Glasgow etc.

Naples and Pompeii

2009-11-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Naples on September 10th and stayed until the 12th. We didn't spend much time in the city of Naples it self, since the main purpose of this stop was to visit Pompeii. We spent about 5 or 6 hrs milling about the ruins and listening to a podcast that Christian downloaded from the internet. The commentator liked to mention that whatever we came across in the city displayed some behaviour that is "just like we do today." The following day we visited the Archaeological museum in Naples which has an incredible collection of precious artifacts and art found in Pompeii and Herculaneum. I was particularly interested to see their famous collection of illicit frescoes, but the exhibit was closed because they were under-staffed. At least we got to see the brothel in Pompeii though.

First thing's first... the pizza. Minimalist and amazing. This place was recommended to us by my dad and stepmom. There are only two kinds - meaning that they have absolutely perfected these two varieties.

Right before my little camera ended up in the Pompeii dust.

One of the preserved human forms created by pouring plaster into a cavity in the earth during excavations.

Light pouring into the bath house all Indiana Jones-like.

Street scene with Vesuvius in the background.

Ancient beware-of-dog-sign in mosaic tiles at the entrance to a home.

Christian-the-grouch.

Amazing colours are still visible inside several dwellings.

Road with grooves for chariots and stepping stones for pedestrians.

Mother and child caught in Pompeii. It was an amazing experience to feel the scale of this place, and it also was a sad and ghostly place to be.

Model of Pompeii at the Archaeological Museum.

There was a great exhibit on ancient Greek and Roman coins. Apparently it wasn't supposed to be open to the public though and there weren't any staff supervising, so we were quickly ushered out (but we saw most of it).

Beautiful hall at the Archaeological Museum.

Ancient Greek intellectual gazing into the eyes of a modern Canadian intellectual.

Random beautiful Italian arcade on the way back to our hostel.

Florence

2009-09-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

On September 5th we traveled from Venice to Florence by train. We spent three nights in this beautiful city, and only saw a fraction of what we could have.

Fake David.

Inside the Uffizi Gallery.

Ponte Vecchio with view of the Vasarian corridor which leaves the Uffizi, runs above the shops on the bridge and leads to the Palazzo Pitti.

Looking down on one of the many street markets.

Indoor market off of the street above.

Duomo from the outside.

Inside the Cathedral. We took the stairs all the way up to the top of the Duomo. This is on the way up.

Christian in the stairs.

Ceiling inside the Duomo.

The scenes of life in the heavens were beautiful.

And the depictions of hell were horrifying.

I'm sure from the ground, the terror loses its effect somewhat.

Here we are at the top!

This experience was a major highlight for me. I was excited and on a high for the rest of the day.

I love the reflections in this shot.

We went a little camera crazy.

About to blow over the railing.

We also visited the History of Science museum which had an amazing collection of Scientific instruments used by Galileo and other famous minds. Christian stared at this clock for a very long time.

Some of the beautiful items on display.

The magic of science.

Rome

2009-09-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

On September 8th, we traveled by train from Florence to Rome, and spent two nights there.

This one's for my mom. Apparently we descend from a family of ice-cream makers.

Lemons getting ready.

Olives getting ready.

Pomegranate getting ready.

Arch of Constantine outside the Colosseum.

The formerly glorious underground maze below the floor of the Colosseum.

Great public fountains, almost as good as Venice.

A lovely courtyard we invited ourselves into.

Mob of mopeds.

Crowd of tourists around the Trevi Fountain.

Outside the Pantheon.

Scary crowd of tourists storming into the Pantheon. We had to wait outside while a wedding ceremony finished up.

The very wealthy bride who was married in the Pantheon.

View of the Roman Forum.

Having a little rest. We did a ton of walking that day, but Christian did a little extra when our audio guide broke and he walked all the way through the Palatine hill to the entrance to get a new one. I had a snack... he's a gentleman.

Piece of an old temple that really gave us a sense of the scale of this grand old space.

Christian holding our daily gelato.

We sat and enjoyed pizza and gelato on these steps looking down at the Column of Trajan.

A really great space that focused on Trajan's forum, but also had many pieces from other forums in the city. It is called Mercati di Traiano Museo dei Fori Imperiali.

Enjoying the view of this ancient and modern space.

Student working on some sketches. I think they were architectural students working on projects. They were all over the place, and really made me think of my brother and dad.

Christian taking a breather from the museum.

The two of us eating up the experience of Rome.

Disgusting product that Christian wanted to try. Imagine a teeny weeny little drink box that tastes a little like coffee, but mostly like preservatives and fakeness. MMMMmmmmm. Part of it is still in our mini-fridge here in Greece, and I'm considering chucking it while Christian's mind is on his conference.

Veneto

2009-09-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

From September 2-5, we stayed with a friend of Christian's named Tulia in a little town called St. Michael right next to Conegliano and just north of Venice. Tulia and her family welcomed us into their nearly finished bed & breakfast suite on the top floor of their house. We were incredibly spoiled with local wine, live music, and plate after plate of delicious food made from ingredients grown outside or on the neighbours' farms. Tulia also lived in Venice when she went to school there, and so we had an insider guided tour around.

This is Tulia and her mom at their lovely house.

This is their front room, complete with pizza oven, fireplace and enormous windows that look out on rolling hills and vineyards as far as the eye can see.

