We began the day on our tour bus, we met our wonderful tour guide Ian whose incredible sense of humor lightened the post flight mood. We drove from Edinburgh to Stirling, where we made some stops at different memorials and sights. We started by seeing the kelpie statues, 2 shape shifting water spirits known to haunt deep lochs, rivers, and pools. The statues’ names are Duke and Baron. We then visited the battle ground at Bannockburn, where King Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated King Edward II of England. This marked the turning point in the first war of Scottish independence. We made a quick drive past the original Stirling bridge, where Ian told us how this bridge played a role in the Scottish win. The bridge is surrounded by marsh land, which caused the English cavalry to sink in all their heavy armor and weapons. The Scots had the upper hand here as they knew the land and were able to “stab, jab, jab and poke” the English. We then took a quick photo with the Wallace monument, erected to commemorate Sir William Wallace, who is the Scottish hero and patriot who defeated the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Along the whole way, we saw many highland cows and sheep, the cows are known here as a “hairy coo”. We all really enjoyed the hairy coos, much to the dismay of Ian. 

After visiting the Wallace monument we all split off in the town center for lunch. There were plenty of restaurants and pubs to choose from, which is where most of us went. Following lunch, it was time for us to head to Stirling Castle. Upon arrival, we were given our tickets by Ian and then we were allowed to freely roam the castle grounds. There were so many places to see, and even if it felt like you had seen everything, there was always one more room or one more exhibit to visit. Inside the castle, we saw the Great Hall and the Royal Palace, which has since been refurbished. This was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, who became queen as an infant when King James V died. There was also a room filled with the Stirling heads, portraits of kings, queens, nobles, Roman emperors, and biblical figures. The palace interiors have been recreated to how they might have looked when the King lived there. Outside, there were beautiful gardens filled with flowers and herbs. We even saw flowers and topiary designed to look like the Scottish flag and unicorns (the official national animal of Scotland). After the castle, we got back on the bus and headed to our hotel, where we tried not to fall asleep before dinner. We met in the hotel restaurant for a wonderful 3-course meal of tomato soup, chicken, and cheesecake, then headed our separate ways to get some much needed sleep. 

— Julia and Kayla