Holyroodhouse

Wednesday June 29:
Yesterday, we were at the top of the Royal Mile and today we walked down to the other end to the Royal Families Holyroodhouse.  When we got down there we came upon the new Scottish Parliament Building.  We ventured into the building to see what it looked like.  They have a public entrance with security of course but we were able to go into the "Debating Chamber".  It is beautiful inside.  Most all the furniture and the ceiling structure is made of Oak from all over Scotland.

After our visit there we saw another structure between it and a most magnificent crag protruding up.

It was called Our Dynamic Earth and it was an ecology exhibition that was very interesting.  It explained how the Earth was formed, what natural processes exist, how it has changed over time, how animals have adapted or not, and how people  are affecting these changes.  It was very interesting.

Well, we next went across the street to Holyroodhouse only to find that it was closed because of the Queen's impending visit.  I was disappointed not to be able to go inside.  They allow you to view all of the private rooms.  We lingered however because there was hustle bustle going on inside the gates.  Our wait was rewarded with a fantastic rehearsal of the military procession accompanied of course by a bagpipe and brass band.  The did a run through including cars coming in to deliver various military personel in preparation for the Queen's arrival.  Though we were a distance away behind barriers and had to view through iron gates it was a wonderful surprise.
The structure itself is huge and above the entrance is a large open crown, sword, and scepter, symbols of the Honours I told you about.

I didn't take pictures of the rehearsal because I didn't think a picture would do justice to the experience.
If you look at this last picture through the tree leaves you can just see the crown I was telling you about.  It looks like a dome.
After the rehearsal was over we walked back up the Royal Mile to look in shops and find some dinner.
It was another great day.
The weather has been great so far.