Scone Palace, Halloween & tourist in Glasgow
Door: Samantha de Bruijn
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Samantha
29 November 2010 | Verenigd Koninkrijk, Glasgow
Saturday 30 October we had organized another day trip, this time to Scone Palace, just outside Perth. The easiest way to get to Perth is by train, so that is exactly what we did. However, the bus from Perth to Scone Palace only departs a few times a day of course, so we had to wait before we could finally get on the bus. It was a bit cold that day, so we just sat inside while we were waiting. But hey, you don't hear us complaining! At least it was dry and the sky was blue and we know what the alternative is in Scotland...
Scone Palace is known for the 'Stone of Scone'. On this stone at Scone Palace, the early kings of Scotland were crowned. It was used from the 9th century until 1651 when Charles II was coronated. We were not able to see the stone in Scone, but that didn't matter, because we had already seen it in Edinburgh Castle where the stone is kept now, along with the crown jewels. However, there was a replica just in front of the palace on Boot Hill. The story goes that this 'hill' was created by pilgrims who brought a boot full of soil to Scone and emptied it on the hill as a gesture of faithfulness to the king. Because the oath had to be done on your own grounds, it was easier to bring your own than to let the king come to you. Weird guys...
I thought the visit to the palace was great! It is as beautiful from the inside as it is on the outside. All of the rooms were so nicely decorated. That is really 'my cup of tea' as the English and Scots would say. I also really like the fact that each palace/house/castle tells its own story and a bit of the Scottish history and after visiting so many of them by now, it feels like each place and story is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is going to form a puzzle that keeps on growing.
After our visit we had to wait for about half an hour for a bus to take us back to the centre of Perth. It was still quite early in the afternoon, so were able to do a bit of shopping as well (read: spending money in the HMV store). Not wanting to wait for dinner until we were back in Glasgow, we went out for dinner at Domino's Pizza in Perth (yay for the free drink refill!) and at about seven we took the train back home.
The theme of Sunday the 31st was pretty clear: Halloween. It is not as abundantly celebrated as in America, but more than in the Netherlands. Leoni and I were in town that day and we already saw a lot of people all dressed up. There was also quite a lot of sweets and merchandise to be found in the stores. During daytime I didn't really pay attention to the fact that it was Halloween, but that night there would be a big Halloween party, organized by the QM union. Mathilde and Leoni were going as 'black widows'. They had both bought a really cute stuffed toy spider on a headband. Mathilde wore totally black clothes and Leoni had a white T-shirt with a spider web like tablecloth around it. Well, at least that was what she had planned. Unfortunately, making the outfit was not as easy as it seemed, especially because the white T-shirt was elastic which made it difficult to sow the non-elastic tablecloth on. After finishing my outfit (skirt, orange panties and a black T-shirt with white ghosts on it, made out of Leoni's old socks), Mathilde and I helped Leoni finish her outfit. By the time we arrived at the university, it was already 10ish and the queue had become quite long in mean time. When we finally got in, it was about twelve o'clock and we were freezing. Nevertheless, it was really fun to see all our friends (they had arrived earlier and were already inside) and other people dressed up like zombies or Frankenstein.
Jumping forwards a bit into the next week. For those who have seen the film 'V for Vendetta': “Remember, remember the 5th of November.” The evening of the 5th of November was Guy Fawkes Night (or Bonfire Night). Guy Fawkes tried to place explosives beneath the House of Lords (houses the parliament of the United Kingdom) on 5 November 1605 to blow it up, but he was caught in the action and arrested. To celebrate this failure, the government introduced an annual public day.
Glasgow had organized a big fireworks show in Glasgow Green (park). They said that Edinburgh was even a bit jealous of the fact that Glasgow would be clearly seen from the sky that night. The show was great and because it was in association with Mamma Mia the musical, music of Abba was playing the whole night. It looked a bit like what we know in the Netherlands as 'Kermis'. There were all kind of flashy and noisy entertainment attractions, merchandising and food and drink stalls.
