Glen & Kris

Scotland 2012, Part 1

A typical street in Glasgow. Glasgow has an eclectic mix of Victorian sandstone from the 1800's and some very modern architecture as seen here. Here's George Square, named after King George III when it was laid out in 1781. The statue in the picture is of the author Sir Walter Scott, erected 5 years after his death in 1837. This is the People's Palace in Glasgow. It's an indoor garden of tropical plants and a museum about life in early Glasgow. Another view of the People's Palace. One day Kris and I went to the Burrell Collection museum in Glasgow. While walking through the Pollok Country Park on the way to the museum, we saw these Highland cattle. Kris and I took the train to Edinburgh one day to see the recently renovated Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Here's the atrium just inside the main entrance. We stayed overnight in Edinburgh at the Scotsman Hotel. The building was constructed in 1905 to house the offices of the Scotsman newspaper. It's been converted to a posh hotel while retaining all the grand marble, plaster and oak paneling of the original building. Here's Kris in our room - formerly an editor's corner office. While in Edinburgh, we visited Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen when she visits Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots lived here. The palace was finished in 1505, although royalty had been staying in the adjacent Holyrood Abbey since the early 1300's. The fountain in front of the palace includes many different symbols of Scotland and a crown on top. Holyrood Abbey is adjacent to the palace and was built in 1128 by order of King David I. The name Holyrood is a reference to a relic of the Christian cross held by Queen Margaret, King David's mother. Another view of Holyrood Abbey. The first week I was in Scotland, it snowed about a foot in England and the Highlands. This closed roads and brought down powerlines in many areas. We waited a week then rented a car to drive into the highlands. The highest point along our route was about 4,000'. By the time we arrived, the snow had just melted off the roads. It was just above freezing, so we only encountered rain. At a lower elevation farther north, it was sunny again. This is next to a rest stop along our route to the Isle of Skye. The mountains were beautiful and reminded us a lot of Alaska. The ground was covered with flora a lot like tundra. Over the centuries, many battles have been fought in mountain valleys like this one. As we neared our destination that evening, we saw Eilean Donan Castle near the western shores of Scotland. Here is a daytime view of Eilean Donan Castle from the other side. <span class='myGreyFont'>[End of Scotland 2012, Part 1. Go to <a href='scotland12-2.html'>Part 2</a> or <a href='../index.html'>return</a> to the Photos page.]</span>