Eilean
– is a Gaelic term meaning island or raised ground. So, many of the homes
surrounded by water are referred to by “Eilean” and then the name of the family
who built it, or the location. The day we left the Isle of Skye we drove
through part of the island and returned to the mainland by bridge, stopping for
photos at the picturesque Eilean Donan Castle. After becoming a Jacobite
stronghold, it was destroyed in 1719 by English warships. In the 19th
century it was restored, and now contains a number of relics of the Jacobite
cause. Many of you may recognize it from movies such as the 1986 Highlander, the 1996 Loch Ness, and the 1999 James Bond – The World is Not Enough. http://www.eileandonancastle.com/
Edinburgh
– we
only had the pleasure of staying in the capital of Scotland for a couple of
days, but I will always remember them. We took a tour comparing and
contrasting the wide streets and elegant mansions of the Georgian 200-year-old
“New Town” with the narrow lanes and medieval townhouses along the Royal Mile,
the oldest part of the city. We traveled Prince Street, the main shopping thoroughfare
that separates the two areas, learned about many prominent Scottish inventors,
doctors and writers, and even toured the imposing Edinburgh Castle where we saw
the Stone of Scone.
Elephant
House - while
we didn’t have time to go in, we did pass by The Elephant House, where writers such as J.K. Rowling, Ian Rankin,
and Alexander McCall-Smith are said to have sat writing their entertaining and
now widely popular tales. http://www.elephanthouse.biz/
As a thank-you to the blogging community, and to celebrate one
year since its publication, I am offering FREE e-pub copies of my western short story
“Broken Angel” from now through April 30. If you would like to receive a copy,
simply email me at writinginwonderland(at)gmail(dot)com
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