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Home , Dunfermline, Dunfermline (district), Dunfermline Abbey, Dunfermline Palace, Scone Palace

My Travel to Royal & Magical

If one wants to step back in time and feel the wonderment of a magical land, one needs to look no further than Scotland! I did just that this past summer, as it was my first trip to Scotland. Let me just say right off - I love Scotland. I love the , and I love the land!! I visited and castles, and felt my royal ancestors’ ‘spirits’ in some of those same palaces and castles.

I landed in , Scotland at 9:30 a.m. on a beautiful morning in July. Though I hadn’t gotten any sleep overnight on the flight there, I was so thrilled to be in Scotland, that I immediately rented a car and drove (on the left-hand side of the road which seemed really weird at first), straight to ! That castle is beautiful!! Some of my ancestors were born there. I saw the Scottish Crown Jewels on display. Edinburgh Castle is a fantastic castle! One can sense the divine right to rule of the Stewart (Stuart) kings who ruled there. Then I walked the Royal Mile to the of Holyroodhouse (Queen Elizabeth II’s official royal residence in Edinburgh). The palace is beautiful – and the gardens are gorgeous! I stayed in Edinburgh that night, and Edinburgh was full of visiting travelers from all over the world – especially young people who seemed to be excited that they were also in Scotland!!

The next day, I traveled east to Linlinthgow Palace (the birthplace of my 4th cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots). is in the Kirkgate, Linlithgow, West . When I arrived, the steward of the palace asked why I was there. I told her that I was from California, USA and I was there because I was ‘following in the footsteps’ of my ancestors, the royal Stewarts (Stuarts) - and especially Mary, Queen of Scots. In the spirit of the moment and done with tongue-in-cheek, she proceeded to curtsey to me; and then had the staff bow and curtsey to me. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud; but it was also memorable – and to have done it at a palace (and at that palace) was very memorable!! I thank her for it, as we all had a great laugh! She also gave me “Mary, Queen of Scots” mementos as reminders of my visit!

Then I drove to Castle. That castle also matters a lot to the history of my family. My ancestral great-grandfather, King fought just below the castle (the Battle of Bannockburn – which defined independence for Scotland in 1314) and fortified the castle. I had a picture taken of me next to the statue of my ancestral great-grandfather, King Robert the Bruce. Mary, Queen of Scots was also crowned at . Stirling Castle is beautiful – especially the chapel and the royal apartments. Stirling Castle is very important to the .

From there, I drove to , in Scotland. I stayed at the hotel right in the village. That night, I went out to a restaurant called Seven Kings – which is right next to the hotel where I stayed that night in Dunfermline. The Scottish kids are great They were very friendly and treated me so incredibly well as a foreign visitor to their land!! It seems to me that the Scottish people love to laugh and enjoy life every day! That night I went with them to a couple of Scottish nightclubs. People of all ages will dance together in the village nightclubs! I had a ball with the Scottish youth! They are very friendly and love to have a good time!! I ended up making quite a few friends there.

The morning after the night out with some of my new Scottish friends, I got up and went to an outdoor market near the park. I bought a great dish called a ‘smokie’ (smoked trout). It was soooooo good!! I loved it! Then I went to a place in Dunfermline called Kingdom Kilts and got

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measured to purchase a new kilt (made in Scotland) in the Ferguson clan tartan. Now I have a new kilt (made in Scotland) and in the Ferguson tartan. While I was there, I found out my distant cousin, Jock Ferguson (a Scottish actor) was in the park at Dunfermline. He was performing and entertaining for all the visitors to the city’s main park in Dunfermline.

About an hour later, I was in . The abbey is part of the . Buried underneath the main pulpit of the abbey is the final resting place of my ancestral great-grandfather, King Robert the Bruce. I also went to . My ancestral great-grandfather, King James I, king of Scots was born in Dunfermline Palace. By the time I was touring Dunfermline Palace (which is right next to Dunfermline Abbey) there was a wedding taking place in the Abbey. Playing outside the abbey for the arrivals of the wedding party was a Scottish piper in full Scottish regalia, wearing the Clergy tartan. While I was touring Dunfermline Palace, he played “Scotland the Brave”. Coincidence, maybe? Perhaps - but certainly cool that it all happen at the same time during those moments.

