One of the many great things about Edinburgh is the close. Just off the Royal Mile are many ancient, engaging side streets (as we’d call them in the USA) called closes. This is White Horse Close—quiet, centuries old, and steps away from the tourist traffic of the Royal Mile. There is disagreement about the age […]
Dunbar’s Close, Edinburgh
One of the many great things about Edinburgh is the close. Just off the Royal Mile are many ancient, engaging side streets (as we’d call them in the USA) called closes. Behold Dunbar’s Close. Dunbar’s Close is actually a modern (1970s) take on the close. It’s beautiful. It’s quiet. It’s not full of tourists. My […]
St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh
A few days after Queen Elizabeth II lay in state here, we got to explore the beautiful gothic statement that is St Giles. What a treat! There is so much color here. I was not expecting such interior brightness and lightness from a medieval cathedral. This space was first consecrated as a church in 1243. […]
Edinburgh Law School
We took a detour to a grocery store and found this on the walk. I’m a sucker for an open door to a courtyard. What’s in there? Can we go in? Edinburgh Law School is gorgeous. The school was founded in 1707, which was a really long time ago. It’s one of the things I […]
Calton Hill, Edinburgh
What I remember the most about this day is how I survived a hell of a lot of walking and climbing a few weeks after I’d had Covid. The journey to the top of Calton Hill was difficult and a bit embarrassing, but was worth it! The view, with all its monuments, includes a look […]
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
We took a boat up the Thames to the Royal Observatory. The day started out a bit raw, but it cleared up nicely after we got off the water. Naturally, an observatory is going to be on a hill, so up we went, past the Cutty Sark, past the Old Naval College, past the National […]
Primrose Hill
Queen Elizabeth II has just died, and everything is closed. Throngs of mourners are descending on London, and the Queue is forming. We opt for outdoors, away from the crowds, and head for Primrose Hill. What a perfect day to enjoy the sunshine and a great view of London. We were not expecting 80° F […]
London Eye
We took a round-trip on the London Eye on our last day in town. Great views from up there! The trip takes about a half an hour. About 1/3 of the way round, with my perspective of London shifting at a blazing 10 inches per second, I decided to try my hand at a time […]
Russell Square
We stayed near the British Museum when we were in London. We enjoyed passing through Russell Square every time we headed to the nearby Russell Square Tube station. (See the map below. There are other routes, but we always went through the square.) Russell Square a fine garden park, with an ornamental fountain in its […]
Tower of London
There’s something pleasing about the buildings that make up the Tower of London, and it was a great day for panorama shooting. I love it here. I could sit in this courtyard all day. It’s so modern in many ways, it’s a surprise to remember it was started by William the Conqueror 1,000 years ago.