For our first full day in Glasgow our group first went on a bus tour of Glasgow and then stopped off at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. This museum was very visitor friendly and had a large amount of unique art. Having three main levels there would have been something for all ages to enjoy. We were able to spend time learning more about Scottish history, prominent architectural people from history, along with other exhibitions. I enjoyed this excursion because I felt we were able to explore and enjoy the art but also learned more about Scotland and its culture.
After being opened back up around 2006, the gallery and museum is different than a lot of others that I have been to in the past. The admittance was free, children were able to explore, and we were able to discuss and have a more hands on experience in the gallery. For me, this was beneficial and more enjoyable because we could converse with each other about what we enjoyed and could point out interesting pieces of art. I also noticed that there was even a section in the gallery that held artwork that children had created. This helps to portray the diverse amount of art that was present there.
One section that was important to our coursework was of the section concerning Scottish individuals and events from the past. There was artwork about Robert the Bruce, the Clans, William Wallace, and many other individuals and groups important to Scotland. A very moving piece of art was one that displayed a clan saying goodbye. The caption to the side of the painting explained that it was attempting to capture what it was like for the Highlands. Many of the highland clans moved away but some were left behind in Scotland. After learning about this time period in class, it was definitely a different experience to see the reactions and feelings that would have been present for those of the clan that may have stayed behind.
A second section in the gallery that was interesting showed and explained artwork about architecture. Charles Mackintosh was a very influential architect and designer that is remembered in Glasgow and has been very influential in terms of style and design. He created many buildings but also worked and produced interior pieces as well. A few of the buildings that he created were the Glasgow School of Art, the Hill House in Helensburgh, and Scotland Street School in Glasgow. Mackintosh was definitely an innovator and strayed from the norm to create things that changed the city and traditional ways of architecture. I do remember reading that his death went largely unnoticed in Glasgow for a period of time shortly after his death. This seems to be sort of common among people that become famous and well known many years after their death. However, it is good that his work was finally recognized because it is such an influence in today’s society.
In the same section of craft, art and industry, there were many pieces that I enjoyed reading about the story behind the art itself. This was definitely a bonus of Kelvingrove. For instance, learning about the history behind a tearoom was fascinating to me. Tearooms were unique spaces, had quality food, and served alcohol-free drinks. These places also introduced the remarkable new interior designs that were being created to the public. If individuals did not have enough money to entertain in their own homes, the tearooms would have been a place where they could meet up with friends to visit.
Only having been in Scotland for about three weeks, there have been numerous times that we have been associated with the Wizard of Oz because we are from Kansas. Stereotypes are unavoidable to any culture and society. I enjoyed a specific piece of art in the museum that dealt with stereotypes associated with Scotland. In this piece, there were many things that I do pair with Scotland probably in a stereotypical manner. I am sure that kilts, shortbread, plaid and paisley designs, and bagpipes are not the only things that Scotland may want to be remembered for. It is these items among many others that were depicted in this particular picture.
I did not come close to seeing all of the artwork in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, but enjoyed what I did view. The collection was phenomenal with something that could intrigue everyone who visited. Again, I liked that the experience was more hands on and open to everyone.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Surgeon's Hall Museum-Laura Mersman
Today we decided to get lost one more time Edinburgh, and after a bit of misdirection from strangers we made our way to the Surgeons’ Hall Museum: History of Surgery. We walked through it at our own pace, observing worldwide and national accomplishments that had been made in the area of medicine through the years. The history of medicine in Scotland began with information on James IV, who apparently had an interest in remedies and minor procedures and experimented with blood-letting. History went on to describe the early surgeons as doubling as barbers and specializing mainly in blood letting. They also spoke of the apothecaries and their role in prescribing and dosing the medicine and how often they messed up.
I found the experimentation that lead up to the discovery of chloroform anesthesia interesting, James Simpson, the man who discovered it, perfected the dosage and strength by testing it on himself and his friends after he invited them over for dinner parties. The display talked about how dangerous this was for him and his friends, but lucky for them it all worked out okay!
They had a large display on Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, and how his character was modeled after Dr. Joseph Bell, a professor of clinical surgery at Edinburgh University. There were actual letters in the display that showed the exchange between Doyle and Bell describing how closely Doyle thought the character resembled Dr. Bell. Conon Doyle had worked with Dr. Bell when he was a young medical student, so this is where he was able to model Dr. Bell. I thought this was kind of neat and an interesting tie to Scotland.
