September 2, 2011

0 Montrose Coast and the Castles Fraser, Crathes, and Drum

 Montrose is a charming little coastal town about halfway between Dundee and Aberdeen.  We stopped mostly so I could see the North Sea, a body of water that fascinates me with it's dark, brooding persona.



 We saw this while driving and I had Paul stop so I could take a picture.  I'm not entirely sure where it was, although I could look at this sign and do some investigative work if I really was interested.  I just like it.  It reminds me of the West Gate in Clonmel, although there are many of these all over Europe.

 Castle Fraser.  We got here too late to go in, so we walked around the outside.  To be honest, I'd expect it to be similar to Crathes and Edzell, as they have similar architectural features and are equally intact.  I'm glad we stopped by, though!


 Drum Castle.  Same as Castle Fraser, it was closed (they close at 4 or 4:30!!), so we walked around the outside. 

 Crathes Castle, which we did go through (these are slightly out of order for our day).  Crathes is not currently lived in, having been handed over to the National Trust of Scotland in 1951, by the 13th Baronet of Leys who resided in Australia.  Once again, no photography allowed inside, which was unfortunate as the castle has several rooms with elaborately painted ceilings, but also very understandable since these paintings are nearly 5 centuries old.  One room shows the nine muses and seven virtues (shown here) while another is known as the "Room of the Nine Nobles" depicting famous characters such as Hector of Troy, King Arthur, and Judas Maccabeus. 

 The gardens at Crathes.


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