July 12-22nd, 2019
My family and I took a trip to Scotland this year! We met up with my cousins and stayed at an Airbnb in Kilsyth. We visited quite a few spots, and here are some of my favorite shots I took.
I hope you enjoy!
Before we left, Squeak was relaxing on our rocking chair 
Lilly: “I can’t believe these guys are leaving me… who’s going to give me treats now!?” 
Zoey shows a keen interest in mom’s shoes 
Vegan sausage rolls! 
Loch End Cottage 
The cottage had a well with a (non-functioning) pump 
A boardwalk over a marshy area was in the backyard. None of us were adventurous enough to venture out on it 
Some flowers in the marsh 
There was plenty of space to enjoy 
Things were pretty quiet on our first day in Scotland. Everybody was exhausted from traveling 
Visiting Glasgow! 
A monument commemorating Scottish Rifle companies who fought in WWI and WWII 
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has organ recitals every day! 
They also had interesting art pieces in some wings 
A dog made out of wellies! 
The King is a permanent resident in Glasgow 
Gotta have some fun 
The museum had some taxidermy exhibitions 
The museum had an RAF Spitfire on display 
This albatross was huge! 
There were some Inuit pieces on display, too 
The museum had a Giant Irish Deer skeleton on display 
The size of the antlers was something else! 
While it looks blank at first glance, this is actually a hand-embossed print of the score for I wish I knew what it means to be free 
One of the weirder exhibitions was the Floating Heads (Sophie Cave, 2006) 
The sign for an opthalmogist 
The pipe organ sounded amazing! They played some traditional organ music, mostly Bach, but also had some modern songs performed. Most interestingly was Can You Feel the Love Tonight. 
Outside the gallery, there was a traditional dance exhibition, featuring traditional Scottish dancers 
Also featured were Estonian dancers, wearing traditional outfits from various regions 
Ciara was posing for mom 
Mom was posing for nobody 
A firetruck from Galway 
Glasgow was home to one of the earliest underground systems in the world 
You could be fined for spitting in public. This was in an attempt to combat the spread of infectious diseases 
If only travelling cost so little now 
Imelda and Brendan smile as they arrive at the cottage 
Near the cottage was the Colzium-Lennox Estate, which offered a peaceful walk through nature 
Connor rocks out while Brianna watches on 
Ciara, Connor, Brianna, and Brendan gather on a stage to decide what to do next 
Robert the Bruce stands proud near Stirling Castle 
The Wallace Monument was a short hop, skip, and a jump from Stirling Castle 
Paul and Imelda pose outside the gates to Stirling Castle 
Brianna is unaware of her photo being taken while Brendan is caught off guard 
Ciara and mom look at a map 
Some of the statues were worn and weathered 
Cannons overlook the hills of Stirling 
The grounds of the castle were pristine and had an amazing garden! 
The outside of the Royal Palace 
Our tour guide was an absolute legend. We’re in the Chapel Royal at this point of the tour 
The Grand Hall has a distinct color – king’s gold 
Atop the Grand Hall is a unicorn… 
… and a lion 
King James V would sometimes dress as a commoner and walk about the castle grounds, listening in on people’s conversations to see what they thought of him 
The Great Hall would be the site of feasts. The King and Queen would sit under the tapestries 
The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn 
Briana and Ciara pose as a pair of queens 
The Royal Family 
And the Queen and King, Imelda and Paul 
Brendan was not excited about waiting to take pictures 
Prince Brendan finally got into the spirit (after much prodding) 
Walking around the castle were guides dressed in appropriate outfits 
The Queen of Scotland’s bed 
The views from the castle hill were breathtakingly gorgeous 
A family photo! 
Stirling castle sits atop a hill that overlooks the village 
Paul decides to risk it and look over the edge 
Photoception! 
Stirling Castle has some natural defenses, including cliffs 
There were rooms where you could dress as court figures 
Paul the Jester helps Brianna the Handmaiden 
These hooks would be used to help stop fires from spreading 
There were figures in the kitchen to show how they would be staffed 
Cheese! 
There were some cells in the guard house 
The all-seeing eye 
Heading down the streets of Stirling! 
It wouldn’t be Scotland without a bagpipe shop 
Paul shows his enthusiasm for finding a restaurant. Unfortunately they weren’t serving lunch yet. 
