stirling castle

Stirling Castle (dun_deagh)Imagine a big, drowsy city like San Francisco or Seattle with clouds hovering low and rain. Imagine the mild seasons, the damp streets, and soggy foliage. Now imagine being able to see just beyond the horizon, the crumbling spires of ancient castles rising into the gray sky. This is what Scotland is like: a beautiful countryside filled with lovely, historical buildings and a long, rich history. Each of these castles tells their own little version of this history.

An angry clansman clad in highlander garb charged right at me. I was standing in the middle of the four-walled theater at Culloden Battlefield museum, watching a reenactment of the gruesome battle unfold before me. Jacobite clansmen beat their chests and rallied for their country. Then British soldiers annihilated the clansmen with cannons and other advanced weapons. I couldn’t help but feel a little emotional; after all, these actors were representing my ancestors who had fought in this battle for the rights to their native land.