Sunday, July 11, 2010

Day in Linlithgow aka long pointy sticks day

Today we went to Linlithgow Palace to see a jousting tournament.

No, not a real one!

It's something they apparently do each summer, kind of a fun for the whole family thing.

We showed up right in time for a falconry show. Sadly it was so windy that it was hard to hear what the falconer was saying, and the poor birds were swooping around all crazy like.
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After that was the jousting show.
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Even though it was all staged the jousting sticks (they must have a name) must have actually been sharp because there was often bits of wood flying around them.
I was also amused that one of the jousters looked like a family friend (who just happens to be English).
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And then there was a mini recreation of a fight between the Scottish and English. There was a lot of fake insults being thrown between the "rivals." At one point someone yelled "Go Scotland" a little too seriously...
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Then on to the actual palace. It was largely built in the 1400s, and was the birthplace to James V and Mary, Queen of Scots.
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And of course here's the requisite embarrassing photo of the day:
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3 comments:

  1. Did you know jousting is the state sport of Maryland? Needless to say, it isn't widely practiced.

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  2. Anonymous2:10 PM

    To Suzanne - yes, it's the 'official' State Sport in Maryland, but I've only ever seen it at the Renaissance Festival.

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