St. Andrews may still be my favorite place in Scotland, but Linlithgow Palace is a very, very close second. Earlier today, a few of us made our way via train to Linlithgow, a little ways away from Edinburgh. We toured the Linlithgow Palace, which was built over the course of two centuries by numerous kings, who each added a fair amount of splendor and beauty to this now gigantic castle.

Unlike a lot of the castles in Scotland that we've seen, we had almost free rein throughout, since it was partially in ruins, and no one lives there. It was absolutely amazing.

It's over four stories tall, and in most places the floors no longer exist. But the towers are standing tall, and we were able to get to the very top of one! From that high up in the air, the entire palace was absolutely beautiful, and while walking through all the rooms, one can't help but imagine how grand this castle must have once been. In each room, I could look up and see where three of or four stories would have been above my head, including multiple guest rooms, rooms for each queen, king, and their shared chambers, the Great Hall, three kitchens, several cellars and underground rooms, as well as the towers and housing for the guards, and this doesn't even begin to describe how huge it was.

In short, I am amazed, and I am in love, which this entire country.