TRAVEL DIARY - STIRLING, SCOTLAND

STIRLING SCOTLAND:

Last week I was homesick and now I am home. So here I am again, anxious to blog after quite a few weeks and I was planning to share my travel diary from day 1 of my trip, but instead I thought about my most memorable experiences and places that have left me in a dreamy state, and quite frankly my body has returned but not my soul. Surrounded by Ben's and Lochs, beautiful music, art museums and amazing Castles, its everything I want from life. And my next blog is going to be about a magnificent castle in Stirling, not the only one but one of my most memorable,it was not just a castle but a history left behind, the architecture, the legacy that stands still in a haunting vacant space, up a mountain and away from everything, it still lives in it's own walls. Walking through vacant hallways, you can feel the past. Some say the castle is haunted and there are several stories about the Green Lady, The Highland Ghost and the Pink lady. As I didn't get a chance to witness any ghostly sightings, you will still feel like you are not alone ( aside from the tourists around you). So here it is, the most spectacular and one of the largest castles in Scotland.

                                        STIRLING CASTLE: RENAISSANCE

  By The way, is it just me, or do you see Orbs in my photograph!! Pretty exciting isn't it?

 Stirling Castle, one of the most famous and biggest, 250 feet above, sitting on an extinct volcano, surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, giving it a defensive position. There have been at least eight sieges at Stirling Castle, including the wars of Scottish Independence, the last one being in 1746. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned in Stirling Castle in 1542. Some People say her spirit still lingers in the hallways of the Castle.

The history of Stirling Castle is pretty long and brutal. There is a lot left behind in those walls, and that's what intrigued me the most. I would not want to bore my readers with a long history, so like they say you can "GOOGLE IT". I don't mean to be Ignorant but seriously the history is too long, not that I mind, but I am not sure if all my readers are into it. So I leave the decision on you.


                                                     THE NORTH WALL: 
Continue round the palace into the inner close. This was the main route into the palace. You will see sculptures line up the north wall. All the sculptures are designed to tell a story about James V's greatness and the benefits his reign would bring. The Palace was built for King James V and his second Queen, Mary of Guise, during the Renaissance time. 

                                               STATUES THAT GRACE THE CASTLE:

                                                                 

                                 DOORS, WINDOWS AND HALLS OF THE CASTLE:

                                                            VIEW FROM THE CASTLE:

And lastly Mel Gibson visited Stirling Castle in 1995. The Hollywood actor, who starred in and directed the film Braveheart, was here to attend the film’s premiere.