Reset search
Stuart EdserStuart Edser
SatelliteEdit route
Psychologist | Author | Academic | Musician | Gay Silver Fox Read more Newcastle, Australia
  • UK Beckons Anew
    1
    Day 22

    Glasgow

    September 22, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    As enchanting as Durham is as a medieval town and a university town, it was time for us to leave. Having the Merc I must say made the whole thing a lot easier. It had plenty of space for our bags and us, and we were able to watch the scenery and chat from time to time. The drive was easy and in a friendlier car, I found my driving confidence had increased substantially, where I could actually relax and enjoy the trip.

    We've been to Glasgow before. we wanted to come back. In 2022, we found the place touched us and we felt to return to discover more of its charms. And charms there are aplenty.

    It has lots of history, including the fact that it was touted as the British Empire's second city, an epithet they probably wear uncomfortably these days. But it does suggest this workling class town in its hey day was a bustling city. I read in the museum that it grew tenfold in ten years in the mid 1800s if I recall, from 77,000 odd to 770,000 odd.

    The city is of full of Victorian architecture. Grand buildings to suggest the grandness of the Empire. Some of them are truly awe-inspiring, but they also hide the fact that tobacco and coal were often commercialised with poor labour and even slave labour.

    We had a lovely day with our friend Ray who accompanied us to the Cathedral Church of St Mungos, Glasgow's main saint. There is even a St Mungo's lager of which I partook on night one at the Times Square pub in the river end of the Buchanan Street Mall.

    Unlike the Mall in Newcastle Australia, the Mall in Glasgow is still very much alive. It is long and wide and bustling with people; locals, visitors, tourists, buskers, beggars, large department stores like Frasers and boutique shops selling specifics like Penhaligon's who sell colognes and perfumes. Chris bought a new cologne there. I felt happy seeing a mall being used by the people to such effect, walking, talking, standing, watching, listening, lauging, dodging others coming the other way.

    Our trip to St Mungos was special. It is a beautiful cathedral, erected between 1136 and 1484. The site was an ancient pilgrimage destination containing the tomb of the 6th-century Celtic missionary to Strathclyde, St Kentigern (or Mungo). But then that whole Reformation thing happened and Scotland broke away from the Church of Rome in 1560 forever changing the nature and practice of St Mungos. It has a beautiful timber ceiling of exposed beams instead of a vaulted ceiling like we've seen in other great cathedrals.

    Part of that lovely day included a stroll through the Glasgow Necropolis. The necropolis, a word from the ancient world for 'city of the dead', is such an intimidating descriptor in the modern world. Christianity used instead the word cemetery, from the Greek for 'put to sleep' to suggest the dead are only sleeping awaiting a resurrection.

    However, I must say, Glasgow's famous Necropolis, perched on the gentle slopes of a hill is peaceful and quiet and under the skies. There are many fine tombs here, some huge and massive with Latin inscriptions or flowery language, others just gravestones slowly weathering. Although not his tomb, there is a splendid statue of the Scottish Reformer John Knox with Bible in outstretched hand atop a huge pedestal looking out over the city.

    Another day, another pint of Scottish beer or a cocktail occasionally. Our hotel, the Central Station Hotel, overlooks the railway station and has entrances to it. Above the station, we sometimes sat perched at Champagne Corner with our drinks and just watched the people coming and going on the trains.

    We had a wonderful trip to the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum out in the University of Glasgow precinct. The massive Gothic towers of the Hunterian Museum where we visited last year looked down on us as we walked through the Kelvin Grove nature walk along the Kelvin River. Clearly, Lord Kelvin was and remains an important figure in Glasgow history.

    The Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum is likewise inspiring. Its building is faux-Gothic on the outside, tall spires and turrets and cones, and on the inside, large stone galleries with tall ornately painted ceilings. We took in some of the natural history collection and a little of the Eygpt collection too.

