I forgot what this was.

Have never seen one. So I guess the sign works pretty well.

Probably too long a shot for my trusty iPhone, but this is Lochleven Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned for a year, and was forced to abdicate in favor of her infant son James.

Scone Palace. No, it’s not a breakfast eatery - pronounced “skoon”. The current Earl of Mansfield lives there with his family, so we were asked not to take any pictures of the interior. So here’s a pic of the exterior. And of adjacent Sone Abbey on Moot Hill, where Robert the Bruce was crowned in 1306. And pics of some resident peacocks. And of a painted highland cow on the grounds.

I was today years old when I found out that “Peking Duck flavored seaweed chips” is actually a thing.

A half day ride around the Scottish highlands. Rugged beauty everywhere you look.

Outside the City Hall, there was a protest against the Iranian regime, as well as a youth group playing local folk music. You can guess which was the noisier group.

We also made friends with Mollie. She’s almost five years old. She’s also a golden retriever, which means we instantly became her new very best friends.

We stopped at a fun lively local pub - felt a little self-conscious ordering a Diet Coke rather than a Guinness.

High walls still stand from the original purpose, to separate warring factions - the nationalists vs the unionists. These days, they’re covered in murals and graffiti and posters, advocating most all different sides of any and all issues.

I remembered that the Titanic was built in Belfast, but I had no idea how much that has become woven into the city’s identity. Reminders everywhere you look.

Parliament building.

Belfast. Our first ever visit to Northern Ireland. Queens university, the Opera House, and City Hall.

Yes. A traffic cone on the Duke of Wellington’s noggin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_statue_of_the_Duke_of_Wellington,_Glasgow

On to Glasgow.

Rothesay Castle.