Above painting: Louis Jean Francois - Mars and Venus an Allegory of Peace

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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Scotland Trip -- Day Two (Part 1)

Its been a long time since I posted about my first day in Scotland this past March... and I do apologize! Moving and deadlines took away from my "fun" time! I've missed History Undressed, and now that we're all moved in and mostly unpacked, I couldn't wait to get back and share with you the rest of my trip to Scotland! In case you missed it, or just want a refresher, I posted about my first day here.

After sleeping half the day away, we woke up to this... The view from our little cottage window in Inverness. Amazing! Picturesque!
 

Another view...


More lovely landscape. Just below those mountains is water.


I love nature and the of it in simplicity. I took a lot of pictures of trees, landscapes, etc... because they help me to get the details right in books, but also provide me with a feel for the land, so when I'm writing, I can actually picture myself there. Plus, I just think its beautiful. Below are some pictures of woods near Kilvarock Castle, which we couldn't find!! We drove up and down the road and I think it must have been gated off. In early March a lot of the castles were closed. But it was still a win for me. We pulled over so I could take some shots of the woods.

Looks dark and mysterious. I could totally imagine one of my  Highlanders suddenly appearing from within the depths of shadows, or perhaps one of my heroines slipping unseen behind a tree trunk.

Love the lychen and moss on trees, so rustic and beautiful.

Brambles over a small hump in the ground that led into the woods.

Look at that! Isn't it just gorgeous and majestic?

Our car parked beside the woods :)

I stepped into the woods to get a better look around.

Me in the woods!
After our trip to the woods, we wend to Brodie Castle -- we weren't able to go in because they were closed for the season, but we were allowed to walk the grounds--gorgeous!!!

Sign out front :)


A look at the castle from the main drive.

A pictish stone just outside the castle.

View of the castle. Isn't it beautiful? 

An arrow slit window. I could imagine a warrior standing behind the wall, his bow notched and ready to fire.

This is me beside a tree in the gardens. I couldn't get over how huge it was!

A closer look at the top of the castle. I love all the stone work, see the little  fleur-de-lis at the top of each window?

Loved this! And so many one-liners came to mind...

A view from the side of the castle.

More stone work. It always amazes me how well castles and buildings were built, and  that they still stand strong hundreds of years later.

A building behind the castle. It wasn't labeled, so we imagined at one time it could have been a stables or servants quarters.

A  pretty windmill on top of  the castle -- it was situated on a tiny stone tower.
I hope you enjoyed this post on part of my second day in Scotland! I'll be posting the second part of day two on Friday!

Cheers,
Eliza

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He was a warrior fighting for Scottish freedom... She was his enemy’s mistress.

Laird Brandon Sinclair has given his life to the Scottish cause. Swearing fealty to Robert the Bruce, he will stop at nothing to see oppression end.

Lady Mariana wants nothing more than to break free of the tyrannical hold the English king has on her. When he sends her to Scotland with a message for the rebels, instead of obeying his orders, she finds herself submitting to her desires. After one sizzling, life-altering night, Brandon and Mariana must part ways. But Mariana has no intention of betraying her heart again.

And Brandon is determined to get her back. Stealing Longshank’s secrets felt like victory, but taking his woman will be this Highlander’s ultimate triumph.

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This is the fifth book in the Stolen Bride series. If you haven't already, check out the other books in the series!

Book One: The Highlander's Reward
Book Two: The Highlander's Conquest
Book Three: The Highlander's Lady
Book Four: The Highlander's Warrior Bride

11 comments:

Vonda Sinclair said...

Awesome pics, Eliza! I visited Brodie Castle once, but only got to see the bottom floor. Running late. So I need to go back sometime and tour the whole castle. Loved the grounds. Thanks for sharing!

Eliza Knight said...

Thank you, Vonda! It was fun! I want to go back too! I looked in one of the windows and it was beautiful! I would love to have grounds like that :)

Anonymous said...

How fun! Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to go back...

Unknown said...

Eliza, I love your 'inspirational' photos, the ones that let you 'see' your hero and heroine in those scenes. I'll be going after Stolen Brides #4 soon, too, to add to my keeper shelf. Thanks for sharing.

Lana Williams said...

Thanks for sharing the pics! We missed you on this blog!

Eliza Knight said...

@Sherrie -- ME TOO!!! I had such a great time!

@Mairi -- Thank you :) I'm glad you liked the pics and the books! Being able to "see" their world always makes a huge difference to me.

@Lana -- Thank you! I missed it too :)

Donna MacMeans said...

Eliza - Love the pics!! We were in Scotland last July and I wished I'd taken pics of the woods...of course they aren't quite the same when taken through the window of a tour van. Wish we'd rented a car as you did. Thanks for posting these.

Amy Jarecki said...

Beautiful pictures. I drove by the turn to Brodie castle on my way to Culloden Battlefield in May. I wanted to turn, but it wasn't on the schedule...Next time, definitely! Thank you for sharing!!

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

Thank you for sharing. Eliza. You look like a wood nymph in the forest. So glad you had such a fun and informative journey.

Gerri Bowen said...

Thanks for sharing your photos, Eliza!

Julie Robinson said...

Seeing the scenery through your eyes (via your comments for each one) stirred up my muse! Thanks for sharing. You look like a Highland romance heroine yourself. :-)