    But of the whole thing, it was the stunning pipe organ that they have there, beautifully decorated in the main open gallery that leads to all the others. The Kelvingrove organ is said to be one of the finest organs in the world. For many years, they have held a free public concert at 1pm Monday to Saturday, and 3pm on Sundays. By the time 3pm on Sunday came around, we were pretty dead on our feet, so we had already returned to the sub-way to go back to our hotel.

    But on the Monday, we returned and sat through a fabulous concert that went for about 40 minutes. The organ really is incredible, its soft tones and massive voices, echoing around the cathedral-like vaults of the galleries. The organist had chosen an easily accessible program that started with Charpentier's Te Deum adagio (the trumpet voluntary used by Eurovision every year), followed by Franck's Panis Angelicus in the middle along with some Mozart, and finished up with the Radetsky March by Strauss. It was a fun concert performed by an extremely renowned Scottish organist/pianist/academic.

    Glasgow has a lovely feel for us. I think it would be a great place to live if you were to live somewhere in Scotland. I'll put a few pics up in this footprint and the next.    Read more

  • UK Beckons Anew
    Day 20

    Durham

    September 20, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Last year, we had wondered about going into Durham on our way up North to Newcastle, but as it turned out, we never did. So, we though we remedy that this trip.

    The journey up to the North country was pleasant, although it did rain on and off, and some of it was very heavy, even to the point of white-out at one stage on the main motorway. Thankfully, that did not last long. Finding the hotel was a simple enough affair, and after we moved in for four days, we set out on a walk through the main centre.

    The main centre in Durham is essentially a peninsula, I'm wondering wether isthmus might be the better word, where the river Wear loops around this centre that includes the giant Norman church, Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. There are cobbled streets surrounding these imposing structures with shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs on either side, with streets going this way and that from a central area.

    There are a number of bridges over the river, and the one closest to us, in fact outside the door of our hotel, is the best looking and most historic. The Elvet Bridge is now mainly a walkway, although it can take traffic, given that it's ten metres in width. It is a stone bridge, begun in 1190 and finished around the late 1220s, with around ten pointed arches. We've been crossing this bridge multiple times each day as we to and fro from the hotel.

    Far and away the most imposing building in this medieval town is the Cathedral. It pre-dates the Normal Conquest. The original church here was built in 995. Eventually, monks from Lindisfarne set up a work here and began the present building in 1093.

    The monks brought with them the coffin of St Cuthbert and its here in the Cathedral that his body, and that of two other saints, lies still. It is a beautiful shrine behind the high altar, fairly simple now, but in its heyday was bespangled in gold and jewells given by pilgrims from all over the country who came to pray at the shrine. In fact, St Cuthbert's shrine was the equal of St Thomas a Beckett's shrine in Canterbury for pilgramges. Cuthbert was a really big deal up North. We had a look at the remaining timber work of Cuthbert's coffin put together like a jigsaw and some treasured items buried with him in the Cathedral museum.

    Yesterday, a tour with guide John (in the red). A relaxed, gentle tour with no fanfare, John took our small group around the floor of the Cathedral pointing out all the fascinating aspects. Durham Cathedral is quite dark. It is not heavily floodlit as are some cathedrals, but tastefully and gently lit. It is quiet and resepctful despite the many individuals and tour groups visiting.

    Outside, it has two towers, highly ornamented, and cantral tower in which are housed the bells. It has an amazing font and canopy (12 metres tall), some stunning stained glass windows and sculptures, the tombs of Saint Cuthbert, Saint Bede (as in Bede the Venerable - he's canonised now), and Saint King Oswald. As it was a monastic cathedral, it has a cloister and the orginal kitchens way deep down are now part of the museum.

    There are many secret lanes in Durham and most of them are sign-posted, so you basically know hwere you're going if you head down one of them. A lovely little one off one of the main streets leads to Vennel's cafe, a hidden gem, we've been to a few times. A really old building, internal wooden staircases and nooks everywhere. Fabulous. Just the kind of cafe we like.