This is their dog Lilla (purple). She parks her two front paws like this inside the doorway, and that's as far as she's allowed to go (when Tulia's mom is looking). Christian had a great time running around in the yard with her. Apparently her favourite meals are small animals and local lizards.

Tulia's dad playing a baroque-style guitar from his collection. Tulia plays the harp and they have a band together.

View of the countryside in St. Michael.

An old mill we visited near Tulia's.

Near Tulia's at an old church.

Conegliano. We had a nice Spritz with Tulia around here before we left.

We climbed up a tower that looked out over the town in Conegliano. This is one of the views.

Venetian alley, on Tulia's tour.

A fancy gondola. A little too rich for our blood.

Tulia and Christian enjoying...

this view.

Many many store windows were stuffed full of these masks.

Had to be careful not to walk right off the edge.

Walking out into St. Mark's Square.

Bride on the loose in the square. It looked like a photo-shoot.

The best tasting water of the trip came from these fountains.

We even got to see the Venice Bienniale. This was VERY exciting, and perfectly set in the massive spaces of the arsenale - where ships used to be built. It only looks like he's drinking the installation.

I like this shot.

Tulia snapping away in the different coloured rooms. And Christian is smiling!

A great installation that made a starry universe out of many appliances and office machines in a very dark space with their power lights on.

Buddha's hand.

Whenever Christian gets his hands on string, he makes this design.

This one reminds me of the dancing we saw at a wedding in Germany.

Out in the sculpture garden.

You could get from one end of a long enclosed space to the other without touching the ground.

After the art we got on a waterbus. Our feet were just about to fall off.

Christian and Tulia having a well-deserved rest.

One last image of Venice.

Linz

2009-09-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

On August 31st we arrived by train in Linz, Austria, stayed two nights and were on our way.

A little bit of Austrian countryside, between Vienna and Linz.

A tennis club near our hostel where Christian had his schnitzel, and we watched some friendly games from the patio.

A true backpacker.

A German version of Aldi. Christian carried around his Aldi bag all over the trip... should've picked up a Hofer one too!

Of all the places we saw this summer, this might be my number 1 pick as far as cities to live in go. Maybe even beats out Stockholm. Really great mix of nature, industry, and culture, plus this year they're the European Capital of Culture.

Bustling shopping district.

From the bridge to Ars Electronica Centre.

Beautiful park with installation art and lovely fountains. Christian got caught up watching some elderly men in a game of chess.

Doorway into a pretty courtyard off the street.

Christian, about the experience the Ars Electronica Centre. Back in the days of Sonic Design at Carleton University, our instructor Michael Bussiere introduced us to this place, and since then we've been dying to visit. This one also got a mention in my big research paper. It really is the museum of the future.

Just going in, a little bit giddy. We missed out on a few things because one of the main art and technology galleries was closed. The major Ars Electronica festival was also about to start the following day so there was an air of panic and last minute preparations.

In this gallery there were lego city skyscrapers and piles of blocks laid out - one for every resident of Linz. A really good visualization of the population and fun to participate with too. The gallery was also filled with amazing cartographic displays and interactive visualizations.

This is Christian's thumb print.

This is the city that the computer generated using that thumb print as a plan. Amazing!

This was one of my favourite installations. It was a forest of these hanging feather-like vines that curled up and twisted when you came near to them.

A robot that responds to your movements and gestures. Christian got it to give a big smile.

Me using a 3D pen.

Who's the designer, who's the robot? You decide.

Lunch on the roof-top lounge.

New favourite colour: purple.

Me testing out a great image capturing installation.

Inside Deep Space, a great 3D theatre where we felt a part of the image. Christian has interesting things to say about the nifty screen.

A beautiful piece in the Poetry of Motion Gallery.

Christian snapping away in the same gallery.

More Poetry of Motion.

Vienna

2009-09-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

My appologies if these images are a little small, I've sized them down a bit too far since I'm uploading on a slow connection. Next post they will be bigger.

On August 29th we landed in Vienna and checked into a hostel called Vienna Brigittenau (not a bad old place, and it was mostly empty). The next day we walked around and saw a few sights and slept in the same place.

Hard to see in this little shot, but there's a McDonalds in among the old beautiful architecture. I like these mixtures of cheap global culture in amongst the relics of an old city. Irks me a bit, but interesting none-the-less.

Three transportation options.

Can't really peg this expression... angry and susupcious all at once.

Modern building ornament.

Me, a little too happy for words.

No cars in sight, just the way it should be.

Another pedestrian alley.

Christian pointed out to me that the artist had sculpted the hair to look wet to enhanse the effect of the dripping water. Who knew he had such a keen eye for art?

Another beautiful fountain. They were very impressive in this city.

Made us laugh.

Christian was adjusting to a non-maritime climate. These funky lounging shapes were inside the courtyard of the Museums Quartier. We would've loved to visit all of the art spaces, but we weren't on the budget or the timeline to do it.

Turtle pastry trying to chew his way out of the bakery.

Beauitful things were growing everywhere.

Our main goal for the day was the Haus der Musik. This is the main entrance. I wrote about this museum of sound in my big research project.

Christian embrasing the sound.

A great installation with sounds from around the world.

Christian stuck his head in a hole with speakers inside to hear this one. My biggest regret of the trip is not trying out the interactive exhibit where you can conduct the Vienna philharmonic. Next time!

