July 16th Monday

Morning dawned early at Haddo House. We woke and ate the sparse breakfast we brought with us. My MIL and I went into the grocery store in the rain. The rain is more of a mist up here and it’s chilly. We bundled up, put on our hiking boots and raincoats, and headed out to Fyvie Castle. It was a very fairy tale type castle. No interior pictures allowed. The Castle was good, mostly modern compared to Stirling Castle. You wander around following their signs. Little Man loved the weapons of destruction along the walls of the staircase. Swords, shields, helms, you name it they had it. I had to watch Little Miss since she wanted to touch everything. Everywhere you looked there was a sign saying “Please Do Not Touch.” My MIL got lost on the way to the gift shop. Trust me it was easy to get lost.

We left in the early afternoon and headed back to our stable flat at Haddo House. We ate lunch in the apartment and then headed over to the front of the house for the first time. Walking toward the front door, you could picture the coaches arriving and letting their occupants out to walk up in their ballgowns to the front door. It speaks of Regency and Victorian times. It speaks of excess and extravagance. This was not a fortified castle. This was an estate house. The house is viewable by guided tour. We arrived right on time for the tour to begin. Since the Scottish drizzle hadn’t let up, we skipped the outdoor portion of the tour and moved right into the house. We had the tour guide all to ourselves. It was a gorgeous house and the tour was amazing and interesting. I didn’t bother with the camera since I figured they’d say no pictures allowed. The house was built in 1732 and remodeled in 1880. It was the home of the Gordon family. Artwork filled the walls. Gorgeous furnishings adorned the rooms. The ceilings and walls were spectacular in their detailing. Well, worth a visit.

The rain let up later this evening before dinner. My MIL and FIL took the kids down to the park to play a bit. After dinner the kids helped MIL to do the dishes while I grabbed the camera and walked around the property with FIL. All in all it was a good day.