ABC Wednesday is all about having fun. It is all about the visitors and everyday life around our world. This week is all about the letter I…which I have decided, somewhat unsurprisingly, stands for Inverness.
It’s funny how our perception of landmarks can change over time. During the years I lived in Inverness, whenever I walked past its castle I’d always think the same thing: what a hideous building!
After months of doing this I’d purposefully avoid any roads that either directly passed the building or were near enough to offer a close up view.
The simple fact is, it’s not, in my mind, what a castle should look like. Urquhart is a castle. Eilean Donan is a castle. Edinburgh, now that’s a castle.
Inverness? It’s…pink!? Castles should never be pink!
But now, five years since I last walked the streets of the ‘Ness, five years since I had the misfortune of looking upon that far-too-neat collection of Lego bricks, I’d give anything to wander up Castle Street and smirk at its brightly coloured facade again.
A building that was hewn from a child’s playtime has become a symbol of the homesickness that plagues me. A structure that, more than any other, defines one of the greatest times of my life.
Related articles
- Adventure through the Highlands (jerussel.wordpress.com)
- A wee trip to Inverness (robbootle.wordpress.com)
- Loch Ness, Scotland (pixelpx.com)
- On to the The Isle of Skye (gloriaandbrucetravel.wordpress.com)
September 11, 2013 at 2:55 pm
I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder…I think it’s kind of pretty, but maybe too “new” to ring true as a castle for a true Scot.
Leslie
abcw team
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September 12, 2013 at 10:20 am
Thanks for your comment.
The castle as it is today was built in 1836, after previous castles that were built on the site were destroyed during various conflicts, so it’s certainly much newer than other castles throughout Scotland. Perhaps I prefer these other castles because of my old soul! :)
Hope you’re having a fantastic week! :)
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September 11, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Hmm. I LIKE it, because it’s pink. Or peach, or whatever color it is.
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September 12, 2013 at 10:15 am
Thanks for stopping by. I’m leaning more now to describing the colour as peach, so we’ll stick with that. :)
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September 12, 2013 at 5:51 am
True, it’s very simple:) I think though that it looks like a castle, because it has a tower. It looks “peach” to me, not pink. Several castles I know in Holland (where I’m originally from) are this color. It’s a neo-Roman architecture (or if you prefer the word Renaissance) – which are supposed to look more simple. Even without looking up your links, the other castles are probably from a Gothic, or Renaissance or Barogue “mixed with something else” style.
But it’s okay to have your own opinion and think it’s a hideous pink building:):)
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September 12, 2013 at 10:13 am
Thanks for your comment. Peach is probably a much closer description of the colour than pink, so in future I think I’ll use this to describe the castle. But I’m still not a huge fan of the building and think I’ll stick with the more Gothic castles found elsewhere in Scotland. :)
Hope you’re having a wonderful week! :)
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