HOLDING BACK THE TEARS

William Wallace, a commoner, unites the 13th Century Scots in their battle to overthrow English rule

OK, not everything in Scotland was about surfing.  Men in kilts are always a crowd pleaser and when they resemble Mel Gibson--well, there's sure to be a curious few flocking to get a better look.  I'm a sucker for a man with face paint, I must say.  It must be a primordial urge dating back to cave man days, or then it could be those hunky NFL fans who sport every possible kind of facial decoration.

Braveheart, William Wallace, is immortalized with a statue outside of this castle, better known as Edinburgh Palace.  Set high on a hill overlooking the city it does have a omnipresence about it to this day.  Surrounded by ancient walls and heavy gates, it is a fortress that has lasted for centuries.

 Statue of the real "Braveheart"

"The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence in Scotland of Her Majesty The Queen, stands at the end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur's Seat. This fine baroque palace is closely associated with Scotland's rich history.

The Palace is perhaps best known as the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, and as the setting for many of the dramatic episodes in her turbulent reign. Mary was married at Holyroodhouse and witnessed the brutal killing of her secretary Rizzio by her jealous second husband, Lord Darnley, in her private apartments. The Palace briefly served as the headquarters of Bonnie Prince Charlie during the 1745 uprising.

Today the State Apartments are used regularly by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family for State ceremonies and official entertaining."*

 Here is a view from the inside of the Palace looking out into the city.

Another thing Scotland is known for is scones, clotted cream and jam.  Hubby and I took a break from castles and warriors and joined this kind lady in her tea shop for a scone and a spot of tea.

 

Yum!

And then there was shopping to do.  Who doesn't love cashmere?

But there was only one reason to go to the U.K. this past weekend and that was to surprise my huband (an early Christmas gift) with a concert at Glasgow's S.E.C.C. Convention Hall.  It was sold out and it just happened to be one of my husband's favorite bands in the early 90's in Australia.  It was Simply Red and billed as their "Final Tour."  (But word has it that they will be touring with Eric Clapton in 2011.)  Macy Gray was the pre concert performer.  All I can say is that for two and a half hours, fans were on their feet and a venue that seats 10,000+ was filled to the max.  It was fun and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  So much so that we were shocked it had been two and a half hours.  Time flys...

(Excuse the quality of my i-phone photos, please. I think you get the general idea--it was packed.  But check out the general age of the fans.  We sure were in our element!)

This is an "early" Mike Hucknell singing "Holding Back the Tears"



*Wiki