A Day Out in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a large city with a lot to see.  Two worthwhile sights are the National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle.   

The National Museum has an eclectic collection that defies easy description. Nevertheless, we rambled around the large collection and saw some interesting artifacts—some historical, some scientific and some natural.   Here are a few items we liked.

The chair below is especially interesting.  A while back, while watching the English TV program Escape to the Country, we learned about a furniture maker who actually grows furniture, like the chair below.  The creator cultivates small trees and then trains and prunes the branches to make everyday furniture.  The pieces take many years to grow and they are sold for very high prices.  We were pleased to see one of the fully grown chairs in person.  

The building housing the museum is itself a marvel.  A large Victorian building (pictured below) holds half of the museum’s collection.  The other half is located in a contemporary Gehry-like building.

One great feature of the new wing of the museum is the roof terrace, which provides panoramic views of Edinburgh, including the Old Town (pictured below). 

The most prominent feature of the Old Town is the Castle (to the far left in the photo above).  The site is very tall rocky mount that dominates the skyline.  In fact, the site is a long extinct volcano, which has been occupied for thousands of years.  We toured the Castle and were rewarded with amazing views from its walls.  We also visited the Scottish war museum, the WWI war memorial and the royal apartments.  Susan’s favorite part of the visit was seeing the Scottish Crown Jewels (no photos allowed).  The Stone of Scone was displayed with the jewels.  Also known as the Stone of Destiny, the stone has been used for coronation of Scottish Kings since about 500 A.D. and monarchs of the United Kingdom like the late Elizabeth II and will soon be used for Charles III.  

Here are a few photos of our castle tour.   Below. a random hottie and dude in front of the Castle.  

The War Memorial was built 100 years ago, but it looks as if it were constructed several centuries ago.

In the Royal Apartments, we saw the ornate coat of arms of James I of England, the first Scot to sit on the throne of England.

The timing of our visit to the Castle was fortuitous.  Every day at precisely 1:00 pm, a cannon atop the Castle is shot to let everyone the time of day.  In centuries past, people all over the city and in the harbor would know that it was 1:00 pm.  The cannon (pictured below) sounded during our visit and it was very loud. 

Thanks for joining us for a day out in Edinburgh. 

The Scottish Highlands

 During our visit to Scotland, we enjoyed a day long tour of the Highlands.  We enjoyed scenic vistas throughout the day, including Glencoe and Loch Ness.  

Our guide was exceptional.  He shared many stories from Scottish history, some lessons from in Scottish culture and language, along with Scottish music of all sorts.   We also learned some surprising geological facts, such as part of Scotland was once part of Canada.  Who knew?

Our trip to the Highlands was filled with amazing landscapes, made more beautiful by changing leaves and vegetation and the changing weather, which alternated between fog, sunshine and rain.

Here are some of the beautiful scenes that we experienced.  

The rugged, barren landscape at Glencoe was especially beautiful.  Check it out.  

Some random hottie and dude enjoying the Highlands.

We also enjoyed a boat trip on Loch Ness, a famous body of water that is very long, deep, cold and dark.  

We spotted something extraordinary in the water.  

Thanks for joining us on our visit to the Scottish Highlands.

French Art in Scotland

Viewing great art is one of our passions.  So, we were pleasantly surprised when we learned the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh was hosting an exhibition of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.  

The National Galleries

We should not have been surprised.   During the first half of the 20th century, wealthy Scottish industrialists collected a lot of artwork, especially French modern art. 

As a result, Scotland is home to a very good collection of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.  

Here is a sampling of some of our favorites.  

We were especially delighted to see the painting.  During Year 4 in Paris, the view from our apartment resembled the scene below. 

After viewing the French exhibition, we visited the main collection and saw two paintings of note.   The first was a famous Scottish painting.  

The second painting was an unexpected surprise, a purported da Vinci. 

Thanks for visiting the Scottish National Gallery with us. 

Welcome to Edinburgh

Our travels in the U.K. have brought us to Edinburgh in Scotland.  

As is our custom, we began our visit today with a walking tour of the Old Town.  We learned about Edinburgh’s and Scotland’s long history, which is characterized by periods of fierce independence and reluctant union with England.   Our entertaining and knowledgeable guide shared the stirring words of Robert the Bruce: “We fight not for glory, nor for wealth, nor honour but only and alone for freedom which no good man surrenders but with his life.”

During our tour, we strolled along the Royal Mile, walked around St. Giles cathedral, and learned about several famous Scots like Adam Smith.  We also saw where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book and the graveyard from which she borrowed names for characters.

We also learned about the fierce animal that represents Scotland.  It’s not lion or a dragon.  It’s a unicorn.  Once we learned that surprising fact, we started noticing unicorns everywhere—on statues and on the national coat of arms.  Who knew.

Below is a view of the Old Town.  

Here is a photo looking up the Royal Mile. 

St. Giles is pictured below, with a crown-like cupola.  The French Consulate sits to the right.  

Our guide shared a story about Bobby, a famous dog who was companion to a night watchman in a nearby cemetery.  Supposedly, rubbing Bobby’s nose brings good luck.  

Along the way, Greg spotted an ice cream stand that looks remarkably similar to Dr. Who’s TARDIS. 

Thanks for touring the Old Town with us.  

Strolling in York #2

After days of rain and clouds, a cloudless sky let us enjoy our last day in York in the warm sun.  

We opted for another guided tour, a favorite activity during our travels.  The local guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and he was a very good storyteller.

Here are some highlights from our stroll in the sun.

Our guide showed us remnants of earlier periods, such as the stone tower below, which once marked a corner of the Roman fortification.  The lower third was built by the Romans and the upper two-thirds was built by the medieval Benedictines of St. Mary’s Abbey.  

We saw more ruins of the abbey.  Below are views of one wall of the abbey church.  The abbey was extremely wealthy, and the church was larger than Westminster Abbey in London. 

Above is a wire sculpture of a “ghostly” peacock.  A nightly ghost tour features the peacock and other creatures and people from York’s past.

York’s architecture is varied and beautiful.  During the Georgian and Victorian eras, many buildings were erected, like the Neoclassical museum below.  

York is known for its well preserved medieval defensive walls that ring the city.  A path along the top of the walls offers great views, like the view of the York Minster below.  On a sunny day, the views are especially nice.  

During our tour, we also enjoyed many signals of Autumn’s arrival.  

That brings our tour of York to an end. Thanks for visiting York with us.  

Next stop, Edinburgh.