21-JUN-2008
Saint Stephen's
London! Following a red-eye from Ottawa to Heathrow, we spent a weekend wandering through London with friends. Stops included the Cabinet War Rooms Museum, the Churchill Museum, the Foreign Office, the riverbank, Hyde Park, and a variety of pubs -- along with several rides on the top of double-decker buses.
22-JUN-2008
Paddling
Nick, Katharine, and Richard dipping their feet at the Diana fountain on Sunday. Swans, graylag geese, coots, moorhens, and ubiquitous Canada geese were to be seen at Hyde Park. By the end of the weekend, we were firmly in the right time zone and firmly walked off our feet.
22-JUN-2008
View from Top Bunk
We took the sleeper from London Euston to Glasgow, arriving well-rested if un-showered at 7:15 in the morning. We spent the morning visiting Saint George Square and the Glasgow Cathedral. While many expressed horror at our choosing to spend a day in Glasgow instead of Edinburgh, in the end it was a good choice -- the rail connections made more sense, and we found more than enough to occupy ourselves for the day.
23-JUN-2008
Glasgow Cathedral
Inside the Glasgow Cathedral. Construction began in 1197, with bits being added on through the following centuries. As such, it is the oldest building in Glasgow. Much of the roof timber is apparently still from the 14th century! The organ is quite stunning -- beautifully painted -- and it was being played while we were there.
23-JUN-2008
Light and colour
Detail of a window in the nave of the Glasgow Cathedral.
23-JUN-2008
Blackadder Aisle
Detail of the ceiling in Blackadder Aisle (Glasgow Cathedral). The Aisle was built in the 15th century, during the primacy of Archbishop Blackadder, and the carved bosses shown in this photo are typical of the late medieval period.
23-JUN-2008
Kelvingrove
Here is where we spent our afternoon in Glasgow -- the Kelvingrove Museum. In fact, we could have spent several afternoons here -- there is lots to see, lots to do, and lots to hear, including daily organ recitals. Oh, and there's a nice coffee shop. The Museum opened in 1901 as part of the Glasgow International Exhibition. The current organ is a mish-mash of the original 1901 organ, the repairs done after bomb damage in the Second World War, and a major restoration project in the late 1980s. Perhaps the best piece in the museum is Fulton's orrery, completed in 1833 after 14 years of work -- a good lead-up to a history of science conference!
23-JUN-2008
Heads up!
Expression masks hanging from the ceiling of the first floor of the Kelvingrove Museum.
24-JUN-2008
Lochs and lakes and trees...
After picking up our rental car, we visited the Auchantoshan distillery and then took the ferry to Duneen. Waiting for the ferry, we saw our first eiders -- and on the long, winding drive from Duneen to Oban, we saw gannets and oystercatchers. The drive was lovely -- lochs and gently rolling hills, and lots and lots of mist. We stayed the night at a gorgeous B&B in Oban -- a renovated 1875 manse with nine bathrooms.