Our first full day in Scotland was fun-filled with family. Our whole group, including our Aunt Judy and Uncle Ken who came over from South Carolina, took a trek through the town of Stirling and up the hill to the Stirling Castle! The castle itself was beautiful. And though we didn't get to tour the entire structure, we did get to see just inside a bit, and all of the surrounding town on the hill, which was beautiful! We walked all the way down, saw the old town jail, the beautiful chapel, and then came to the Cowane's Hospital, which is where Linds would be married in a few days. We did a quick tour/rehearsal there before going to Tom's house for a dinner with him, his roommates, and his family.
The day before the wedding was really the only time we had to tour around Scotland just a bit, so we rented a taxi and had some fun! Teage and Uncle Ken went golfing at a historic golf course in Stirling, and everyone else and I went to see some sites around the nearby cities. Fairly close to where we were staying was something called the Falkirk Wheel. The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The lift, named after the nearby town of Falkirk in central Scotland, opened in 2002. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s as part of the Millennium Link project. The neat thing about this wheel is that it rotates nearly all on its own weight, so there is hardly any energy used at all. We even went on a little ride on the wheel and took a tour of the canal above.
And after the wheel we took a quick stop to see the Kelpies before heading back to the B and B to meet up with everyone! The Kelpies are one of the largest equine sculptures in the world, standing 30 metres (100 feet) tall. They are the landmark feature of The Helix Environmental Regeneration Scheme on the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk on Central Scotland.
The next day was WEDDING DAY!!! Since we had a little while before we had to start getting ready, Teage and I decided to take a little walk through the town of Stirling and explore a bit. We went through the golf course to see the amazing view of the castle up on the hill, and then went around the beautiful stone-paved streets of "downtown" Stirling itself.
And of course when we got back we had to get ready for the big day!!!!! Lindsey looked so beautiful, it was so hard for me to come to the realization that my little sister was old enough to get married! She was so calm and collected, I was super impressed. And we even had fun just getting ready together before going to the old hospital where the wedding would take place.
My poor Uncle Ken was the only one with a car, and really the only one who knew how to drive on the other side of the road :), so we had him ferrying us back and forth in shifts. Once we arrived, Lindsey and I hid in a separate room while they brought Tom in so he wouldn't see her until she was walking down the aisle. It was a little crowded because that room also happened to be the staging room for all of the food and all of L and T's friends were bringing in a whole bunch of stuff before they took their seats! :)
Sean officiated the ceremony, a person playing the bagpipe proceeded L down the aisle, and David walked her down, which was beautiful. Tom's sister Zuzi and I were her only bridesmaids, and Tom's roommates were his groomsmen. It was perfect. Sean did wonderfully, and I loved having a view of Tom during the whole thing and watching how he looked at her.
Linds and Tom are not super formal people, so they actually had all of their friends bring food and dessert, and really had a big pot luck for dinner! They also just got all of their plates and silverware from thrift stores, so nothing matched, which was pretty fun! It really was perfect for them. The whole rest of the night was just eating and dancing and laughing, it really was a blast. Lind and I even both had "Toms" shoes to change into while we danced and there was a Scottish band that taught us how to dance the Ceilidh! This is what Lindsey was really excited about. She put on a shorter dress so she could move, and all of us went out there in partners and learned a whole bunch of new dances. So sweaty and fun!
The day after the wedding we had to take a train back to London so we could catch our flight in the morning, but before we left, we were actually able to meet up with an elementary school friend of mine!!! Hazel and I were best buddies in 2nd or 3rd grade, until she moved to Scotland, and I got in touch with her when we knew we would be there for the wedding. I was so thankful that her and her husband and daughter could come out and see us! We just went to a little cafe together and had some breakfast and were able to chat for a while. I loved seeing her again!!!!!
And of course when we got back into Kings Cross Station, I could not miss my opportunity to find my Harry Potter Platform!!!!!! I am such a nerd and I love it!!!!!!!!!!
The plane ride home was fairly uneventful, though super long and tiring. Unfortunately American Airlines lost Teage's bag on the way back and we didn't get it back for over a week, but it ended up being ok. We missed the kiddos terribly, but had such a wonderful and beautiful time in the UK!!!!! We felt so blessed!!!!!
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