I was in Edinburgh and Glasgow for the first half of the week before returning 'home' to JKL.
Here are some of the highlights.
Here's a map of the heart of Edinburgh to help orient those unfamiliar with the city:
I was staying at the Tune Hotel (A3; marker #39) in the Haymarket district.
On my walk to the Royal Botanic Garden (B1), I passed...
a group of demonstrators on Melville St., just a block from St. Mary's Cathedral, expressing support for Ukraine. I'm guessing the office building had a connection to Russia somehow.
row houses along the Water of Leith,
a place I could call home,
Entrance to the Royal Botanic Garden.
that were closed due to high winds.
So, I took a look inside the visitor center and found...
So, I took a look inside the visitor center and found...
Paper-mache orchids and an incredible water fixture tucked behind glass.
This was as much of the gardens as I could see.
This was as much of the gardens as I could see.
Water of Leith again. Love the parks that line it.
One of the parks near Moray Place (B1).
The gardens in this area were all locked, unfortunately (for me, that is).
I'm guessing they're private grounds.
The gardens in this area were all locked, unfortunately (for me, that is).
I'm guessing they're private grounds.
The National Records of Scotland building. Quite impressive, indeed.
One of the streets between the Castle and Grassmarket St.
Grassmarket St. (C3). This advertising was brilliant: Gluten free pizza crust. It was some mighty fine pizza, I must say. Sun-blushed tomatoes, spinach, cheese.
Yummy!
The end (or beginning ?) of Grassmarket St. (C3) which is basically just a walking street that serves as a Farmer's market on the weekends. I took a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of the 'old city'. This is our tour guide, Billy. Very engaging, dynamic, and knowledgeable chap. He shared many a nugget of interesting historical facts and would point out interesting things to check out at all the places we visited.
The Elephant House (D3) is one of the cafes where it's said that J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter's series. It's kitty corner to the National Museum and also just down the way from the public library.
Here's the National Museum (D3) which is the temporary resting place of...
The Greyfriars Kirkyard (Churchyard; D3) is
down the road from the museum and is the final resting place of...
down the road from the museum and is the final resting place of...
...John Gray, a night watchman, who passed away in the late-1850s. It's reported that his dog, Bobby, guarded his grave for more than a decade. Bobby is one of Scotland's most revered canine figures.
This life-size bronze statue of Bobby (a Skye Terrier) is across the street from the churchyard. His nose may look a bit shinier than before. That's because of a recent tradition to rub his nose (for good luck..??).
George Heriot's School is right next to Greyfriars.
This is the plaque of the deaf pastor who's buried there.
This is the plaque of the deaf pastor who's buried there.
The church at Greyfriars.
The view of Edinburgh Castle from Greyfriars.
George Heriots School.
The back of the Elephant House café where J.K. Rowling reportedly wrote the first book in the Harry Potter series. (I took this photo while standing in Greyfriars Kirkyard and George Heriots would be at 4 or 5 o'clock).
View of George Heriots School from the castle.
The Royal Mile begins at the Castle and heads down the hill all the way to the Queen's residence.
Here's what you'll find along the Royal Mile:
This is a brilliant installation ('Skinner's Close') playing off of the closes all along the Royal Mile. Takes 'stick legs' to a whole new dimension;
The Skinner's Close is strategically placed outside of one of the museums on the Royal Mile.
St. Gile's Cathedral. John Knox is buried just to the right of the cathedral...
Here's the headstone...
...that is clearly marked by parking space #23. :)
The John Knox house (D2) where he reportedly lived for a short time (on the Royal Mile just down the street from the cathedral).
The City Chambers (D2) inner courtyard
(sitting on top of 8 stories of houses that are built into the side of the hill).
(sitting on top of 8 stories of houses that are built into the side of the hill).
Here's the City Chambers from the courtyard in front of the St. Gile's Cathedral.
A random passageway. I love this city!!
The Writers' Museum (just through one of the closes near the City Chambers) presents the lives of three of Scotland's most renowned writers:
Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson
Scotland and France were dueling on the Rugby field in Edinburgh over the weekend. The French were out in force, cheering on their team. I caught the last 8 or 9 mins. of the match. Scotland was up, but then the French scored...and so they lost. Sad day for the Scots. The French were pretty stoked, though. And, the Scots weren't expected to make the French work for a win, but they nearly gave them a run for their money, so the Scots seemed quite pleased with their performance.
Leaving the Royal Mile behind, I headed back towards the hotel and caught a pretty sweet view...
of St. John's church and the Castle.
Heading south from the hotel I ended up on Colinton Road...
where I found George Watson's College...
with an impressive ship on the weathervane.
The very best part about Colinton Road, however, is...
that it's where you'll find the LDS church building. LOVE that I can go anywhere in the world and attend church each Sunday. During the month of March I'll be staying in 4 different countries on 3 continents and attending church services in (Scottish) English, Finnish, and American Sign Language. (Had I planned it better, I could have added Norwegian to that list!)
A trip to the offices of the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters meant a train ride to...
Glasgow. I had just a few mins. to walk around after the meeting and before heading back to Edinburgh for more meetings out there. This is the main plaza outside of the Queens Street station. The train ride takes about an hour from the Haymarket district to central Glasgow.
Love this city, too!
I need to come back. :)
And then back to Heriot Watt University for meetings.
I was a bit turned around walking from one part of campus to the other and stumbled upon...
I was a bit turned around walking from one part of campus to the other and stumbled upon...
"The Lawn". Um, a piece of heaven fell to earth, apparently. Holy cow. This place was calling my name, and apparently the name of the professor I met with for lunch (after I used circumlocution instead of 'lawn' as after 3 iterations he still couldn't understand what I meant. My American accent threw him for a loop. :) ). We took lunch outside and soaked in the beauty and the sunshine.
One of the walkways between sections of campus.
The Royal Mail. I love how they have a silver placard that states what day of the week it is.
As you can see, I mailed these on Tuesday. :)
As you can see, I mailed these on Tuesday. :)
I love cool, crisp, clear nights. I LOVE the moon and Orion. While you can't see either very well in this picture, I was SO SUPER EXCITED to see Orion out on Tues. night.
Best Indian food I've ever had was here at Ignite (on Morrison St. A3). A guy I met on the bus recommended it. Such AMAZING food and an elegant ambiance to boot!
On the bus ride to the airport, we passed the city zoo. Pretty sweet looking, eh?
Spring had sprung when I returned to JKL. The snow had melted entirely (until last night when it snowed something fierce). This meant I was back on my bike again. Yipee! There were strong winds here, and my bike just couldn't keep itself upright. I've since learned to work with the laws of physics so now I park it parallel to my office building. :)
Mexican fiesta night at the church. It was nearly 'authentic' until someone added a Finnish flavor to the meal by bringing sliced cucumbers to add to the tacos. Cucumbers are a Finnish staple around these parts.
The missionaries made piñatas out of newspaper and a pasty mixture of flour and water. The kids LOVED this part of the night the best: taking a swing at these suckers. So much fun!!
Biking 'home' to Kortesuo (in JKL) after the Mexican fiesta night, I was stunned by the moon. My camera doesn't take night shots very well (obviously!). But I can't even begin to describe how much I love the moon. :)
Today I was asked to speak at church on the subject of faith. The best parts? Having Kati there and listening to Katie, Sister Cribbs, and Sister Dixon perform this musical number.
What a way to end a really stellar week.
I'm off to Portland, Oregon, this coming week, then back to Finland for not quite 72 hours before heading off to Norway for a meeting with the National Language Council. So, check back for details once I get back in early April for highlights from this 1/2 way around the world whirlwind tour. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment