Stirling

While my family was here visiting, we took a day trip up to explore Stirling. Stirling is about 50 minutes north of Edinburgh. It is a small city of about 40,000 on the divide between the Scottish lowlands and the Scottish highlands. The city boasts of numerous historical attractions including an ancient church, castle, monument to William Wallace and a historic jail. We figured it was worth the trip to check it out!

Picturesque Stirling

We started off our trip with a visit to the 'Stirling Old Town Jail'. The jail operated during the Victorian era and they offered tours of the old cells and information on the jail conditions during that time period. Kyle & I have become regular old jail visitors- we visited one in Dublin and Philadelphia as well.

Warden outside the Old Town Jail

Stirling is also home to 'Stirling Castle'. The castle was occupied by royalty such as Mary Queen of Scots and King James VI of Scotland. In part of the castle you can sit on a throne and pretend you are King (or Queen). Who could resist such an indulgence?

Kyle & Me as royalty

Stirling Castle

The Church of Holy Rood was founded in 1129 in Stirling. It is the only operating church in the UK, aside from Westminster Abbey, that held a coronation ceremony. King James VI was crowned King of Scotland here, by John Knox himself, on 29 July 1567.

The Church of Holy Rood

The overall experience was moving. Stirling has been the epicenter for many battles, seen English and Scottish kingdoms rise and fall. The sense of history in this picturesque Scottish town is powerful. Needless to say we had a great day exploring and highly recommend a visit if you ever within proximity.

-Stacie & Kyle

Use the Force...

Every once in awhile, Kyle & I get bored and decide a good "activity" would be to mess with Deacon. Tonight was one such occasion. Here is Deacon doing his best Yoda impression:

"Annoyance swells inside me, suppress it I must" -Deacon Yoda Sale

Deacon didn't seem too pleased, but we had a good chuckle.

-Kyle & Stacie

Kith, Kin and Kilts

This past week Judy and Justin, Stacie's mom & brother, were in town. They were treated to the beauty of a Scottish June, temps in the 60's and rain! We didn't let the weather stop us from getting out and exploring Edinburgh however. It's amazing how much ground can be covered in a short period, I'm confident we left no cobble stone unturned while they were here.

One of the most interested parts of out time together was when we toured Mary's Close. Check out the link to the website. It was amazing to experience the underground closes of Edinburgh and gain an appreciation for how people lived in 16th century Scotland, a period which is famous for the plague.

We did get some breaks from the weather and took advantage by touring Holyrood Palace, above you'll see me and Justin in the Garden with the Palace Abbey ruins in the background. We were fortunate b/c Her Majesty the Queen arrived a day after our visit for her annual summer stay so the Palace was in particularly tip-top shape.

Edinburgh has a nice little Sunday market that we took advantage of. Farmers, butchers, distillers, knitter... you name it, all come to town to hock their wares. We didn't have to look too hard to find some good eats.

Here's another shot from the market. The market is set just below Edinburgh Castle which poses a pretty impressive backdrop.

Edinburgh is home to a pretty amazing botanical garden which is just around the corner from our new flat. We didn't have enough time to do justice to the immense garden but it was fun to sneak a quick peak at the variety of vegetation. Heck, they even have four foot tall palm trees there!

All in all the week was a success and it's always a blessing to have family in town. Christmas / New Year was the last time we had seen any family so it was well over due.

-Kyle

A Texas wedding

This past weekend I made a whirlwind trip to Texas to see my college roommate get married. I love going to weddings, but a few things tend to stand out with a Texas wedding. Firstly, the wedding took place at Second Baptist Houston, a quaint little church with five campuses and fifty thousand members.

The "Bapti-dome" aka Second Baptist

If you have spent any time in Texas you will know that Texans are very proud of their state and this pride carries over into their alma maters (Sic 'em bears!). So, what wedding would be complete if the cake didn't display your school's crest?

The Texas A&M cake

The weekend went off without a hitch and it was amazing to be back in the States and the sunshine and heat of Texas (it is 60 and rainy in Edinburgh today). There were six of us in the "house party" and we helped make sure the bride was calm and had everything she needed.

The house party

Me and my college roommates

The weekend was also special because my mom flew in for the wedding! We hadn't seen each other since January so it was a much needed reunion.

My mom & me

My mom flew back with me and we arrived this morning back in Edinburgh. She's staying the week with us and then my brother Justin is coming on Thursday as well. I'll post more once we've done some exploring.

-Stacie

Nomadic tendencies...

Well, for the third time since getting here we have moved again! It has been a busy / tiring weekend of trying to move flats without a car. We've taken multiple bus rides, taxi rides and had a friend help us out with his car. Thankfully, this should be the last time we have to move! Here are a few pics of our new pad:

Front door

Hallway

Living Room

Deacon's new playground

This week Kyle finishes up with his consultancy project and will then start working on his dissertation. Then on Thursday I'm heading to Texas for my college roommates wedding. I'm very excited to be back in the States for the first time since Labor Day!

-Stacie