After that, I drove north and stopped at . Scone Palace is gorgeous – both inside, and outside on the grounds of the gardens!! I absolutely love that palace and I loved being there!! The Stone of Destiny was included as part of the coronations of the kings of Scotland. Though the Stone of Destiny is now under bullet-proof glass at Edinburgh Castle (which I saw on the first day that I was in Scotland) I could actually picture the coronations of newly crowned kings of Scotland while standing on the grounds of the palace…. Scone Palace was the place where my ancestral great-grandfather, King Robert I; my 2nd cousin, King James IV; and my 6th cousin King Charles II were crowned. King Charles II helped appropriate land in Virginia for my 9th great-grandfather, Robert Ferguson (who was the king’s cousin) when he came to America from Scotland. Scone Palace should not ever be missed on a visit to Scotland!!

That night, I drove north and stayed with long-time friends in Angus. On the second day of my visit, they took me to Glamis Castle. Glamis Castle was the childhood home of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. My family story goes that my ancestral great-grandfather, King Robert II (Stewart) owned thousands of square miles of hunting grounds – and gave land (where Glamis Castle now stands) to Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis (his son-in-law, who married my great- grand aunt, Princess Johanna) – so that he could build a castle, which eventually became Glamis Castle. Glamis Castle is beautiful inside!! I wish the National Trust of Scotland would allow people to take photos of the inside of some of these castles and palaces (I would have so much more amazing photos); but I understand why they don’t. They need to preserve a lot of treasures of Scotland. The steward of the day told us of stories of ‘ghosts’ who visit the rooms of Glamis Castle frequently. But anyway, inside this castle is stunning!!

The next day, I drove into the Highlands and went to the historic and beautiful . Again, my ancestral great-grandfather, King Robert II had owned all the land at and around where Balmoral Castle now stands. After visiting the castle and walking the grounds (part of its 49,000 plus acres), I now understand why Balmoral Castle is a favorite place of the Royal Family – especially . I walked the gardens created by Queen Mary (consort of King George V); as well as walked Queen Victoria’s gardens….. I loved being in the Highlands and I love Balmoral Castle! I love the ballroom in the castle. It was very beautiful. Of course, I had to have tea at Balmoral Castle (just like I had to have tea at Edinburgh Castle). Anyway, the castle is another one of my favorite castles. And I love the beauty of the Highlands. 3.

After tea, I drove to southwest Scotland (Dumfries & Galloway) and stayed in a village (Thornhill) that was not far from the Ferguson family estate called Craigdarroch House. When I checked in to the inn at almost midnight, there were some Scottish people at the bar. They were locals and they were so cool!! We laughed until we closed the place at almost 2:00 a.m. in the morning. Those Scottish guys and gals were so funny!! I laughed so hard, I had tears of laughter running down my face! There is no doubt in my mind that Scottish people are also very proud of their history! When I told them that I was in southwest Scotland because of the Ferguson estate, they were very interested; mainly because they were locals, and knew all about the history of my family in the area – the Fergusons [the Lairds of Craigdarroch]; the Cunnyinghams [the Earls of Glencairn]; and the Douglases [The Earls of Angus].

The photos (with the pink country estate house) are of the estate that has been in my family (the Fergusons) for 600 years. The estate includes 2500 acres. It’s gorgeous in the Scottish countryside!! Visitors to the Fergusons and the estate over the many years include ‘Bonne Prince Charlie’ (Charles Edward Stuart) and the Jacobite army in 1745; as well as the king of . Anyway, I was met by the estate staff. Soon after, the Mistress of Craigdarroch hosted me as a Ferguson descendant. The wonderful and generous staff served me tea; and the Mistress of Craigdarroch gave me a full tour of the estate. She showed me historical records and photos, as well as pictures and paintings of some of my Ferguson relatives. The Fergusons of Craigdarroch claim that they are the descendants of Prince Fergus of Galloway who lived in the 12th Century. I learned that the Fergusons became members of the Scottish Royal Family due to their long history of their loyalty to the Scottish Crown – and thereby allowed to marry into the Scottish Royal Family with the descendants of the marriages also becoming Stewart (Stuart) descendants. I loved every second of my visit there!

I cannot wait until my return to Scotland!! The gorgeous countryside, the historical beauty and elegance of this magical land is a wonder to behold!

- Scott Ferguson Greene