Stirling

I'm catching up on some posts and thought to share some pictures of a little adventure we had during the first week we were here. While we were staying with Joe's advisor, we decided to take a short trip to Stirling, a little city not too far from Edinburgh. We enjoyed a short train ride and were all geared up to spend the afternoon reading in a cafe. Joe had woken up sick and with a big week ahead of us, we figured we would lay low and rest up. Funny how things never work out the way you plan!

A view of Stirling, from the William Wallace Monument

Turns out Stirling is a happening place! Home to Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument, there is a host of historical, and touristy, things to do. There were also a number of very pretty buildings and small gardens.

This is the gate to the Stirling Municipal Building (SMB). I really like all these old wrought-iron gates but this one has been my favorite so far.

Honestly, I can't remember what this building was, but I like the way it looks.
A pretty little church on the edge of Stirling.
A bridge on the way to the monument:

Joe, being the Braveheart fan that he is (and me being the ever-supportive wife) decided to head on up (and I do mean up) to the William Wallace Monument. Since you can see if from all over the city, it seemed close enough, an easy jaunt to the base where we would surely catch a shuttle to the top. Funny how things never work out the way you plan!

The William Wallace Monument, from a distance:

A little zoomed in:

The William Wallace Monument is a good ways away. Seriously. We probably walked for about 75 minutes before we got to the "base" (half way up a mountain) where we learned that the "last" shuttle headed out just before we got there (two more shuttles left after that). So, we hiked on up the last bit to the monument.

The tower

The front entrance:

William Wallace, I assume:
Two weary travelers:

There were some pretty amazing views from the top and the outside of the monument was impressive, so it was worth the long trek. Unfortunately, we were too late to climb to the top of the tower but we are looking forward to making the trip again, perhaps when some fellow Braveheart fans comes for a visit!