Another McDonalds next to a demolished building.

At the end of the day we devoured a big greasy pizza. Nothing in comparison to the stuff we had later on in Naples.

Beginning the Grand Tour

2009-09-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the computer for awhile now, but it's time for the blogging to start up again. We're in Thessaloniki now, and I've had a few days to recover from our travels. Have been going through the photos, and I warn you, there are zillions. I'll work on getting some posts up soon. This first one is for our stop over in London (Luton) between Glasgow and Vienna.

We stayed at the Easy Hotel for the night (side project of EasyJet, our airline). Small room, no window, and this was our bathroom pod - shower, sink, toilet all in one.

Looking out through the window at a nice restrauant next door.

That's it for shots of wonderful Luton. Next post Vienna.

World Pipe Band Championships

2009-08-19T03:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 15th, we made our way around the corner to the Glasgow Green for a really entertaining competitive event involving pipe bands from around the world. The Simon Fraser University Pipe band won last year, and we saw them perform and win it again this year. Glasgow has hosted the World Pipe Band Championships for the last 60 years. More pictures and videos here.

We watched the Grade 1 competition (the pros) from a little ways back in a big crowd. Seats were an extra cost. It was actually quite difficult to hear because of all the other bands marching around and playing not far behind us.

The BBC had a camera on a big crane to give us a view of the formations. It was shown up on a big screen.

This is Simon Fraser.

Here's a video of Simon Fraser. Sorry about the very poor sound quality.

Another competitor.

In addition to the piping competition there were several strong-man competitions. These guys had to throw a weight backwards over their heads over what looked like a very tall high-jump bar.

The drum majors were my favourite. Even the young people are very serious, and are marked very carefully on their form.

Some older drum majors.

One of the bands accompanying the drum majors.

We aren't sure who won the adult finals, but hopefully it was this guy. He was excellent.

These are some younger competitors. Again really sorry about the sound, it was very windy.

This is one of the adult finalists.

Taste of the Tattoo

2009-08-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

A week ago today (yes, I've been shirking my blogging duties -- what else is new?) the Edinburgh Tattoo brought a sample of their performance to Glasgow. They do this on a yearly basis under the title of "The Taste of the Tattoo", and it's an excellent opportunity to see some great performances without forking over a single pound.

Kristie and I headed to George Square at lunch time to grab our seats. Upon first glance, the entire set of stands was packed with spectators half an hour before anything started. Fortunately for us, they opened the gates to the premium seating (right behind the guest of honour) just as we got there. We ended up being wedged in between two cheery old Scottish ladies (one eating haggis, tatties, and neeps) that commentated the entire show. The show ended with Auld Lang Syne being sung by everyone (us included) with hands held. We had little clue as to what the protocol was, but there always seems to be a nice old Scottish lady around to explain things ;). Lots more photos here.

Band major leading in a traditional Scottish Pipe Band.

Cuban dancers and marching band (it was raining bad at this point).

Austrian (I think?) marching band. They were a little more worried about getting wet.

Calgary (yes, Calgary Canada) Men's Club. They had a great tune about haggis & whisky.

Great traditional Chinese group.

Group of highland dancers from Australia.

By far, the most impressive group was the Swiss, Top Secret Drum Corps. They were very impressive, but unfortunately our camera was out of space for video at this point.

Skye

2009-08-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a really nice road trip to Skye. Our friend John Davis drove up from England and stayed with us for a night and then we headed north and stayed at a hostel in Portree for three nights. Christian met John in Stockholm and he was there for the reunion that we attended earlier in the summer.

We took a lot of pictures, and if you'd like to see more head here.

John's trusty vehicle.

Christian took this one at one of our rest stops. This is Loch Lomond.

Approaching Glencoe. The soundtrack was Iron and Wine... I was partial to Bon Iver too.

Inevitable texting.

Here's what I was looking at.

We went past this castle on our way to the bridge to Skye.

This is Portree, not far from our hostel (which I forgot to take a picture of).

John drove us all around Skye on these crazy single-track roads. Sheep beware.

Christian standing way too close to the edge at one of our stops. This is Cuith-Raing.

This is me at the same spot.

Same place again with John.

Sorry, one more. I really liked it here. It would've been nice to go for a hike, but there wasn't time... we were on our way to the ferry from Uig to Tarbert.

It was sunny and beautiful all day, so we sat on the ferry to Tarbert and soaked it in.

We didn't get off though.

Just setting off on the boat.

As we approached Tarbert the band started to play.

This was the view as they played.

Little houses were perched all along the rocks.

The ride back.

The next day we went on a distillery tour. Christian bought a nice bottle of the distiller's edition. No pictures inside though unfortunately.

This is the view from a pub nearby where we had lunch. Excellent fresh food.

Christian at a nice beach we stopped at.

Me. Same beach.

John. Same beach.

John and Christian glued to the Newcastle game at a pub in Portree. We had some great nights out there too. One evening we stayed at a pub until closing and an old local fisherman started singing and playing guitar. John gave us a nice rendition of "hit me baby one more time" as well.

Overall, it was an amazing trip... beautiful scenery and excellent company. Thanks guys!

