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.
After that was the jousting show.
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).
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...
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.
And of course here's the requisite embarrassing photo of the day:
