This is one of the castles in Stirling...beautiful view, eh?

 

The Wallace Monument. Does Wallace look like Mel Gibson, or what?! Amy and I standing with a Scot, proudly wearing his family tartan kilt. 

Kate outside the girls "toilet."

 

On our way to Carbisdale Castle (a youth hostel), we stopped in Alness to have dinner with Kate's aunt. Kate described her as the definition of a jolly Scottish woman, and she was ("I'm with three girls who don't drink?! Good L**d! What's to be done?!") She is a storyteller by profession and has that captivating, lilting Scottish voice. She made us traditional kedgeree for dinner (codfish, rice, currants, and hard-boiled eggs in a fish-curry sauce) and told us a Scottish folktale. Very fun. 

Carbisdale Castle - the "haunted" Youth Hostel we spent Wednesday night. It was magnificent. Lots of art work. So fun! 

A sampling of some of the artwork inside the Castle.

 

A couple of the rooms inside the Carbisdale Castle...note the "stalagtite ceiling." :) Finished in 1917, it was an early experiment with electricity. Note also the plaid tartan carpet. It was all over Scotland!

Nessie! On Thursday, we headed up to Inverness to visit the infamous lair of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. (Un)Fortunately, this fabled terror popped out of Loch Ness long enough for Amy and Kate to get their picture taken with her! Below is the famous Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness. 

Only in Scotland! Goodbye!!

 

Back In London!

Amy left London on Saturday morning, the day after we arrived back from Scotland. For the next 3 days, Ted guided me around London. I am standing in front of the Queen Victoria Monument in the center picture. Buckingham Palace can be seen behind the Monument. The other photos are of things we saw while walking from the Palace to the National Gallery. Literally everyone we passed on the sidewalk seemed to be from a different country - speaking a different language, dressing differently, etc...it was amazing!

This is the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. It was my favorite museum! Although I appreciate modern art, I am more of a traditional art lover. This museum housed so many original texts it was staggering! I saw works by Reynolds, Monet, Manet, Valesquez, Van Gogh, Mattisse, van Eyck, David, Raphael, DaVinci, Turner, Degas, Michelangelo, Boticelli...all hard-hitters! It was sweet!

This is St. Martin-in-the-Fields, one of my favorite pit stops. When we opened the doors, an exsquisite soprano voice met us. Haydn glistened from the vaulted ceilings as a choir and orchestra rehearsed for a concert that evening. I could have listened forever. 

Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament

Sunshine in the Rain....

Ted and I rode up in the London Eye, which gave us an amazing view of London. I really enjoyed it.

 

This is Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. It has been around for centuries! People stand on their "soap box" (quite literally) and preach various ideas. One man expressed his Christian beliefs, another explained Islam, another promoted One World Federalism, another was a self-proclaimed Know-It-All. Very interesting! 

The British Museum is filled with artifacts and ancient relics. Above is the Rossetta Stone!

 

These are pictures of the University of Leicester in Leicester, England. It is a cute city and has a bit of breathing room! I visited to check out their Masters of Victorian Studies program.

Only in London!
[English yogurt, a London Underground station (the Tube), me in a red telephone booth, and Hula Hoops (a snack food)]

 

April 4 I said a sad goodbye to the UK and to Ted. It was a fantastic trip. I'll be back! Au Revoir!

Crusades Night!

Hail Lords and Ladies!
The Pleasure of Thy Company is requested for the Perusal of an Evening of History and Knightly Hospitality!
David (left) entertained the congregated throng with gripping tales of the Crusades. Authentic Food and Merriment were in Abundance!

My friend Thora and I thought it would be awesome to host a kickin' "intellectual" party where our friends could invite their friends and gather for some good, old-fashioned, medieval fun! I'd never been to, let alone planned, a gathering such as the one we envisioned, but we had a blast discovering our way! We knew Dave had an interest in the Crusades and he soon became an essential part in our scheming. He good-naturedly agreed to give a lecture on the Crusades, I sent out antiquey invitations (enclosed via wax seal!:), Thora provided the home, and we both planned the "authentic" food. It turned out great! Above is a picture of Dave teaching us in Thora's living room. Zach is modeling a costume and some of the weaponry Dave brought.

Some really awesome people even dressed up!! Beautiful Lady Rachel was a Royal Woman of England, while Eric represented the Muslims of Jerusalem. Luckily, there was no conflict and they united in harmony.

Les assistances interessees - Dave a fait un travail impressionnant!

People chillin' and eatin'. Among the dishes offered was "gyngerbred" - the ancestor of our more familiar gingerbread. It was made of dried bread crumbs, honey, and spices (including ginger). It was super sweet and somewhat sticky, but hey...it provided for a cultural experience. 

Eric brought me mangos from the Phillippines...mmm...yum.