Waverley Paddle Steamer

2009-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went on a little excursion down the Clyde to Dunoon on the Waverley Paddle Steamer. It was lots of fun, but very cold (Cristina was right!), and with a whole boat load of drunken Scots at 10:00 am. There was a stag party of pirates, a hen party of cow-girls, and at least two parties of 40th and 50th birthdays.

One funny thing was that everyone who lives in the buildings that overlook the Clyde, seems to wait around for the Waverley to come by. They all waved from their windows! The best was one guy out on his balcony in his underwear waving away.

In Dunoon we had some greasy fish and chips by the water (I opted for mushy peas instead of fish) and we split a deep-fried mars bar four ways.

More pictures here.

Next post... images of Skye.

This is the Glasgow Science Centre where the boat left from.

Waverley Paddle Steamer.

Here's a video of the gears working inside the boat.

This is Cristina and Martin who came along with us, and showed us around Dunoon.

This is a bit of a castle we saw from the boat.

The boat leaving us in Dunoon.

The wind in Dunoon was feirce, and it did eventually rain, but it didn't stop Christian and Martin from throwing rocks into the sea.

We popped in here for a drink during the rain.

Germany Part III (Berlin)

2009-08-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

After all the fun in Altenburg, we spent one night in Berlin before heading back to Glasgow.

Christian's lovely friend Anne took us out for "Berlin's best ice cream" and a drink. She is another of his friends met in Stockholm. We sat at a table together at the wedding... Stockholm was our name on the seating chart.

Here's Christian and Anne. He had a coffee thing and she had three delicious flavours that I sadly can't remember the names of.

I had a hazelnut cone, and I'd definitely say it was one of the best ever.

We went through this awesome park with gigantic benches, a bus made out of mosiac tiles, grassy mounds, and cars made of turf.

This was definitely an artistic and youthful neighbourhood. Really felt in our element.

Anne's original plan was to take us to this Bath ship which is a barge converted into a big swimming pool. There was a big line, a fee to get in, and we didn't have our suits so we opted out.

Instead we had a beer and dipped our feet in the river. The DJ at this place was very good.

This guy was showing off for all the hipster ladies on the dock I think.

Then we headed back to the station to get our stuff and train away to our hotel room near the airport.

Christian grabbed some curry-wurst before we left. This shot showed up on the viewfinder when a security guard made us turn on the camera at the airport. Apparently he should have had this curry-sausage stuff at another spot. Oh well, next time.

Germany Part II (the wedding)

2009-07-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

The whole reason for our visit to Germany was the wedding of Katrin Böttger and Falko - now Falko Böttger-Hiller. I really like that he adopted her name. The traditional reasoning for it is that Böttger is a rare and beautiful name and having only two girls in the family it would be lost.

The wedding was quite spectacular and I'm told a very good example of a traditional German wedding with a number of personal twists. We had an amazing time, as I think Katrin and Falko also did. They are now honeymooning in Egypt.

The event began with a legal wedding ceremony in a castle. This is Julia and Katrin's great-aunt heading up to the castle.

We waited outside for awhile until Katrin and her dad showed up on this little rig.

Here's Falko. No silly worries about the Groom seeing the Bride before the big event.

This is where the ceremony took place. The organ in the corner was played by Bach "no touching!"

Alex, a friend of Julia's played a beautiful medley on the piano. We stayed with him a lot throughout the wedding, and even ran into him afterwards. We're convinced that he must be a relative of Roger Federer... striking resemblance.

Afterwards there was a little parade out of the castle. While they had their photos taken we sampled from the big bottles of champagne and spread of endless h'orderves.

Christian took over as wedding-photographer when the real one mysteriously disappeared.

Then they took off to the church in the funny cart.

Here's a little video.

We didn't get any photos inside the church, but it was an interesting ceremony. Being all in German, a lot was lost on me, but some things were translated by Alex and Christian's friend Anne. There was also a sign-language interpreter which believe-it-or-not was a help to me. Katrin is a trained sign-language interpreter. This clothes-line of baby clothes was strung up before they came out of the church.

Before crossing the line of baby-clothes, Falko threw down hand fulls of coins that all the little kids collected up into baskets.

The scrambling reminded me of the kids at my birthday parties when the pinata broke.

After the coin-toss was the traditional sawing of a log...

... to the music of an organ-grinder.

Then they released a basket-full of doves.

Then off to the reception hall in this pretty thing.

We followed in this big old bouncy bus with a hitch on the back.

Katrin and Falko decorated the hall themselves with pretty arrangements and place-card-holders made out of pieces of wood and beakers (Falko's a chemist). The hall belongs to a German football club, who I guess ended up in fourth place in some big thing or other (see Christian for details).

Entertainment was pretty well non-stop all night. There were speeches, games, a video, a live band, and this pair of professional dancers. The Böttger's are a dancing family. Julia and Katrin are both amazing (Christian and Katrin were salsa partners in Stockholm), but their parents really blew me away. They danced the night away and were truly amazing.

Here's another custom. A loaf of bread and a shaker of salt. One for happiness, one for prosperity I think.

They had to figure out how to open this log-box to find the coordinates for a map that told them where their honeymoon would be. A number of the family members pitched in to send them to Egypt. I love the music.

Oh yeah, did I mention there was a huge fireworks display? It was as big as anything I've seen in Barrie on Canada Day.

I didn't catch it. No gigantic German wedding for me this year.

