Scotland

Kevin w/Knox
St. Giles Cathedral

A few days in Scotland provided an opportunity to retrace steps of the great Scottish reformer, John Knox.  He lived between 1513 and 1572.

John Knox's house

(Background on the reformation:  The reformation really heated up after Martin Luther posted the "Ninety-five theses" in 1517 Germany.  This document outlined practices within the Roman Catholic church that did not have a scriptural basis.  Martin Luther, along with many others sought to reform the church.  However, as we look back from our perspective, we understand that the reform came in a new form of doctrine and worship, protestantism.  This new worship had widespread implications reaching into politics with kings and queens fluctuating between the religions causing cultural climate changes, particularly influencing the lives of protestant subjects (aka reformers).)

St Andrews Cathedral - from front
looking to the back

St. Andrews Cathedral - front

John Knox, like Martin Luther, was ordained as a Catholic priest, but it was not long before convictions drove him to align with the reformers.  Knox's life fluctuated from being a priest for the King to fleeing from Queen Mary of England (aka Mary Tudor, "Bloody Mary").  The final years of his life were spent preaching at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.  Knox lived down the street (aka "The Royal Mile") from St. Giles, so we were able to tour both his house and the cathedral in one afternoon.  Knox began his preaching in St. Andrews after George Wishart, another protestant reformer, was burnt at the stake.  Knox first preached in the St. Andrews Castle (only ruins now, and not pictured in this blog post).  He did not preach in the St. Andrews Cathedral (see pictures) as it was Catholic.  He did, however, preach in the parish church in St. Andrews and also in Stirling (a small city approximately 1 hour by car from St. Andrews).  We visited Stirling and saw the "Church of the Holy Rude" where John Knox preached as well as Stirling Castle, a 12th century castle.

Holy Trinity Parish Church
St. Andrews

Stirling Castle

King and Queen of Scotland?

Boat ride to Loch Leven Castle

Loch Leven Castle

Mary, Queen of Scots (aka Mary ) went from ruling the country to being forced to abdicate her throne to her 1 year old son (who later became King James VI) and was imprisoned in Loch Leven castle (a castle on lake Leven) for nearly a year.  On a cool, rainy day, we took a boat ride across Loch Leven to see the ruins of the castle.  I decided that I don't want to be imprisoned in my lifetime, but if I had to be, a castle like Loch Leven would be my choice.

Mimi's Bakehouse
Edinburgh

St Andrews
Home of Golf

Our trip to Scotland was not entirely religious and historic, it also included eating, drinking, golf, and a tattoo.  We found a small bakehouse, "Mimi's Bakehouse", that we had to try.  It had great food and a wonderful atmosphere.  Too bad it's not MY bakehouse!!!

Scotland is known for their whiskey (aka Scotch) and we had a chance to tour the Glenchie Distillery.  It was interesting to see the process of whiskey-making.  It's similar to beer initially (barley is roasted, mashed, and then mixed with yeast), but then the process changes and involves approximately 12 years of aging.  I had to wonder who figured out that 12 years was the best amount a time; a patient man, I suppose.

Scottish Bag Pipe 

The 61st annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo featured military bands from all over the world including the Netherlands and Brazil.  The evening was filled with music, colors, and entertainment all in the backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle.  It was not hard to see why this event is the most visited in Scotland.

Netherlands Bicycle Band

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Scotland including the people, weather, and sites.