Culzean Castle and Ayrshire

I spent my morning walking through a building that had been built, destroyed and and rebuilt all before my own country even existed. The Culzean Castle was incredible! The building is haunted which added to its character. The architecture is impeccable ensuring the carpets matched the ceilings which matched the fireplace. The system of servant bells and back door stair cases where unbelievable and the view looking out over the coast line and across the way to Ireland was exquisite. Although it was very foggy when we first arrived, by the end of the tour you could start seeing the outline of land across the water.

I took it upon myself to take the more scenic tour and through a mix of scaling and sliding, I wandered down the cliffs to the shoreline. I got lost in the woods for a while and found a cellar in the middle of nowhere. I mean nowhere, I was at least a 25 minute walk from the castle and in the middle of a very large forest which was bordered by coastal cliff on one side and a glorified swamp on another. This cellar was, in its day, either an escape route that tunneled under the castle, an icebox to ensure meats did not spoil, or a disposal sight for bodies/prisoners. It was very interesting and I wish I had been able to investigate more. It was approx. 20 feet deep (below ground level) and maybe 10 feet wide by 15 feet long. It was completely made of stone, including the floor and only seemed to have this one noticeable entrance/exit. It was literally a stone doorway in the middle of the forest that went into the side of a knoll. What I have deemed a glorified swamp is referred to as the Swan Pond, on the castle ground. I also wandered through a walled garden which is similar to that in the movie "The Secret Garden."

Ayrshire is a town near the castle that is right on the water and other than some nice little shops and restaurants, was not really all that exciting. I enjoyed it and also managed to get lost there. However, I am happy I was lost because I found a children's playground where they had an IPLAY. It is an electronic playground toy, forcing kids to run, jump, and play, all the while obeying the commands of the IPLAY. It was more than entertaining and I think if Nick was there with me we might have spent the rest of the day trying to beat the game.

First catered dinner tonight which consisted of a spaghetti with chicken sauce, veggies and an incredible citrus cake. I never would have thought orange and cake could mix so well.

Tomorrow I finally am able to rest for a while and then I am headed into the city center.