impulsereader (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
impulsereader) wrote2012-04-19 09:35 pm
impulsereader) wrote2012-04-19 09:35 pm
Entry tags:
If you live in town, dear, then you must cut a dash.
Right - first, breakfast was yummy.
On Monday I visited the Scottish National Gallery and the Scottish National Museum, neither of which I thought allowed pictures, but now I think the Museum actually does. I really wish places would put the little pictogram for either ‘no photography’ or ‘no flash photography’ on the map that most people pick up on their way into places. I was absolutely sure the Portrait Gallery couldn’t possibly allow photography, but the only way I could confirm it was to find the one sign at the entrance which stated that. I also hit the Museum on the Mound on this day and the cemetery across the way from Pilrig Park.
So, the Scottish National Gallery is gorgeous. They’ve relatively recently redecorated – going back to the original plans for colors and pedestals and such in the interior. Also – free admission. I was blown away by how many places were free here. This is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys spending a morning at an art museum. There is a gallery devoted to Scottish artists downstairs and I appreciated that from a tourist standpoint. I like learning about the country I’m in and it’s always nice when someplace lends a bit of a hand there. The galleries on the main floor are also tending toward Scotland-centric, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Particularly lovely and standing out in my memory was the statue of the Three Graces by Antonio Canova.
Oh, apparently there are e-tours on their website. If you’re at all interested, do go browse in lieu of pics from me. A practical note – both this Gallery and the Portrait Gallery are manned by security at the entrance who request that you take your backpack off and carry it by hand while you visit. Both places offer free lockers as an alternative to this – you are asked to put in a pound when you lock it up – but you get that pound back when you unlock it again – don’t think you’re being charged and not retrieve it like I did the first time!
This is when I contemplated climbing the Scott Monument - I know, you’re going to stop believing that my knee hurts any second now - before I got to the foot of the thing and looked up. Not a guardrail in sight. I’m the girl who went to the Grand Canyon confidently expecting guardrails. This is because I have a fear of falling. I used to think I had a fear of heights, but the truth is I’m just as afraid of tumbling off a stone jetty into relatively shallow ocean - from which I could easily dogpaddle/wade to shore - as I am of plunging off the Scott Monument to my possible death. So I have a fear of falling which comes along, quite naturally, with an accompanying fear of heights. The thought of actually coughing up £3 in order to get to the top and discover I was too scared to actually take any pictures was discouraging. I decided not to risk it. I did; however, encounter a bagpiper picturesquely arranged as I walked over to check out the possibility of doing so.
The Scottish National Museum is rather a mixed bag. There is definitely something here to appeal to everyone, it’s a very visitor-friendly museum. I think I stumbled upon the bad fortune of visiting on a day with rather more people/children because of the Holiday than you might normally encounter on a weekday. Consequently I didn’t do it quite the justice it deserves. I did thoroughly cover their very nice exhibit on Asia – Looking East. This is very nicely done, and a lot of the signage leads me to believe this is due to a number of Scottish residents donating items they have picked up during their travels; mostly to China and Japan. I encountered a great explanation of Shinto, which I am usually at a loss to explain well, and took a picture since I was definitely getting the feeling that I was being overly cautious in this respect here. Running, screaming children tend to give me the impression that anything goes.
Of course, it turns out the photo is quite out of focus near the top so I’m going to spare you and retype here.
“Shinto, the Way of the Gods, recognizes the sacred aspect of the natural world.
Shinto is a set of practices, attitudes and rituals, without any written creed. Its origins relate to the seasonal observances of the agricultural cycle. Rituals developed to give thanks to the kami, sacred spirits made manifest in the features of the natural world, for example trees, mountains and rivers. The rituals were concerned primarily with purification and protection. Shrines were erected to mark purified spaces where the kami could reside.
A torii is a gate marking the approach to a Shinto shrine. Visitors pass through the torii, purify their hands and mouth at a water basin, and then approach the shrine building. Pulling a rope to ring the bell and attract the kami, or sacred spirits, the worshippers throw coins, clap their hands and bow while offering a short prayer.
Shinto rituals continue to be significant to life in Japan today. They mark birth, New year, weddings and coming of age. Priests even perform ceremonies to bless and purify new cars and skyscrapers. People still pray to kami and small shrines can be found everywhere, in a corner of the kitchen or tucked away on a busy city street.”
The museum thoroughly covers the history of Scotland and its people; as well as including some other exhibits which feel a bit random but guarantee most will leave having seen something quite interesting to him or her, is child-friendly without being ridiculous about it, offers free admission, and is generally a great day out for anyone; alone, in a group, or with children in tow.
On the way home I stumbled across the Museum on the Mound, which I had read about but wasn’t on my to-do list. I decided to drop in anyway since I was there, and had about an hour until they closed - and free admission again! So here’s where you get your pics for the day. :-)
There was a beautiful display of plates used to print notes right in the entryway. These were so hard to get pictures of. Not only are they shiny and behind glass, but both walls are lined with glass, so at some point when I tried to focus the camera on one of them I got instead a perfectly focused view of the reflection on the wall behind me. Very frustrating, but it was clear from the outset that anything I could get would be a bonus, so I took the failure pretty much in stride.
An unusual coat of arms.
As close as I get to a self-portrait.
Various coins and notes
Then, another gift. On the way out back toward the National Gallery - something I completely missed this morning. A model of Edinburgh done in relief.