    Durham is lovely. We like it a lot. Durham Castle has pretty well be taken over by Durham University, the third oldest university in the UK. Students come back next week after we leave. We're off to the movies tonight to see the new Poirot with Kenneth Branagh, A Haunting in Venice, which should be a lot of fun. Tomorrow if the weather permits, a full walk around the peninsual by the river. It's been recommended. Should be nice.    Read more

  • UK Beckons Anew
    1
    Day 16

    Lincoln Cathedral Interior

    September 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    So what's it like inside?

    Light, airy, high, long. The eye travels to what one thinks is the nomral human length of a building, but then has to keep going, higher, further. It's quiet. People all around, not crowds, but people. Talking quietly, just above a whisper. Pointing to this or that, or reading some inscription.

    We took a tour today of the roof (inside). Up multiple winding spiral staircases and out onto timber landings inside the roof cavity above the vaulted ceilings. Lots of oak. Traditional tools used still.

    A slow meander around the floor of the cathedral. Stopping here and there to look at a tomb, at least one Queen buried there, and the mother of Henry VII, the first Tudor, so almost another Queen. A saint. Saint Hugh. WIlliam Byrd, the famous English Renaissance composer was chief musician here. A replica of the organ he played stands proudly in ornamental red.

    A look through the Chapter House, a decadonal building that at one time was used by Knights Templar and Hospitalers, held up by one majestic pillar in the centre. We went into the roof above it to see how they did it. A maze, our guide called it a spider's web, of oak beams in the most astonishing engineering to distribute the weight evenly and down.

    A wonderful and quite other wordly day.    Read more

  • UK Beckons Anew
    Day 16

    Lincoln Cathedral Exterior

    September 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The sheer size of Lincoln Cathedral, one of the four biggest in the UK, seems to be the message. A message of medieval power, where Church and State merge, where God and King speak with one voice.

    Nothing about this cathedral is small, from its West frontage, its nave, its transepts, its vaulted ceiling, its internal chapels, its organ, its stained glass windows, its doors. Everything is huge. The very space under its roof is massive. Yet it does not feel impersonal or intimidating. Not today at least anyway.

    This cathedral was at one time, the tallest man-made structure on the planet. It originally had a spire on its central tower, but this was blown down in a storm in the 1500s. Until Lincoln Cathedral was built, the Great Pyrmaid in Egypt held the record. Lincoln then held it for over two hundred years.

    Here are some pics of its exterior.    Read more

  • UK Beckons Anew
    111
    Day 14

    Lincoln

    September 14, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Leaving Cambridge was one of those sad little occasions you have when travelling. You're just getting to know your way around a place, the streets, the cafes, the supermarket, the laundrette, then you have to up 'n go. Oh well. At least we got to see and experience the culture of Cambridge. And I did make some important decisions whilst there, but more of that in another place.

    The trip to Lincoln was uneventful. My driving in the UK is not as stressful as it was last year. Our Mercedes is smaller than the vast Citroen SUV we had last year, as well as the fact that we are not trying to navigate one lane village roads. The drive up here was smooth and the view, although an overcast day, was enjoyable.

    We arrived in Lincoln early afternoon and realised fully for the first time that our apartment was within spitting distance of the famous Cathedral. And it also sits directly under Lincoln Castle, built just after the Norman invasion. This apartment is fun. It is on three levels, with two narrow staricases from the ground floor (kitchen, bathroom) up to the lounge/dining, tv room, outdoor deck, and another staircase from there up to the bedroom and ensuite. Pretty nifty. It is well appointed but has the feeling that we are indeed in a very old house. We both love it.

    We decided that we'd take the afternoon just as it came rather than rushing in to tours. After settling in to our digs, we went for a walk, hit the local pub (there are pubs everywhere you look), had a drink and made a plan. Part of that included walking down Steep Street which, as its name denotes, is steep. It's a long steep cobbled street that leaves the Cathedral quarter behind and descends the hill down to the shopping precinct and river Witham.

