Anyway, Linlithgow Palace is one of the easiest places to get to. We took the train from St. Andrews to Edinburg, about an hour ride, and then it was a half hour ride from there. The train to Edinburgh was packed, and I ended up sitting next to this random dude who I guess was going to work. (Work seems to start a lot later here than does at home. Dad - I think you would probably be able to take a 10am train to work and be fine. Wouldn't that be nice?)
Sorry for the digressions... So the guy I was sitting next to starting chatting with me, and I learned that Linlithgow Palace is one of the least advertised places in Scotland. This worked to our advantage, as we had the castle to ourselves for most of the day.
One remarkable thing about the castle is that they let you climb almost everywhere. As you can see from the pictures, we got to climb to the top of one of the turrets. It was an absolutely amazing view. Basically, I was at the same height as the Scottish flag being flown off of the top of the castle. The views of the country side and the loch below were beautiful. I spent a lot of time exploring (and getting lost). My goal was to make sure I went into every room. I'm pretty sure I hit 99% of the castle. I would love to go back to Linlithgow in the spring, when there are leaves in the trees and boats on the lake. Apparently people are allowed to bring their dogs to the castle. I got to pet a dalmation, who was adorable, but I imagine there would be a lot more dogs during the spring. It would be a lot of fun!
The best part about the trip was that it was essentially free. Our study group has a "site and a bite" policy. This means that if a group of us organize a trip to a site, and want a bite to eat, a large part of it will be reimbursed by Professor Frank. I'm very thankful for this policy, as it covered our train tickets and our meals. It helped that we all stayed under £5.00 for lunch, but still. Traveling is a lot of fun, but it is even better when it is free! We were also lucky to have Explorer Passes. For a set fee, you are allowed access to up to 7 sites in 14 days. Professor Frank negotiated with the issuer of the pass to make ours eligible to the end of the month. This means that we did not have to pay the entrance fee to the Edinburgh Castle or Linlithgow. It also means that if it is nice this weekend, I am going to try and use it to climb the St. Andrew's Cathedral tower (see pictures of everything except the tower at the left) and check out the castle. At some point I'll also try to get some work done.
Here is a shout out to Karen Koenig - thanks for reading my blog! Hope you have fun with my family this week, and if you guys have some free time we should skype or something!
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