Castles, Barbecues, Whisky, and Church
The past week has been rather eventful, though not in any especially significant way. About four days ago, I purchased a barbecue--Hilda and i walked down to the Homebase here (think Home Depot or HQ), and they were just putting them on display. It's small--probably only eighteen inches in diameter, but it uses charcoal and still cooks the food deliciously. I'm not sure what it is, but there's just something about cooking food over fire that makes it so good.
Last Saturday, Juard, Hilda and I went to Bothwell Castle (http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/bothwell/bothwellcastle/index.html), which is southwest of Glasgow. The castle itself is supposedly copied from a French castle from the 13th century, and has a large circular keep at the end of a couple walls jutting out from its side, running parallel to each other, close together, with towers at each corner, though only one circular tower really remains very intact. It's built of a pink-orange stone, and when we arrived, two giant fields of daffodils lined the path to the gate. What's left of the keep is really quite impressive; supposedly it's one of the most impressive castles in Scotland. It was really quite interesting to see since it had been very heavily involved i the Wars of Independence with Edward I, II, and probably III, and had been captured back and forth several times.
Sunday was much more restful, though arriving at church for Easter Mass at the wrong time meant we had 6 hours to kill before we needed to arrive for the 7:30pm service. After walking around Edinburgh for a little bit, we decided to go to the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre where we learned about the making of whisky, got to drink a few drams, and most importantly, took a ride in whisky barrels explaining the history of Scotch whisky. The whole affair was cheesy--but it was cheesy on purpose, which made it funny and enjoyable. The whiskey barrel ride itself was interesting, as it went both slowly, and the barrels themselves moved only in jolts--perhaps to imitate a drunk's walk.
After imbibing and a Mexican dinner, Hilda and I returned to church in time for the 7:30pm mass, which was definitely worthwhile, as the priest gave the best sermon I've heard since Quincy.
Last Saturday, Juard, Hilda and I went to Bothwell Castle (http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/bothwell/bothwellcastle/index.html), which is southwest of Glasgow. The castle itself is supposedly copied from a French castle from the 13th century, and has a large circular keep at the end of a couple walls jutting out from its side, running parallel to each other, close together, with towers at each corner, though only one circular tower really remains very intact. It's built of a pink-orange stone, and when we arrived, two giant fields of daffodils lined the path to the gate. What's left of the keep is really quite impressive; supposedly it's one of the most impressive castles in Scotland. It was really quite interesting to see since it had been very heavily involved i the Wars of Independence with Edward I, II, and probably III, and had been captured back and forth several times.
Sunday was much more restful, though arriving at church for Easter Mass at the wrong time meant we had 6 hours to kill before we needed to arrive for the 7:30pm service. After walking around Edinburgh for a little bit, we decided to go to the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre where we learned about the making of whisky, got to drink a few drams, and most importantly, took a ride in whisky barrels explaining the history of Scotch whisky. The whole affair was cheesy--but it was cheesy on purpose, which made it funny and enjoyable. The whiskey barrel ride itself was interesting, as it went both slowly, and the barrels themselves moved only in jolts--perhaps to imitate a drunk's walk.
After imbibing and a Mexican dinner, Hilda and I returned to church in time for the 7:30pm mass, which was definitely worthwhile, as the priest gave the best sermon I've heard since Quincy.