As I wrote before, when the snow comes, Scotland closes down. Therefore, the castles were mostly closed throughout the rest of the days leading up to St. Andrews Day, so I wasn't able to make it to Stirling Castle, but I decided I should visit it regardless since I was leaving so soon.
My flatmate Matti had to leave the university due to a family emergency so he has been gone back to Finland for a few months. This week, he came back to move his belongings out, so we spent our last few days as a full flat.
Matti hadn't been to Stirling Castle, so we waited for him to come back and we went together (although Tyla and Anton weren't able to make it to the castle due to end of the year assignments).
The view from the castle was just as incredible as the first time I visited in September, but this time there was snow everywhere. We strolled up the long hill, past the Tolbooth where I go every Tuesday for a knitting group, continuing along past the Old Town Jail, up and up until we reached the top of the hill at the centre of the town.
There, we got a view overlooking the entire Stirling city. We could see the all-important Wallace Monument (which was closed due to snow, so I'll have to visit next semester) and Stirling Bridge, where William Wallace defeated the English. The town is filled with old buildings and narrow streets, with double-decker buses in which I race to the top for the ultimate view as we drive by fields of sheep and small houses and buildings.
It's definitely getting much colder, so there were very few tourists in the castle whilst we were there. I'd imagine it would be quite a different experience when filled with people, as was the case with Edinburgh Castle.
The castle has a bit of construction whilst they try to restore it to its original form. It won't be done for many years, and it takes away from the early-modern style, but it has become part of its charm.
Much of the castle is dedicated to James IV, James V, and James VI, who contributed to the construction of the castle. Additionally, a lot of it is devoted to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was crowned at Stirling Castle when she was less than one year old.
The castle is built on a hill around which the rest of the town has been built. It's high up and is surrounded by cliffs, making it easy to defend against attackers.
Inside the castle were rooms filled with props and statues to give visitors an idea of what it was like at the time shortly after it was built. It helped to visualize a scene in history, although some of it was a bit silly with the cheesy sound effects.
We took advantage of the lack of tourists, running around the castle and taking silly pictures.
Creepy statues adorned the exterior of the castle, getting very cold with the snow.
The sun sets so early in Stirling, and generally by 4:00 at the latest, it's completely dark. However, it means that I catch the sunset while I'm out a lot more often than usual! Stirling looks at its best this time of day. I just can't wait to see it again.
Only one more part to go in this series, and then I'll get to my London adventures!
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