Daytrippin': On the hunt for the Holy Grail at the Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel in the noon day sun. Click for more photos.

It was a beautiful day to go daytrippin' and use the last day of my bus pass. The weather dutifully led me to Roslin, Scotland, to the Rosslyn Chapel, of the Knights Templar fame.

No, I did not see Tom Hanks, nor do I have any insights for the folks digging at Oak Island (which I'd just like to add is also an island in N.C.).

But, yes, I can attest to the words David Roberts spoke in 1842:

"There is a combination of light and shade I have never met with any subject, colour and richness of detail peculiar to itself."

He, of course, was talking as a painter, and today I can only talk in words.

I actually appreciated that the Rosslyn Chapel Trust has a strict no-photos policy for the inside of the chapel, so you can enjoy the ornate, yet compact, space without tens of people's flashes going off the whole time. Although I do not take photos inside of churches as a personal taboo, I even would have taken some today.

There is so much to see on the inside that you could spend days in there and still see some new detail (this was probably the best book I saw in the gift shop about the symbology, if you're curious). There is a curious mix of meaning in the stone carvings and I wonder, as those who've come before me, what the St. Clair clan was thinking. More than 100 green men peek out of the corners and from next to angels.

But, these photos will have to suffice as a glimpse of the picturesque countryside chapel (and a stately churchyard yew, Taxus baccata).

Winter Hillwalking in Scotland: Hiking around Aviemore

What the Scottish call hillwalking, most everyone else would call hiking; however, I do believe there is a subtle, but critical, difference between the two. Hillwalking is very much a Scottish pastime and modern tradition for those who desire for "wild and lonely places." Scotland is rich in these places, with plenty of space in the Highlands to lose yourself, find no one, and be with a raw landscape.

Click for more photos!

I have to admit I was a bit worried about hillwalking in the winter for some reason. Although, I found it's really not that much different than hiking in a cooler, weather-wise, version of North Carolina, which I've done many a-time.

The snow greeted me off the train in Aviemore, in the north of Cairngorms National Park, and I had enough light left in the day to clamber and slide to the top of Craigellachie Nature Preserve. The next day, after a bit of a hike change, I made my way down the Ryvoan Pass, which passes through Abernethy Nature Preserve.

My photos don't do the golden (and warm!) weather and breathtaking landscape any justice, but I hope they honor the experience.

Gardening at a16th Century House in Scotland

I really couldn't believe it when I saw this was where we were going to be gardening. #horticulture #dreamstatus

When Hannah asked me if I'd be interested in gardening at a house east of Edinburgh, of course I was interested. She was excited about the amount of space and freedom we'd have, and the south-facing wall the space had, which would help give the plants a boost in this high latitude!

We made plans to go with Jenny today to get out from under studying for a little while and out of Edinburgh! It was a beautiful day today, albeit colder, than the last few days of wind and rain. The drive through the Scottish countryside was picturesque and the golden light, seemingly already fading at 10:30 in the morning, was making the humidity in the air glow.

When Jenny pulled into the narrow wall surrounding the house (pictured above) I could hardly let myself believe where we were. I immediately recognized the period of the house, but I hadn't ever been in a real, functioning 16th century house and it was crazy to think it was a real thing to live in them. But, it was real! (Click the house to see more photos.)

We were there to garden though, so here's the 'before':

And here's the 'after'. Success, for the first day and an hour's work.