Exploring Historic Scotland Sites in Angus, Scotland

Pictish Stones

Edzell Castle

Walled Garden

Brechin Cathedral

Round Tower

Restenneth Priory

Summer holidays were spent in Scotland and this was the first of many trips we did and we saw a lot of different places and it was all really interesting.

First up we went to Aberlemno to see some Pictish stones, there were 4 altogether, one in the churchyard and 3 on a road side. They date from in between AD 500 TO 800, and on the stones are carvings, some are animals, battle scenes and Pictish symbols.

From there we went to visit Edzell Castle and Gardens, they are part of Historic Scotland and my parents are members. This means Alessio can get in for free, which is not bad since we visited many sites belonging to HS throughout this holiday.

Edzell Castle was home to the Lindsay family who acquired the estate in 1358. Then in the 1500s they built a new castle, the one which is here today. Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1562, then her  son James V1 visited in 1580 and 1589. The walled garden is very lovely too.

After a short break for lunch we had a quick stop at Brechin Cathedral, we wanted to see the Round Tower which is 25m tall. It is one of only two Irish-style round towers standing in Scotland. And as a matter of fact towards the end of our holiday we visited the other round tower too. We popped into the cathedral too which was also very nice with lovely stained glass windows.

Finally our last stop was Restenneth Priory, founded in the early 1100s, it is not known by whom. The last 3 photos are from the Priory.

So afterwards we headed back Broughty Ferry, it was a good day and I saw lots of new places. This was just one of the many sites and places we visited during our holiday.

Next week on Tuesday in fact is Alessio´s birthday, I can't quite believe he will turn 13 years old.

Hope you are all having a good weekend

A Long Weekend in Kiev, Ukraine

Independence Square

Entrance to the St.Sophia Cathedral, the Bell Tower

Golden Gate

Opera House

St Volodymry's Cathedral

Add caption

Ballet The Marriage of Figaro

Opera House

The Motherland Monument

St.Michael Golden- Domed Monastery

St Andrews Cathedral

I am been neglecting my poor blog lately and have seen the last time I did a post was on the 24th May so nearly one month. Ok, I have been just rather lazy about posting as I do have stuff to post about.

Anyway this post is about my most recent trip away to the lovely city of Kiev in the Ukraine. I went for a long weekend with my friend Arlene.

Once checked into our hotel we decided to walk up to Independence Square, we took a longish way to get there but it was just great to see lots of lovely buildings and architecture. Once at the square, which is the main square in the city we wondered around it a bit. There was lots going on and many people just hanging out.

The next day we did lots of walking, we saw the beautiful St.Sophia Cathedral the oldest in Kiev, built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. The outside facade is white with green for some of the domes and the other domes in gold. The inside is spectacular with amazing mosaic, paintings and frescoes.

We saw St. Michael`s Golden -Domed Monastery which was in a beautiful blue, St Volodymyr`s Cathedral which was in a stunning yellow and finally we saw St. Andrews Cathedral in white and green, with golden domes. All these cathedral were completely stunning.

We did a boat trip down the river Dnieper, it was nice to see some of the sights and get a close up of The Motherland Monument. We also decided to do the hip on/off bus tour just to see all the sights and then decide what to see better.

We ate two times in a Georgian restaurant and it was fantastic both times, the food was so delicious and the staff always very nice to us. We could not believe how cheap everything is here.

We even went to see a ballet at the Opera House, we saw The Marriage of Figaro. On a whim we were passing the Opera House and decided to pop in and see what/if there was something on that evening. The lady told us there was and decided to go and we got tickets for 4ch. Yes it was unbelievable and we had good seats in the balcony.

So in conclusion, Kiev is very definitely a city to visit, great architecture, sights, restaurants and very friendly people.

St George Chapel, Berchis, Walenstadt

During the Spring holidays while my parents were visiting we did a trip to Walenstadt. We visited the parents of my sister in law and had a very delicious dinner, but beforehand we went on a short trip.

We went to visit an ancient chapel called St George which rest on top of St Georgeberg (funnily enough). We had to walk up to the chapel which was a rather steep walk but thankfully a short walk. We were rewarded with some lovely views of the Sargans region although it was cloudy and overcast it was still worthwhile.

The actual chapel which is know locally as "Sant Jöüri" is the oldest chapel in the Sargans region and has twin naves which is apparently very rare. It is usually kept locked but luckily we were able to get the keys for a look inside, and it was definitely worth it!

Inside the chapel were a few pews and fantastic paintings/drwaings on the walls, it is said to have some kind of energy force in the chapel. There is a small hole where you could put your head and it is said it would take away your headache! The hole does look a bit small for any head to be honest unless a child!

Anyway it was a lovely visit to this chapel which we did not known about and more than likely never would have visited it otherwise.

The last of the long weekends is here so best to make the most of it! Alessio has a football match and then a friend is visiting from Munich, Janet and her daughter. They will come for dinner on Saturday evening. On Monday we will go to Schaffhausen and Alessio will stay with his grandmother as he has Tuesday free as well! Lucky boy!!

Have a great weekend!