They showed many displays of the older tools used such as the trepanation drill, amputation knives, and the tools used for an old Chinese technique of cupping. Those were pretty unpleasant looking and definitely lead me to have a greater appreciation for modern medicine. There were many displays depicting earlier research on preserved body parts, models of the veins, and military wounds found in bones. One not so pleasant, but famous one, was of John Barclay’s anatomy specimens that he once used for teaching of a baby- it showed only the bones and veins—eek!!
I think everyone found something of interest in this museum, the upper level covered sports injuries as well as modern sports and health concerns in Scotland. It was also the level of modern medicine, and there was an engaging display on keyhole surgery which happened to have been developed in Scotland. It also contained an interactive part that was set up to mock keyhole surgery with the camera screen and probes, and some of the girls raced to see who could remove the blockage first- there is always fun to be found, even in a museum full of preserved body parts!
We read about the Scottish Hunter Brothers and their accomplishments in the areas of medicine prior to coming to the museum and were surprised to see no mention of them. William Hunter is attributed to having been one of the first to delve into the studies of ob/gyn and make midwifery a division of medicine. His brother John Hunter was also well known for his studies on anatomy, and he did very well in the areas of surgery, later being appointed surgeon to King George III. Dr. Long said maybe they predated the museum, or according to what I just looked up on the very reliable Wikipedia they may have been murderers or body-snatchers, so maybe they just didn’t make the cut J
Tomorrow will be our final exam and our last day in Edinburgh. It seems crazy that we have already been here 15 days! I will miss this city very much as it has quickly become home, and such a place of excitement and adventures! I have really enjoyed learning the history of this city (not something I ever pictured myself saying), and I think understanding the significance behind everything from the street names to the country’s flower has made staying here even more significant for me. However, there’s really no time to dwell because soon we will be off to the beautiful Highlands and the busy hub of Glasgow, and I’m sure many adventures will await us there!!!
I found the experimentation that lead up to the discovery of chloroform anesthesia interesting, James Simpson, the man who discovered it, perfected the dosage and strength by testing it on himself and his friends after he invited them over for dinner parties. The display talked about how dangerous this was for him and his friends, but lucky for them it all worked out okay!
They had a large display on Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, and how his character was modeled after Dr. Joseph Bell, a professor of clinical surgery at Edinburgh University. There were actual letters in the display that showed the exchange between Doyle and Bell describing how closely Doyle thought the character resembled Dr. Bell. Conon Doyle had worked with Dr. Bell when he was a young medical student, so this is where he was able to model Dr. Bell. I thought this was kind of neat and an interesting tie to Scotland.
They showed many displays of the older tools used such as the trepanation drill, amputation knives, and the tools used for an old Chinese technique of cupping. Those were pretty unpleasant looking and definitely lead me to have a greater appreciation for modern medicine. There were many displays depicting earlier research on preserved body parts, models of the veins, and military wounds found in bones. One not so pleasant, but famous one, was of John Barclay’s anatomy specimens that he once used for teaching of a baby- it showed only the bones and veins—eek!!
I think everyone found something of interest in this museum, the upper level covered sports injuries as well as modern sports and health concerns in Scotland. It was also the level of modern medicine, and there was an engaging display on keyhole surgery which happened to have been developed in Scotland. It also contained an interactive part that was set up to mock keyhole surgery with the camera screen and probes, and some of the girls raced to see who could remove the blockage first- there is always fun to be found, even in a museum full of preserved body parts!
We read about the Scottish Hunter Brothers and their accomplishments in the areas of medicine prior to coming to the museum and were surprised to see no mention of them. William Hunter is attributed to having been one of the first to delve into the studies of ob/gyn and make midwifery a division of medicine. His brother John Hunter was also well known for his studies on anatomy, and he did very well in the areas of surgery, later being appointed surgeon to King George III. Dr. Long said maybe they predated the museum, or according to what I just looked up on the very reliable Wikipedia they may have been murderers or body-snatchers, so maybe they just didn’t make the cut J
Tomorrow will be our final exam and our last day in Edinburgh. It seems crazy that we have already been here 15 days! I will miss this city very much as it has quickly become home, and such a place of excitement and adventures! I have really enjoyed learning the history of this city (not something I ever pictured myself saying), and I think understanding the significance behind everything from the street names to the country’s flower has made staying here even more significant for me. However, there’s really no time to dwell because soon we will be off to the beautiful Highlands and the busy hub of Glasgow, and I’m sure many adventures will await us there!!!
St. Andrews-Whitney Cockrell
On Saturday, I took the train to St. Andrew’s, home of the famous golf course and the world’s oldest university. The town’s people were busy making preparations for the upcoming graduation from University and the Open.
