No pictures available yet for this blog. Camera is still very dead. I will be getting a new one for our trip to Seattle in September as soon as we get home.

We got up at 7:30 and had breakfast at 8:00 . The Balloch House Hotel just has a continental breakfast. So we had cereal, pastries, juice and tea which was a welcome change from the big breakfasts we have been having. We were on the road about 9:00 headed for Doune (dune) Castle which has been used in filming many movies and TV shows including Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Game of Thrones pilot and is Castle Leoch in the Outlander series. It rained almost the whole way there so we couldn't see the Trossach Mountains very well. We reached Doune just about 9:30 for opening time. The rain was very light and not a hindrance at all.

When we bought our tickets we got a three day pass that will get us into Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle at a reduced rate. With the ticket came a narration on the castle and the filming of Monty Python by Terry Jones from the cast. It was probably the best narrated and funniest guide we have ever Iistened to on a tour. First he would tell us the background information on the castle itself . If you pushed the green button again he would add how that location was used in the film. By the time we had finished the inside of the castle, which was pretty small as castles go, it had stopped raining.

Our next stop was Stirling Castle in Stirling. It was up on a high bluff at the top of the city. When we got to the parking lot it was full, so we went and parked in a city lot about 1/2 mile down the hill which meant a steep walk up the hill. Stirling Castle is huge with many areas to see. This is the castle where most of the Scottish kings and queens lived including Mary Queen of Scots. We first looked at Queen Ann's Garden which gave us a good view of the castle before going through the second gate. From this garden we could look down on the king's and the queen's knot gardens. All that is visible are the contours as they have not been restored yet. The whole castle is in the process of restoration as it was used as a military base until the 1960s. Beside the garden was an exhibit that gave a brief history of Scottish history and the kings and queens . It was very well done.

Then we went into the castle proper and had a hard time deciding what to do first. We decided that since it wasn't raining we would walk the inner wall first. There was an outer wall too but we didn't have time to do everything and still arrive in Edinburgh by mid-afternoon. From the wall we could see how strategically placed the castle is. While Larry and Erin were still walking the wall, I went to the Great Kitchens where life sized dioramas were set up in three huge kitchens. Then we went through the great hall where Larry and I sat in the throne chairs as if we were king and queen of the castle. Next we went through the palace section which was beautifully restored in room after amazing room. There were also people dressed in period costumes in several of the rooms who were informing us on history and everyday life in the castle. We briefly went into the Military Museum and then decided to leave as it was an hour later than we had paid to stay in the car park . There were still several things to see but I think we saw the main things. We had a quick snack at the Unicorn Cafe at the castle. We all had shortbread, Larry had another pastry, Erin had a scone and I had yogurt with berries and granola. Erin had an Irn Bru, I had a raspberry drink, and Larry had Earl Grey tea. Then we walked quickly down to our car, but did not have a parking ticket.

We stopped on our way out of Stirling to take pictures of the castle from below. Before long we were pulling into the Car Rental Area at the Airport and turned in our car. We went and got tickets for the tram into Edinburgh. We won't need a car in the city. It took about 1/2 hour to get to our stop on Princes Street. We walked the two blocks to The Old Waverly Hotel also on Princes Street. Right now the Military Tattoo and the Fringe Festival are on in Edinburgh and the streets are filled with people, booths and entertainment on every street corner. We got checked in and to our room which is at the back of the hotel next to a construction site, very noisy during the day . I am writing this the next morning and they started at 7:00. Our room is large and very nice but we have to go down about 8 stairs to get into it.

We rested for a little bit and then decided to go out a soak up some of the energy and atmosphere of the Fringe Festival. We walked along Princes Park and partway up the hill. We saw all kinds of vendors and street performers. Then we decided we should eat something before heading to the Tattoo. We went to Rose Street, a pedestrian street behind our hotel. We found a nice pub, The Rose Street Brewery, and went upstairs where it was quiet. The street was full of people and all the eating establishments had outdoor cafe full of people. It was a good thing we went inside because when we came out it was drizzling and no one was sitting out in the open. I had a raspberry and lime cider from Sweden. Larry and Erin had Belhaven's Best Beer. We all three had the sausages and mash with peas and a small Yorkshire Pudding . It was delicious sausage and the gravy was also good.

Then we went back to the hotel and got ready for the Tattoo. We put on layers of clothes and waterproof outer layer. By the time we left the rain had stopped and the sky was clearing. We have been so lucky with the weather. We walked across the North Bridge Street Bridge and up the Miracle Mile toward the castle, again many vendors and street performers with the street being mostly blocked to traffic. When we were still quite a distance from the castle where the Tattoo takes place we saw a huge, I mean huge, queue of people. We had to walk around the corner and down the street to get into the queue. It turned out that the long line was to check our bags. While we waited in line Erin bought a program. Luckily Larry and I didn't have a bag and Erin was a plastic see-through bag. Once we were through there people were moving quickly. We rented seat cushions for a pound and Erin bought the CD.

We were in our seats plenty early so we watched people come in . The VIPs were escorted in by a man in a tux and carrying some kind of silver wand. They are the ones who sat in the good seats in the end facing the castle. We were just around the corner in section 12 row Q. While we waited a man came on the loud speaker and started welcoming individual people who were there from all over the world. He named people with birthdays and anniversaries. At one point everyone sang Happy Birthday to those with birthdays. When it got closer to show time, he mentioned all the countries people might be from and if there was someone there from that country they would cheer. I think the US and Canada were the biggest contingents with Australia and New Zealand not far behind, and of course England, Scotland and Wales were well represented. I can't begin to describe for you the program entitled East Meets West. It celebrated many events from World Wars I and II. There were military bands, pipe bands, drill teams, drum corps and dancers from all over the world. From the US there was the Air Force Honor Guard drill team from DC and the Drum and Pipe Band from the Citadel in Charleston, SC which we had visited in April . There were Highland Dancers and dancers from China who did the Dragon Dance and dancers from Bollywood in India and swing dancers during the Battle of Britain segment. There was a Fiddle Corp from the Shetland Islands and Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland. In addition to the music the castle was lit up with different scenes while each act was performing. At the end they all came into the parade ground and played together. We all sang Auld Lang Syne, a Scottish song, while holding hands with our arms crossed. It was a very moving experience all the way through. It ended with the Lone Piper up on the Castle walls and then all the Pipe Bands Playing Scotland the Brave, you would know it if you heard it. They were the last to leave the stadium. We all sat in our seats while the bands cleared out of the way as there is only one way out, down the street we came in. People were very orderly and patient getting out as it took a while. We went down the street and took the first left we could to walk back to our hotel. What a day!