Stirling

What a beautiful town Stirling is.

Stirling Castle, located at the very top of the hill (with a gorgeous view of the surrounding greenery), was such an impressive castle. It was the only castle we visited that was fully furnished with the tapestries and furniture from its time. Workers wore costumes from the era and exchanged stories for us to listen to as we sat and marveled at the artwork that filled every square inch of the interior.

The entry room where the owner met his guests was most impressive and intentional in its decor. The high ceiling was decorated with painted wooden plaques carved to resemble all the faces of those noteworthy and strong. The idea was to associate himself with a higher authority to establish his own power.

Not only that, but the walls were covered in tapestries. One series of tapestries in particular were the Unicorn ones, where the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is represented through the journey of the Unicorn. (The Unicorn is also Scotland's national animal).

Just outside of the castle is a cemetery with plaques dating hundreds of years back. I'm always amazed at the intricacies in the headstones.

My only regret: I wish I had gotten a picture of this one man who sang to us as we exited the bus. He wore a kilt and had white hair and the bluest, brightest eyes. For a shilling, he sang a beautiful traditional song of Scotland.

Stirling is definitely on the list of places to revisit.