Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Rosslyn Chapel and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Scotland Day 4

Saturday August 4, 2012: Scotland Day 4

Participated in the usual morning routine and once again met the Edinboro University travel group in the Reception Hall at 9:00am to begin the day. We would be heading to Rosslyn Chapel by way of the Edinburgh Group Travel coach service.

The Chapel has been under restoration for many years and expected to be done next summer. The Chapel is home to amazing architecture both inside and out, but unfortunately photographs are not permitted inside. We were able to sit in the pews of the Chapel and learn about the history from a talk that was being given. Rosslyn Chapel is known to many by being a setting in a part of the Da Vinci Code. Once we were done listening to the talk, we were given time to explore the surrounding area. Paige, Jake, Beckie, and myself made our way down to some castle ruins and a small brooke. It is interesting to see where different castles have been throughout the country. Once we were done exploring, we decided to head back to the main Chapel area and grabbed a quick lunch at the Stable Shack. I had a hot dog and an ice cream bar.

Once done at the Chapel, we then headed back to Edinburgh to tour the Scottish National Gallery. It was fun to look at the different portraits from the different time periods, but I got in trouble by one of the workers at the Gallery because my sunglasses fell off the top of my head and onto the floor. I guess the woman did not like this because she proceeded to follow me around for the duration of my stay. Not amusing. Once done at the gallery, Paige, Jake, and myself headed across the street to the Princes Street Gardens to just relax and enjoy the sunshine. We lounged in the grass with many other tourists and Scots and listened to a local band perform some songs from The Beach Boys. Very fun!

After we were done spending time in the Gardens, the three of us headed to dinner. We chose the Southern a very nice looking place known primarily for their burgers. I of course, ordered mine plain. However, I did not know that a plain burger in Scotland means that it does not even come with a bun, just a patty on a plate. That gave everyone a good laugh! Once we were done with dinner we headed to the Royal Mile and went into some of the souvenir shops before it was time to get into the queue for the Tattoo!

Before we knew it, we were walking into the Castle Esplanade and taking our seats for the show. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of Military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands and display teams. The performances were absolutely incredible. The different groups participating in the show included the Queen Victoria School, The Band of the Australian Defence Force, and the US Naval Forces Europe Band. My favorite performances of the night however were the Massed Pipes and Drums and the Top Secret Drum Corps. Each band had a unique show to offer and was always keeping the crowd entertained. Many people think that when they attend the Tattoo, all that is going to be performed is different bagpipe groups. That however is not the case. Sure, there are bagpipes but there is also brass bands, singers, and even some dancers. The Tattoo is a spectacle and everyone should experience this amazing show at least once in their life! Because we went to the show on a Saturday, we also got to see fireworks which was a special treat and just made everything so much more exciting. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

The show ended late in the evening, so unfortunately buses were no longer in service which resulted in all of us walking back to Pollock Halls and ready to go to bed after a great day.

 Rosslyn Chapel Entrance
 Massed Pipes and Drums: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
 Massed Pipes and Drums: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
 Top Secret Drum Corps: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Finale: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

No comments:

Post a Comment