impulsereader (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
impulsereader) wrote2012-04-06 10:13 pm
impulsereader) wrote2012-04-06 10:13 pm
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Mama, doesn't even have an inkling that I left them all in Antwerp and am touring on my own.
After an additional three hours of jet lag occurring in the middle of the night, I got up on Day 2 with some vague plan of breakfast, the Surgeons’ Hall Museum - for their Conan Doyle exhibit - and then ‘something outside’. Well, after a bleary shower I realized - the Sun was out! So I hightailed it out the door and tried to make it up Calton Hill to take advantage of it.
Calton was my first thought because the second time I got lost the day before I happened to stumble across the entrance. Yup, it appears that it is a pet hill as it is contained by walls and has an entrance. So, I can prove that the sun was in fact brilliant. See below.
However; by the time I reached the top of Calton it had dimmed somewhat, and it was significantly colder at that elevation. I did a pretty quick circuit then made an escape to breakfast.
The Portuguese Cannon against the National Monument - The National Monument was originally meant to be a reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens, a memorial to the Scottish dead in the Napoleonic wars. It was never finished but has come to be regarded with affection as it stands.
A view of Edinburgh Castle
The sky was doing this very odd thing now - a prelude to continuing periodic rain that day, I would imagine.
A view of Arthur’s seat
Nelson’s Monument
oh right, it was raining again...
and this crow took off a split second before I was ready
A view of - Edinburgh - but really just the roadworks. It is sort of mind boggling the sheer yardage of street which is just completely shut down.
and on my way down, this lovely surprise
Now explain to me what would be wrong with having these beautiful lamp posts situated throughout the whole of your beautifully historic city? Is this really too much to ask?
I ordered the ‘kili breakfast’ at Kilimanjaro Coffee and had a latte since it’s a coffee house. Both were excellent.
I next visited the Surgeons’ Hall Museum. I was disappointed in their Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit as it pretty much consisted of a four-minute-ish video of Conan Doyle speaking about Holmes with a cameo mention of his ‘stupid friend’ Dr. Watson.
This visit was a bit odd, as the entrance to the actual college is well marked, but when I approached ‘Reception as instructed’ was sent 'out the back way, turn to the left, #9 is the entrance’. Oooookay...then - and proceeding as instructed - again - found that of course #9 is the entrance, lady. When was the last time you were out here?
It continued oddly as I climbed some narrow stairways, following the signs.
And then I got cut off. Sorry, guys, they don’t allow photography on ethical grounds. The guy in line behind me tried to dispute this, bizarrely. Dude, if a museum doesn’t allow photography they aren’t going to make an exception for you. It doesn’t matter why - you aren’t special. Due to his argument, though, I learned that this specific museum banns photos because they have human remains on display, hence the ethics issue. I’m not sure I agree with this, presumably the remains were donated to science so you should really be allowed to do what you like with them - all rights signed away as it were. In any case, I apologize for the lack of photos, but do google the museum if you’re interested, they seem to have quite a bit of info online.
The museum is quite interesting, despite the ACD exhibit being a bit of a bomb. They do try, putting out some relevant items to Bell, one of ACD’s inspirations, it’s just thin and sort of an obvious ‘trying to get more people in’ sort of thing. I don’t think it’s working, as it is a very small museum and everyone else just started on the regular collection while I ran right to ACD to avoid the congestion this caused. This means I got the one chair situated in front of the small tv screen continuously showing the ACD clip for the duration.
I skipped the second floor which purportedly covers more ‘modern’ surgical methods and just toured the main collection. Dr. Joseph Lister is featured heavily at the moment, on one particular video clip he speaks about searching for a way to keep postoperative infections to a minimum.
Conclusion - a good visit for £5. It is a relatively small but definitely not stingy museum. There is a lot of information here for anyone even mildly interested in the history of medicine.
Next I managed to conquer - approximately ¾ of one gallery of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. I really want to go back and finish the top floor, though I have no real interest in the more modern galleries. They don’t allow photos either, but the building itself is simply unbelievable. I cannot do it justice, but here is some idea.
The fact that James I and VI ended up becoming King of England, Ireland and Scotland is so eternally interesting. Both he and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, were anointed monarch while still an infant. She was imprisoned for years and eventually executed by Elizabeth I, from whom he inherited his rule of England and Ireland. He chose to make himself amenable to Elizabeth, but there is evidence that after he ascended the throne he made efforts to rehabilitate his mother’s reputation. James was so clearly playing the long game - but who taught him to do this? He became King of Scots roughly at roughly one year of age. When he took on England and Ireland as well he had 36 years of experience - he was 37 years old. He endured four regency governments. Did any other monarch manage this? James’s tutor George Buchanan reportedly had great influence over him. It’s really a very interesting story, and I suppose there is probably a good book out there somewhere which would enlighten me on these points. Adding it to the list...