While Leoni and Mathilde were going to Loch Lomond with the International Society on Saturday, I went to the university for my Ulpan full day Gaelic course. Ulpan is a way of learning a language in which they focus on speaking the language. There are over 200 Gaelic Ulpan units and each unit takes about 1.5 hours. They 'advise' two units a week. We had three units on one day, so you can imagine I was very tired by the end of the day. I'm not quite sure if Ulpan is the best way for me to learn a language. The tutor pronounces a sentence and you have to say it after him (or her, in our case), but because you don't know what the words are, you have no idea what you're saying. You have no idea if the sounds you're making makes any sense and if you are saying two, three, four or five words. Fortunately, we had already covered a part of the Ulpan units in the Gaelic beginners class I take every Wednesday evening, so during some sentences I could at least imagine what she was saying. The class had only about 15 people in it and you really had to participate in the conversations and games, so you would feel more confident when using the language. Although it was exhausting, I really enjoyed myself and some of the words/sentences we learned were quite useful during the next Wednesday evening classes.
Although I live here I still see myself as being a tourist and therefore I had/have quite a long list with things I want to do (in Glasgow) before I go back home again, I went into town the next day. Although I had already been in Glasgow Green just two days before, I went back again. This time to have a good look at it in daylight. It is Glasgow's oldest park and has been used for over 500 years. There are also quite some 'tourist attractions'/ things to see in the park. I started off in the Winter Gardens (indoor garden), which is nice and warm because of the exotic plants that have to grow in it. It wasn't a very big garden, but it was definitely a nice place to have tea and a scone. Attached to the garden is People's Palace; a museum that tells you the history of (the people in) Glasgow. Also really nice to have visit. Outside, but right next to it, is the Doulton Fountain. This is the largest terracotta fountain in the world. It was made for display at the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1888, held at Kelvingrove (where the Kelvingrove museum is now) and afterwards moved to Glasgow Green. Around tea time my hunger for culture died away, only to replace itself by a different kind of hunger: time to go to Firhill Court again.
Love, Samantha
-------------------------------
Photos: LAYOUT HAS CHANGED!!! MENU IS ON THE RIGHT HANDSIDE NOW. http://s1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/MathildeCastelijns/
Scone Palace: http://www.scone-palace.co.uk/
Ulpan method: http://www.iletec.co.uk/clinew/ulpan_info.asp
People's Palace and Winter Gardens: http://www.clydewaterfrontheritage.com/peoplespalaceandwintergardens.aspx
Doulton Fountain: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Parks_gardens/DoultonFountain.htm
Scone Palace is known for the 'Stone of Scone'. On this stone at Scone Palace, the early kings of Scotland were crowned. It was used from the 9th century until 1651 when Charles II was coronated. We were not able to see the stone in Scone, but that didn't matter, because we had already seen it in Edinburgh Castle where the stone is kept now, along with the crown jewels. However, there was a replica just in front of the palace on Boot Hill. The story goes that this 'hill' was created by pilgrims who brought a boot full of soil to Scone and emptied it on the hill as a gesture of faithfulness to the king. Because the oath had to be done on your own grounds, it was easier to bring your own than to let the king come to you. Weird guys...
I thought the visit to the palace was great! It is as beautiful from the inside as it is on the outside. All of the rooms were so nicely decorated. That is really 'my cup of tea' as the English and Scots would say. I also really like the fact that each palace/house/castle tells its own story and a bit of the Scottish history and after visiting so many of them by now, it feels like each place and story is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is going to form a puzzle that keeps on growing.
After our visit we had to wait for about half an hour for a bus to take us back to the centre of Perth. It was still quite early in the afternoon, so were able to do a bit of shopping as well (read: spending money in the HMV store). Not wanting to wait for dinner until we were back in Glasgow, we went out for dinner at Domino's Pizza in Perth (yay for the free drink refill!) and at about seven we took the train back home.
