The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
The Palace of Holyroodhouse
The queen spends a week in Scotland each summer, during which time Holyroodhouse is her home away from home. The original building on the site was St. Andrews Abbey, the ruins of which are still attached to Holyroodhouse Palace itself. The name comes from a piece of the cross (how did they actually know this?) brought here as a relic by the then queen, later Saint Margaret. Security was quite tight in the palace, so no secret photos. Margene had to buy the souvenir book ... so ask to see it if you are really interested in what the queen's summer camp looks like. Suffice it to say that it is very good to be the queen!
The ruins of St. Andrews, a 12th-century Augustinian monastery give the place a greater sense of history ... and makes a hell of a lawn ornament! We are not sure who the house belongs to, but it must be nice to have neighbors who keep up their gardens so nicely and are only home one week a year!
© 2009 Restaurant Doctor
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