Golf has been played and refined at St. Andrew’s for over 600 years. The course is open to the public, but visitors are only allowed to tour the course on Sundays without playing golf. People began golfing at St. Andrew’s as early as 14oo AD and St. Andrew’s is often referred to as the home of golf. In fact, in the early 1500’s, King James the II, banned young men from playing golf for a brief time, because it was distracting them from archery practice.
Originally designed with 22 holes, (11 out, 11 in), golfers finally decided to refine the course. They combined the first four holes, and the last four, making them into two long shots. This made the game a bit more challenging and shortened the playing time. 18 holes, continues to be the standard round of golf to this day.
In 1754 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded and was comprised of 22 members, all of whom were either royal, or nobleman and landowners. This society is still in existence today, and governs all the rules of golf worldwide, except for the USA.
Sadly, I was in town on a Saturday, so I was unable to tour the golf course myself, but I did see the many preparations being made for the upcoming championship. I was told that the town would make 124 million pounds during the four day tournament, just from the television rights alone.
Tiger Woods, was among one of the many famous golfers expected to play in the open this year. The town is hoping that Jack Nichols will be coming. They love Jack Nichols because he is loyal and so kind. They told us that during Nichols first open at St. Andrew’s, he wasn’t allowed to stay at the country club with the other golfers because he wasn’t as well known, and no one expected him to win. So Nichols went in to town looking for a place to stay, but everything was full. Finally, he walked a few miles out of town and found a small bed and breakfast. He won the Open that year, and to this day, whenever he is in St. Andrew’s he will only stay at that small bed and breakfast. This has endeared him to the people of St. Andrew’s.
The people of St. Andrew’s were charming and engaging. The town was quite nice, and easy to navigate. I stopped by the Abbey, where my son was delighted to play soccer (football) with some of the local children for awhile in the courtyard.
St. Andrew’s was a lovely place. It sits along the coast and it was a beautiful, scenic train ride. If you are an avid golfer, you should come and play a round at St. Andrew’s at least once before you die. It is an exquisite course, in a lovely town. It does not disappoint.
So grab a jacket, your clubs, and umbrella and stay a bit in St. Andrew’s.
Golf has been played and refined at St. Andrew’s for over 600 years. The course is open to the public, but visitors are only allowed to tour the course on Sundays without playing golf. People began golfing at St. Andrew’s as early as 14oo AD and St. Andrew’s is often referred to as the home of golf. In fact, in the early 1500’s, King James the II, banned young men from playing golf for a brief time, because it was distracting them from archery practice.
Originally designed with 22 holes, (11 out, 11 in), golfers finally decided to refine the course. They combined the first four holes, and the last four, making them into two long shots. This made the game a bit more challenging and shortened the playing time. 18 holes, continues to be the standard round of golf to this day.
In 1754 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded and was comprised of 22 members, all of whom were either royal, or nobleman and landowners. This society is still in existence today, and governs all the rules of golf worldwide, except for the USA.
Sadly, I was in town on a Saturday, so I was unable to tour the golf course myself, but I did see the many preparations being made for the upcoming championship. I was told that the town would make 124 million pounds during the four day tournament, just from the television rights alone.
Tiger Woods, was among one of the many famous golfers expected to play in the open this year. The town is hoping that Jack Nichols will be coming. They love Jack Nichols because he is loyal and so kind. They told us that during Nichols first open at St. Andrew’s, he wasn’t allowed to stay at the country club with the other golfers because he wasn’t as well known, and no one expected him to win. So Nichols went in to town looking for a place to stay, but everything was full. Finally, he walked a few miles out of town and found a small bed and breakfast. He won the Open that year, and to this day, whenever he is in St. Andrew’s he will only stay at that small bed and breakfast. This has endeared him to the people of St. Andrew’s.
The people of St. Andrew’s were charming and engaging. The town was quite nice, and easy to navigate. I stopped by the Abbey, where my son was delighted to play soccer (football) with some of the local children for awhile in the courtyard.
St. Andrew’s was a lovely place. It sits along the coast and it was a beautiful, scenic train ride. If you are an avid golfer, you should come and play a round at St. Andrew’s at least once before you die. It is an exquisite course, in a lovely town. It does not disappoint.
So grab a jacket, your clubs, and umbrella and stay a bit in St. Andrew’s.