    A lovely walk around the city precinct took us into a Norman church, built not long after the invasion, and now a book and comic store. Different. We walked alongside the canal, which is a Roman improvement on the town, for when they lived here, they dug it out and excavated it so it was more navigable, therefore making the town more defensible. Clever Romans. There is quite a lot of evidence of the Romans here, including an arch, which is now the only Roman arch still used by traffic in all of Britain. Not bad. And a pretty arch it is too. I enjoyed walking through it both ways.

    Walking back up to the Cathedral quarter where we are staying, we headed into a cafe for plum toast (it's a thing here) and pumpkin cake, or as they pronounce it, poompkiin caeyke. It too was delicious. We also accidentally went into a galleryor two and bought some more stuff. Evidence of our trek. Really nice stuff.

    In the evening after a beer, we took ourselves into the Cathedral precinct itself, which takes you through a large medieval gate and out onto a wide bare area that looks onto the West front of the Cathedral.

    More on the exterior of the Cathedral in the next footprint, but seriously, the West frontage is absolutely massive. If I can use both the words monstrous and gargantuan without thier negative connotations, then I would use them. It is huge. There are a number of front entrances, but a huge main one in the middle. The whole thing is like a giant terracotta-coloured rectangle decorated in medieval imagery, and then the towers are on top of that.

    Walking around its perimeter, I found myself tricked, because when I though I rounded the final bend and there could be no more cathedral, there was another third of it to go. We took lots of pics then, a few later at night with the whole thing lit up under spotlights, and more the following morning in the thick mist.

    I'll do a separate footprint for each of the exterior and interior of the Cathedral. We do our rooftop tour at 11am tomorrow morning. Till then.    Read more

  • UK Beckons Anew
    Day 13

    Last Day in Cambridge

    September 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A really lovely day. It started with coffee on Mill Road over the bridge, followed by a quick walk down the opposite direction, to the laundrette to drop off two loads of washing. A good start, don't you think?

    The rest of the day ws given over to leisure. A quick conversation and we decied to head back over to the University district and to go to the Fitzwilliam Museum.

    The Fitzwilliam Museum is the lead partner of the spectacular collections of the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) and Botanic Garden.

    From antiquity to the present day, the Fitzwilliam houses a world-renowned collection of over half a million beautiful works of art, masterpiece paintings and historical artefacts.

    Here's the blurb from the Museum website about its origins.

    In 1816, the University of Cambridge acquired an extensive collection of artworks and objects as well as a library which had been left to them by Richard Fitzwilliam (1745–1816), the 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion. As a former student of Cambridge’s Trinity Hall College, Fitzwilliam believed that the University should have its own museum and made provisions in his will to donate his collection as well as an enormous sum of money, £100,000, to build an impressive new museum building to house it.

    The Fitzwilliam has an imposing frontage complete with massive columns and white stone. Two gigantic stone lions sit off to the side as if in guard of the precious repository inside. The foyer is resplendent in fine orante paintwork, a grand stiarcase that goes either side of the room, filled with statues and artworks. It is a VERY imposing entry, I must say.

    Chris and I started in the cafe. Behind the counter was Abraham, as gay and Spanish as you like, and he engaged us in cheerful banter while he made our coffees and fetched our white chocolate chip cookies, one of which was on him. He was fun, and I think he enjoyed talking to us too.

    After morning refreshments, we headed into ancient antiquities rooms to look at Egypt, Greece and Rome, Cyprus, and the Ancient Near East. Way too much to take in. There was a group of Year 4 school boys with their two handsome teachers dong a 'find your information' project as they scooted around the millennia old exhibits with their pads and folders. Walking in front of us, it was always, "excuse me". How polite.