Just some light reading 
Loch Lomond has some of the most amazing scenery I’ve ever seen 
Paul was contemplating how life would be if he were a duck 
Paul smiles at the camera 
This little village was quite picturesque 
Paul and Imelda! 
Brendan was having some trouble seeing… 
…so he borrowed my sunglasses 
Mom and me! (although I guess it would be “mum” in Scotland) 
The drive through the Trossachs up to Inveraray was stunning 
Brendan holds a golden eagle 
It was quite a sunny day, so she was happy to spread her wings and feel the warmth 
Brendan tries to avoid getting hit in the face by the eagle’s wings 
I took a turn holding her as well (featuring random man getting those candids) 
Her beak was quite sharp, but her talons even sharper 
A good boi gets some well-deserved pets 
Brendan talked to some Scottish members of the Royal Marines 
He really liked what they had to show 
At the Inveraray Highland Games, there was some hammer tossing… 
… bagpiping 
And the World Caber Toss Championship 
Biranna, Ciara, and Connor enjoy a warm day at the Highland Games! 
They finally noticed me pointing the camera at them this time 
The local pipe band was also present to help close out the games 
A near successful caber toss! So close! 
Connor shows off his new hoodie, my sunglasses, and my new hat! 
Edinburgh! 
The Harry Potter tour started in a graveyard 
Brianna was not completely ready 
Edinburgh Castle 
Cheese! 
Okay, I’m done now. No more photos 
Ciara: “Who is this moron?” 
One of the oldest flower clocks in the world 
It works (and it has a cuckoo bird!) 
The one o’ clock gun surprisingly fires at one o’ clock 
Paul stands sentry outside the Scottish National War Memorial 
The American Revolution was not entirely fought in North America 
Americans who were captured were kept in Edinburgh Castle 
However, unlike the Spanish and French fighters, the Americans were not considered POW’s, but rebels 
As a result, they received less food and water than their fellow revolutionaries 
One American POW carved an early version of the American flag on a door while being held in Edinburgh Castle 
John Paul Jones, the father of the US Navy, led a raid into Edinburgh Harbor during the American Revolution 
Brendan struggles to remember how to put on a sweatshirt while Imelda gets ready to mug me 
The Falkirk Wheel! 
They were wheely glad to see us 
Doune Castle, aka where they shot Monty Python and the Holy Grail 
They also had Outlander Costumes 
Ciara shows off the latest fashion trends from a few centuries ago 
Brendan found his silly English k-nige-hit hat (they also had coconuts!) 
Just don’t look down when doing your business 
Scottish castle doors were not designed with tall people in mind 
The Duke of Albany would sit here and conduct his meetings 
Brendan investigates the coat room 
The William Wallace Monument (whose subject we all know from that historically accurate film, Braveheart) 
Stirling Castle on a beautiful day 
Linlithgow Palace 
The fountain at Linlithgow Palace was partially destroyed and has been repaired 
The grounds surrounding the Palace were quite picturesque 
This was the great hall, where feasts would be held. Large logs would be brought in to warm the hall in the large fireplace behind where the king and queen of Scotland would sit 
Local schoolchildren would provide tours of the palace while wearing outfits one would commonly see during the time periods the palace was in use 
A pigeon made it into one of the rooms 
Connor was in a happier mood than he was on the Harry Potter tour! 
King James I of England (who was also King James VI of Scotland) left his touch on the palace 
The initials stand for Iacobus Rex I and Iacobus Rex VI, the latin names of King James I/VI 
Imelda spots me from across a walkway 
Cheese! 
Connor looks over the Scottish landscaoe from the tallest tower at the palace 
A statue of Mary, Queen of Scots 
Connor was very excited to visit the Mecca of golf, St. Andrews 
One of the caddies was kind enough to lend us a use of his apron 
Connor admires the Royal and Ancient 
We took a detour to the North Sea before exploring the rest of the golf course 
The adults turn into children, wading into the North Sea 
We had to be very quick when taking this photo. FORE! 
Connor tried showing off his break-dancing moves. On an unrelated note, gravel is not conducive to break-dancing 
Listen here, tough guy… 
Paul asserts his dominance over all the haters 
Before driving to the airport, the Rices decide to explore the Lennox Estate 
Imelda keeps a watchful eye on Brendan 
“Oh, when’d you get there?” 
More photoception! 
We drove all the way up to Loch Ness and Nessie never even showed up! 
We may or may not have unknowingly participated in a Pride Parade in Inverness 
Scotland
2019
Steven Rice Photography 