Of Perth and Palaces

Morning train to Perth from Glasgow's Queen Street station, a busy station but easy to navigate and for a bonus, on time trains. The trip was just over an hour, taking us by familiar sights from our trip ten years ago. Stirling Castle, the Wallace monument, and other sites brought back memories of our wedding and honeymoon a decade ago.
Pulling into Perth, we met Robin as we left the train. She soon whisked us to her house sitting on a hill with a beautiful view of Scone Palace. After a light lunch, we drove across the river Tay  to Scone Palace. Sitting on a site that has been occupied for thousands of years, the palace is the home to the Earl of Mansfield.
The palace is the ancient home for Scottish coronations. Tradition calls for the future king to sit on the Stone of Scone, housed at Scone until taken by the English in 1295. It was only returned to Scotland in 1996, and now resides at Edinburgh castle, not Scone. The palace has seen royalty from Robert the Bruce, Macbeth, through Charles II. In modern times, both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have visited Scone.
The palace is impressive, the furnishing rich and historic, but the gardens and grounds were what stood out for us. Huge tall pines, beautiful flowers and shrubs are all laid out to allow a peaceful walk with ever changing views, giving us time to ponder the historical figures that had walked the same paths.
We finished the day with a lovely steak pie at Robin's and caught up on the last ten years. 

Unedited photos from Scone Palace.