Live for the Moment...

Life is short, so I loved the sentiment at the top of North Berwick Law. 

According to Wikipedia, the top of the Law was graced with three different whales’ jawbones since 1709. Here we are in front of a fiberglass replica from 2008...  

…and another photo on the other side of the replica.

Must admit that despite all of that amazing scenery, this is my favorite photo that I took that day: Man checking his phone instead of enjoying the view. 

While there’s likely a history about the ruins at the top, I haven’t found any so will just say that it was an excellent photo op. 

Heading Up North Berwick Law...

After breakfast the next morning, David and Emma joined us for a walk up the biggest hill in the area.

North Berwick Law is a conical hill, otherwise know as a volcanic plug, of 614 feet (167 meters). 

Once we actually approached the hill, we saw that much of the back side of the hill was covered in yellow flowers.

Parts of the path were just gently sloping...

…while other parts were definitely steeper.

Our first glimpses of the views were pretty incredible. 

 

Finally Visiting Gillian...

The next morning, I caught an early train to Edinburgh and onward to Drem, the closest station to Gillian’s house near North Berwick, to spend three nights. Along the way, I was pleased to spot yellow fields of rapeseed. 

Gillian left Holland in August 2019 to repatriate to Scotland with her family. They started out in a rental house and then moved into their custom dream house in December 2020. She had sent very few photos, so I had little idea of what to expect. To say I was impressed is an understatement. Although this is the entrance, it felt more like the back of the house since it faced the road...

….with the other side more like the front with lots of windows facing the large yard and beach beyond the trees. 

We didn’t use the firepit, but I admired its design.

The dining room and family room...

…were open to the kitchen. We spent some time in the living room, but mostly hung out in the kitchen.

I was happy to see that the farewell gift I had made for Gillian of Beauly and Kati fit beautifully in the shelves in the family room. 

My guest room was huge as it was designed to eventually house her parents. Gillian and David have their master bedroom on the ground floor while each girl has an equally large master with an even better view from the second floor along with another living room.  

Gillian took me for a walk around their golf club community of custom-built homes in a wide variety of styles. For many of the homeowners, these are their vacation homes even if they live as close as nearby Edinburgh.  

At the end of her street, we easily snuck onto the golf course to check out the view of the nearby island with lighthouse. 

 

Last Bits of Glasgow...

Here’s some random architectural shots...

…including a rare shot taken by Jimmy...

…and a colorful group of artist workshops. 

Before spending our last night in town, Jimmy and I said farewell to Ashlynn and transferred to a hotel since her roommate was coming back home. 

We changed into our hash clothes and headed across town. We intentionally avoided taking the bus since they’re so slow. Unfortunately, it turned out that the subway didn’t connect us to the bus we needed nor could we get an Uber to pick us, so we missed the hash. At least we had an interesting conversation with an employee at the subway station and found a place with good beers for dinner.

This subway station was decorated for the 125th anniversary of the subway, Europe’s fourth oldest underground transit system. 
 

More Cool Urban Art...

Below are random walls we saw around the city, but this particular wall was painted for COP26, the 2021 Climate Change Conference hosted in Glasgow. In front of the wall it said: Bow down to the roots of the trees. Bow down to the salt of the Earth. Bow down.

 

Favorite Urban Art in Glasgow...

How cute are these murals on opposing walls along a narrow street?

There were a few other walls featuring adorable girls. 

We also spotted several walls with the Ukrainian flag; this wall at a bar was especially nice with the dove representing peace. 

This was actually on the floor of a bar and wasn’t particularly creative, but I can’t resist hash feet. 

 

Museum Visits...

We took advantage of the free entrance to visit two museums during our visit to Glasgow, the first being the Gallery of Modern Art.

The museum only dates back to 1996, but the building is much older being built in 1778 for a tobacco tycoon. 

These were my two favorite pieces: a quilt...

…and a digital print called Photography is dead, long live painting by David Hockney.

Later we went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a purpose-built museum that opened in 1901. 

I loved the building, but must admit that I found that the mixed nature of the rooms housing the vast collection seemed quite haphazard.