King & Queen Leonard

Posted by Leonard And Me , 7.21.2018 2:17 PM


This is the Atholl Palace.  Can you say ATHOLL five times without laughing?  We are not touring this palace....we are staying here for 2 nights!!!  It's certainly fit for a King and Queen.  Speaking of royalty....the British monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that whoever is on the throne does not 'rule' the country, but fulfills important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to government.


Queen Elizabeth currently represents Britain to the rest of the world. For example, receiving foreign ambassadors and high commissioners, entertaining visiting Heads of State, and making State visits overseas to other countries, in support of diplomatic and economic relations.  We did not make her acquaintance at the Atholl Palace....but since Scotland is the Birthplace of Golf we decided to get acquainted with the chip & putt golf course at the palace.  This picture is just "fore" you!


Jenesa told me I'm not allowed to complain anymore about visiting castles.  Why?  Because we're scheduled to visit three more in Scotland!  Today we would visit the Blair Castle, home of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl.  Dating back to 1269, the castle has been transformed through the ages, from a strong medieval fortress to a Victorian castle in the baronial style.


Yaaaaaaawn!  We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside the castle....but at the end of our tour we earned a treat.  A Scotsman marched through the courtyard serenading us with bagpipes.  This is where I give you a little history about bagpipes!  Contrary to popular belief, the bagpipes were not invented in Scotland or Ireland. It is widely believed that the pipes were originally created in the middle east, with supporting evidence in Egypt and eventually Greece and Rome.


Bagpipe Lesson #1 -- The chanter (the melody pipe), with its simple open fingerholes, might remind you of the recorder you played in third grade. The drones (sticking up from the bag) look like simple, if decorated, tubes. Compared to, say, a clarinet or a guitar, there's nothing visible that looks particularly intimidating.  Air must be supplied to the reeds from two places, 1.) the players lungs, and 2.) from the bag, using the left arm & shoulder muscles.  Once you have mastered all that take 2 tylenol (for the ensuing headache) and you're ready to play the bagpipes!

Here's a short clip from Blair Castle of the bagpiper.  Enjoy!


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