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After having a nice "home-made" breakfast at the guest house, we then boarded our car to the next destination located near to Edinburgh.
Rosslyn Chapel
Located in the village of Roslin, approximately 7 miles south of Edinburgh, the Rosslyn Chapel was built between 1446 and 1484. Practically every surface of Rosslyn Chapel is covered with carvings of individual figures and scenes, thus it has been described as an "Architectural Wonder" and a "Library in Stone". This chapel probably made famous due to the movie The Da Vinci Code, which was based on Dan Brown's novel of the same name.
During our visit, the chapel was under extensive conservation (left photo below), and from the signage outside the chapel (right photo below), it will only be completed by end of 2011.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Also known as Holyrood Palace, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is located at the end of the Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
This palace has played an important role in Scotland's history ever since its foundation by King David I of Scotland nearly 900 years ago. Rebuilt by James V of Scotland, it was to become the home of his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, and the scene for many of the most dramatic and tragic events of her reign. Rebuilt again by Charles II after the Civil War, the palace becomes a showplace of baroque architecture and interior decoration. Now Queen Elizabeth II spends one week in residence at Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies.
First building we saw was the Queen's Gallery located outside of the main gate (photos below). It is an art gallery and forms part of the Palace of Holyroodhouse complex. It was opened in 2002 by Queen Elizabeth II, and exhibits works from the Royal Collection. It is open to the public daily.
We were totally disappointed that the Palace was closed during our visit (left photo below). And the reason was the visit by HRH Duke of Rothesay (right photo below). Don't know who is Duke of Rothesay? It is a title of the heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and its current holder is Prince Charles.
Security was tight during HRH's visit; as evidence from the number of security guards at the side gate (left photo below) and outside each palace door (right photo below).
Through the gates, we could only appreciate the exterior and the forecourt of the palace. The large stone fountain (right photo below) was installed in 1859 at the forecourt. The residence of Duke of Rothesay in the Palace was signified with the flying of Royal Standard flag of Scotland (left photo below) at the top of the building.
Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat (left photo below) is a hill rises at a height of 251-meters located in the centre of the Edinburgh city, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It is relatively easy to climb this hill with a gentle slope (right photo below).
This hill provides an excellent panoramic view of the city, including the aerial view of Holyrood Palace (photo below).
Located opposite Holyrood Palace, The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament. Construction began in Jun 1999 and the building only completed in Sep 2004.
The building design is abstract and contemporary (photos below), and has been widely criticized by the public. For example the series of "trigger panels" constructed out of timber or granite on the building façade is so abstract that it can represent anything from anvils, hairdryers, guns, question marks or even the hammer and sickle.
Since we didn't get to visit the Holyrood Palace, we had some time to visit this parliament. After some security screenings, we were inside the exhibition area. The exhibit includes the wishes from the then Prime Minister Tony Blair on Scotland Act in 1998 (left photo below), and an example of Royal Assent (right photo below).
Scottish Parliament is made up of various parties and usually seated in groups inside the Debating Chamber (left photo below). The Debating Chamber (right photo below) is where the meetings of the full Parliament are held.
Calton Hill
Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh just to the east of the New Town. The hill also includes several iconic monuments and buildings, such as the National Monument, Nelson's Monument, the Dugald Stewart Monument, the New Parliament House (the Royal High School), the Robert Burns Monument, the Political Martyrs' Monument and the City Observatory.
Built between 1807 and 1815, the Nelson Monument (photos below) is to commemorate Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and his own death at the same battle. The monument is 32-metres high, and has 143 steps leading to a public viewing gallery.
Construction started in 1826, the National Monument (photos below) is notable for being only partially completed. It is modeled upon the Parthenon in Athens, however due to the use of high-quality materials, the project ended in 1829 with funds running out.
The Dugald Stewart Monument (photos below) is a memorial to the Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart (1753 – 1828). It is situated on top of Calton Hill, overlooking Edinburgh city centre. The monument was built in 1831 and modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, Greece.
Lunch from Petrol Station
Calton Hill was our last sight in Edinburgh. Next we drove further up to Stirling and along the way we bought our lunch at one of the petrol stations while topping up our car fuel.
There was this sandwich promotion, thus we selected our choice sandwich, and took a bottle drink and a pack of chips which cost £ 3.99 in total. Here're just two of the sandwich meals we took (photos below). As we were rushing for time, sandwich is thus the ideal meal to settle our lunch.
Stirling Castle
We reached Stirling Castle at about 3 pm. Located in Stirling, Stirling Castle (photos below) is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland.
