Roslyn Chapel, Melrose Abbey, and Abbotsford

Hi all,

Last week, we went on a field trip to Roslyn Chapel, Melrose Abbey, and Abbotsford. All three are amazing, but I must admit....

Rosslyn Chapel

Roslyn Chapel was my favorite! It really has a special feel about it. I'm not sure what it is. It could be how amazing the architecture and design of the building is, or the craftsmanship put into it, or the mystery of it and its survival during the reformation. It is still run by the St. Clair family to this day. There are crypts down below that they don't allow access to, however, they have x-rayed the building and know that crypts go down more than twenty feet! Everyone wants to excavate down there because it is a mystery to whether the knights templar treasure is there, etc. Not even the family knows what is under the crypts below a certain level. It is very interesting. The current St. Clair will not allow excavation because that is the burial place of his family and he doesn't want to disturb their graves. So the world will have to wait or never know.

Photography was not allowed on the inside of the chapel but on the outside. Roslyn is currently undergoing conservation at this time. My professor's husband is working on the restoration/conservation of the stained glass windows! What an honor huh! He is one of the best in a rare business. More about that story to come....

Here are some of the photos of Roslyn that I took.

Melrose Abbey

Melrose Abbey was built in the 12th century. It sets in the borderlands (middle country between highlands and lowlands). It was created by Cistercian monks by the River Tweed. During its best times, it was the wealthiest and most majestic medieval monasteries in Scotland. This building was the epitome of Gothic architecture. It lies in ruins now but is still extremely beautiful and peaceful. We got to climb the tower and the view was breathtaking!. The surrounding tombstones in the cemetery are also very interesting.

There is a little town that surrounds the abbey. It is so adorably charming! It's right out of a storybook.

Abbotsford

Abbotsford was the house of Sir Walter Scott. It is sort of a hodgepodge of styles, inside and out. Scott romanticized medieval times in his novels. He had a love for medieval things. His house is pretty amazing and his relatives still own the property and live nearby. They are creating a little hotel next to the house. Interesting...It's to help raise funds into conservation of the home. It sets right along the River Tweed, and I wanted to sit there all day. The sun was shining, it was 70 degrees and the Scottish countryside is wonderful. Abbotsford is also not very far from Melrose Abbey. In fact, some of the architectural details of Scott's house, was taken from Melrose Abbey. It is a very unique house.

Hand painted wallpaper from China! Holy Cow!

I don't think this will fit into my dining room.

Check out all of my picks on this trip....

https://picasaweb.google.com/cantrell.stacy/RosslynMelroseAbbotsford

Edinburgh and the.......QUEEN!

Hello everyone!

Today we went to Edinburgh. It has become one of my top 5 favorite places on earth! It is very beautiful. It is touristy but it is also so much fun. It's like walking into a medieval town. A castle at the top of the hill, and a palace at the bottom. Brilliant green rolling hills to the side, gothic monuments, and modern advances. On the 'royal mile', there is tartan after tartan shop. Every shop sells cashmere and wool products to your hearts content! I love Edinburgh!

Today was a more special day than normal because we got to see Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh! Who would have thought right! We had no idea she was even in Scotland. She left the palace to attend church about three blocks up the street. We happened to be near the palace when they drove out.

This is the queen's car (Rolls Royce). The Duke is on our side waving.

There is so much to see and do in Edinburgh. Of course, my favorite....

the bagpipers! Had to get a picture of me with one. Isn't he cute!

You can see the castle way off in the distance.

On the 'royal mile' there are tons of places to shop and eat. You can find tartans, kilts, sweaters, scarves, etc. Cashmere galore! I was in heaven. I particularly liked this sign. It's not one you see in the U.S.

The day was so perfect. The weather was 70-75 degrees and it was also bright and sunny which is somewhat unusual. The Scots were all excited about it. There is an open park in the middle of the city and it was brimming with Scottish sunbathers.

Another thing we went to see while we were in Edinburgh is go to the "Elephant House". It is the little tea house where J.K.Rowling wrote her Harry Potter novels. It was yummy! Interesting place. We sat in the back room and could look out at Edinburgh castle.

The city is extremely picturesque! I get to go back again in two weeks and I can't wait! So much fun. You can't visit Scotland without going to Edinburgh!

Such a view from every street. Every nook and cranny has something interesting to explore!

To see more of my photos on Edinburgh, go to.....picasaweb.google.com/cantrell.stacy/Edinburgh1

Thanks for reading!

Glasgow Cathedral

The Glasgow Cathedral was built in the mid-12th century. Since then, it has been modified, the towers removed, affected by the Protestant Reformation, etc. But for more than 800 years it has been standing and still offers church services today. It is a wonderful mix of Gothic, Gothic Revival, Stained Glass Windows, Cemetery, amazing woodwork, and objects.