The theme of Sunday the 31st was pretty clear: Halloween. It is not as abundantly celebrated as in America, but more than in the Netherlands. Leoni and I were in town that day and we already saw a lot of people all dressed up. There was also quite a lot of sweets and merchandise to be found in the stores. During daytime I didn't really pay attention to the fact that it was Halloween, but that night there would be a big Halloween party, organized by the QM union. Mathilde and Leoni were going as 'black widows'. They had both bought a really cute stuffed toy spider on a headband. Mathilde wore totally black clothes and Leoni had a white T-shirt with a spider web like tablecloth around it. Well, at least that was what she had planned. Unfortunately, making the outfit was not as easy as it seemed, especially because the white T-shirt was elastic which made it difficult to sow the non-elastic tablecloth on. After finishing my outfit (skirt, orange panties and a black T-shirt with white ghosts on it, made out of Leoni's old socks), Mathilde and I helped Leoni finish her outfit. By the time we arrived at the university, it was already 10ish and the queue had become quite long in mean time. When we finally got in, it was about twelve o'clock and we were freezing. Nevertheless, it was really fun to see all our friends (they had arrived earlier and were already inside) and other people dressed up like zombies or Frankenstein.
Jumping forwards a bit into the next week. For those who have seen the film 'V for Vendetta': “Remember, remember the 5th of November.” The evening of the 5th of November was Guy Fawkes Night (or Bonfire Night). Guy Fawkes tried to place explosives beneath the House of Lords (houses the parliament of the United Kingdom) on 5 November 1605 to blow it up, but he was caught in the action and arrested. To celebrate this failure, the government introduced an annual public day.
Glasgow had organized a big fireworks show in Glasgow Green (park). They said that Edinburgh was even a bit jealous of the fact that Glasgow would be clearly seen from the sky that night. The show was great and because it was in association with Mamma Mia the musical, music of Abba was playing the whole night. It looked a bit like what we know in the Netherlands as 'Kermis'. There were all kind of flashy and noisy entertainment attractions, merchandising and food and drink stalls.
While Leoni and Mathilde were going to Loch Lomond with the International Society on Saturday, I went to the university for my Ulpan full day Gaelic course. Ulpan is a way of learning a language in which they focus on speaking the language. There are over 200 Gaelic Ulpan units and each unit takes about 1.5 hours. They 'advise' two units a week. We had three units on one day, so you can imagine I was very tired by the end of the day. I'm not quite sure if Ulpan is the best way for me to learn a language. The tutor pronounces a sentence and you have to say it after him (or her, in our case), but because you don't know what the words are, you have no idea what you're saying. You have no idea if the sounds you're making makes any sense and if you are saying two, three, four or five words. Fortunately, we had already covered a part of the Ulpan units in the Gaelic beginners class I take every Wednesday evening, so during some sentences I could at least imagine what she was saying. The class had only about 15 people in it and you really had to participate in the conversations and games, so you would feel more confident when using the language. Although it was exhausting, I really enjoyed myself and some of the words/sentences we learned were quite useful during the next Wednesday evening classes.
Although I live here I still see myself as being a tourist and therefore I had/have quite a long list with things I want to do (in Glasgow) before I go back home again, I went into town the next day. Although I had already been in Glasgow Green just two days before, I went back again. This time to have a good look at it in daylight. It is Glasgow's oldest park and has been used for over 500 years. There are also quite some 'tourist attractions'/ things to see in the park. I started off in the Winter Gardens (indoor garden), which is nice and warm because of the exotic plants that have to grow in it. It wasn't a very big garden, but it was definitely a nice place to have tea and a scone. Attached to the garden is People's Palace; a museum that tells you the history of (the people in) Glasgow. Also really nice to have visit. Outside, but right next to it, is the Doulton Fountain. This is the largest terracotta fountain in the world. It was made for display at the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1888, held at Kelvingrove (where the Kelvingrove museum is now) and afterwards moved to Glasgow Green. Around tea time my hunger for culture died away, only to replace itself by a different kind of hunger: time to go to Firhill Court again.
Love, Samantha
-------------------------------
Photos: LAYOUT HAS CHANGED!!! MENU IS ON THE RIGHT HANDSIDE NOW. http://s1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/MathildeCastelijns/
Scone Palace: http://www.scone-palace.co.uk/
Ulpan method: http://www.iletec.co.uk/clinew/ulpan_info.asp
People's Palace and Winter Gardens: http://www.clydewaterfrontheritage.com/peoplespalaceandwintergardens.aspx
Doulton Fountain: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Parks_gardens/DoultonFountain.htm
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
