Farewell Scotland

May 31 Day 24

I can't believe the month of May is about to end. We started this month busily packing for this trip, and have filled the rest of the month with a great trip. As we start into June tomorrow, we must sadly realize that our journey is coming to a close. But, we still have 5 more days to enjoy.

Today, we left our comfortable, cozy Wee House in Scotland, and headed back into England. Along the way, we stopped at the Wallace memorial in Stirling. This was built in the 1860's to celebrate their national hero, William Wallace, or Braveheart. In the late 1200's he led his countrymen into battle against the English who were trying to subjucate the Scottish to English rule. Under his leadership, the Scots were able to repel and defeat the mightiest army in Europe. Wallace became a national hero, but victory was short-lived, and the English again won for awhile until they were defeated some 20 years later and a treaty was signed between England and Scotland. In meantime, Wallace was betrayed by a Scotsman and turned over to the English, who sentenced him to death. More recently, in the 19th century, his memory evoked a renewed national pride in Scotland, and he became a national hero again. The monument was built on a rocky butte where an abbey stands, and towers over the city of Stirling. IT was the monument that first caught our eye, well before the castle did. The tower is 220 feet tall and takes 246 steps to get to the top. It was a magnificent view from the top. IT was a bright, clear day without a cloud in the sky. That is extremely unusual for Scotland. A fitting day for our last few hours there.The Wallace Monument

Views atop the Monument