Sruighlea (Stirling)

At around 2:30 I climbed on the metro with a stuffed backpack to head to Scotland. After a few stops, I arrived in Kings Cross. This place was bustling with activity; in addition to the travelers, construction was underway here as well. Many public transportation hubs are under construction in preparation of the 2012 Games, so train stations and metro stops are undergoing heavy-duty reconstruction.

After boarding the train, it didn't take long for us to slowly pull away from the station, picking up speed as we dashed through the countryside. Unfortuanately, some person had been hit by an earlier train, so there were delays throughout our area. This was worrisome because I had a second train connection to make, and didn't know how long I would have to wait if I missed it.

Scotland is the top third of the Isle of Britain, but holds a very small portion of the UK's population.

Geographically it has always been distinguished by two areas, the Highlands and Lowlands. The Lowlands are in the southern area of Scotland, and are flatter. The Highlands covers the northern half of this country, filled with wild rocky mountains. The Highlands has been very rural for thousands of years, but it's people are tough and hearty. Historically, they usually stayed within seperate tribes, otherwise known as clans. Some of you might be able to recognize your historical clan by your last name; names like MacDonald means "son of," so you would be a son of the Donald clan. The Highlands are also home to many of the objects we consider to be quintessentially Scottish:, such as tartan patterns, the kilt, and the bagpipe.

Scottish history is one that filled with courage and bravery in the name of freedom. Some of it's earliest history comes from a foreign empire, of Rome. As the Roman Legions swept through Europe, they found that these northernmost regions were inhabited by a people so fierce that they could not be conquered. According to writings from these times, these people, called the Picts, would coat themselves with blue dye from a special plant, called woad. This coating actually had medical properties, helping blood congeal faster over fresh wounds. This gave way to a truly unique style of fighting; going to war completely buck naked, while the woad was used to paint mystical tattoos that gave it's wearer powers. One can almost picture the look on a Romans soldiers face as the rocky hills of the Highlands were covered with these wild people, completely naked but covered with blue tattoos as they screamed towards battle. This is actually the setting that the recent film The Eagle takes place in. The Romans eventaully built Hadrian's Wall between their territory and these untamed land, and subsequently forgot about them.

Eventaully with the rise of their Anglo-Saxon neighbors to the south, they were technically controlled by the English by 1289, but to use the term "controlled" is to use it in a loose context. Scots were born to be free, and oftentimes rebelled against their English masters. The most famous of these rebels in undoubtably William Wallace. As a teen, his father and brothers were killed in a rebellion against the English. As he became older, he married a woman named Marion. However, one day she was killed by an English sheriff, and Wallace, in a rage, killed every British soldier in the town. Inspiring his fellow countrymen, Wallace led the Scots to victory in several battles against the better-equipped British, but this tale ends in tragedy. After the Battle of Falkirk, Wallace's forces were devastated, and he resigned, going on the lam for six years until he was captured, and later executed. Although his death was meant to inspire fear in any would-be followers, his fighting spirit led to continue their valiant crusade.

Armed rebellions would continue on in several centuries before it ended with the Battle of Cullodeen field in 1746. However, Scotland today is still fighting for it's independence in the poltical battlefield. Recently, they have obtained some level of self-rule, and are beginning to move towards asking for independence. They even have been able to start printing pounds in a Scottish design, and have begun setting up schools to teach Gaelic, their native tounge. Although it may take a long time, I feel pretty confident these people will one day earn their liberty, and all along the train ride, I could see the Scottish flags blowing in the wind.

You've actually seen the Scottish flag before, and you probably didn't realize it.

The Scottish flag, the Cross of St. Andrew.

The Union Jack is composed of three crosses.

Scottish flag

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The Cross of St. Patrick, representing Ireland.

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The British flag, the Cross of St. George

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All three flags combined to create the Union Jack. Or did I just (slightly) blow your mind?

As we passed the border into Scotland, the scene changed dramatically. Suddenly the train was racing along fields of purple heather, which ended at the nearby ocean, as the sun, setting in the far horizon, lit the nearby clouds ablaze with gold and purple. It was beautiful.

 After I changed trains at Edinburgh, I finally arrived in Stirling late Thursday night.

This train station was much smaller than Kings Cross, and it didn't take long to find my way to the road. I had looked up the route to my hostel, which was nearby, and in about five minutes walk I found myself at it's doorstep. I paid my bill and deposited my gear in my room, and met a French couple staying in my room with me. I was exhausted but wanted to explore, so I grabbed my jacket and began to wander.

The town was quite small. Like most small towns in Great Britain, most of the sidewalks were cobblestone, and the couple of main roads streched up the hills. Climbing this hill, I began to make my way to Stirling Castle, where I was planning on visiting in the morning. Before I reached the top, I stopped in a nearby graveyard, just to have a little spooky fun.

After reaching the top and the entrance to the closed castle, I began my descent. Although it was only a Thursday night, people were still out celebrating their freedom after a hard day of work. I passed a pub playing live music, chuckling as I heard the singer bellow out "Johnny B. Good." But as I passed the door, I heard the familiar twangs of a tune I didn't ever expect to hear in this country. Turning around, I entered the pub as they began to play "Sweet Home Alabama." After buying a pint, I began to bellow out the words to that and Johnny Cash and Dobie Gray . In fact, most of it was American music, and I was shocked but thrilled to see the entire pub tapping along and singing with me.