It sets on top of a hill and the walk from the subway to the cathedral just about killed us! ;) Once getting there it was well worth it. Outside the cathedral was a wonderful bagpiper dressed in full Tartan. While there, I definitely thought.....OK....now I'm in Scotland!

Our Professor, Robert Gibbs, was our tour guide. He is just as adorable as you would think an old Scottish Art History Professor should look and sound. Brilliant man who knows just about everything there is to know about the building. We felt very honored to have the lectures and tour with him because he is retiring and we were his last formal lecture series.

It is a beautiful building. If feels like going back in time once you step in the door except for the gift counter. lol!

The Cathedral was built here because it is where Saint Mungo (St. Kentigern) died. He is the patron saint of Glasgow. He helped establish the city of Glasgow.

Here are some highlight images of the cathedral below.

This is me and my class!

Check out more of my Glasgow Cathedral images by going to the sight listed below....

https://picasaweb.google.com/cantrell.stacy/GlasgowCathedral

Thanks for reading!

Day 1 of Class!

The first day of class was wonderful. It was basically an orientation and then a tour of the city. They have the double decker tour buses just like in DC. They are even painted the same. Thought that was interesting and strange.

My lead professors are amazing and I'll get to learn from some of the leading experts on Gothic style and Gothic Revival style. They serve us tea/coffee and snacks everyday at 11AM. Then we have lunch at 1PM. This picture is the Gilbert Scott Building. It is the main building on the campus.

The tour of the city was fun but cold in a open bus! As you will see from my photos, Glasgow is a mixture of beautiful Gothic/Gothic Revival architecture, mixed with horrible, plain ugly industrial buildings. It is such a hodgepodge of history, architecture, and culture. The shopping areas are very quaint. There are tons of little shops and restaurants. It is a very charming city.

I thought this was funny! Yee-haw Glasgow!

This 'aint' no Washington Monument! :)

This in the front of the botanical gardens

Kilt anyone?

And yes everyone......I ATE HAGGIS!!! It was actually good!

It didn't have the casing or stomach around it. It was more flavorful

than I thought it would be.

More Scottish dialect I've learned.....

Churches they call a - 'Kirk'

'Squinty' - when something isn't straight.

Tatties - potatoes

Neeps - some type of squash or Rutabagas

Tatties and Neeps are served with Haggis. They are good too.

The bathroom is called the 'toilet'

Thanks for reading!

To view all of my Glasgow City Tour pictures, go to

https://picasaweb.google.com/cantrell.stacy/GlasgowCity

I'm Here and Finally Settled In!

Hi all!

Sorry for the delay in posting. I forgot to pack an ethernet cable. I don't have wireless in my room.
I arrived here around 7:30AM and left the airport around 8:30AM. Got to my room around 9. Unpacked
and went to bed! :)

My flight was nice. I sat next to two teenage boys from Omaha, Nebraska on the plane. "small world". They were all on a family vacation. They were very entertaining. It was like sitting next to two Zains.  :)

I went out and about for about three hours and bought some groceries, an ethernet cable and other supplies. Glasgow is very pretty. It is cooler and rainy here but I am not as cold as I thought I would be. You do a lot of walking here. The temperature runs about 60-65 during the day.

I had dinner at a wonderful little Persian place. Very authentic. Will definitely be eating there again!

Tomorrow my class start. I have class from 10AM-5PM everyday of course with breaks and lunch.
My first two week class is "Gothic Revival". Very much looking forward to it.

My room is a typical dorm room with two twin beds, two desks, and two closets. I have the room all to myself. I also have a sink in my room. There are community bathrooms but one is right across the hall from me. Each of our rooms has these amazing giant bay windows that extend across the entire from of the room. They are nice. The buildings are 19th century but at least the furniture is modern.

I posted some pics of what it looks like outside my room window. It is very green of course. The buildings across the way look exactly like my building.

Notes on Scottish dialect learned so far......
If something is wet from rain like the floor, they call it - slippie
Potato chips are called - crisps
If you are a native from Glasgow you are called a Glaswegian


Thanks for reading!
If anyone has issues posting a comment, send me an email at cantrell.stacy@gmail.com

This is a picture of down the street from my window. It's not the greatest picture, but gives you an idea of what it looks like.

This is the building directly across the street. Is looks exactly like my building....I think.  ;)

This is a view from down the other side of the street. Streets are wet but everything is wonderful green!

Delay in travel! Ugh!

Well, my flight from DC to Newark has been cancelled due to weather. So now I will be leaving on the exact same flights just a day later. I guess that gives me more time here to prepare and spend time with my family.
So instead of arriving in Glasgow on Saturday morning, I will arrive on Sunday morning.
Gotta love travel and weather!

I'm excited!

I'm packing now and getting ready to go!