Last Sunday my flatmate and I went to visit Holyrood House, the 'official residence of her majesty the queen.' However, the queen is rarely here, so mostly it's just really cool to visit. It's also one of the palaces in Scotland that was used by Queen Victoria, and was Mary, Queen of Scots' residence where her husband Lord Darnley murdered David Rizzio.
my flatmate Ailsa in the courtyard
the outer gate
listening to the included audio guide
into the inner courtyard. yes, the guards were wearing tartan pants.
obligatory tourist photo, courtesy of Ailsa
We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but it was a really interesting look at the royal history in Scotland, and also a bit about how the palace is used today. The queen was here to greet the pope on his visit in the fall. He brought a replica of a really famous book, and that was on display with pictures of the reception. On the grounds are also the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, which was built by King David and was the original structure on the land.
Apparently the site (Holyrood) gets its name from the 'holy wood' that resided in the abbey-a piece of Jesus's cross. The ruins were beautiful, and I can totally understand why Mendelssohn was inspired by the surroundings to write his Scottish Symphony.
I'll leave you with a bit of the symphony. This is the second movement, inspired by Scottish folk dance music.
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