It closed at midnight, so after a half hour's stay I found my way back to my hostel and fell fast asleep.
I awoke the next day, and checked out at around nine. However, the castle opened at 9:30 and the first tour began half an hour later, so to kill some time I bought some breakfast and wandered a little bit more, before climbing up the streets once again. The parking lot was already filling up with coaches and buses, and I picked my way past a statue of King Robert the Bruce, and entered the Castle itself.

I managed to find the meeting point of a free tour a few minutes before it began. As I waited, our guide arrived, wearing of course, a green tartan kilt (tartan is the plaid material used to make kilts; traditionally, the pattern of the tartan corresponded to a specific clan.) He led us through the Castle grounds.

This castle might have been one of many, but it's probably the most historically important castle in all of Scotland. It sits on the border between the Highlands and Lowlands; off one side you can see the plains, and on the other you can see the mountains. Infact, the Highlands used to be surrounded by a peat marsh, making it nearly impassable for an army. I use the word nearly, because there was one method of transportation a force could use to enter this half of Scotland: one small wooden bridge, here in Stirling. And that bridge was protected by Castle Stirling. This led to the saying "He who holds Castle Stirling, will hold Scotland." And people knew it. The Scottish royalty lived here for centuries, strengthening their walls with each successive reign. And the British knew this as well, as they would constantly capture this castle, only to be recaptured by the Scots. This Castle has in fact been sieged sixteen times, and one can see thirteen different battlefields from on top of the Castle.

Three of these battlefields were major ones as well. The earliest one would be the Battle of Stirling, the most infamous victory Wallace ever had. Here, William Wallace and his forces, outnumbered, fought the British forces. As the British was heavily armored and bearing calvary, they were a formidable force on an open field. But the bridge was so narrow, only two horses could cross at a time. This fact was not lost on Wallace; as the English crossed, they sprung into an ambush. The calvary had no room to spread out, and those who tried to fight on the marshy ground sank under the weight of their armor as the lightly armored Scotsman raced around them. What was meant to crush a rebellion turned into a major loss of the British forces and a huge Scottish victory. The second important battle also involves Wallace. Here at the Battle of Falkirk, the Scottish and British faced off once again. But as the British charged, one of the Scottish nobleman's calvary fled, leaving Wallace and his footmen horribly outmatched, and they were slaughtered. This led to Wallace resigning as Guardian of Scotland, and going on the lam. But the third Scottish battlefield has a happier ending. Here, Robert de Bruce fought the British at the Battle of Bannockburn. Here the Scottish were outnumbered one to four. Yet the Scots were cheered into a fury at the sight of Robert de Bruce, and completely decimated the English, securing their independence again and placing de Bruce as King of Scotland.

The castle itself went mostly into disuse after James VI of Scotland became the king of both Scotland and England, moving to London to rule. Afterwards, it was turned into a military barracks during the Napoleon Wars, and these buildings were used to house Scottish regiments. But they remained for a long time after the Napoleonic Wars ended, with the soldiers finally leaving i the 1960s. At that point, it was exchanged to the Scottish Historical Society.

The castle itself was not as big as the Tower of London, but was still full of interesting stories. Take a look at this picture.

Notice the difference in color?
Originally all of the buildings in the castle were this color. It's called King's Gold, and was a sort of paint used for two purposes. First, it helps protect the stone from weathering. But it also helps show the royalty of the king inside of it. Although only one building is covered with this today, one could imagine standing in the courtyard surrounded by this brillant gold.

One could also tour through the Great Hall, where two replica thrones sat...

And the royal residence itself. This giant building was covered with carvings and stonework, decorated with some of the Greek gods and lions, the symbol of Scotland. Although today they are worn, they were also probably painted in their heyday. The insides was filled with some of the objects that would have been in here, as well as some costumed actors whom would could question as to life in this castle.

Before leaving, I stopped by the tapestry room. The Scottish Historical Society had been hard at work, reconstructing this place ever since they acquired it. They had hired expert carvers and painters to reconstruct the decorations in the royal residence, but one of the longest tasks was weaving tapestries. Made to resemble their originals, these huge tapestries were currently being built at the actual castle, and weaving them was no joke; they take an average of four years to complete. After watching them work a little, I climbed back down the castle and got some lunch.

After a quick lunch at Subway, and completely confusing some poor Scottish girl when I asked for "provolone," I made my way to the William Wallace Monument.

This giant tower parades over the town of Stirling, overlooking where his greatest battle, the Battle of Stirling Hill, took place. It is actually said that on top of this hill, known as Abbey Craig, Wallace watched the English cross, and it was here that he gave the signal to attack, sending he and his men down the steep slopes in a charge to victory. The tower was tall but the rooms were quite small, and over two hundred steps took one up several rooms. The first room was the most impressive. Plaques detailed what was known of Wallace's life, but the most impressive piece was Wallace's claymore.

At five and a half feet long, it is estimated that Wallace would have needed to be six and a half feet to wield this monster. The claymore is one of the most infamous weapons Scotland has ever made, and one stroke of Wallace's sword was powerful enough to behead a man.

The top of the tower offered a great view of the nearby landscape, and I could see in the distance the mountains piercing the low clouds, where I would be headed tonight. And so I went back down the tower, and boarded a train to the Highlands.