And, just for good measure, on the way home I stopped in at the cemetery across from Pilrig Park. This was quickly deemed the Cemetery of Fallen Headstones. It was an epidemic.
On Monday I visited the Scottish National Gallery and the Scottish National Museum, neither of which I thought allowed pictures, but now I think the Museum actually does. I really wish places would put the little pictogram for either ‘no photography’ or ‘no flash photography’ on the map that most people pick up on their way into places. I was absolutely sure the Portrait Gallery couldn’t possibly allow photography, but the only way I could confirm it was to find the one sign at the entrance which stated that. I also hit the Museum on the Mound on this day and the cemetery across the way from Pilrig Park.
So, the Scottish National Gallery is gorgeous. They’ve relatively recently redecorated – going back to the original plans for colors and pedestals and such in the interior. Also – free admission. I was blown away by how many places were free here. This is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys spending a morning at an art museum. There is a gallery devoted to Scottish artists downstairs and I appreciated that from a tourist standpoint. I like learning about the country I’m in and it’s always nice when someplace lends a bit of a hand there. The galleries on the main floor are also tending toward Scotland-centric, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Particularly lovely and standing out in my memory was the statue of the Three Graces by Antonio Canova.
Oh, apparently there are e-tours on their website. If you’re at all interested, do go browse in lieu of pics from me. A practical note – both this Gallery and the Portrait Gallery are manned by security at the entrance who request that you take your backpack off and carry it by hand while you visit. Both places offer free lockers as an alternative to this – you are asked to put in a pound when you lock it up – but you get that pound back when you unlock it again – don’t think you’re being charged and not retrieve it like I did the first time!
This is when I contemplated climbing the Scott Monument - I know, you’re going to stop believing that my knee hurts any second now - before I got to the foot of the thing and looked up. Not a guardrail in sight. I’m the girl who went to the Grand Canyon confidently expecting guardrails. This is because I have a fear of falling. I used to think I had a fear of heights, but the truth is I’m just as afraid of tumbling off a stone jetty into relatively shallow ocean - from which I could easily dogpaddle/wade to shore - as I am of plunging off the Scott Monument to my possible death. So I have a fear of falling which comes along, quite naturally, with an accompanying fear of heights. The thought of actually coughing up £3 in order to get to the top and discover I was too scared to actually take any pictures was discouraging. I decided not to risk it. I did; however, encounter a bagpiper picturesquely arranged as I walked over to check out the possibility of doing so.
The Scottish National Museum is rather a mixed bag. There is definitely something here to appeal to everyone, it’s a very visitor-friendly museum. I think I stumbled upon the bad fortune of visiting on a day with rather more people/children because of the Holiday than you might normally encounter on a weekday. Consequently I didn’t do it quite the justice it deserves. I did thoroughly cover their very nice exhibit on Asia – Looking East. This is very nicely done, and a lot of the signage leads me to believe this is due to a number of Scottish residents donating items they have picked up during their travels; mostly to China and Japan. I encountered a great explanation of Shinto, which I am usually at a loss to explain well, and took a picture since I was definitely getting the feeling that I was being overly cautious in this respect here. Running, screaming children tend to give me the impression that anything goes.
Of course, it turns out the photo is quite out of focus near the top so I’m going to spare you and retype here.
“Shinto, the Way of the Gods, recognizes the sacred aspect of the natural world.
Shinto is a set of practices, attitudes and rituals, without any written creed. Its origins relate to the seasonal observances of the agricultural cycle. Rituals developed to give thanks to the kami, sacred spirits made manifest in the features of the natural world, for example trees, mountains and rivers. The rituals were concerned primarily with purification and protection. Shrines were erected to mark purified spaces where the kami could reside.
A torii is a gate marking the approach to a Shinto shrine. Visitors pass through the torii, purify their hands and mouth at a water basin, and then approach the shrine building. Pulling a rope to ring the bell and attract the kami, or sacred spirits, the worshippers throw coins, clap their hands and bow while offering a short prayer.
Shinto rituals continue to be significant to life in Japan today. They mark birth, New year, weddings and coming of age. Priests even perform ceremonies to bless and purify new cars and skyscrapers. People still pray to kami and small shrines can be found everywhere, in a corner of the kitchen or tucked away on a busy city street.”
The museum thoroughly covers the history of Scotland and its people; as well as including some other exhibits which feel a bit random but guarantee most will leave having seen something quite interesting to him or her, is child-friendly without being ridiculous about it, offers free admission, and is generally a great day out for anyone; alone, in a group, or with children in tow.
On the way home I stumbled across the Museum on the Mound, which I had read about but wasn’t on my to-do list. I decided to drop in anyway since I was there, and had about an hour until they closed - and free admission again! So here’s where you get your pics for the day. :-)
There was a beautiful display of plates used to print notes right in the entryway. These were so hard to get pictures of. Not only are they shiny and behind glass, but both walls are lined with glass, so at some point when I tried to focus the camera on one of them I got instead a perfectly focused view of the reflection on the wall behind me. Very frustrating, but it was clear from the outset that anything I could get would be a bonus, so I took the failure pretty much in stride.
An unusual coat of arms.
As close as I get to a self-portrait.
Various coins and notes
Then, another gift. On the way out back toward the National Gallery - something I completely missed this morning. A model of Edinburgh done in relief.
And, just for good measure, on the way home I stopped in at the cemetery across from Pilrig Park. This was quickly deemed the Cemetery of Fallen Headstones. It was an epidemic.