On All Hallow's Eve, we visited Tomnavarie Ring Cairn. That place felt sacred in a very old way. We took some videos there that we've still not had time to upload, but here are a few stills.
Crathes Castle has the most beautiful painted ceilings. Several of the original rooms from around 1600 still show original painted beams, ceilings, and friezes around the tops of walls. Our favorite room, the Muses Room (which was also their music room), was gorgeous. Besides the muses, the virtues were painted on the ceiling between the beams. The beams were scripted with proverbs and biblical passages on the sides, and a repeating floral motif went down the center of each beam. The biblical passages were from the Geneva Bible and were themed by room (I think we saw four rooms with the original/restored painted ceilings). The amazing ceilings were definitely the best part of Crathes, but they also had really lovely gardens there.
Unfortunately, we were neither allowed to take pictures of the painted ceilings, nor were there postcards on the subject. Maybe you can find images on the internet. Crathes is also the seat of a large branch of the Burnett clan. They have the Horn of Leys in the great hall there, given to the family by Robert the Bruce.
Singing Places: Not applicable. It was too busy that day. This is me in front of one of the giant cedars.
Iona is a thin place, and one of the oldest islands in the world.
The place feels really ancient, but we didn't have the reaction we expected being there. There we were on pilgrimage, and we kept feeling sad about established religion. We found ourselves lamenting the consolidation of power in the churches, especially because of the consequences when political power shifts. We were sad that Roman Christianity tamped down Celtic Christianity. We were sad that Protestant Christianity tamped down Roman Christianity, and we were sad that the only people who seemed to care that ferns were growing above the high altar were the staff of Historic Scotland. Mostly we found ourselves being kind of ticked about the local effects of the Reformation. There used to be over 350 standing carved crosses on Iona. During the Reformation, about 345 of them were torn down. Their fate? Tossed into the middle of the sea. All that art and beauty destroyed because the Catholic church owned too much land in Britain - oh, I mean, to purify us all from idolatry - or maybe because the prioress was related to a lord who maybe some people thought should not own the island. 
Sigh. 7th century crosses tossed into the sea. Sigh. We went to an evening service at the Abbey church the first night on Iona. On the way, the sky cleared, and we saw more stars than we can remember seeing before. Andrew says he doesn't think he saw so many stars in the desert as we saw in the clear cold island sky that night. Star clusters sang together. That starlit walk more than any other moment on the holy island made me feel that the veil between worlds was thinner there. I remember asking if there was some deeper way to know God that the ancient saints knew. Perhaps some mystery hidden in the rocks and chapels?
The answer came when I woke at dawn to a song in my head: "Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, but all their joys are one. Worthy the Lamb who died, they cry, to be exalted thus. Worthy the Lamb! our lips reply, for He was slain for us." Whatever beauty art or nature reveal to train our hearts to see God, there is only one truth at the heart of it, and one great mystery that enlightens all beauty. I am grateful to the sacred ancient island for reminding me.Singing places on Iona: the Parish Church, a modernish Church of Scotland structure that is always unlocked; the West Coast beach, where we picked up lucky pieces of Iona green marble that washed up.
Our hosts on Iona were warm and hospitable and made us feel very welcome. In general, all of the people we've met in Scotland have been kind and friendly.
Today we saw Stirling Castle.
They are still in the process of restoring it, but the great hall was completely redone. I had no idea great halls were so massive till we went there. 
The castle would have been plastered in a color called "king's gold" for the most part, but James V's palace was originally plastered in "sugar pink," reflecting his reputation as an amorous lady's man (double digit bastards). The highlight of Stirling was the tapestries. 
Historic Scotland is currently restoring the palace. The queen's reception room in the palace originally had a series of tapestries called "The History of the Unicorn" made in the same place as the famous series now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. (We have a reproduction of the final tapestry in the series, of the captive unicorn, in our bedroom at home). 
Since the Stirling originals are long gone, a team of weavers is actually recreating the unicorn series (scaled down to fit the Queen's room), largely on-site. 
We saw the three finished tapestries, made by two teams of 3 weavers/time, over the past six years both at Stirling and at the tapestry making center at New Deans College? We got to talk with the head weaver today. She showed us how they trace the patterns and how the patterns and colors are subject to interpretation. The studio there is preparing to loom the next big tapestry, the Unicorn Defends Himself, in January. For now, they are doing samples of colors, techniques, and shading so they can decide which methods to use on the big tapestry. It was amazing to see the variations in interpretation in the samples. Because each thread is a solid color, shading is done by tricking the eye by laying two colors next to each other in particular patterns. The weavers use their creativity within the confines of the larger pattern to bring the picture to life. Singing places in Stirling: the road between the castle and our B&B (CastleCroft, possibly the most hospitable people in the universe?) was great for singing hymns, particularly "Come Thou Sinners Poor and Needy," because of the rhythm we walked up the hill.
I have to run now so we can see the ruins of St. Andrew's Cathedral here in St. Andrews before we catch a train to Aberdeen. I know you don't believe it, but we miss y'all.
Peace
Summer
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