There is a lot of history ensconced in the walls of this palace. We got to go up the winding stone staircase where Mary, Queen of Scot’s’ husband, Lord Darnley, and his accomplices climbed, burst in and murdered David Rizzio , a musician and close friend of the Queen. Seems Lord Darnley was a wee bit jealous of Rizzio’s influence over Mary 👀. This is the kind of thing that intrigues you about the history of the inhabitants of palaces and castles. After the interior tour, we walked through magnificent gardens and around the exterior of the Abbey ruins. The gardens were fabulous (more on this later).
Then we caught a bus to the Royal Botannical Gardens. Again, these were incredibly beautiful. The rhododendrons (in every color imaginable) were my favorite.
After the Gardens, we hopped back on the bus to tour the Royal Yacht Britannia. We were allowed to photograph everything on the yacht. Every level was an education, from how the royals lived on board, to the mechanics of the ship, the crew that kept it all running in tip-top shape, and the modes of other transport that were loaded on board, such as the Range Rover. The dining rooms were most impressive. Even though the ship is now retired, events are still held on board. The place settings and meticulous attention to detail – it takes 3 hours to set 56 place settings in order, measuring each fork and knife placement with a ruler – were a sight to behold. I also enjoyed the sailing exhibition and thought about how much Pete would have enjoyed it 💕.
Even with all the regal appointmentss of a palace and yacht, I was most captivated with God’s creation, in the gardens. They were glorious and the birds singing and the sun shinining – all a testimony to the True King and His sovereignty over all.