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Abroad in Scotland and Prince William Gets Knighted at St. Giles Cathedral

My fiance and I just took our first trip to Europe together – Scotland was the logical choice; neither of us have ever been, so this trip was exciting in more ways than one! I scrambled to get the necessary paperwork together since I’ve never really needed a passport before. Expediting is a godsend by the way and well worth the added fee.

Scotland, UK was our number one choice for a few reasons…

  1. We discovered the Rock N’ Roll marathon series sponsors a half marathon here (no, we didn’t run on this trip, thankfully).
  2. Scotland received rave reviews by close friends and relatives.
  3. The Highlands are absolutely gorgeous.
  4. Whisky. Enough said.

Driving on the other side of the road was challenging and made me cringe quite a few times on the narrow, winding roads facing oncoming vehicles overstepping their boundaries, but I wouldn’t have done this trip any other way; I also have a new appreciation for Ford and a diesel engine.

Our trip began in Glasgow after an overnight flight. We drove in a clockwise circle through Loch Lomond, Oban, Mull, Iona, Glencoe, Isle of Skye, Inverness, Pitlochry, St. Andrews, and finally Edinburgh, the country’s capital city.

To sum up this trip in one word… epic. Scotland is beautiful, the food is fantastic, the cask beer is to die for, and the whisky and distillery tours are worth the trip alone.

Prince William Gets Knighted at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh

Part II of our trip was in Edinburgh; we stayed for three full days. Unknown at the time of booking this trip was the fact that Prince William was being knighted at St. Giles Cathedral into the Order of the Thistle. The Queen was also visiting her home at Holyrood Palace for the week so street parking was a bit chaotic at times. Also, I was a little bummed that we couldn’t enjoy high tea at the palace cafe. Maybe next time I’ll get a personal invite. I can only dream…

Prince William was knighted into the Order of the Thistle Thursday morning, which from what I understand is the highest order in Scotland. The only Order that precedes this is the Order of the Garter in England, which he also previously received. Cool stuff! And noble!

I had an opportunity to take a few photos at St. Giles Cathedral on Wednesday morning while most of the population was still having breakfast. I paid my £4 £2 to the cathedral and had to move quickly before visitors washed into my photos. I found the perfect vantage point, set up, and clicked a few frames. Here is the end result of today’s post. Enjoy!

A symmetrical wide angle photo of St. Giles Cathedral pillars, stained glass, altars, and old stone.

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