And some additional images from the day.
Calton was my first thought because the second time I got lost the day before I happened to stumble across the entrance. Yup, it appears that it is a pet hill as it is contained by walls and has an entrance. So, I can prove that the sun was in fact brilliant. See below.
However; by the time I reached the top of Calton it had dimmed somewhat, and it was significantly colder at that elevation. I did a pretty quick circuit then made an escape to breakfast.
The Portuguese Cannon against the National Monument - The National Monument was originally meant to be a reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens, a memorial to the Scottish dead in the Napoleonic wars. It was never finished but has come to be regarded with affection as it stands.
A view of Edinburgh Castle
The sky was doing this very odd thing now - a prelude to continuing periodic rain that day, I would imagine.
A view of Arthur’s seat
Nelson’s Monument
oh right, it was raining again...
and this crow took off a split second before I was ready
A view of - Edinburgh - but really just the roadworks. It is sort of mind boggling the sheer yardage of street which is just completely shut down.
and on my way down, this lovely surprise
Now explain to me what would be wrong with having these beautiful lamp posts situated throughout the whole of your beautifully historic city? Is this really too much to ask?
I ordered the ‘kili breakfast’ at Kilimanjaro Coffee and had a latte since it’s a coffee house. Both were excellent.
I next visited the Surgeons’ Hall Museum. I was disappointed in their Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit as it pretty much consisted of a four-minute-ish video of Conan Doyle speaking about Holmes with a cameo mention of his ‘stupid friend’ Dr. Watson.
This visit was a bit odd, as the entrance to the actual college is well marked, but when I approached ‘Reception as instructed’ was sent 'out the back way, turn to the left, #9 is the entrance’. Oooookay...then - and proceeding as instructed - again - found that of course #9 is the entrance, lady. When was the last time you were out here?
It continued oddly as I climbed some narrow stairways, following the signs.
And then I got cut off. Sorry, guys, they don’t allow photography on ethical grounds. The guy in line behind me tried to dispute this, bizarrely. Dude, if a museum doesn’t allow photography they aren’t going to make an exception for you. It doesn’t matter why - you aren’t special. Due to his argument, though, I learned that this specific museum banns photos because they have human remains on display, hence the ethics issue. I’m not sure I agree with this, presumably the remains were donated to science so you should really be allowed to do what you like with them - all rights signed away as it were. In any case, I apologize for the lack of photos, but do google the museum if you’re interested, they seem to have quite a bit of info online.
The museum is quite interesting, despite the ACD exhibit being a bit of a bomb. They do try, putting out some relevant items to Bell, one of ACD’s inspirations, it’s just thin and sort of an obvious ‘trying to get more people in’ sort of thing. I don’t think it’s working, as it is a very small museum and everyone else just started on the regular collection while I ran right to ACD to avoid the congestion this caused. This means I got the one chair situated in front of the small tv screen continuously showing the ACD clip for the duration.
I skipped the second floor which purportedly covers more ‘modern’ surgical methods and just toured the main collection. Dr. Joseph Lister is featured heavily at the moment, on one particular video clip he speaks about searching for a way to keep postoperative infections to a minimum.
Conclusion - a good visit for £5. It is a relatively small but definitely not stingy museum. There is a lot of information here for anyone even mildly interested in the history of medicine.
Next I managed to conquer - approximately ¾ of one gallery of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. I really want to go back and finish the top floor, though I have no real interest in the more modern galleries. They don’t allow photos either, but the building itself is simply unbelievable. I cannot do it justice, but here is some idea.
The fact that James I and VI ended up becoming King of England, Ireland and Scotland is so eternally interesting. Both he and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, were anointed monarch while still an infant. She was imprisoned for years and eventually executed by Elizabeth I, from whom he inherited his rule of England and Ireland. He chose to make himself amenable to Elizabeth, but there is evidence that after he ascended the throne he made efforts to rehabilitate his mother’s reputation. James was so clearly playing the long game - but who taught him to do this? He became King of Scots roughly at roughly one year of age. When he took on England and Ireland as well he had 36 years of experience - he was 37 years old. He endured four regency governments. Did any other monarch manage this? James’s tutor George Buchanan reportedly had great influence over him. It’s really a very interesting story, and I suppose there is probably a good book out there somewhere which would enlighten me on these points. Adding it to the list...
And some additional images from the day.