Oooh! Lovely, handsome GUYZ IN KILTZ

were ALL over the place! (Tres Huzzah!)

There were FANTASTIC VIEWS from every parapet … every stairway … every vantage point!

I think this is the building that houses the “Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle.” The Honours of Scotland (also known as the Scottish Regalia or the Scottish Crown Jewels) are there. The Crown dates from before 1540. But, the Crown and the other Regalia were first used together at the coronation of nine-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1543. This is the oldest set of Crown Jewels still existing in the British Isles. (Some of the oldest surviving regalia in all of Europe!)

[A pic from the Internet]

The Honours of Scotland exhibition tells the story of how Scotland's Crown Jewels were hidden from Cromwell during his occupation of Scotland in the 1650’s. Cromwell had already destroyed the English Crown Jewels. So, Scottish loyalists went to great pains to hide the Scottish Regalia away until 1660 (Cromwell finally died in 1658), when they were returned to Edinburgh Castle.

Oddly enough, the Honours were LOST within Edinburgh Castle for over 100 years!
(Between 1707, when the Scottish Parliament was dissolved, and 1818, when
Sir Walter Scott gained permission to search for and find them!)

Then, in 1941, the Honours were again hidden due to fears that they might be stolen
during a German attack during World War II. In 1953 they were taken out and
presented to Queen Elizabeth II, and were then returned to be displayed in
the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle.

When the Stone of Scone was finally returned to Scotland in 1996, it too was placed in the “Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle,” alongside the Honours.

[A pic from the Internet]

The Honours of Scotland Exhibit was very, very interesting!
However! Plz know that; on Friday, June 2nd – late in the morning – it took me
about an HOUR of slowly shuffling along in a very hot and sweaty LINE
(wall-to-wall bodies with no AIR CONDITIONING!!!) to get through the exhibit.
I believe that, without the CROWD, it would take only about 30 MINUTES to
leisurely, and fully, enjoy this exhibit.
SO! To ENJOY Scotland's Crown Jewels and the Stone of Scone, I strongly
suggest you get to Edinburgh Castle right before opening (9:30 am), and then
immediately scurry to the building that houses the Crown Room and Honours Exhibit!
Do not stop to torture the Guards … Do not visit the gift shoppes … Do not
stop to peek beneath pipers’ kiltZ … Do not stop to climb on the sexy cannons!
(You can do all that stuff any time later, without having to wait in a line!)
Get to the Crown Room building’s entrance as early as possible, so that you can
experience the Honours Exhibit without having to suffer crowds and heat.
AFTER you’ve enjoyed the Honours of Scotland exhibit, you can
leisurely experience all the other attractions at Edinburgh Castle.

Don’t ask me what significance the pic ABOVE or the
pix BELOW have – I don’t remember! LOL

That’s IT for my Edinburgh Castle Pix!

GO TO THE NEXT PAGE o’ this day’s pix:
CHAS’ Pix of EDINBURGH

If you have information or suggestions for Ruby & Chas’ 2006 UK TOUR Website
– or PHOTO contributions for it! –
PLZ Email CHAS!
c-d-miller@neb.rr.com
That’s: c-d-miller@neb.rr.com –
those are hyphens/dashes (-) between the “c” and “d” and “miller”