winifredcreamer

The Stewartry Show

We jumped right in to life in southern Scotland. During August, every town and region holds an agricultural show and a town fair. We went to the Stewartry (historically, a region within what is now Dumfries and Galloway) show, and watched animal judging A woman I spoke to said “Are you here for the congress?”Continue reading “The Stewartry Show”

Get in the car.

These may be the scariest words on the planet for someone approaching a right hand drive vehicle for the first time. The day before we left Edinburgh, with our rental car awaiting us in the morning, we took a driving lesson. One hour each behind the wheel with Michael, the most unflappable person I’ve everContinue reading “Get in the car.”

Good to know about Edinburgh

THE Festival If you plan to attend the Edinburgh Festival, I can’t help you. We are leaving the city before it begins, in part because the cost of housing skyrockets and we can’t keep to our budget and stay in an apartment. Perhaps another year we’ll come for a Festival week and listen to lotContinue reading “Good to know about Edinburgh”

Other fun in Edinburgh, ancient and modern

Some of the places we’ve visited and things we’ve seen in Edinburgh haven’t fit in to my comments until now. By joining Historic Scotland, we were able to visit Edinburgh Castle multiple times, Linlithgow Castle and there are 75 sites they manage. Not all have admission fees, and I enjoyed visiting one of these thatContinue reading “Other fun in Edinburgh, ancient and modern”

Calton Hill

From many places around Edinburgh, you can see monuments on Calton Hill. Here is what you see from the Old Town. It’s a very romantic view. There is a tower, a dome or two, and even some Grecian columns, a failed effort to duplicate the Parthenon in Edinburgh. During the ScottishContinue reading “Calton Hill”

So many castles,

In the Edinburgh area, there are so many castles and palaces that are on the “must-see” list that it would take a solid week to see them all. Over the past month, we’ve visited Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Linlithgow Castle and Rosslyn Chapel, and have passed up visiting the others. I’ve already mentioned Edinburgh Castle,Continue reading “So many castles,”

One Spectacular Day

The weather was absolutely perfect. The sky was clear and bright blue and the sun shone. We walked on a path along the Water of Leith, a stream really, to get to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. The entrance was inviting. Can you believe we’re in the middle of the city? The exhibitContinue reading “One Spectacular Day”

Edinburgh: Men on plinths

Yes, there is a statue of Queen Victoria that dominates all of Princes Street from its perch on top of the Scottish National Academy. However, the rest of Edinburgh hosts an unusual number of life-size or larger statues of men. Some of the figures are more recognizable than others. August 16, 2016 It turns outContinue reading “Edinburgh: Men on plinths”

Become your favorite character for a day in Edinburgh

As readers of Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin, each of whom set their stories in and around Edinburgh, it was easy to find landmarks that relate to the work of both authors. In the background of the photo you see here is the street sign for Scotland Street. (There is no number 44). TheContinue reading “Become your favorite character for a day in Edinburgh”

Museums and more museums

The good weather having deserted us, we headed indoors to check out some of the museums of Edinburgh. We started at the Scottish National Gallery, where we admired art from the Renaissance to 1900. It’s a traditional art museum and we enjoyed the broad range of work. (The Scottish National Academy is nearby, but weContinue reading “Museums and more museums”