Farewell, Edinburgh! Today, we voyage south. A pleasant drive down through the lowlands included a nice stop at the Melrose abbey, where Leila and dad went for a walk and grabbed some snacks.
When we finally reached Closeburn, the ancestral home of the Kirkpatrick family, Leila was super-excited to see that it was raining outside. This gave her a chance to try out her new umbrella!
On a more somber note, the family wandered the graveyard next to (and in some cases within) the ancient church ruins, shown below.
Nica and dad wandered around to find the oldest headstone they could. Result: 1846. The vast majority were 20th-century, interestingly enough.
Nearby (and after a very adventurous drive through a rocky and muddy pasture road), the Kirkpatrick family tower house is situated among fertile fields. It doesn’t look like it’s in too much use now adays, but it is still occupied at least part-time.
That evening we arrived at the Cally Palace just west of Dumfries, and let me tell you, this is a fancy place. The building–inside and out–made me think we were walking through a Downton Abbey set. We’ll have more details tomorrow, but here’s a picture of a delighted Nica standing in front of the marble columns spaced among the entrance stairs (and, if you look in the background, papa ascending said stairs to avoid looking at the grandchild standing on a velvet-surfaced chair).
