Sometimes there are things by the side of the road that are puzzling but very attractive.This piece of mosaic art is by the side of the road on the way to Cromarty, and is part of a larger art initiative, though I haven’t seen any of the others. Here’s another strange sight. It’s the much-malignedContinue reading “Photo of the Day: Roadside Attractions”
Tag Archives: Attractions
The Center of the Highlands: Lairg
We wanted to see what the highlands are about, so we drove to the middle. Lairg is about 50 miles from the east, west, and north coasts of Scotland.The town sits at one end of Loch Shin, surrounded by hills covered with heather and gorse, green pastures filled with sheep and tan fields of barley.Continue reading “The Center of the Highlands: Lairg”
Photo of the Day–Tain Pottery
We stopped at Tain Pottery just because it was there. What an accommodating place! The showroom displays patterns and finished items, but they also have a page with all the shapes and sizes they make, and another with all their patterns. You can order any shape and size in any pattern. They’ll make anything notContinue reading “Photo of the Day–Tain Pottery”
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”
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”
Plants and Animals, the Royal Botanical Garden and the Edinburgh Zoo
Two days of sunny weather let us take advantage of the natural world in Edinburgh, the Royal Botanical Garden, and the Edinburgh zoo. Both have their high points. The Botanical Garden is very large and has many different gardens, though I misread Scottish Heath Garden as Scottish Heather Garden, and was mildly disappointed until IContinue reading “Plants and Animals, the Royal Botanical Garden and the Edinburgh Zoo”
First impressions of Edinburgh
Edinburgh is as green as anywhere you can imagine. Yes, it has been raining, sometimes heavily, but the payoff is that the gardens are beautiful and the flowers in perfect bloom. We’ve arrived in Scotland at an unusual time. The Brexit vote was just over a week ago, and like many others, we were unpreparedContinue reading “First impressions of Edinburgh”
New territory–Edinburgh
Rain and a lost suitcase notwithstanding, we are now settled in Edinburgh. A quick history review suggests that Edinburgh has been here for so long that it’s not clear when the first hut was built on the crag where Edinburgh Castle now sits. Bronze Age artifacts have been found in the area, putting people inContinue reading “New territory–Edinburgh”
Community in Kjerstad
Tjeldoya Island looks deceptively empty. On the day we drove to Lodingen we were on the opposite side of the fjord and Amanda pointed out that there are many houses on the shore of Tjeldoya that you don’t see from the narrow road where one driver often has to pull over when two vehicles meet.Continue reading “Community in Kjerstad”
History, arts and culture–if this is the result of high taxes, give me some.
At the end of the road on Tjeldoya Island (and that is saying something) we parked, got out to fish and amid the ruined bunkers of the WWII Fort Tjeldodden we found Georg’s Plass, a picnic spot complete with tables, benches, fire pit, tripod and cooking vessel, dishes, cups and other supplies in a settingContinue reading “History, arts and culture–if this is the result of high taxes, give me some.”
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