Edinburgh Castle-Ashley Lawson

Today I am writing to you from my room at St. Colms International House. It is a magnificent day in Scotland. I am very blessed that I ended up in a room with such a splendid view of Edinburgh. Just outside my window, I can see a perfect view of Old Town, the old clock tower and best of all Edinburgh Castle. I have been particularly excited to go to Edinburgh Castle because it is so beautiful sitting up on its steep hill. In the past few days, I have found my imagination wondering back to my childhood when my parents would read me the whimsical fairytale of Cinderella. I remember how amazing it must have been to live in castle and have a pumpkin turn into a carriage. Upon talking to many other girls, I found that they also shared similar memories of their childhood as well. Until this trip to Scotland, I have never had the pleasure of seeing a castle in person. Although, the history of Edinburgh Castle is far from a fairytale, it is still majestic in its own right.
The long history of this area dates back to 340 million B.C.. At this time, it was nothing more than a humungous mound of volcanic rock, which would come to be known as “the fortress on the rock” around 600 A.D.. The true building of the castle did not start until around 1130 A.D. when David I decided to build a royal castle. Along with building his royal fortress, David I also commission to have a chapel built in honor of his mother Queen Margaret. This history of this castle has been stricken with battles and enemy overtakes that date back to the late 1200’s. Until mid 1300, the castle had been caught in a treacherous game of tug-of-war between England and Scotland. Eventually in 1341, the Scots took back control of this glorious structure and began remodeling it. Since the original construction of Edinburgh Castle, it has had many “face lifts” and changes. David II decided to build a tall large tower in his own honor during his reign at Edinburgh castle. After that James IV build the Great Hall and then half-mooned and battery gates were added for defense. If you think that this is where the building stops then you are sadly mistaken. This castle has been under construction and renovation for much of its lifetime. After our tour of the castle, I could not help but think of the old Winchester Mansion in California. The building on this mansion did not stop for many years whereas the building of Edinburgh Castle continued off and on for several hundred years.
This castle has many exhibits that visitor can go into while they walk around the castle grounds. One of my personal favorite exhibits was the tower that housed royal family jewels. The Crown Room contained a ruby ring that was worn but Mary Queen of Scots and some of her other extravagant jewelry and also, as the name implies, a true fairytale crown and scepter and sword of state. I really wished that we were able to take pictures in this particular exhibit but security strictly prohibits any use of cameras or camcorders in this room.
My second “must-see” exhibit at Edinburgh might seem a bit morbid at first. The Pet Cemetry is housed by the Chapel and looks over Edinburgh. In all reality, it is a truly kind and sweet monument that has been devoted to the pets and mascots of the men and women who lived on the castle grounds. Being that I have a true affinity for animals, I found this to be a very compassionate gesture towards mans best friend. Since this is considered to be a Cemetery visitors may look at it but not walk through it.
This Castle has housed many mysteries over its long and eventful lifetime. One such mystery that has perplexed historians was why James’s birthing chamber had an eerie pit-prison beneath the floor. They have not figured out why or who would have been thrown down there. Another mystery that is castle hides was actually found in the walls of the Royal Palace. The bones of a small child were found buried in the walls of the old palace in 1830. It is believed that this young child could have been a stillborn child of Mary Queen of Scots but there has not been any true evidence to prove this myth.
In the past week, our class has been on what I kindly refer to as Dr. Longs “death march”,(where she marched us around Edinburgh trying to keep us awake in order to get our internal clocks acclimated) gone on a scavenger hunt, visited two castles, the birthplace of Harry Potter, two cathedrals AND had a test. I found Edinburgh Castle and Rosslyn Chapel to be truly breath taking. I already feel as if I have learned so much from my experiences here and hope I never forget them. It is amazing how much a group of young American women can learn in just a short amount of time. I am extremely proud of us for how we have taked advantage of our time in Scotland so far and wish everyone a safe and exciting weekend traveling.
If any parents/family members/friends want to get a better idea of Edinburgh Castle, please visit the website http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/index.htm and take the 3D tour. Now if you really want to experience Edinburgh but cannot find the time to do so, just hop on a StairMaster, crank the speed, and incline up as high as possible. Edinburgh is a rather hilly place and Dr. Long is a professional speed walker