Making the most of our last day in Scotland

Our day began with one last bowl of Dave's famous porridge, which we thoroughly enjoyed, as always. Dave surprised us by bringing out the bowls with a little trinket for each of us to remind us of our stay here. 

Mine is a little Scottish bagpiper on a chain, and Marty's is a bottle opener key ring with the Scottish flag. You just can't beat that for being made welcome.

Here at the plant where Marty is working, the engineers only work half days on Friday.  This made the perfect opportunity for Marty and me to make a drive out to Linlithgow to visit the palace where Mary, Queen of Scots was born. The GPS behaved wonderfully today and we made it to the town without incident. 

What makes this palace so amazing is the fact that it still stands after being built in the mid-1400's.  The roof is gone, and the plaster walls and tapestries are absent, but standing inside, one can easily imagine the grandeur of time past. 

 The entrance through the gate takes you to a central courtyard where a fountain stands from 1537, built by King James V, and we were told that it actually still works, only being used on rare occasions.

The fountain declares Scotland's independence, subject to no one but God, and the king's superiority.

These figures are original, with the mermaid representing eloquence and the drummer representing music.

The enormity of the rooms is amazing.  Here you can see Marty standing in the fireplace in the kitchen.

The weather was cold and slightly rainy, but that didn't stop us from climbing the tower to the very top to take in the views.  Absolutely breathtaking!

And, of course, Marty couldn't resist snapping a photo of the two of us at the top of the tower.

At this point we decided to take haven in a nearby restaurant for something to warm us up.  

At the Four Mary's tavern, we found ourselves warming up quickly, sitting near a cozy fire while enjoying a bowl of Lentil soup.  By the way, the place gets its name from the four ladies-in-waiting of Mary, Queen of Scots, all of whom were named Mary.

We both commented that this was the perfect way to end the trip.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy, and who cared about the cold frigid weather outside?

But before I close this out, let me just say that there might be one more adventure from the trip coming your way. I hope that it is as exciting as anticipated.  Don't worry....I won't be doing anything crazy!

Until next time.....