The Royal and the Ridiculous!

You can't go to Great Britain without visiting a castle and so on Saturday we went to Scotland's Stirling Castle.

This is an old castle--it dates from 1110--with a convoluted history as Scotland and England fought back and forth over the years. Mary Queen of Scots spent her childhood at Stirling.

William of Wallace, who was depicted in the movie "Braveheart," defeated an English army at Stirling.

A guide explaining to Luke how impregnable Stirling Castle is.

King Luke and Queen Maria at the head of the Great Hall

It was interesting to visit a castle as the British are ramping up to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday. An article in the Telegraph Magazine described the current Queen's travel arrangements. The tours are planned down to the minute and every situation is considered. She and Prince Phillip bring along their own blood. All of the Queen's skirts are weighted so they won't blow up on the tarmac and reveal a peek at the royal undies, a precaution that our hosts said Kate Middleton should take as well. Among the almost 35 people in the royal travel entourage are included many secretaries, a physician, ladies-in-waiting and occasionally an artist. 

The other end of the Great Hall, where guests would eat sumptuous meals.

The Queen's favorite drink sounds like a stiff one--Dubonnet and gin, served in the combination of 50/50. She has never revealed what her favorite meal is because it would be served at every occasion but there are instructions to include no garlic in the meals so that the royal breath remains fresh. The Queen sometimes displays the dry British wit. When Canada's leader Justin Trudeau was getting emotionally, remembering the Queen from his father's days as prime minister, the Queen said, "Thank you for making me feel so old!"

If the above sounds a bit much to American ears, our hosts explained that the Queen views her appointment as a God-given arrangement to serve the people for life. Last year,  at age 88 she went on a mind-boggling 306 engagements in the UK and 35 abroad. In 2011, Queen Elizabeth was a huge hit in Ireland.

The Queen's inner chambers.

Luke asked about the codpiece, which had the kids dissolving into giggled. The jester explained that men would often store money and other valuables in it.

The Union Jack flied above Stirling Castle.

A band of students from New Jersey marches into Stirling Castle, carrying the Scottish and American flags.

From the royal to the ridiculous: Luke and the kids went walking on water at the Wheel of Falkirk.

The adults were laughing pretty hard as standing in the bubble, much less walking, was difficult.

But Luke got pretty good by the end. Watch the boy go!