Literary Pub Tour-Jill Peters
Greetings from Scotland, the weather has been great here so far which I am told is not the norm so we have been pretty lucky. Of course I have been lugging my rain coat around with me everyday in case it decides to rain, and well today it did during our dinner at the restaurant formerly known as Monster Mash, which name was stolen by another restaurant but that is a story for another time. So, of course the one time it rains I have left my coat back at St. Colms sitting comfortably on my bed. I was a little disappointed in my planning skills, but I do not want to dwell on the negative so I must inform all of you that we are having a great time here in Edinburgh. We only have a few more days here and I am a little sad, but also excited for our adventures to come in the Highlands and in Glasgow.
Today after our very good and very filling dinner, we went to our excursion, which was a literary pub tour of Edinburgh. I chose to blog about this for two reasons, first I love literature and would love to spend my days reading the classics like Pride and Prejudice in the beautiful Princess Street Gardens. My second reason is I always love a good pub, and I am really enjoying the pub culture here. The tour was not what I expected. I was not aware that it was given by actors. I was worried when an older woman entered the room and seemed to be very stuffy and proper. All I could think was how much she was going to dislike our group of fun loving, joke cracking girls. Well the joke was on me because she was part of the tour. It was a new experience to learn about literary history through comedic acting. I liked the lighthearted tour through Edinburgh’s history.
The tour took us to four different pubs located throughout Edinburgh’s new and old town. We walked through a lot of the city, which before I came to Scotland would have seemed horrible, but now walking long distances seems normal. Let us see if I can keep up the walking when I get home. One pub in particular was very charming it was called the Jolly Judge. It is the smallest bar in Edinburgh and has a beautiful hammer beam roof made out of wood from old ships. It was very small though so it was hard for the whole tour to fit inside, we had to take turns, but it was a quant little place I would not have encountered without this tour.
The tour not only focused on the history of literature, but on the contrast of good and evil, the dark and the light side of writers and the city itself. They told us, in their own theatrical way, of how these literary artists were pioneers of the time, but also had their vice and crosses to bear. The dualistic personality of the city is very apparent while walking through the streets. From certain points in the city, you can view the new town full of shops, restaurants, and bars built in a more modern fashion, and then look across the street and see the beautiful old buildings, churches, and Edinburgh Castle staring down at you. I really enjoy walking through old town on the Royal Mile, which connects the Castle with Holyrood Palace. The architecture and charm of the streets is amazing.
The tour not only made me think about the duality of the city itself, but the dualistic personality that resides in all of us. Most of us have more then one side to our personality and we all certainly have our vices, whether we like to admit it or not. It was comforting to know that even the great writers and visionaries of Scotland’s past struggled with some of the same issues facing many people today. They wrote many of their great works in pubs and taverns, enjoyed a drink now and again, and wrote about the common people they saw inhabiting Edinburgh. Great inspiration can come from the most humble of places, the everyday things in life are what make life worth living.
I have learned a lot so far on my trip to Scotland and I can only imagine the things I will see and learn in the weeks to come. I am looking forward to growing and changing throughout my experiences here, and to become more aware of the different aspects of my own dualistic personality.
Today after our very good and very filling dinner, we went to our excursion, which was a literary pub tour of Edinburgh. I chose to blog about this for two reasons, first I love literature and would love to spend my days reading the classics like Pride and Prejudice in the beautiful Princess Street Gardens. My second reason is I always love a good pub, and I am really enjoying the pub culture here. The tour was not what I expected. I was not aware that it was given by actors. I was worried when an older woman entered the room and seemed to be very stuffy and proper. All I could think was how much she was going to dislike our group of fun loving, joke cracking girls. Well the joke was on me because she was part of the tour. It was a new experience to learn about literary history through comedic acting. I liked the lighthearted tour through Edinburgh’s history.
The tour took us to four different pubs located throughout Edinburgh’s new and old town. We walked through a lot of the city, which before I came to Scotland would have seemed horrible, but now walking long distances seems normal. Let us see if I can keep up the walking when I get home. One pub in particular was very charming it was called the Jolly Judge. It is the smallest bar in Edinburgh and has a beautiful hammer beam roof made out of wood from old ships. It was very small though so it was hard for the whole tour to fit inside, we had to take turns, but it was a quant little place I would not have encountered without this tour.
The tour not only focused on the history of literature, but on the contrast of good and evil, the dark and the light side of writers and the city itself. They told us, in their own theatrical way, of how these literary artists were pioneers of the time, but also had their vice and crosses to bear. The dualistic personality of the city is very apparent while walking through the streets. From certain points in the city, you can view the new town full of shops, restaurants, and bars built in a more modern fashion, and then look across the street and see the beautiful old buildings, churches, and Edinburgh Castle staring down at you. I really enjoy walking through old town on the Royal Mile, which connects the Castle with Holyrood Palace. The architecture and charm of the streets is amazing.