The bride and groom had to dance off their shoes made of bread. There was no winner unfortunately, I think the bread was pretty solid, but they put in a good effort.

Christian had to get up since he was one of the token North American guests... Falko's hat said something about Obama on it. Christian is trying to suggest that one of the Mexican relatives is more qualified to be up in front of the crowd.

Here's Katrin's parents up there dancing away. It's probably 1am at this point. We left at 3 I think.

Here's Juila and Lars busting a move. I wish I would have taken more videos of the dancing, because they were all really amazing. I danced some latin thing while looking my toes the whole time.

My appologies if this was a long long post, but a lot happened and we had a really great time. Thanks a million Katrin and Falko.

Germany Part I (Altenburg)

2009-07-31T01:51:00.000-07:00

So we were in Altenburg Germany from July 23 - 28 for the wedding of Christian's friend Katrin who he met while on an exchange in Stockholm a few years back. We stayed at her parent's house on the top floor and they fed us all kinds of fresh delicious meals. I thought that I would split the trip into three blog entries since we took a ridiculous number of photos, and one entry would simply be too long. I think I'll tell the story with the pictures. As always more photos on flickr.

We took an Easy Jet flight to Berlin since we didn't realize that Ryanair flights land in Altenburg. Notice the little windmills - Germany is jam packed with them. Then a high-speed train to Altenburg.

When we arrived, we walked into a big back-yard party at Katrin's parent's place. There was a big crowd, wedding games, unlimited drinks, unlimited bratwurst (I was particularly excited) and even a few English speakers. This game was probably a lot funnier facing the front of the sheet, but you get the idea.

I'm told that much of Altenburg was spared from war-time bombing, and so there are a number of great old buildings left in-tact. This is the central square - a big wide-open space full of shops and cafes.

This is also in the main square.

Everyone has gigantic window-boxes bursting with pretty flowers.

I have never seen so many cobblestones.

This is the entrance to a tall bell-tower that we climbed. The sounds inside were amazing, we scaled these almost impossibly steep creaky old wooden stairs and the bell started to toll while we were inside. We could feel the reverberations through the stairs and hand rails. I had to cover my ears at one point because it became almost painful.

Here's one of the views of the town from the top. It was sort of a use-at-your-own-risk scenario. It would be easy to topple over the railing or fall down the steep steep steps. The place wasn't plastered with warning signs like you'd see in Canada, but I liked that.

This roof-top greenhouse would fulfill my ultimate fantasy if I lived there. Think I'll find one in Toronto?

We also went to a little zoo that was on an island in the middle of a small lake near Katrin's parent's house.

These guys seemed a little pooched from too much sun.

Christian was a wiz with the camera.

We saw lots of amusing and beautiful animals, but zoo's tend to leave me feeling pretty sad. Christian captured the feeling beautifully in this shot. It's just a little dirt on the window, but it looks like this guy is crying.

After the zoo we went on a good-old-fashioned romantic row around the island zoo. Perfectly romantic if you don't pay attention to the wacky animal sounds emanating from the zoo. The goats made Christian crack up.

In the name of gender equality, I did some of the rowing too. Look at my big guns.

We finished off with some beer and good food at a restaurant by the lake. Christian even found some dark stuff.

I'll finish with a view of the pretty German countryside. Katrin's sister Julia and her boyfriend Lars drove us around a little. P.S. German radio is awesome.

Culzean Castle

2009-07-22T02:54:00.000-07:00

On the weekend friends from Carleton Irwin and Lauren visited Glasgow and we went to a castle! They are living in Oxford where Irwin studies and were here for a few days. We took the train to Ayr and then had about a half hour bus ride through the country to Culzean Castle.

The night before, our good friend Giuseppe also cooked an excellent Italian dinner for five at our place, but I forgot to take any pictures.

Below are shots from the castle visit with Irwin and Lauren, they wouldn't let us take any photos indoors though. More on flickr.

Next post... Germany.

Culzean castle.

Castle courtyard.

The views from inside the castle were beautiful too.

Lauren having a look at the ocean.

View from the cafe.

Christian telling analog time.

Irwin and Lauren.

Another view from the cafe.

Christian enjoying the sun.

Scottish pride.

me with wind.

The oldest part of the castle.

Brisk walk back to the bus.

Pollock Country Park and the Burrell Collection

2009-07-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we made our way to the South end of Glasgow to have a nice walk through the Pollock Country Park and Burrell Collection. The weather was beautiful and I was really impressed by both the Burrell Collection and its beautiful purpose-built museum. A highlight for me as seeing the excellent collection of Degas pastel drawings, and many ancient Roman and Greek artifacts.

The gardens around Pollock House are highly manicured and colourful. While bending down close to take a photo of a pretty flower, a jolly local came by and gave us his thoughts about the gardens and asked us to have a bite. I mean he asked us literally to have a bite of the leaves from the flower, which actually tasted lovely with a spicy peppery taste. If you like, there are tons of photos from the day here.

Cricket match in the park.

Strange and stinky bison-things that are all over the park. (Aberdeen Angus I've learned)

This is inside a little hidden garden with wildflowers and medicinal herbs in the centre.

Christian standing very still.

Me and the Baron.

Baron's neighbour.

Near where we ate the flowers.

The courtyard at Pollock House.

A little well-deserved shade.