The gatehouse (left photo below) provides entry from the outer defenses to the castle proper and was probably completed around 1506 duing the time of King James IV. It originally formed part of a Forework, extending as a curtain wall (right photo below) across the whole width of Castle Hill.
Soon after the outer close, there is a hanging bridge (left photo below) that connects the Great Hall to the Palace. After passing through underneath the bridge, we came into the inner close where the Regimental Museum (King's Old Building) and the Chapel Royal are located (right photo below).
Built by James IV in 1497, the Great Hall (left photo below) is the largest in Scotland measuring 42 by 14.25-meters. There are five fireplaces inside the hall and display where the former kings would seat (right photo below). The Hall was built with Renaissance details within a conventional medieval plan, such as the intersecting tracery on the windows (bottom photos).
The Chapel Royal (left photo below) was where Queen Mary was crowned in 1543. The building was rebuilt as a suitable venue for the royal christening in 1595. The wall paintings (right photo below) were rediscovered in the 1930s, and restoration began soon after the Second World War.
Fine tapestries (photos below) were displayed inside the Chapel Royal, together with the carved wooden roundels (bottom photos) that were once decorated on the ceiling of the palace halls. The tapestries are reconstructed and woven by hand using techniques dating back to the 1400s.
The Great Kitchens used to be the busiest place for kitchen stuff to prepare food and drink for royal banquet. Located close to the Great Hall, the Great Kitchens were a large suite of basement rooms where food was prepared and cooked, ale was brewed, wine was stored and bread was baked. Now the bustling scene is created with life-like figures and food (photos below).
Located at the northern side of the castle, the Nether Bailey (left photo below) contains defensive walls, former guard house and gunpowder stores. Now the Tapestry Studio (right photo below) is located at the area.
A statue of Robert the Bruce (left photo below) is located on the castle esplanade, outside the main entrance. Robert the Bruce (11 Jul 1274 – 7 Jun 1329) was King of Scots from 25 March 1306, until his death in 1329 (right photo below). Needless to say, he played an important role in the history of Stirling Castle.
We left the castle at about 6 pm.
Opening hours of the castle from 0930 to 1800 hours (Apr to Sep) or 0930 to 1700 hours (Oct to Mar). Do note that last ticket is sold 45-mins before closing. Admission ticket is £ 9 per adult.
Wallace Monument
Wallace Monument (left photo below), also known as National Wallace Monument, is a tower to commemorate Sir William Wallace who was a 13th century Scottish hero for the independence of Scotland against England. If you have watched the movie Braveheart, perhaps William Wallace might be a familiar character who was portrayed by Mel Gibson.
At the foot of the hill has the display board detailing the admission and opening hours of the monument (right photo below).
Visitors have to climb up the hill in order to reach the monument (left photo below). Completed in 1869 at a cost of £18,000, the monument measures 67-metres and it takes 246 steps of spiral staircase to reach the viewing gallery inside the monument's crown (right photo below). Standing at a corner of the monument is the statue of William Wallace (bottom left photo), while other parts of the tower are decorated extensively with relief (bottom right photo).
Opening hours of the monument varies from 1000 to 1700 hours (Apr to Jun), 1000 to 1800 hours (Jul to Aug), 1000 to 1700 hours (Sep to Oct) or 1030 to 1600 hours (Nov to Mar). Do note that last ticket is sold 45-mins before closing. Admission ticket is £ 7.50 per adult.
We didn't visit the exhibition inside this monument as it was already closed when we arrived there.
Ochil Hills and Forth Valley
Extensive landscape of Ochil Hills and Forth Valley (photos below) can be viewed from the Stirling Castle or from the Wallace Monument. The shady sky with occasional ray of lights makes the sceneries even more charming.
Inverness City
We left Stirling and continued to drive up to the Scottish Highlands. Reached Inverness at about 9 pm. After check-in to our next lodging: Hawthorn Lodge Guest House, we decided to head towards the city centre for our dinner.
Found some parking lots in front of Inverness Train Station (photos below). Probably it was due to the day light that only when the sky was turning dark, then we felt hungry. And amazingly we didn't realize that it had already passed 9 pm !
We walked along Academy street (photos below) to hunt for a decent restaurant but only could find this Chinese take-away store: Hong Kong Kitchen (bottom left photo). Ordered a seafood fried rice for myself (bottom right photo). Can't remember the exact price for this dinner but the taste was satisfying especially after eating Swiss food for more than 3 months.
We had our dinner inside the hotel room, after which had a good rest at the Hawthorn Lodge.