The tour not only made me think about the duality of the city itself, but the dualistic personality that resides in all of us. Most of us have more then one side to our personality and we all certainly have our vices, whether we like to admit it or not. It was comforting to know that even the great writers and visionaries of Scotland’s past struggled with some of the same issues facing many people today. They wrote many of their great works in pubs and taverns, enjoyed a drink now and again, and wrote about the common people they saw inhabiting Edinburgh. Great inspiration can come from the most humble of places, the everyday things in life are what make life worth living.
I have learned a lot so far on my trip to Scotland and I can only imagine the things I will see and learn in the weeks to come. I am looking forward to growing and changing throughout my experiences here, and to become more aware of the different aspects of my own dualistic personality.
National Gallery of Scotland-Casey Van Houtan
Today we had the opportunity to visit the National gallery of Scotland. I am very excited to write this blog for I am an art appreciator for I have absolutely no artistic ability but to be able to view different eras of art and how each was different was quite the experience. The gallery itself has a very specific place in Edinburgh which is on top of The Mound. The Mound is literally a hill of earth and can be found in the perfect spot right in between the Princes St. Gardens. Before the building was put here, a man had put up this panorama (which this man is said to invent this word and it is a Scottish invention) to view. You could come pay a pound to come into this tent like structure and get this picturesque view of the city of Edinburgh. The gallery not stands in its place and was created by William Henry. It was finally to be opened to the public in 1859, though it would not get its purchase grant until 1903 which is quite surprising. The gallery holds a printing and drawing collection of 30,000 works, which is considered small, but I considered quite huge. Every year they welcome over a million visitors from Scotland and the rest of the world just to view the building of art.
They hold not only portraits but also sculptures, which are strewn randomly over the building. They have certain rooms dedicated to each period of art. We started in the medieval times, moved on through Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Scottish of course, and we then ended in the impressionist period which is my absolute favorite. They are more modernesque pictures in old flashy frames which is where you would find Romantic and Reneissance period types of art. My favorite piece from the impressionist period was a Van Gogh. He drew this from his window while he was kept in an asylum which I also find to relate to this course. He uses the impressionist form of art which uses less strict detail than any other time of art even found now. He did commit suicide only weeks after he painted this picture though which is quite ironic. Another art appreciator beside me was talking about the impressionistic period of art and said “What is so ironic about this time is they had the most use of colors and everything is so bright and not dark, but they almost all, committed suicide.” Which I find to be quite ironic as well and sad how can you draw these paintings and be so sad on the inside.
Another ironic piece of art that turns out to be one of my favorites is a photograph taken by Annie Leibovitz. It is of course of one of my main men John Lennon and his lover Yoko Ono. The caption that was by it is “In this comparatively simple portrait, Leibovitz relies on intimacy for effect. Her aim was to immortalise John and Yoko's deep love for one another. But within hours of taking this photograph John Lennon was shot dead. Distributed around the world as a 'Rolling Stone' magazine cover, the photograph was instantly transformed. It became a memorial to Lennon and a symbol of the vulnerability of human passion.” The great thing about art that it is ultimately up to the viewer to decide how to interpret it, sure the artist probably had their own idea but everyone is unique so who is to say who is right and who is wrong. One person may not understand what they see in front of them while another is totally drawn into the piece. For instance during the same period the Italians and Spanisher were more into drawing and trying to relieve the religion era. They were all Catholic so they had a different view on what art should look like, while at the same time the Dutch were drawing hunting scenes. Which only the rich could do in those times so it gave people hope to look at these painting and to have them in their houses as too think hey that could be me someday. I quite liked the Dutch painting, though the dead animals put a morbid touch on it. The thing I found interesting was that it looked like the man was on a windowsill and this vsat majority of land was behind him including on the side a sprig of Sunflowers which they thought to be magic. Who would of thought that today our state flower was magic because it followed the sun and was quite large.
I very much enjoyed the gallery and it opened my eyes to a lot of great art and older art I would have never got the chance to see in the states. I hope to go to many other places to view their collections.
They hold not only portraits but also sculptures, which are strewn randomly over the building. They have certain rooms dedicated to each period of art. We started in the medieval times, moved on through Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Scottish of course, and we then ended in the impressionist period which is my absolute favorite. They are more modernesque pictures in old flashy frames which is where you would find Romantic and Reneissance period types of art. My favorite piece from the impressionist period was a Van Gogh. He drew this from his window while he was kept in an asylum which I also find to relate to this course. He uses the impressionist form of art which uses less strict detail than any other time of art even found now. He did commit suicide only weeks after he painted this picture though which is quite ironic. Another art appreciator beside me was talking about the impressionistic period of art and said “What is so ironic about this time is they had the most use of colors and everything is so bright and not dark, but they almost all, committed suicide.” Which I find to be quite ironic as well and sad how can you draw these paintings and be so sad on the inside.