Entrance to the Burrell Collection.

Looking over the cafe.

Enormous windows brought nature and tons of natural light into some parts of the museum.

One of my favourite museums to date. For sure.

One of Christian's favourites.

One of my favourites.

This was such a varied and interesting collection, and just the right size for a museum.

Inner courtyard filled with Rodin sculptures.

We were kicked out of the Burrell at closing time.

Last Weekend in Glasgow

2009-07-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I'm over a week late in posting, but better late than never!

My Aunt Joanne and Uncle Don were visiting Scotland, and cousin Iain had us all over to his lovely house just north of the city in Bearsden for a bbq. I didn't take many photos, but rest assured that the event was thoroughly documented by others. Excellent food, and great company. Afterwards we went to a costume party at our friends Pete and Siobhan's house in Dennistoun (walking-distance East of us). There are a few more photos here.

Iain and Trisha's cute new little baby Sandy.

The whole table minus Iain.

A little bit of knitting help from some wiser ladies.

Siobhan's costume was excellent and fitting (it was the 4th of July)

Two of the award-winners.

Christian and Pete... a tourist, and Roul Duke with remarkably similar outfits.

Having a listen to un-fit mom Cristina's poor child.

I was a ballerina, but eluded the camera and there aren't any good shots.

Cork in June

2009-06-30T02:48:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend I joined Christian in Cork, Ireland. He had been there for a week for a workshop-style summer school at the Cork Constraint Computation Centre, with some others from the University of Strathclyde. Since I brought the camera, the pictures begin the day after I arrived. As usual more photos are up on flickr.

This is the view down from our hotel room.

For my first full day in Cork, I was on my own and encountered many interesting buildings. This is just down the street from our hotel.

Lots of great mixtures of old and new.

This is where Christian and the other intellectuals worked.

I had one of the best sandwiches of my life here. Feta and sun dried tomatoes with grilled veggies on the freshest of fresh whole grain bread.

Here's the aftermath. No time for a photo beforehand.

I considered purchasing a vacation home in the area for the bargain price of €495 000.

I walked into this little bargain shop and was greeted by the shop owner, a black cat with a nub for a tail. He followed me around the store to make sure I didn't steal anything.

The English Market is a great spot, as long as you don't mind lots of inside-out animals.

The University College Cork campus is absolutely beautiful, and it smells like flowers everywhere.

The Lewis Glucksman Gallery is on the campus, and it's spectacular.

Christian was intrigued by this work's comment on the status of the artist.... and he also pondered the meaning of his own existence.

Leaving the Glucksman.

About to have a picnic in the park with Ginger.

Ginger. The tired old pup with a very talkative old companion who chatted us up for a long while about his lovely dog. He had an old photo folded in his pocket of Ginger from many years back.

Inside Father Matthew Holy Trinity Church later that day.

We left the spiritual place to get a pint of the local brew.

A scary smile in the elevator.

The alley that lights up at night.

Around Loch Lomond

2009-06-19T03:27:00.001-07:00

Last Monday Christian's neighbour from Guysborough, John McQuillan, took us on a little tour around Loch Lomond. The weather was back and forth, but John's magic trick of wearing sunglasses to ward off the rain clouds helped to keep us dry at most times when we were out of the car. The hike was up Glen Douglas, and the view was spectacular. We also visited the little towns of Arrochar and Luss (Luss being the setting of an old TV show called 'Take the High Road'). It was a wonderful day, and I'm more in love with the countryside now than ever. Thanks John! More pictures on flickr if you like.

Driving out of the city on the wrong side of the car.

Me next to "my" little green boat. And oh yeah, I cut my hair a little.

Rooftops in Luss.

John and a friendly dog on the pier in Luss.

What the friendly dog on the pier was keeping an eye on.

View back into the village from the pier.

Where John had planned on taking us if the weather was better. We're looking from Arrochar.

Arrochar reminded us a little of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Christian next to a big funny plant. John also called this weird tree a Monkey Puzzle tree I think (also notice the palm tree in the linked shot).

Pausing to catch our breaths on the way up the glen looking over Loch Lomond. The bugs were bad, but you'd never know from the photos.

Scotland's national flower.

View of Loch Lomond from the top of the glen.

Some sheep on our path, including the little one dubbed "spotty-bum".

Video with real moving people.

West End Festival

2009-06-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we made our way back to Kelvingrove Park for the West End Festival, which I read somewhere draws over 200,000 people. It was pretty packed, but we saw many cute and happy children, a big parade, skateboarding hi jinks, and some pipe and drum music.

Crowd gathering for the parade... by the way there's no such thing as parade etiquette here.

Some happy and unhappy bananas and carrots.

Belly-dancers that got up on stage later on.

Kid enjoying the parade.

The last bit of the parade, on stilts.

Christian got some really great shots at the skate park.

Clan Wallace in the afternoon. The little girl was a great dancer.

A Sunday in Edinburgh

2009-06-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we took the train to Edinburgh for the first time. We thought about visiting the Leith Festival Tattoo, but decided that there was too much to see in Edinburgh first and that there wasn't enough time to get ourselves to Leith. So we visited the organic crafts and food booths on Grassmarket st. and then visited Edinburgh Castle. We finished off with a pint in one pub and some grub in another. There are two sets of photos available on our flickr site.

