Sepia Saturday # 171 - Castles of Scotland, Let Me Bore You With My Vacation Photos

In September of 2009 my husband and I took a two week vacation spending three days in London and eleven in Scotland.  It was only our second trip out of the United States and the first to Europe.  Everyone told us we had to take a guided tour while in Scotland, that there was no way we could do it on our own.  I, however, had my heart set on us just being alone, exploring the sights together, and this is exactly what we did.  After London, we rented a car in Edinburgh and set off for the Highlands.  We had some fun, crazy adventures, getting lost a number of times. Learning to navigate the single track roads in particular caused quite a few moments of skipped heart beats.

While there I took over 3,000 photographs, I mean I just couldn't help myself because around every turn was something so breathtaking I would scream at my husband to pull over.  These photographs included a number of castles, there were just so many castles! This week's Sepia Saturday theme centers around castles so, yeah, I finally get to share some of my amateurish photographs.

Castle Stalker, Loch Laich, mid-way between Oban & Glen Coe

Castle Dunvegan, Isle of Skye

Castle Dunvegan, rear view, Isle of Skye

The Famous Castle Eilean Donan. Loch Duich, Western Highlands of Scotland

Edinburgh Castle, back/side view

Edinburgh Castle, view from cemetery in back

Cannon overlooking Edinburgh from Castle

Bam!!  Now fire yourself over to Sepia Saturday for more great photos and stories!

Sepia Saturday #158 - Paying the Piper (Highland, That Is)

Unidentified 1880's Edinburgh Man 

I've been away from my blog for a couple of weeks on a self-imposed sabbatical hoping the rest would recharge and refresh my batteries as I have not been feeling very motivated or creative of  late.  When I saw the theme for this week's Sepia Saturday I knew exactly which photograph I wanted to use, I just had to find it in my huge stash of photographs yet to be categorized, sorted and scanned.  The theme fit into my love of all things Scottish so it was worth the hunt!

This Cartes de Visite features a handsome, young Scottish piper decked out in what appears to be traditional Highland piper's uniform.  He is standing proudly wearing a kilt, jacket, sporran, stockings and ghillies.  I can't tell if he is sporting a sgian dubh in his stockings or not to finish the look, but he is certainly impressive.

The photographer was William K. Munro who operated a studio at several locations in Edinburgh between 1868 - 1907.  According to Peter Stubbs of edinphoto.org.uk Munro was located at 58 Pitt Street between 1885 and 1907.  I am estimating that this photo was taken in the late 1880's.  Also, per Stubbs, Munro numbered his photographs and if you look closely at the second photo below you will see at the bottom it says No. 63526, the actual number having been written in pencil.  Stubbs' research determined that numbers after 57,000 were most likely taken at the 58 Pitt Street address.

Thanks for stopping by and if you enjoyed this photo please click here for more great photos (and stories) at Sepia Saturday!