Day 7 – Day Trip to ‘Braveheart’ Country

The 1995 Academy-Award winning film Braveheart is one my favorite films and while in Scotland I had to explore the Scottish lore covered in the film.  The movie depicts a series of very important events in Scottish history, which fortunately took place not too far from Glasgow in a city called Stirling and its neighnoring city of Bannockburn. 

I took a 30-minute train from Queen Station in Glasgow to Stirling.

It was a beautiful day which made for great country views from the train. The white dots are sheep.

Scottish countryside between Glasgow and Stirling.

The old-fashion streets of Stirling.

Downtown Stirling featured a main street of quaint shops, cafes and pubs.

 

 

Stirling is best known for its iconic castle which is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland.   The castle sits atop Castle Hill and is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs.   Its strategic location as a gateway from the highlands to the lowlands has made it an important fortification from the earliest times.   During the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296-1357) the Stirling castle switched hands between the English and Scottish on numerous occasions.

The walk up to Stirling Castle featured a statue of Robert I, better known as Robert the Bruce, the King of Scotland from 1306-1329.

The Castle entrance.

The Queen's Garden.

A view from the northwest side of the Castle looking out onto the nearby fields. The Castle was in a position to see 6 or 7 battle fields in the distance.

The central square inside the Castle walls. This building is the main palace where the King and Queen ate and slept.

The cannon gallery on the eastside of the Castle.

A view of what a cannon soldier would see as he aims at the oncoming troops.

The spire in the distance is the William Wallace monument as seen from the Stirling Castle.

One of the many walkways along the Castle walls where soldiers would patrol the perimeter.

Taking in the views.  This is one of the sides of the Castle on a cliff so off this ledge is about a 120ft drop.

One of the cliffs that the Castle was built on.  You can see how big of a drop it is.

The King's quarters.

The King and Queen's dining hall.

The dungeon corridors of the Stirling Castle.

 

 

Once I conquered the Stirling Castle it was time to make my way to the battle fields of Bannockburn.  I took a 10-minute bus ride to the rolling green hills where arguably the most important battle in Scottish history took place: the battle of 1314.  On the hill looking over the Bannockburn field is a heritage center that provides all the history, artifacts, and monuments of the infamous battle.  A monument to both the battle itself and Robert the Bruce, the hero of the clash, have been erected in honor of the victory.  Although out numbered 3-to-1 against the superior English archers, cavalry and infantry, Robert the Bruce lead his men in a strategic and brave battle that won them their independence. 

The Braveheart film ends with this goose-bump monologue, “In the year of our lord 1314, patriots of Scotland, starving and out numbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn.  They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsman. And won their freedom.”  That war did in fact win their independence, but it wasn’t until 1326 that the treaty was signed for Scotland to become a sovereign country.

The Bannockburn Heritage center was filled with artifacts, history timelines and a 10-minute movie all about the Battle of Bannockburn.

The center also had warrior gear for guests to try on...

Not sure how anyone could fight in such heavy gear.  I could barely put it on and move around.

A replica of the swords used during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

 

The monument dedicated to the Battle of Bannockburn.

This is on the Bannockburn memorial and reads, "We fight not for glory, nor for wealth, nor honor, but only and alone we fight for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life."

A view of the Stirling Castle from Bannockburn.

Robert the Bruce statue overlooking the fields of Bannockburn where he lead the Scots in the Battle of 1314.

The fields of Bannockburn.

 


Around 6pm I left the battle fields and headed to the train station.  Near the train station I popped into a tartan store to see if I could finally find a Logan-patterned scarf, blanket or tie.  I had the Logan pin and the shoulder throw, but I wanted a scarf or blanket.  Lucky enough, Marian, the Queen of Tartans (pictured below) had both a scarf and a tie.  She knew each clan pattern, family heritage, related clans and a lot more.  She was amazing.  I quickly snatched up the scarf and tie and headed to the train station.   

The Queen of Scottish tartans, Marian.

Once on the train I quickly fell asleep (it was long day of exploring).   Forty-five minutes later when we pulled into Queen Station I had to be woken up by the train steward cleaning the cars.  He nudged me and said "Hey mate, we're at Queen Station."  Fortunately, my stop, Queen Station, was the last stop or else I would have been on a long train ride out of the way.   Once the sleepy haze cleared I headed back to the hotel to change and go out for my last night in town. 

