Edinburgh Castle

In honor of St. Andrew's Day, Edinburgh opened it's doors (free of charge) to some of the city's main attractions. On Saturday, Joe and I (accompanied by some sweet friends) braved the cold and wind and toured the Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle is a pretty magnificent structure. You can see it from various parts of the city, and it sits high on a hill right in the heart of Edinburgh. It seems large and imposing from any vantage point, but there is no way to appreciat the magnitude of this structure unitl you are actually inside the walls.

There are many "secrets" about the castle, but one more obvious fact is that it is built into the rock formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.



The locattion of the castle seems pretty ideal, in terms of it's original purpose as a defensive structure. From the walls of the castle (which are lined with canons) you can see far and wide. It was a pretty foggy day, so our view was a bit marred. On a clear day, you would be able to see the Firth of Forth, all the way into Fife.

The original chapel, on the grounds, dates back to the early 12th century when the future King David had it built. It is known as St. Margaret's Chapel, after Margaret the wife of King Malcolm III. Legend has it that she worshipped here, though if the dating of the chapel is correct, that wouldn't be possible. Regardless, it is a small, quiet, charming place of worship.

A stained glass window at the Chapel (of William Wallace)

The castle also houses the canon, Mon's Meg. It was built in 1449 and arrived at the castle in 1457. Apparently, it was fired on the day that Mary, Queen of Scots, was married.

Mon's Meg

Although the castle was built for defensive purposes, there is, on the castle grounds, a Royal Palace (the residence of royals or nobles). It was in the Royal Apartments that Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to her son, James, who later became the King of England and Scotland.

The Great Hall

The castle is now home to several museums and memorials, housed in various (original) buildings. This was once a large church (cathedral?) and is now the Scottish National War Memorial.

There were several interesting exhibits where photography was not permitted. Among them, is a room containing the Honours of Scotland, or Crown Jewels, including the crown, sceptre, and sword. It also contains the Stone of Destiny, which is still used in coronations today.

We didn't make it to everything, but it was a great first visit. Here's a picture of our little group, before heading out. The moon rising at the East entrance of the Castle, at the top of the Royal Mile