Another ironic piece of art that turns out to be one of my favorites is a photograph taken by Annie Leibovitz. It is of course of one of my main men John Lennon and his lover Yoko Ono. The caption that was by it is “In this comparatively simple portrait, Leibovitz relies on intimacy for effect. Her aim was to immortalise John and Yoko's deep love for one another. But within hours of taking this photograph John Lennon was shot dead. Distributed around the world as a 'Rolling Stone' magazine cover, the photograph was instantly transformed. It became a memorial to Lennon and a symbol of the vulnerability of human passion.” The great thing about art that it is ultimately up to the viewer to decide how to interpret it, sure the artist probably had their own idea but everyone is unique so who is to say who is right and who is wrong. One person may not understand what they see in front of them while another is totally drawn into the piece. For instance during the same period the Italians and Spanisher were more into drawing and trying to relieve the religion era. They were all Catholic so they had a different view on what art should look like, while at the same time the Dutch were drawing hunting scenes. Which only the rich could do in those times so it gave people hope to look at these painting and to have them in their houses as too think hey that could be me someday. I quite liked the Dutch painting, though the dead animals put a morbid touch on it. The thing I found interesting was that it looked like the man was on a windowsill and this vsat majority of land was behind him including on the side a sprig of Sunflowers which they thought to be magic. Who would of thought that today our state flower was magic because it followed the sun and was quite large.
I very much enjoyed the gallery and it opened my eyes to a lot of great art and older art I would have never got the chance to see in the states. I hope to go to many other places to view their collections.
Ireland Trip-Katie Zogelman
For our first free weekend of independent travel Jill and I went to Ireland. We flew from Edinburgh to Dublin on Thursday afternoon and returned on Sunday. While in Ireland we were able to experience several different aspects of the culture there. I have a cousin who lives in Ireland so being able to stay at her home was great. It was nice to be around a family atmosphere for a couple days after being away from ours for a couple of weeks. Marissa’s husband is from Ireland so he was able to explain some things to us about Ireland that we may not have been able to learn from others.
Thursday evening we arrived at Roscrea around eight p.m. Roscrea was about an hour and a half drive from Dublin Airport. Roscrea is a neat little village with several pubs and stores in the downtown area. That evening we were able to eat dinner with Marissa, Noel, and their children. After dinner we sat around their house, played with the kids, and watched a video.
Friday morning we drove to the Cliffs of Moher. These were amazing to see and experience. Just recently they had to build a safety wall surrounding the edges of the cliffs. Marissa informed us that it can get really windy at the top and if people were to get too close to the edges they would fall over the edge. Even with the wall there it was beautiful to look out over the ocean and the nearby islands.
After the cliffs of Moher we drove to Galway which is one of the bigger cities in Ireland. We walked around the downtown area, did some shopping, and then checked into our hostel that we stayed in that night. Interestingly, the other three girls in our room were Americans who were studying in Dublin for the summer. Next, we went out for traditional fish and chips then went out to a couple clubs that night.
After getting back to Roscrea on Saturday morning we soon headed for Kilkenny. Every road that we drove on seemed to be very curvy and narrow. However, from all of these roads we were able to see some great scenery. In Kilkenny we saw the castle there and then walked around to some of the shops.
Saturday night we went to Kennedy Castle which is where Marissa and Noel got married a few years ago. This castle was magnificent! We were able to listen to live traditional Irish music and even saw trapeze artists. Sunday morning Marissa fixed us an Irish breakfast which was interesting. It was great to be able to see family on this short trip but also to fun experience parts of Ireland that I hadn’t been to before.
Thursday evening we arrived at Roscrea around eight p.m. Roscrea was about an hour and a half drive from Dublin Airport. Roscrea is a neat little village with several pubs and stores in the downtown area. That evening we were able to eat dinner with Marissa, Noel, and their children. After dinner we sat around their house, played with the kids, and watched a video.
Friday morning we drove to the Cliffs of Moher. These were amazing to see and experience. Just recently they had to build a safety wall surrounding the edges of the cliffs. Marissa informed us that it can get really windy at the top and if people were to get too close to the edges they would fall over the edge. Even with the wall there it was beautiful to look out over the ocean and the nearby islands.
