Dundee

                                 
Cheryl, Dave and Bennett took a couple of days trip north of Edinburgh.  We went as far as Dundee with them.  

The V&A Design Museum is a beautiful building touting the international artists who came from this area or who studied here.  Even their lunchroom is excellent.

 The rooms are filled with amazing items.  One of the most important exhibits is an original tea room.  Men were allowed into Pubs but no women.  Catherine Cranston wanted women to have a place to meet and enjoy each others company so she started the concept of the tea room.  If you were well off, you met in the upper floor of the room.

 Probably the first evidence of feminism.  
                                               
Jerry was absorbed in a video and exhibit about Valentine, Inc., the first designer and publisher of postcards and, subsequently, greeting cards.   

 For over 175 years it was the prime employer in the area until it was bought by Hallmark Cards.  The company decided to close the operation and, when union wanted to buy it back and keep it open, the Hall family refused.

                         
Dundee is also the location for construction of Captain Robert Scott’s ship, Endurance and is its current resting place.  

The ship is open for tours with label copy detailing the readying the ship for its trip to Antarctica as well as information along its fateful journey, 1901-1904. After its initial voyage, it twice returned for additional research.

The ship was designed to be heavily cross-braced to withstand the pressure of the ice.  

Of course, the officers had to dine with fine china and an extensive menu was provided for each meal. 

Jerry was dreaming of another voyage after meeting a new friend.

Bennett takes us to the zoo.

Cheryl and Dave had a child-free day and we got to go to the Edinburgh Zoo. The zoo is built on a hillside and it was a steep climb to the top of the zoo but seeing penguins along the way pepped us up. This is the supposed to be the largest penguin display in the world. We would not disagree.

Proof Jerry even came on the trip.

Giraffes are all over the town.  Their purpose, other than being attractive, is to draw attention to animal preservation.

The zoo is dedicated to helping the survival of endangered animals, albeit in a human facility. This is a banteng from Southeast Asia. 

 There were also a number of birds (other than penguins) on display.

We did take the recommendation of one penguin and tried some ice cream for a treat.

 

 

 

The Tattoo

We went to the Tattoo.  No, not the body art, though we have seen MANY of those on the trip.
The Scottish Tattoo is a Massive Musical March (caps ours).  This years theme was Voices.

Back in the days of the motorhome, we went to a Tattoo in Nova Scotia.  That one was great and we were excited to see the real thing here.  Expectations met and surpassed.  The venue is a huge outdoor facility abutting Edinburgh Castle.  

 Thousands of people are in the audience.  

Before the show, we chose to have a special dinner at the Whiskey Experience Restaurant.  We enjoyed talking to the couple from Belgium.  Jerry and Jeff enjoyed the steak while Anna Lee relished the vegetarian. 

The triple dessert was yummy.

Two Tattoo performers from New Zealand played on Maori instruments for us.  They also sang Happy Birthday to Jerry.

Out in the amphitheater, military bands from several countries performed.  

 

 

Dancers strutted their stuff.

 

Pipes filled the air.

The whole experience was exhilarating.
 

Here is what it sounded like.

Graveyard and Vaults Tour

 Today Jeff left for home and Dave, Cheryl and Bennett arrived.  Our first activity together was the Graveyard and Vault tour which gave us background on Scotlands horrific history of finding the innocent guilty and throwing them brutally in with the guilty.  It also gave us the history of a time when justice was fickle and merciless.  Bodies were robbed, people were buried alive and hanging was normal.  It was also a crime to be Presbyterian in a 16th and 17th century country.  But the Presbyterians retaliated with equal justice.

Grave robbers stole bodies to sell for research.  Iron covers were used to try and prevent the bodies from being stolen.

One grave worth noting was that of John Cray.  His dog, Bobbie, lived in the cemetery at his grave for 14 years until he finally died.  They were then buried together.

After the graveyard, we proceed to the Vaults which displayed tools of torture.

The thumbscrews were a favorite.

The Vaults, formerly for bodies, more recently for storage, are under the bridge.  They were used by businesses. They were also used by the army for storage during both World Wars.  Today, bands frequently use the cells to practice because the acoustics are so good. 

The circle at the bottom of the photo, was believed to be a witches coven

Other strange rites took place in the Vaults.

To this day some people believe ghosts are watching the living cross the bridge.

Glasgow

Glasgow is a city like most modern cities, new tallish buiildings and lots of traffic but it does have its own special places.  We started our visit with a search for local murals.

We then visited the Botanical Gardens which were lovely.  Anna Lee and Jeff enjoyed a photo opp. 

 Rooms in the arboretums represent various ecosystems from throughout Earth.

 

We enjoyed this tower for luncheon and dessert.

Our next visit was to Kelvingrove Museum built in 1901.  It is a science, historical and art museum with two levels and many rooms. The label copy is easy for children yet informative for adults.

 

These stone age balls were carefully carved by a craftsman eons ago.  No one knows what they were used for or what their meaning was. 

An exhibit of heads of people's expressions at the reopening of the museum was a delight.

After the museum, we decided to finish our time in Glasgow with a visit to the Necropolis.  It is a major attraction near their Cathedral that dates pack to the 1100s.

It would not be difficult to spend a full day just looking at the graves but we did not have that much time before returning to Edinburgh.