Stirling

It was pretty cold on Saturday, and the weather was doing all sorts of crazy nonsense.
It was rainy and windy, but then it would be perfectly sunny, or it would be sunny and rainy simultaneously..

That's Scotland, I suppose.

Regardless, my trip to Stirling was wonderful! It's a very Scottish town: everything you'd imagine.
We visited the Wallace Monument, and climbed 246 steps to the top of the 220 foot building.

The view was incredible, to say the least. I wish I'd brought my Canon, and that it had been sunnier. The pictures aren't as representative of what I experienced, but I hope you enjoy, anyway.

Staircase (246 of these spiraling up and up and up...)

Wallace Sword

Inside the Wallace Monument

All about Wallace

View from the top of the Monument

Next, we visited the Stirling Castle. It was neat, although it's basically all been re-embellished. My camera's battery wasn't fully charged, so I have limited pictures of the visit.

Walking into the Stirling Castle

A view from the side

Canons

Inside the Queen's room

The next few hours were for free time in Stirling. If not for the weather, I would have more to tell you..but unfortunately it was bloody cold, and quite drizzly.
Brett (one of the guys also visiting from Iowa State) was along as well; we had lunch at a pub, but the cold prevented our venture around the city for too long. We spent a lot of our time hanging around the nice, warm mall.

Stirling is a quaint city, though. It feels like Edinburgh, but a bit more Scottish, and a lot cleaner.

Next weekend I will be in Durham! It's about three hours away, in England. Apparently it's a good place for history lovers and Harry Potter fans. Good thing I'm one of those!