more Scottish history news

[winterbadger]

It would have been cool to see this. Bryan and Neta and I toured the palace on a very cold, rainy day and got a sense of what a mammoth palace it must have been at its height. I'd like to have seen the period celebrations!

Comments

[reasdream.livejournal.com]

DUDE! So want to have been there! (and the moment I read 1503 I was like Weddingz!)

[winterbadger]

Even in ruins on a drizzly January afternoon it is an amazing place. I can imagine what a hive of activity it must have been when it was in good nick and the monarch was there entertaining.

It's the romantic in me, I know. I realise that actually living in the 16th or 17th century was not very pleasant for many folk; even the wealthy had to deal with challenges that most of us have never dealt with today. I grasp that very few people, proportionally, were involved in the life of the court. And that even for those who were, human beings being what they are, the court was not that much better than Washington or Westminster today, over laid in many cases with even more bitter religious feuding and intolerance.

But I can't help finding it all fascinating nonetheless. The personalities, the politics, the art and music and physical accomplishment were integrated into the life of the ruling class in a way that is almost impossible to imagine today. It was a fascinating time, and the scraps that remain of its physical existence only spur one's imagination to what it must truly have looked, smelled, and sounded like.

LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

One of my sword fighting and writing chums, he is also a living history alchemist, and was in role at the event:
http://calcinations.livejournal.com/92461.html#cutid1

(If you think the Palace is mindblowing, take a stroll down Hadrian's Wall someday.)

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[winterbadger]

Oooh! More interesting people. :-)

I would LOVE to see Hadrians's Wall one day. When I was trying to get my chums to take more time for the Event in 2008, I had suggested we take a couple of days, drive down to Leeds to see the Royal Armouries, then stop on the way back to see the Wall and maybe a Border castle or two.

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

Well, when you do, stop by in Edinburgh for a beer...

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[winterbadger]

Thanks! I will do that!

We better watch out though, if ban_leodhasach gets involved, it will be beers until all hours and waking up at dawn on Arthur's Seat with a towel and a pair of boots each and a packet of crisps among us. :-)

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[ban-leodhasach.livejournal.com]

Hey! When did I ever say I would share my crisps????

And if we were in the vincinity of Arthur's Seat then I can highly recommend the Sheep's Heid for a pint :-)

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[winterbadger]

See? See what I mean? A virtual hangover, and she's looking for the next pint! ;-)

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

So you've been to a Scottish booklaunch, then?

http://tomorrowelephant.net/2006/07/16/writing-news/

Re: LOL! Meet Calcinations....

[winterbadger]

Even some American ones (I used to work in independent bookstores). I recall one book launch (for a pretty obscure book on Native American archaeology) where one member of the audience (which pretty much consisted of the author and his friends) was pounding the counter and shouting "I'm a scientist and I NEED A BEER!" :-)

BTW

[winterbadger]

There was some talk at one point of HS paying to haul the galley Aileach (whose crew I try to stay in contact with in hopes of joining them some day) over to Linlithgow for the festivities. If that had happened, I might not have been *able* to stay away...

[calcinations.livejournal.com]

Argh, another person who never heard about the event. Unfortunately HS won't be putting one on again like it this year.

You do know that there is a strong undercurrent of diverse people who think the best way to maintain Linlithgow palace would be with a roof on it? And we have pictures...

[winterbadger]

Oh, I knew about the event! I'm just several thousand miles away, so it was a tradeoff between coming for that and coming another time to see and do other things.

I wasn't aware that there was a movement to roof the palace.I would think that if it could be done carefully it would be a good thing. It's so sad to see so many of the pieces of "internal" stonework that are now degraded by centuries of exposure.

[calcinations.livejournal.com]

Not quite a movement, more that I've met plenty of people who would like to see it done, but getting them all united is another matter.