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Dundee and Alyth, Scotland

See London to Dundee if you need background.

After 10 hours sleep, I woke to a rainy day in Dundee. Still dragging a bit, I went off to see the Victoria & Albert museum down by the river Tay. Architecturally it was a beautiful, interesting place with a large open interior.

I learned that Scotland exported ceramics including Asian themed plates to Asia in the 1880’s. Also the Scottish Imp, made by Chrysler in the 1970’s had tartan seat covers.

But the best part was the cafe. I had a delicious pea mint soup and a scone. All while enjoying a view of the river. After lunch it was pouring rain so I went back to bed. I lucked out the following day. It was sunny and perfect for exploring. Dundee is a city of about 150,000 with several good museums, three shopping centers, and a university all in the center. It is very walkable and the people are friendly and helpful. In the morning I was out before anything opened so walked around and found a lot of public art.

Dundee is home to DC Thompson and Co. comic book publishers so several comic book characters were featured around town as well as prominent figures like Queen Victoria who visited Dundee in 1844. My next stop was the McManus Art Gallery.

I really enjoyed the museum. It had art and artifacts from around the world as well as Victorian and Edwardian paintings. There were sections on natural history, history of Dundee and the history of the building itself. The inside of the building was very cool

I headed to the other side of town to see the Contemporary Art Museum near the University of Dundee. It was small and there was one in depth exhibit on a lighthouse on the Algerian coast. I bought some postcards in the gift shop and the guy who checked me out was from Wisconsin. Lots of people working, studying and visiting from other countries.

Another big attraction in Dundee was the Discovery ship. There was a museum dedicated to it and you could board the ship. Since it cost 17 pounds, and I was pretty museumed out, I decided to skip it. The ship was built in Dundee in 1901 and its first mission was to carry Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their successful trip to the Antarctic.

On Wednesday I stowed my roller bag at the Premier Inn hotel and caught a local bus to Alyth. The driver didn’t announce any stops so I was a little nervous I would miss my stop but after about 45 minutes we arrived at Market Square, Alyth. I found the guesthouse where I had reservations to stay but I got the times wrong. It was 3 pm and check in was not till 4.

I walked down the road to see the Alyth War Memorial and was taking it all in when it started to pour. I managed to find a bus shelter but not until after I was soaked to the bone. Back at the guesthouse I spent several hours trying to dry out.

See My Morning Walk for more on Alyth.

On the road

I was thinking about eyes. They take in light. Images pour in. Movement. My brain processes them into things I recognize. My ears take in sounds. Add music and conversation. My brain keeps track of it. I’m driving. My hands on the wheel. The cruise control the gears the radio.

Feet on the pedal. Brain keeps track of sights sounds conversation cars. Surrounded by semis. Speeding up to get around semis. Rain starting. Windshield wipers. Billboards along the road. Leonard singing Hallelujah. Bruce belting tramps like us baby we were born to run…. Billboard flashing. Anti choice. God is here. He sent Trump. Brief thoughts about possible identities of “he”.

Impressive all the things we can do simultaneously.

Saw an interesting exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Some of it thought provoking. Some of it just depressing because of what it represents. All the horrible history. America in denial:

“In Native America: In Translation, 10 artists consider Indigenous histories, cultures, and representation through a contemporary lens. Photography, a medium historically used to suppress and stereotype Native cultures, is reclaimed by these artists, who are, in the words of the curator Wendy Red Star, “opening up space in the art world for new ways of seeing and thinking.”” (From museum pamphlet)

Lake Michigan was crazy with big waves. Too cold to surf.

Wonderland

Snaps around town

Before

After

Scarecrows

Saw these at the Arboretum the other day. After all, Halloween is just around the corner…. (America’s obsession with consumerism, Christmas is always just around the corner.)

But some of these are kinda kool

Lake Walk

Shenandoah Skyline Drive

The Blue Ridge Mountains, western Virginia.

We went to gawk at the fall foliage along with everybody else. It was worth it, tho. Lovely day.

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Halifax Part Two

From the Public Gardens we made our way up the hill to the Citadel. It is a star shaped fort that has been restored to its glory during the period from 1869 to 1871. The 78th Highlanders were in garrison at the time so it is now populated with “soldiers” in traditional Scottish dress. They conduct tours and provide “color”.

There were several museums inside the fort. One was a military museum that spanned multiple wars including World War II. I especially like this lamp.

From there we walked down the hill, much easier than up, and looked for someplace to sit down and have a beverage. It was hot. Very hot. We found a Starbucks and air conditioning and eventually I was ready to continue the tour.

We discovered that they make crystal in Nova Scotia. We saw several crystal shops and even came across these glass blowers.

We had a decent lunch with some good beer and hit the Maritime Museum. I learned that Halifax played an important role in the Titanic’s history. Four ships were dispatched from Halifax in April, 1912, with a minister, an undertaker, a cargo of ice, coffins and canvas bags aboard. In total they found 328 bodies. Of those recovered 209 were brought to land and the rest were buried at sea. Fifty-nine bodies were shipped by train to their families and the rest were buried in three different cemeteries in Halifax. Religious services were held for all. There were several recovered artifacts on view at the Maritime Museum.

Detail from the grand staircase on the Titanic

Titanic Deck Chair

The next day we rented a car and drove down the coast. Noah had decided we needed to immerse ourselves in French so we only listened to French radio. He understood nothing, and I caught bits and pieces. But the music was eclectic enough to keep us both happy.

We started out trying to find all the lighthouses and the map promised us many. Turned out either they weren’t there or we couldn’t find them. We found a few but only one we were at all impressed with.

The countryside, however, was spectacular.

Madison Capital

I visited Madison, Wisconsin recently. It is the capital of Wisconsin and has a capital building housing both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature as well as the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Governor’s office. It was recently the site of a major demonstration against the Governor that ultimately led to the people of Wisconsin voting on the repeal of the Governor. He was not repealed.

The building itself was completed in 1917. The architect was George Post of New York and it cost $7.25 million to build. It is 284 ft, 5 in. to the top of the dome, three feet shorter than the capital building in Washington, DC.

The white granite on the outside is from Vermont and makes the dome the only granite dome in the United States. It is the also the largest dome by volume in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Inside the rotunda there is marble from Greece, Algeria, Italy and France; limestone from Minnesota; red granite from Wisconsin.

It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001

Spring Flowers in DC

It is Cherry Blossom Festival time in DC once again. I went down to take a few photos with the masses. I didn’t realize it was parade day but I still managed to fight the crowds and get a few good pictures.

In 1912 the Japanese government gave the USA over 2000 cherry blossom trees. Between 1913 and 1920 they were planted all around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. Today there are 3,570 trees around the basin and in neighboring parks.