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Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland

[Saturday - 05/01/99] While Edinburgh Castle plays no special role in our Arthurian tour, I thought it important to visit it since we had the time and energy despite our long flights to reach Edinburgh. Several people on the tour had never been to Scotland and the castle plays such an important role in Scottish history that I felt everyone needed to see it.

Within the confines of the Castle, there is so much to see. It was the seat (and regular refuge) of Scottish Kings, and the historical apartments include the Great Hall, which now houses an interesting collection of weapons and armor. The Royal apartments include a tiny room in which Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to the boy who was to become King James VI of Scotland and James I of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603. The ancient Honors of Scotland - the Crown, the Scepter and the Sword of State - are on view in the Crown Room. Nearby is the Scottish National War Memorial, a building designed and created shortly after the First World War. The experience of visiting the memorial is a very moving one.

No one is sure who first used the castle rock as a settlement, but it was long before the Romans came sailing up the Forth and landing at Cramond. The oldest building in all Edinburgh is to be found within the Castle precincts. It is St. Margaret's Chapel, a tiny Norman building which has been standing there intact for more than 900 years. It has survived all the sieges and bombardments to which the fortress on the rock was subjected during that period. On several occasions the castle was razed - but the demolishers invariably spared the chapel because of its religious significance. Today, members of the Castle garrison still have the right to be married within the Chapel.


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