Exploring continues...

Continuing on the Rennie Mackintosh theme, I visited House for an Art Lover in the Ibrox neighborhood with my friend Shannon. The house was dull from the outside but looked similar to the Mackintosh house that Anna and I toured on campus. 

Soup!

Gardens outside the house

The next day I went on a field trip for my Archeology of Scotland class! The trip was to Kilmartin Glen, it took about 2 hours to get there from Glasgow. We visited: Achnabreck, Nether Largie South, Temple Wood, Kilmartin Parish Church, and Dunadd Fort. It was cool to see some of the sites I have been learning about in class. I thought it was interesting how we were able to walk on the sites, climb in a chambered cairn, etc. In the US we would be viewing these sites from behind a fence...

Stone circles at Achnabreck

Standing stones

More sheep!!

Inside a Neolithic chambered cairn.

I went to see the band Mausi, suggested by Shannon. The concert was at The Arches and had about 15 people! It was fun because it was so small and the band members we met after were very friendly!

Alice, Megan, Shannon and I with Mausi.

I returned yesterday from another trip to Isle of Arran, I will post about it later when I have pictures from my friends (my camera ran out of battery). It has been raining a lot here but there are sun breaks! I have gone through 2 umbrella’s already...the wind is evil.

Visitors!

I was very lucky to have my dad and sister visit for a week!!! They arrived on Thursday where I met them at the train station in city center. I had an engineering lab on Friday so they went to a few museums while I had lab then we went out for dinner that night. Before lab we explored the Glasgow botanic gardens and had tea in the tea room there. That night Anna and I went to a Ceilidh at Sloan's. The music and dancing was fun! On Saturday we went to Edinburgh by bus to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens. I thought they were very nice, much better than the Glasgow ones. Anna thought they were comparable to Longwood! 

Anna and I at the Ceilidh.

Pine cone ceiling art.

  

Black kitty!

On Sunday Anna and I woke up early to catch a train to Adrosson Harbour and then a ferry to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. We arrived at the island around 10 to find the visitors center closed and the buses running on limited schedules because of construction on one of the three roads on the island. We decided to walk instead, which allowed us to see less of the island but in much more detail. It was cold so we walked to a restaurant to have a full Scottish breakfast of a potato scone, over easy egg, haggis, black pudding, sausage, and beans. After breakfast we walked to cheese shop, aromatic shop, brewery, and finally the Brodick Castle! The castle itself was smaller but the grounds surrounding it were fairly large. We spent a few hours exploring the castle and grounds. 

The "Cal Mac"

Scottish Breakfast

Arran cheeses

Garden at the castle

Guess I forgot how to write Anna's name...

Another pine cone ceiling!

 Afterward we walked back to the harbour on the beach and along a golf course. We got tea and scones while we waited for the ferry to arrive around 7pm. It was a long but very fun day, we likely put in around 10 miles of walking....

Goatfell mountain is on the far left.

Some attempts at panoramic shots, they aren't perfect but the clouds were awesome.

Shaun meets a crab.

My dad and sister went on a tour of the Highlands on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, Anna and I looked at thrift and antique stores around the west end. We also toured the Macintosh House on campus, no photography was allowed. I took Anna to my favorite coffee shop for a chai latte, Artisan Roast. That night we all went to a nice restaurant called the Ubiquitous Chip for dinner. I had slow cooked pork shoulder with pesto, peas, and squash. And ginger crème brulee for dessert!

On their final day in Glasgow we went to the Willow Tea Room on Buchanan street and enjoyed porridge, tea, and scones! The tea room featured more Macintosh architecture. It was fun to have visitors : )

Dundee, Stonehaven, Aberdeen, and more

Last week on Thursday night I attend my first meeting of the Glasgow University Cheese Society. I now have my official membership card and had a chance to eat stinky cheese and drink wine!

Shannon, myself, and Alice at the Cheese Society.

Queso de Murica!

 On Friday I went to the Kelvingrove Art Museum with Megan and Shannon. The museum is very close to campus and I had walked passed it many times. I especially enjoyed the "Scotland's First People" exhibit since the content was relevant to what I have learned in Archaeology of Scotland. I also enjoyed the French Art. Since the museum is free and close to campus I will likely be back to see more.

Kelvingrove Art Museum

 

Kitty on the street!

Over the weekend I took a day trip with the Glasgow University International Society to Dundee, Stonehaven, and Aberdeen. The weather was beautiful the entire day. We only had 30 minutes at first stop in Dundee. This was enough time to walk around a little and enjoy a custard filled chocolate doughnut from a local shop. The next stop was at Dunnottar Castle, which is outside of Stonehaven. The surrounding area of the castle was free to explore, while the castle itself cost a fee to enter. I decided to explore the area around since there was a beach!! Dunnottar Castle was home to the Earls Marischal family in the 14^th century. The Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden here in the 17^th century. The scenery around the castle was spectacular.

The final stop was in Aberdeen which is the 3^rd largest city in Scotland and located on the Eastern coast on the North Sea. Here I walked along the main street and had lunch. After lunch, I walked to the beach! The trip was tiring but fun. Afterwards, I went to a stand up comedy show in Glasgow. There were 3 comedians who performed, I understood less than half of what they said. Two of them spoke very quickly and I did not pick up on any of the slang.