A Semi-royal Adventure

This past week we visited the beautiful Dunrobin Castle about an hour away from Fortrose.  It's the estate of the Sutherland family, which is cool because we also happen to be from the Sutherland clan.  We wear the same tartan as them, which practically makes us eligible to live in that castle.  It was a very attractive castle and very modern. 

They didn't let us take any pictures inside of it, but they had a lot of interesting interior design.  They had portraits of various family members on all the walls in the castle.  And where there was room they had many deer heads and even a few complete stuffed deers that they had shot.  It was kind of weird, but it certainly added to the slightly eclectic design.  We spent a few hours wandering around the inside of the castle before heading out to the gardens, which are usually one of my favorite parts of castles.  They didn't have any mazes, unfortunately but they did have a gorgeous yard and if you walked all the way back you ended up on the beach.  It was the perfect setting.  A castle on a hill by the beach.  You don't get more perfect than that. 

While we were in the gardens they did a falconry show.  This man had owls, eagles, falcons, and hawks and did a hunting demonstration with all of them.  He even got them to land gently on different people's heads.  IT was quite interesting.

     After the falconry demonstration we visited the museum they had on the edge of the grounds.  I don't know what I was expecting, but my first glance around as I walked through the doors definitely freaked me out.  The walls were absolutely covered by animal heads.  There were gazelles, a crocodile, an elephant head, and all other kinds of African wildlife.  And right in the middle of the room was a giraffe neck sticking out of the ground.  And to the side of that was an elephant leg made into a trashcan.  It was so weird.  And the museum was full of the Sutherland's other hunting victories. 
      We left the castle shortly after that and on our way back stopped for the ever popular fish and chips, just to complete a great day.  Visiting castles is one of my favorite things to do when we are in Scotland.  I have always had this dream of someday being rich enough to purchase a castle and renovate it.  It probably won't ever happen as it is a bit expensive to buy a castle, and I don't really know how to go about marrying into a royal family.  But, you never know, if I get my way, you may one day see me living there.