I went to a late dinner at a local tapas place called Torres.  Since it was a late dinner I was one of only two parties at the restaurant, which allowed for me and the manager/waiter, Nacho, to get to talking.  He was from Valencia, Spain (not a city I'm visiting), but he was still insightful on things to see and do during my visit to Spain.  He loved that I was from Los Angeles because he's a huge punk rock fan and wants to come to LA to see some shows.  As I was finishing my meal the restaurant was closing and Nacho offered me a after-dinner Spanish wine.  That lead to a shot of Jameson (natural progression) which then lead to an invite to a going away house party for one of the restaurant's waitresses.  I gladly accepted and was on my way to a fun final night in Glasgow. 

Torres, a tapas bar on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow.

I had the goat-cheese jam spread...

...a pork chop on toasted bread...

...and chicken dumplings and chorizo.

Post-dinner shots with the staff.  Xena (L) was the waitress having the going-away party and Zen (R)was a waiter at the restaurant who was off-duty but was coming to the party.

A few shots later Zen felt the need to rub my head...it was a friendly bunch (also notice the new Logan scarf!)

After shutting down the restaurant the group went to Nacho's place to celebrate's Xena's going away. Nacho is in the back, Jimmy (Nacho's roommate) is on the left and Xena is in the middle.

 

Group shot.

My new Glaswegian friends - Nacho, Zen and Jimmy.

 

After the house party on my way back to the hotel I stopped off at a noodle place to grab a bite and I mentioned to this young gentlemen in line that I was a Celtic fan from America and he just about lost it. He insisted on buying me my chicken chow mein and who am I to decline.  Cheers mate!

 

An eventful day to say the least.  Lots of history, some good food and a bit of boozing.  Friday morning I take the hour-long train ride to Edinburgh where I’ll spend one day and one night before flying to Spain for 14 days (Madrid, San Sebastian and Barcelona).  I better start touching up on my Spanish. 

Day 6 – Sports-Filled Day in Glasgow

I’m writing this only an hour or so after the final whistle of the Celtic Champions League match so I’m still on a high from the game.  Actually, I’m more on a high from the crowd and stadium than the actual match.  I’ve been to a few sporting events in my day but I’ve never seen or experienced a crowd like this before.  One fan next to me said, “The crowd is better than the team” and I’d have to agree.  Celtic won the match 2-0 and advanced to the knockout stages of the Champions League, but if the competition was based on fan support, Celtic might be ranked among the top clubs in the world.

More on the Celtic v. Helsingborg match in a second.  My first sporting escapade today was a round of golf at HAGGS CASTLE.  It’s a historic golf club just outside of Glasgow that was started in 1910.  The Scottish Open used to be held there in the 1980’s before it was moved to King's Course at Gleneagles Golf Club (today the Scottish Open is one of the richer golf tournaments on the European Tour and it is currently played at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Invernes in the North of Scotland).  Fees are around $90.  Everyone I told about my round at Haggs Castle said it was a great course, lots of history, really nice scenery, etc., so I figured it’d be crowded and I’d be in a traditional foursome, but when I arrived there was only a couple people out on the course; I guess that’s what happens when you tee off at 10am on a Wednesday on a slightly overcast day.  So, it was a group of one…”now on the first tee, Mr. Dianella.”  I took my rented clubs and hit the links…solo. 

Haggs Castle Golf Club - Glasgow, Scotland.

Haggs Castle map.

The first tee.

My rented clubs...they do have carts, aka "buggies," but you only use them if you have some sort of handicap.

 

Storm clouds were teasing all morning, but no major rain came.  The course was very damp and soft all day though.

 

 

There were flashes of drizzle here and there, but it stayed clear for the most part.  I started with six balls and was down to one by the 11^th hole – the 9^th and 10^th were tough Par 4s.  From that point on if I shanked a shot into the trees or put a 7 iron over the green into the water it would be the end of my round…the pressure was on!  Fortunately, I stepped up and made it through the final eight holes with just one ball.  I ended up shooting a respectable 95 (that included the penality strokes for the lost balls).  I didn’t have the course completely to myself, but with no one in front or behind me, I might as well have.  It was a beautiful round of golf and I can check “Golfing in Scotland” off the bucket list. 

Lots of lush green foliage all around.

Par-3 third hole.

Nice slow back swing... and...shanked into the woods on the right.

 

The course had several old stone houses lining the greens and fairways which added to the old Scottish vibe of the course.

The walk up to 11th green.

More scenic views

 

Having the course to myself for the most part allowed me to stop and pose for pics.

 

Final hole.

The 18th fairway.

Post-round pint in the clubhouse.

David Feherty won the 1986 Scottish Open at Haggs Castle.

