It turns out that men on plinths is not just an Edinburgh phenomenon. Surprise!, it’s Robert Burns (again). This is in the center of Dumfries. There is really a passion for Robert Burns. In Moffat, the Black Bull pub that has a plaque on it because Robert Burns wrote a brief poem on a windowContinue reading “Men on plinths, Part II”
Category Archives: Scotland
Sheep Races
Every town in Scotland has a summer festival or agricultural show, meaning that on any given weekend you are within an hour’s drive of at least two such events. We had the Dalbeattie Civic Day on Saturday, culmination of a week-long series of events. The parade started at 1 pm, led by a pipe band.Continue reading “Sheep Races”
Ruby Cottage
Our present outpost is Ruby Cottage, on the High Street in Dalbeattie (some say “Dal-bee”), Scotland. The High Street is not the busiest street in town, and our bedroom overlooks the back garden, so it is quiet at night. The back garden is a long stretch of grass, with picnic table and chairs, charcoal grillContinue reading “Ruby Cottage”
Tea in the country
At the Stewartry show, we met a member of the local Royal Scottish Forestry Society. We chatted a bit and the next thing you know, William invited us to tea on Saturday. It sounded like fun, we’d had an enjoyable chat, and it was a chance to get to know someone from the area aContinue reading “Tea in the country”
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,”
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