    I loved these rooms, especially Greece and Rome. I've been reading a lot of Rome lately, and last year a lot of Greek mythology, so this room was especially poignant to me. Of some wonder and real appreciation were the two scultptures of Emperor Marcus Aurelius whose meditations I commenced before coming over here to the UK.

    There is an extensive Introduction by a Classical Scholar to the edtion I am reading and having ploughed my way through that fairly slowly so that I took it all in, I am now in the first third of the meditations themselves. So it was with a litle glee and some warmth to see the great man himself, looking for all the world like a handsome ginger, looking down upon me as I gazed at his visage, whose verisimilitude I understand is extremely close, taken as it was from image of the Emperor on coins of the time.

    Another bust of Julius Caesar is also said to be of his likeness. And of course, I couldnlt go past one of the greatest gay love stories in the ancient world, Antinous, the young lover of the Emperor Hadrian (117-138 CE). His large bust is there in the Fitzwilliam looking very lifelike.

    Poor Antinous drowned in the Nile River while accompanying Hadrian to Egypt in 130 CE. After his death, Hadrian had Antinous declared a god. Being declared a deity in Rome after death was a huge deal, so for this to happen to a same-sex partner (not an official wife) would have set tongues awagging for a while.

    After the antiquities rooms, we headed for the gallery where masters from the 15th century all the way to the French impressionists and even modern day artists were exhibited. There were so many and it was an extraordinary collection. Degas, Pizzaro, Monet, Millet, Fra Lippo Lippi, and on. There were so many Virgin and Child and Christ's Crucifixion paintings from previous centuries, they all began to blur for me, but one.

    Luis de Morales c.1510/11 - c.1586 painted a Christ brought down from the cross called The Pieta with the Virgin, Mary Magdalene and St John. This is a sixteenth century painting but it looks modern somehow. Its imagery is powerful. Christ looking lifeless and powerless, the very moment Christian theology tells us that he defeated death itself. A cosmic irony. The anguish on the face of the onlookers.

    The Fitzwilliam is gem of a museum. By then, we had had enough. I coined a new term, museum legs. We both had them. Pained, wobbly, weak. Ready for a sit down. So sit down we did, in a local pub, downed a half pint, and because their kitchen was not open, left quickly for more eat-inger climes, an American diner no less in the mall where hamburgers and specially seasoned fries did the trick. Museum legs cured.

    We had already discussed that we wanted to go inside one of the University Colleges. But which one? There are 31 of them. Ultimately, we decided on Queens' College, actually founded by two queens, hence the positioning of the apostrophe.

    £5 each got us an entry through the medieval door and into the confines of its moastic-like cloisters and courts. Queens' College is around 600 years old. It doesn't look a day older than a 102 in my opinion and shapes up very well.

    It is stunningly beautiful. The courts (quads) are surrounded by lush and verdant gardens and these in turn are surounded by cloisters around which students, lecturers and Fellows walk to and from their rooms. It would be an easy place to lose yourself in learning. This could be full immersion in your domain if you wanted it to be. It is no wonder that Cambridge is one of the greatest universities in the world.

    A quick look through the dining room and we spent some time in the Chapel, smaller than King's Chapel that we saw yesterday, and more sombre looking, but just as beautiful in its own way and not at all oppressive. A young man was seated at the pipe organ above us clearly practising a number of very challenging pieces, so we were treated to having the Chapel to ourselves while we walked around its chamber listneing to the power of the organ and feeling the feel. You just could not do otherwise.

    Two really famous alumni of Queens' College are: Desiderius Erasmus (philosopher and theologican) and Stephen Fry (actor, writer). But the list is extensive. I couldn't help but wonder how, if my life had turned out differently, whether I would have enjoyed studying at Cambridge. Who am I kidding? I would have loved it!

    It's been a wonderful day soaking up the antiquities, the arts and the atmosphere. I count myself very lucky to be able to have these wonderful experiences.

    Tomorrow, it's off to Lincoln.    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English