Booths and crafters at the Grassmarkets. The kid at the bottom was chasing pigeons around.

Entertainment at the Grassmarkets.

More entertainment at the Grassmarkets. There was also a giant connect four game.

Peeking out from one of the many little alleyways between the buildings.

Some plant-life among the stones.

Entering Edinburgh Castle.

Outside the soldier's memorial.

A view from the castle.

View from the top.

Inside the castle.

Leaving to get some food. There are more photos of the castle interiors on our flickr site, but we weren't allowed to get any shots of the crown jewels or stone of destiny.

We visited a couple of pubs and an Italian restaurant, but this place is where the haggis was had.

This is Christian's haggis. Yes I had a bite. No it wasn't the worst stuff on earth.

I had vegetarian sausages in a Yorkshire pudding. mmmmmm.

Saturday in the West end of Glasgow

2009-06-09T03:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we finally made our way over to Glasgow's West end to visit the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery and have a look at the historic University of Glasgow campus. From where our flat is in Merchant city, we walked to the Buchanan st. subway station and headed a few stops West to the Kelvinhall stop. If you'd like to see more photos, check out our flicker page.

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery is on the left.

The Museum felt a lot like the ROM on the main level. There were natural specimens, local history displays, Ancient Egyptian artifacts, and educational programming zones.

Really like how this dino looks like it's flying through the air.

The interiors were stunning, and unfortunately we just missed out on an organ performance.

We saw some Charles Rennie Mackintosh furniture and designs which was exciting for me because I've been reading about him.

Christian applied his graphing skills to an art display.

I enjoyed the upper level displays the most. This one on the Vikings was especially good and had these huge canvas backgrounds with landscapes printed on them and speakers embedded that gave a really great soundscape.

I love this shot that Christian took from the upper level.

After the museum we headed to The 78 for a wholesome vegetarian lunch. We learned in The List that they had "possibly the best veggie burger in Glasgow," and I must say, it was pretty darn good.

Bar at The 78.

The infamous burger.

Christian had a falafel platter.

Have I mentioned that I like all the beer here? For the most part it's flat, and I hate bubbles.

Then we went for a stroll around Christian's rival school, the University of Glasgow (also the Alma Mater of Uncle Don and John McQuillan).

Glasgow Green

2009-05-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

We're having the best weather I've seen yet in Glasgow. Sunny all day today and nice and hot. Christian is in bed with a sinus infection, but I took myself out to the Glasgow Green to do a little sun tanning. It's the first time my white white legs have seen the sun. I walked through the park and also popped into the People's Palace and the lovely tropical Winter Gardens. One day I'll build a greenhouse like this off the back of my home.... do I ever miss growing things. There are some more pictures from the day on our Flickr site. And see a little article I wrote about the day here.

A Weekend in Stockholm

2009-05-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

We visited Sweden on the weekend for a reunion of Christian's friends from his Stockholm exchange. All were quite nostalgic, but I was able to tag along and experience a bit of the old days while also creating new memories. All in all, I had an amazing time, and I'd say that of all the places I dream about living in, Stockholm is very near the top... a really nice mixture of nature and culture, and I felt at home right away. There are loads more pictures if you like, here.

We took an hour or so train from Glasgow to Ayr in order to get on our Ryanair flight from Prestwick International Airport. We were too scared to take pictures, but the airport security at this tiny little hole-in-the-wall walk around with massive automatic weapons at the ready.

Just outside Prestwick Airport in Ayr.

Ayr from the Air.

Our cell-block at the Langholmen Hotel. All four prisoners slept here very comfortably.

Christian and I got the murphy beds.

This is the gang at Stockholm University.

This is Lappis, where Christian lived.

Picnic lunch at Lappis beach.

It felt a little like Muskoka to me.

This is quite a famous spot. After 3am when the place closed we walked home in the sunshine.

This is just a picture on the wall, but the interiors look the same.

They had the most expensive cover charge I've ever paid in my life and pricey drinks too, but it was well worth it... we had lots of fun.

From a bridge on our walk from the hotel to T-Centralen.

We walked through this really nice park, but unfortunately didn't wake up early enough for a picnic with the others.

Following Kate through that same park.

Making fun of the Swedish language.

Christian and I on a bridge.

My Desk

2009-05-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Just about time I wrote something eh? Well despite sarcastic quips on my part, and party pictures, I am indeed working here during the summer. I'm studying with the Strathclyde Planning Group on great and wonderful things that will never see the light of a blog post until after publication ;).

One thing I can show, however, is where I reside from 9-5. The computer science faculty / department is located in the Livingstone Tower on Strathclyde campus:

View Larger Map

The group I'm with is on the 11th floor, and the view is quite spectacular if you've got a window desk:

Most of the students (masters, PhD, post-doc) sit in a large room with windows on two of the walls:

The visiting students have a nice little room off to the side:

...but as most computer scientists would agree, the most important part of any office is the caffeine situation. They have a decent machine capable of a good cup, and an alright espresso (of course all beans are supplied by the department for free ;)):

Finally, the cup I was presented with upon arrival (actually it was just collecting dust on a shelf and I claimed it) suits me quite well:

The Penguin of Death
Things you Need to Know
1. He is strangely attractive because of his enigmatic smile.
2. He can kill you in any 1 of 412 different ways.