After the cliffs of Moher we drove to Galway which is one of the bigger cities in Ireland. We walked around the downtown area, did some shopping, and then checked into our hostel that we stayed in that night. Interestingly, the other three girls in our room were Americans who were studying in Dublin for the summer. Next, we went out for traditional fish and chips then went out to a couple clubs that night.
After getting back to Roscrea on Saturday morning we soon headed for Kilkenny. Every road that we drove on seemed to be very curvy and narrow. However, from all of these roads we were able to see some great scenery. In Kilkenny we saw the castle there and then walked around to some of the shops.
Saturday night we went to Kennedy Castle which is where Marissa and Noel got married a few years ago. This castle was magnificent! We were able to listen to live traditional Irish music and even saw trapeze artists. Sunday morning Marissa fixed us an Irish breakfast which was interesting. It was great to be able to see family on this short trip but also to fun experience parts of Ireland that I hadn’t been to before.
Monday, 28 June 2010
Scottish Parliament-Ben Gerrard
For much of the past week and a half, since we arrived in Scotland, we have been exploring the political history of this unique country through a cultural and psychological lens. Today we had first hand experience of Scotland’s modern day political process as we visited the new Scottish Parliament buildings.
Like many structures housing the seats of Government these building seek to represent the aspirations of it’s founders and it’s people, but having been built in the modern era it does it in many much more visually spectacular ways than traditional structures could ever hope to achieve.
Designed by a Spanish architect Enric Miralles, the overall layout of a the buildings that make up the Holyrood Parliament, represent a handful of leaves that he threw down on a piece of paper. The buildings are meant to feel like they erupt from the landscape in synergy with their surroundings. These surroundings include a park, the volcanic crag of Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Palace. Thus the park forms the stem or branch to which the leaves are attached and the grass running down off the slopes of Arthur’s Seat is left unkempt to brush up against the buildings contoured walls and windows.
Once inside the main building one can look up to see large overhead skylights in the shapes of the leaves, many of which also look like large eyes. The use of the upside down boat structure that is seen in ancient buildings such as St Giles church has been reinvented inside the parliament to represent Scotland’s affinity with boating, fishing, and it’s picturesque coastline.
The architectural splendor and hefty financial investment in this structure speak of its great importance to the Scottish people. Scotland’s first record of a parliamentary meeting was in 1235 and was known as the Travelling Parliament, as it had no home. In 1639 Parliament Hall was built behind St Giles church on the Royal Mile for the princely sum of 10,500 pounds. In 1707 Scotland was on the verge of bankruptcy and to settle its accounts signed the act of Union with England, agreeing to transfer its parliamentary representation to Westminster. Here it stayed for nearly three hundred years, until the modern day Scottish Nationalist movement finally won it’s push to reinstate a Scottish Parliament in 1999, and five years later this magnificent (yet controversial) structure was completed. As we have also learned in this class Scotland can be attributed with being at the watershed of modern day, bureaucracy, the separation of church and state, and civil rights: all dating back to the Arbroath declaration under Robert the Bruce in 1320. In the present day Scotland still leads the way as 45 of it’s 129 MP’s are women.
Among the buildings physical and visual features are several pieces of art representing Scotland’s evolution, and the thoughts of its people. One of these is a three panel text-based piece drawn from the women of Scotland, a disparate group of which were asked to write a single sentence about the most influential woman in their lives. Put together by the artist Shauna McMullin Travelling the Distance makes reference to such significant Scottish figures as Mary Queen of Scots, as well as many lesser-known Scottish mothers and matriarchal figures. Other features of the building include the structures around the odd shaped windows of the 129 Scottish Members of Parliament (MP’s). These structures, along with the prodigious use of glass in the building, represent the openness and accountability of its inhabitants, and the political process. Likewise, the structures around the windows represent curtains that can never be closed. Inside the MP’s offices the windows form unique window seats, or thinking pods, for the MP’s to sit in and contemplate their roles before getting down to work.
In an airy atmosphere dominated by light oak the main debating chamber is a sight to behold. With the largest public gallery of its kind in Europe and unlike traditional parliaments in Westminster and the like, Scottish parliamentarians do not face off opposing each other (at a distance of two and a half sword lengths) but sit in a semi circle around Alec Ferguson, the Presiding Officer, who plays a role like that of the speaker of the house, but unlike the English parliament the role is up for election every four years with the other MP’s seats, on the first Thursday in May. The Parliament also has meeting rooms for its 14 committees, the most unusual of which being the Public Petitions Committee, which must consider every petition put forward by a Scottish citizen baring at least one signatory. From these public petitions many pieces of Scottish legislation have been born. The Countries National Parliament has devolved to Scotland all matters not pertaining to national or international issues and this combined with the fact that regaining their parliament against the tide of history is probably why the term devolution is used to describe Scotland’s modern day parliamentary process.
