Sunday, June 20, 2004 (Father`s Day)

My host mother wanted to go for a walk with JoeJoe but didn’t know when or where, so I preferred to go into town. The weather was the same like yesterday - cold and wet. So I was looking for a place to stay inside. First I addressed the postcards and took them with me; eventually I could write them in a dry place in the centre of Edinburgh.

First I visited the famous place "Palace of Holyroodhouse" on the east end of High Street or Royal Mile. It’s the official residence of her Majesty the Queen when she stays in Scotland. It stands against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur’s Seat. Just before I arrived the Palace a crowd of people came through the south doorway. It was a charity walk – the answer to my question, but for what? Nobody around me knew. For me, this spectacle was perfect then a group of Bag Piper joined the people and that was very photogenic.



Palace of Holyroodhouse

This fine baroque palace is closely associated with Scotland’s rich history. The palace developed from a guesthouse attached to Holyrood Abbey, which was extended by King James IV in 1501 to create more comfortable living quarters than were possible in the exposed windy hill-top castle.
The Palace is perhaps best known as the home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was twice married in the Abbey at Holyroodhouse. Her secretary, Rizzio was brutally murdered by her jealous, second husband Lord Darnley, in her private apartment. And it was here that she debated with John Knox.

Although Holyrood was never again used as a permanent royal residence after James VI departed for London in 1603, it lay neglected through much of the 18th century – though Bonnie Prince Charlie briefly held court here in 1745 on his way south to Derby – but it was gradually renovated as royal interest in Scotland revived following George IV’s visit in 1822. In Switzerland I read a book about Mary Stuart and now I had a glimpse of her life and the way she lived. I liked the tour through a series of impressive royal apartments with lots of portraits, tapestries and other royal items.



Bag Pipers - Palace of Holyroodhouse

King David I founded Holyrood Abbey in 1128. It was probably named after a fragment of the True Cross (rood is an old Scots word for cross) said to have been brought to Scotland by his mother St. Margaret. As it lays outside the city walls it suffered repeated attacks by English invaders, and the great abbey church was demolished in 1570. Except for the nave, it remained in use as the Canongate parish church until it collapsed in 1768. Most of the surviving ruins date from the 12th and 13th centuries, although a doorway in the south-eastern corner has survived from the original Norman church. The bay on the right, as you look at the huge, arched, eastern window, is the royal burial vault, which holds the remains of kings David II, James II and James V and of Mary’s husband, Lord Darnley. www.royal.gov.uk/output/page559.asp



Holyrood Abbey

And again the camera didn't have enough power and the weather was still changing every 15 minutes, so I went into the next exhibition close by, it was Our Dynamic Earth. This is a modernistic white marquee structure and is the latest tourist attraction in Edinburgh. There I could explore the extremes of our dynamic earth. I enjoyed the different areas like pre-historic, volcanic, tropic, Antarctic, etc. Like they say "... volcanoes erupting, a tropical rainstorm, earthquakes and tidal waves at every turn Geology has never been more interesting.” or "Live 4500 million years in one day!”. www.dynamicearth.co.uk

And again I sat in the easyInternetC@fe and wrote emails and my diary. Back home, I met Elsa (from France) our new fellow occupant. She and Bill tried to patch up the computer.