All in all its been great so far, and I only expect things to get better as the summer goes on. Hopefully I'll find more time to keep posting ;). Cheers.

Christian's Birthday Weekend in Pictures

2009-05-18T03:20:00.001-07:00

On Friday night we went to a number of pubs around town and we even took the teeny tiny little subway to the West end at the end of the night. This is one of the earlier pubs which was like a tree house inside. This shot is from our table in the upper branches. Here I learned that Murphys is an excellent beer.

These are Christian's pals from school who took us around. Giuseppi and Pete. Many good chats.

Christian had a wee bit too much whiskey in him.

The next day. Just finished raiding the tourist pamphlets at the

Gallery of Modern Art.

Through the window looking down on the city from The Lighthouse - an excellent museum of Scotland's architecture and design. It also just happends to be free on Saturdays.

Christian at The Lighthouse with his new birthday jacket on.

Christian lounging at the very top of The Lighthouse.

The view from the top floor of The Lighthouse.

Christian's favourite coffee shop, Tinderbox. Just around the corner from us.

Too cool for this picture, with a clover-made coffee in his hand.

Coffee in a gigantic tea cup.

The foyer at the City Halls music venue.

Inside the recital hall. Beautiful lighting and a very intimate atmosphere.

The lighting again.

Nigel Hitchcock and Paul Towndrow at City Halls.

Andrew Bird at Òran Mór

2009-05-15T02:40:00.000-07:00

We went to see Andrew Bird last night at what I was hoping would be a lovely concert hall inside a converted church. It turned out to be a little bar stuck in the basement of that lovely church, but it was still an amazing one-man-show. He said that it was the last stop on their tour and he'd already sent his band home, but that lead to a unique folk-festival feel. It was strictly Andrew Bird, his violin, a guitar, and a loop machine, and it was amazing.

Today is Christian's birthday, and we're looking forward to some whiskey inspired events this evening.

This is the group that opened the show (I forget their name). Notice the gramophone thing in the back... Andrew Bird had it spinning during his performance with a little sock monkey perched on the edge.

The Glasgow Necropolis

2009-05-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from our stroll through the Glasgow Necropolis on the weekend. It was rainy and cold and gloomy... the perfect atmosphere. This is about 5 minutes walk from where we live. More photos are posted on our flickr site.

Things not far from our flat

2009-05-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

Christian started his first day of work at the university today. I was out on my own for a little walk and took some pictures (I'll get to the job hunt soon I promise). I visited the Tourist Information Centre and the Gallery of Modern Art, and am crunching on my first bit of buttery Scottish shortbread right this second. I am also firmly of the belief now that galleries and museums everywhere should be free of charge. It was lovely to stroll in off the street to see the art and browse around their art library... the art really does belong to the public after all.

Our first glimpse of the sun last evening through the window of our apartment.

Pedestrian walkway down Ingram st. somewhere.

Some mossy statues high up on the pillars

Gallery of Modern Art at Royal Exchange Square.

I loved the windows in the stairwell at the

Gallery of Modern Art.

These wonderful pedestrian alleys are everywhere.

I don't imagine too many Scots are very happy about the American chain restaurant T.G.I. Friday's in the bottom of this old building. There's also a KFC around the corner.

It was so nice to finally see the blue sky.

Scottish busker.

Welcome to Glasgow

2009-05-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

We've landed in Glasgow. Flight to Reykjavik Iceland - then to London England - then to Glasgow Scotland. Arrived in Scotland and stayed in the Ramada Inn off George's Square (more pictures soon). I slept a lot due to jet lag, and Christian seemed un-phased. I didn't get any photos at Heathrow, but managed to get a couple snaps of Iceland airport... I'm definitely visiting this place again. It was a little like landing on the moon, and views of the tiny huts on the edge of the mountains with hot steam spewing from the earth were beautiful.

Through the window at Iceland airport in the long long customs line. We got an Iceland stamp in our passports though.

Image Christian took with his iPhone out the window over Iceland.

This is a shot of the GPS image on the back of the seat in front of me. The entertainment systems on the planes were killer. I watched a documentary on Icelandic electronic music, one on whale watching off the coast, and another on Iceland's rock formations. There were also movies and local music... I didn't get to any of my books or magazines.

Waiting for connecting flight at Iceland Airport

Thgourh the widow at Iceland Airport

Our first meal in the apartment. Left over pizza from the cheap and delicious Italian restaurant around the corner, and cans of soup from the grocery in the bottom floor of our building.

The toe that gushed blood after I stubbed it on the stupid ridge between the carpet and the kitchen floor.

The only mention of swine flu that we encountered while traveling.

They gave us this little card in English and Icelandic on one of our Icelandair flights.

Our wee fridge with Noah and Mya's art.

Our Glasgow kitchen.

Bed and dining room.

Lounge (at the end of our bed) complete with Cape Breton tablecloth.

Our loo. With nifty pull cord that corresponds to a confusing tap fixture.

List of things that seem a little strange too us foreigners:

-Lights switches: up means off down means on

-There's no sheet below the comforter and above the mattress sheet (this is how the bed was made in the hotel and in our furnished apartment)

-Do the road rules apply to the sidewalk? Not sure whether to walk on the left or right.

-Very strange shower fixtures

-Ordering food at the bar in pubs

-Liquor at the grocery store (and dirt cheap)

-Taxes included in most things