In handing this power back to the Scot’s the Queen of England has also gifted them with some beautiful structures and works of art as well as a young tree known as a Rowan tree, which is said to have the ability to ward off witches. This is perhaps a subtle reminder of how a former English Queen also baring the name Elizabeth, felt about her menacing Catholic cousin Mary Queen of Scots.
Like many structures housing the seats of Government these building seek to represent the aspirations of it’s founders and it’s people, but having been built in the modern era it does it in many much more visually spectacular ways than traditional structures could ever hope to achieve.
Designed by a Spanish architect Enric Miralles, the overall layout of a the buildings that make up the Holyrood Parliament, represent a handful of leaves that he threw down on a piece of paper. The buildings are meant to feel like they erupt from the landscape in synergy with their surroundings. These surroundings include a park, the volcanic crag of Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Palace. Thus the park forms the stem or branch to which the leaves are attached and the grass running down off the slopes of Arthur’s Seat is left unkempt to brush up against the buildings contoured walls and windows.
Once inside the main building one can look up to see large overhead skylights in the shapes of the leaves, many of which also look like large eyes. The use of the upside down boat structure that is seen in ancient buildings such as St Giles church has been reinvented inside the parliament to represent Scotland’s affinity with boating, fishing, and it’s picturesque coastline.
The architectural splendor and hefty financial investment in this structure speak of its great importance to the Scottish people. Scotland’s first record of a parliamentary meeting was in 1235 and was known as the Travelling Parliament, as it had no home. In 1639 Parliament Hall was built behind St Giles church on the Royal Mile for the princely sum of 10,500 pounds. In 1707 Scotland was on the verge of bankruptcy and to settle its accounts signed the act of Union with England, agreeing to transfer its parliamentary representation to Westminster. Here it stayed for nearly three hundred years, until the modern day Scottish Nationalist movement finally won it’s push to reinstate a Scottish Parliament in 1999, and five years later this magnificent (yet controversial) structure was completed. As we have also learned in this class Scotland can be attributed with being at the watershed of modern day, bureaucracy, the separation of church and state, and civil rights: all dating back to the Arbroath declaration under Robert the Bruce in 1320. In the present day Scotland still leads the way as 45 of it’s 129 MP’s are women.
Among the buildings physical and visual features are several pieces of art representing Scotland’s evolution, and the thoughts of its people. One of these is a three panel text-based piece drawn from the women of Scotland, a disparate group of which were asked to write a single sentence about the most influential woman in their lives. Put together by the artist Shauna McMullin Travelling the Distance makes reference to such significant Scottish figures as Mary Queen of Scots, as well as many lesser-known Scottish mothers and matriarchal figures. Other features of the building include the structures around the odd shaped windows of the 129 Scottish Members of Parliament (MP’s). These structures, along with the prodigious use of glass in the building, represent the openness and accountability of its inhabitants, and the political process. Likewise, the structures around the windows represent curtains that can never be closed. Inside the MP’s offices the windows form unique window seats, or thinking pods, for the MP’s to sit in and contemplate their roles before getting down to work.
In an airy atmosphere dominated by light oak the main debating chamber is a sight to behold. With the largest public gallery of its kind in Europe and unlike traditional parliaments in Westminster and the like, Scottish parliamentarians do not face off opposing each other (at a distance of two and a half sword lengths) but sit in a semi circle around Alec Ferguson, the Presiding Officer, who plays a role like that of the speaker of the house, but unlike the English parliament the role is up for election every four years with the other MP’s seats, on the first Thursday in May. The Parliament also has meeting rooms for its 14 committees, the most unusual of which being the Public Petitions Committee, which must consider every petition put forward by a Scottish citizen baring at least one signatory. From these public petitions many pieces of Scottish legislation have been born. The Countries National Parliament has devolved to Scotland all matters not pertaining to national or international issues and this combined with the fact that regaining their parliament against the tide of history is probably why the term devolution is used to describe Scotland’s modern day parliamentary process.
In handing this power back to the Scot’s the Queen of England has also gifted them with some beautiful structures and works of art as well as a young tree known as a Rowan tree, which is said to have the ability to ward off witches. This is perhaps a subtle reminder of how a former English Queen also baring the name Elizabeth, felt about her menacing Catholic cousin Mary Queen of Scots.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)