Welcome to the blog Adventures In Time! I'm looking forward to the adventures ahead as we travel through both space and time. This has actually been a project in the making for the last 3 or so years. It started by the middle of 2013 when I had taken a recent interest in family genealogy. I had started with my father's side of the family(Proctor), but had a bit more difficulty than anticipated, so I held off on that side and looked into my mother's side(Ramsey). And I found a wealth of information about my mother's ancestry. As it turned out, she and I are of Scot-Irish descent, which led to my first trip abroad, to Scotland. In fact the picture shown on the homepage is an abbey in the Scottish lowlands where our family is from.
The abbey shown here is actually known as Melrose Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin. The abbey was founded in 1136 by King David the 1st of Scotland. The abbey has quite the historic significance due to the fact that it is the resting place of both Alexander the 2nd of Scotland, and the heart of Robert the Bruce.(Which is actually where the term BraveHeart comes from, but that's for another posting.) Unfortunately the abbey did suffer throughout the Middle Ages in conflicts with the English, but despite the damage done it was rebuilt in the 1380's and functioned as an abbey even throughout the Protestant Reformation of 1560. It's quite fascinating what this particular abbey has seen, done and experienced, isn't it? I mean just imagine yourself a monk in the Middle Ages, burying one king and the heart of the other, withstanding attacks from an old enemy, and persevering through a time where a difference of faith often led to bloodshed. Fascinating isn't it?
When I set foot on the grounds of the site, i couldn't help but envision the site as if it were back in 1136. I could see the monks tending to the grounds, praying the hours, taking care of the local parishioners that came and visited. I could see the grand burials of kings. I could see the ravages of war and how the abbey had been affected. Why I could even see the humor of a craftsman who had decided to leave his own mark on history. If you look to the picture on the right you'll see Melrose Abbey's famous Pipe Playing Pig. When the custodian mentioned this to me at the visitor center I was initially confused and thought they were pulling my leg. I remember though when I started taking photos that I was determined to solve the mystery of the Pipe Playing Pig. It wasn't until I had climbed on of the most treacherous set of stairs I've ever come across that I noticed the Pig. And I have to say I ended up a very glad visitor to learn that the Pig was there. Now some might say that it took away from the sanctity and majesty of the abbey, but I think if anything it enhanced it. To know that a man whom history has very well forgotten left a mark that is seen by hundreds if not thousands a year is a very majestic thing. To realize that we need not be kings or queens to leave our mark, but that we simply leave just that, our mark.
Here's A gallery of some of the photos from Melrose Abbey:
