit several sites each day, but getting up early and moving right away was becoming less and less attractive. Each day of our tour, we have been getting a later start than the one before. By the time we made it to Paris, we were definitely sleeping in. That, and no Sandemans walking tours scheduled (this made Little H very happy). As such, we couldn't pack as much into each day as we had hoped. We did manage to get into the Pere Lachaise Cemetery at closing to search for Jim Morrison's tomb. Kari had heard or read that it was difficult to find, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Even surrounded by a fence and covered in flowers, it took some searching. We finally found it tucked in behind much larger tombs. After lighting Kari's fire, we enjoyed a quiet stroll on our way to the exit gate.

  

  

Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Photos RGH

At 2.5 days and three nights, Paris was our longest stopover for the entire tour. We were enjoying the 'luxury" of not having to pack up and move on. We splurged on dinner at an upscale restaurant, then spent some time wandering the neighbourhood at night. The next morning, we started late again and strolled through the streets and stalls of Rue Cler. We took a cruise along the River Seine, then climbed to the top of L'Arc de Triomphe. We finished the day at an international food and music festival, then it was home and getting ready for an early morning train ride to London.

  

Night wanderings. Photos RGH

Rue Claire. Photos RGH

  

The River Seine. Photos RGH

  

  

Scenes from L'Arc de Triomphe. Photos RGH/KAH

Paris is the "City of Lights" and it certainly lived up to its name when we were out and wandering at night. It was amazing to step out the door of our apartment, onto the street, and see the Eiffel Tower lit up against a backdrop of historic buildings and monuments. I was surprised at how much I liked this city, despite its sprawling enormity and immense crowds. It's a city that we will return to again and again.

Here's looking at you, kid.