Where in the World?

Our day started at Stirling Castle near the town of Stirling, Scotland. Stirling Castle was quite extraordinary. A good bit of restoration work has been accomplished here. More excavations and restorative work is being performed over the next several years. It was real easy to get a view of how life might have been back in the 15th century. The castle sits atop a large hill/small mountain with splendid views of the surrounding valley.Linlithgow Palace and St. Michael’s Church was next on the agenda. The town of Linlithgow was lovely with a relaxed small town atmosphere. The palace was partially in ruins, but you could still walk around inside. A lake surrounded three sides of the palace. Next to Linlithgow Palace is St. Michael’s Church. It belongs to the Church of Scotland and had one of the most stunning pieces of stained glass I have ever seen (see a partial view to the right).

Our last stop was at Cairnpapple Hill, which is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Scotland. Around 5500 years ago people left evidence of activity on the hill. The area provides stunning views across many miles of Scotland in all directions. Around 5000 years ago, major activity started with the building of a henge or circle on top of the hill. No one really knows what religious ceremonies were performed here, but several hundred years later, it became a burial site and remained that for almost 2000 years.

I try to imagine what it was like to live 5000 years ago. What did the land look like? How did the family function? What did it really take to survive? What were their beliefs? How far did they travel? What did they think about while looking out across the vast vistas from the top of Cairnpapple?

It was another glorious day in Scotland with one more to go.

Michael