rosslyn chapel
creating awareness, interest, desire, and action
Previously, I mentioned that religion may be the ‘marketing of ideas’, and I have no intention of offending anyone, and this is perhaps a convenient introduction to our next destination Rosslyn Chapel.
Rosslyn Chapel is a beautiful chapel decorated with most exquisite carvings, however, for many years it was exposed to the elements and neglected, damage was such that its very survival was in danger. I first became aware of Rosslyn Chapel when reading Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and then again when watching the movie featuring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou.
According to our tour guide Dan Brown in many regards saved Rosslyn Chapel as it brought the 15th Century Chapel to world prominence and it communicated its sacred status to a wider audience. As a consequence, Rosslyn Chapel has a steady flow of visitors and a steady flow of revenue which is used to ensure the restoration process continues.
With the new source of funding they have added a visitor centre [with spotless toilets, a nice cafe, and souvenir shop]. The visitor centre is a modern building of glass, copper, oak, and local stone, and complements the chapel. There are lovely views from the visitor centre and the garden around the chapel.
The Rosslyn Chapel recently celebrated the 10th year anniversary of the release of The Da Vinci Code movie with two screening of the movie, their web-site quotes Dan Brown as saying ‘When I decided to write The Da Vinci Code, I knew that its finale would have to take place at the most mysterious and magical chapel on earth—Rosslyn”.
The trip around Scotland day had been a big trip. You may have noticed that I photographed a number of stone bridges. Our last day of the trip had been a big day, The Kelpies, The Falkirk Wheel, and Rosslyn Chapel and we thought what better way to finish the day than to visit a big bridge.
The Forth Rail Bridge is iconic and a symbol of Scotland at its finest, built of steel construction began in 1882 and opened in 1890. This must have been a glorious time for engineers and innovation with the Eiffel Tower opening in 1889. We crossed the Forth Road Bridge that was built in the 1960s, saw the new Forth Road Bridge that is under construction and we found a nice viewing spot on the Fife side of the bridge.
To me there are two must visit places in Scotland – Glasgow Central Station and The Forth Rail Bridge; these are places of my childhood, perhaps, they are sacred places with special meaning.
Then, with my nostalgia satisfied, it was back in the Ford Focus for the trip to Glasgow, with a quick look at The Kelpies from the motorway.
The next day we took the Ford Focus back to the lovely ladies at Arnold Clark Car and Van Rentals in East Kilbride. The car had served us well and provided good comfort, it was excellent value for money and the people at Arnold Clark were professional and cheerful. I know where I will be hiring a car next time I am in Scotland.
My experience with hiring the car emphasise the importance of asking advice from local people who are more experienced. This is something the internet is yet to master.