|
Palace of Holyroodhouse and Parliament There's not much that can be said about the new Scottish Parliament building that doesn't include words such as "unusual" and "ugly". You really have to wonder what they were thinking. Melissa and I stumbled upon it not even realizing what it was. We ended up walking around inside, and while it was interesting, it appears to be an amazing waste of money. Across the street is the Queen's official residence in Scotland - Palace of Holyroodhouse. The story goes that this palace got its name from David I seeing a cross, belonging to his mother, appear between the antlers of an attacking stag. ("Rood" meaning cross) He founded a monestary on the location in 1128. An abbey built on the site was used as a Chapel Royal on and off over the years, but in the 1700's the roof collapsed, and stands in ruin today. We did an audio tour of the palace which was very good (although a bit too much information). There were some interesting rooms to go through including the apartments of Mary Queen of Scots. These apartments are preserved from Mary's time. This supposedly includes the stain on the spot where her loyal servant collapsed and died after her jealous husband's allies murdered him. The gardens around the palace are the location of the Queen's yearly Garden Party. Not much was in bloom while we were there! |