CASTLE AND THISTLE

Thursday, July 3^rd, our day began early in Perth with getting ready, eating, and catching a bus from Tesco to Edinburgh where we were going to spend the day.  We had a easy ride into Edinburgh and along the way saw gorgeous scenes of farms, hills, rivers, and lakes.  It took about 1.5 hours to get there.  We arrived at the city center bus station well before 10 and began a nice walk to the Castle at the top of the Royal Mile.  What a city, Edinburgh. It has a bit of a London feel because people are moving all about, traffic is a bit thick, and there are scads and scads of tall structures.  As soon as we exited the bus station on Princes Street, we were enticed to take pictures of nearly everything we saw. 

The views of the city are very striking.  The kids were quite enamored with all the tourist shops and wanted to stop at nearly every one we saw.  I was focused on getting us to the Castle as soon as possible, so that became the goal, and we walked pretty briskly that way and as we arrived at the Royal Mile (the road leading up to the castle), we noticed that the crowds were much thicker.  As we got closer to St. Giles Cathedral, we noticed lots of police, people dressed up in very fancy clothes—ladies with hats, men in suits and full dress kilts, roads blocked.  They were all going into St. Giles.  I thought it was a funeral and asked about it, and a local said, “No, it is not a funeral.  The queen is in town today and there is a service at St. Giles that she will attend.”  Are you kidding me!   I don’t get too wrapped up in all the royal hoopla, but I have to say that it was pretty cool to watch unfold right before our eyes. 

We got beyond the masses of people and actually got stopped before entering the gateway to the castle.  Just as we arrive we got to watch a kilt wearing regiment that was marching down to the church.  They were in full regalia and played music and were followed by a very distinguished group called the Royal Archers.  Awesome.  As soon as they passed, we dashed ahead to the castle, going through the stadium that is used for the August Tattoo festival, and into the castle gate ahead of the bigger crowds.  We got half off tickets and made it into the room to see the Scottish jewels just minutes before it all closed.  Talk about fortunate timing.  I chalk it all up to the providence of God.  We were absolutely in the right places at the right times.  After climbing a bunch of stairs, mom was about over it all.  But I am proud of her because she did it.  The castle was a real treasure.  

There were and are numerous overlooks to see nearly every side of Edinburgh.  The castle is steeped in history and lore.  There were a good many people there, but it was not overly crowded at all.  We all loved seeing the jewels, the crown, the royal scepter (this one didn’t contain the whopper of a diamond that is in the one at the Tower of London), and the “Stone of Destiny,” a large rock slab that used to be kept at Scone Palace in Perth.  It is used during the coronation service for a monarch.  We have learned a lot about the cultural importance of continuity since we have been here.  Since America is such a young country in comparison to Great Britain, I think there is something to be said for the importance of continuity. 

We took our time at the castle and enjoyed all the rooms and chambers.  We even saw an old apartment where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to a son, and we saw a royal eating hall, some old armor and weaponry, and some huge pieces of art (oil based portraits of Scottish royals).  One special portion of the grounds stood out to me: just beneath the oldest structure of the castle, a chapel of St. Margaret, a beautiful stone structure that could only hold about 25 people with the most gorgeous stained glass windows, was a plot of ground dedicated to the memory and service of the service dogs who worked with soldiers and military personnel.  The pet cemetery was a delightful surprise—so well manicured and definitely beloved by those who came across it.  After spotting it, we all enjoyed visiting the Margaret Chapel and considered that sacred stone space of worship perched high above the city one of the holier sites we had seen.

We made our way down the castle and out of the compound just as the Queen’s royal fanfare was breaking up.  Talk about timing!  We caught the band a bit more and then visited a large  tartan weaving shop and kilt maker.  We had fun looking through everything and even managed to find a Billie Kilt for Aubrey (Spirit of Scotland tartan) and one for Will (Black Watch tartan).  They were very excited for a reasonable price, and the quality of the fabric was much better than the other touristy shops.  Lisa and Neal enjoyed learning about the MacLeod clan of Skye (our family’s clan), along with Neal’s family clan on his dad’s side: the Weavers.  By now we were all hungry and Aubrey led us to a little pizza place for some food. 

We spent the afternoon enjoying street entertainers and the shops, but the highlight for me was seeing St. Giles Cathedral just after lunch.  That church is a gem of the U.K. but especially important for the Church of Scotland and Presbyterians all around the world.  It was John Knox’s church, and we saw a statue of him inside.  I had a few moments to wander around by myself, and I was nearly moved to tears by the beauty of the worship space—much like the splendor of Westminster Abbey in London.  The stone pulpit really took my breath away when I discovered that around the base of it were scenes from Jesus’ teaching late in Matthew: “I was hungry and you fed me…naked and you clothed me…in prison and you visited me…”  I couldn’t help but thinking how important it is for preaching to be grounded in the grace of that teaching.  I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to preach in that space.  The chairs were still in place from when the Queen was there, and it was all hard to take in. 

We gathered up the whole family at one point in the sanctuary and found our way into a small portion of the building called the Chapel of the Thistle.  This was amazing, a place of worship and meeting for a very select group commissioned by the crown as people of goodwill and service.  This is a place of knights of serve in the Order of the Thistle appointed by the Queen her self, and she had been there early that day to make knights of two new people!  There was a tour guide there who looked a bit like Mr. Bean, and he told us all about the knight’s swords, crests, symbols, and armor.  We learned about the importance of service to God, to our world, and to easing the suffering of others. 

We then headed to the Museum of Scotland, kind of like a smaller version of the Smithsonian.  It was all free, and it was much like the Museum in London just on a smaller scale.  We enjoyed our time there, but it was clear to me that the walking and the hills was taking a toll on the family.  We stopped for a snack in the atrium and enjoyed the sunlight coming through, the people passing by—especially the little children—and the ancient treasures.  The kids had taken about all the castles, churches, and museums they could stand and so we let them guide us back.  They loved wandering in trinket shops of every kind, and so we let them do so.  We had a bus to catch back at 7:10 to Perth, and so we took our time wandering back to the station and made our way into a very lively pub near the station for some refreshment before ride back.  The kids got sodas and loaded nachos, and we enjoyed a pint of beer and wine.  We were right in the throes of the after work crowd, and so lots of people were coming and going.  The bus ride home was uneventful, but we made it back with sore feet and happy hearts.  Mom’s knee was really bothering her, and so we got home and all grabbed food, and propped up our limbs and combed back through all we saw that day.  A great day in all aspects, a real dream come true for me as a pastor to see such a site of significant history.