 

 

One of the reasons I decided to play golf at Haggs Caslte is because a 10-minute walk down the road from the clubhouse is Glasgow’s finest 18^th-century domestic building called the Pollok House.  Along with being a gorgeous and tranquil Scottish estate it also houses one of Britain’s best collections of Spanish paintings.  After my round of golf I took the scenic walk down the road and explored the estate a bit.

The walk from Haggs Castle to the Pollok House.

The entry gate to the Pollok House.  The house is not in use by the family; instead it is used as a museum and an event venue.

 

The view from the back patio looking into the estate's backyard.

The landscaping on the estate was immaculate. As you can imagine, they have dozens of maintenance workers manicuring the premises each day.

View from the back patio. In the distance is the back part of Haggs Castle golf course.

A view looking back up to the house from the yard.

About 200 yards from the back steps was a creek and a beautiful stone bridge.

A view of the back yard and house from the stone bridge. The estate is so large that locals often use it as a park and bring their kids to run around the grounds and families will bring picnics.

Hanging on the stone bridge.

 

 

 

After I explored the estate I went down to the kitchen and had an apple and rasberry crumble with ice cream. Delicious.

 

Now back to the Celtic FC experience.  Kickoff was at 7:45pm local time (11:45am PT) and I arrived at the stadium around 6:30pm.  I went to Will Call and grabbed my tickets and then explored the outside food vendors, team shop and general surroundings.  I finally went inside about 30 minutes before kickoff and you could instantly sense the energy and tension.  This was a big match for Celtic.  If they won, they qualified for the Champions League of Europe, which is the highest level tournament in Europe (it means lots more money and exposure for the team). 

Celtic Park is about 10 minutes east of the city center.  It cost about $15 by cab.

Most European soccer stadiums have been significantly revamped to accomodate larger crowds and  modern day technology, but just about all the stadiums leave one side or wall or even one stand from the old original grounds.

Walking up to Celtic Park.

The club was established in 1888 so they are celebrating their 125th anniversary. 

I made my way to the seats which were spectacular.  Again, in soccer you don’t want to be too close because you can’t see the other side of the field.  You’d rather have a little height so you get a full perspective.  My seats were “35-yard line” and in the front row of the second set of field-level seats, basically prime real estate.  Plus, I had a little cut-out area of the stands (see photo for better visual) so there was plenty of space. 

A view from my seats.

Fans showing their pride by raising their scarves.

This was my little alcove.  You can see how it's slightly separated from the other seats.

I was row B, seat 26, but no one else was sitting in this "box" so I had it to myself.

 

Enjoying it.

Within seconds of sitting down the chanting started.  And I don’t just mean one section of passionate fans in the corner; the entire stadium of 60k+ in unison chanting, singing and waving their arms.  It was an amazing site.  It was so synchronized that it appeared as if they all went to a rehearsal and worked on their cheering together.   On top of the chants, various songs were played throughout the match that got the crowd even more electric.  By far my favorite was when the crowd broke into song with Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough."  I don't have video from my game, but here is a video from a match last season that shows the energy and enthusiasm these fans have - Check it out.  Another goosebump moment was when the one-and-only Susan Boyle, a fellow Scotsman (or Soctswoman) sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the match and the entire crowd sang along and held their green and white striped scarves in the air. 

Susan Boyle singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" before the match.

 

During "You'll Never Walk Alone" all the fans raise their scarves.

 

 

There was some excitement on the pitch as well.  Celtic scored late in the first half to go up 1-0 and then added another goal late in the game to make it a final of 2-0.  Huge win for the Hoops.  After the match, I met up with Iain Jamieson, the press manager for Celtic who gave me the tickets, and I was able to attend the manager’s press conference as well as walk on the field and sit in the team dugouts.  Needless to say, it was an experience for the ages.  It definitely goes down as one of the best sporting events I’ve been to. 

Kickoff!

Game action.

Celtic started poorly, but were able to secure the 2-0 victory.

 

Iain Jamieson and I on the field after the match.

Post-game press conference with Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

Celtic team dugout.

 

Sitting in the manager's chair.

 

Celtic Football Club is all about the fans and the fans are some of the best in the world.

 

 

 

The song I’d like to share is without a doubt Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’tGet Enough.”  Not only did I coincidently download this catchy 80’s tune prior to the trip, but it also has become a major battle cry for the Celtic supporters.  They play it before the match, at halftime and after goals and to hear 60k+ rabid soccer fans singing “I just can’t get enough” all at once is pretty spectacular.

 

Thursday, my last day in Glasgow, is TBD at this point.  I might venture outside the city to see some castles and old historic battle grounds, or I might just recoup and relax.