Happy Birthday, Arthur Hughes!

I bought a cupcake today to celebrate the birthday of Arthur Hughes, the Pre-Raphaelite artist who is the star of my dissertation. He died in 1915, but I like to pretend he's still around! :-)

Deep blue skies at nightfall

Tower of London in the snowy eve

Tower Bridge at night

Snowy trees at night

Bear hat

My favorite thing about the snow in London: wearing my bear hat.

Carluccio's meringues

Footprints in the snow (bird & human)

Fortnum & Mason delicacies

I stepped into Fortnum & Mason briefly today to check out the latest delicacies. They had square mashmallows in an array of pastel colors, a beautiful pink and white box with chocolates inside (I was tempted to buy it just for the box!), and a big honey display with various kinds of honey, including Spanish Orange Blossom and Hungarian Acacia honey. 

Afternoon tea at The Ritz

Glasgow

I also spent some time in Glasgow during my Scotland trip. I was only there a couple days but loved every minute of it. I'm eager to go back sometime soon and explore the city more. I particularly want to learn more about Charles Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of Art - I'm so intrigued by the work of all the early 20th century Glasgow designers. See below for some Glasgow highlights, including a few rather unusual ones. :-) 

University of Glasgow

Glasgow School of Art 

Kelvingrove Park

Statue on bridge in Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Organ inside Kelvingrove Museum. I was lucky enough to hear a beautiful organ concert!

Suspended white heads at Kelvingrove Museum

Simple but beautiful brown building. Love the windows outlined in green. 

Free Presbyterian Church on Woodlands Road

Side street with apartment buildings. Scotland is very brown and grey, but I find it so beautiful.

View through teal flower on a bridge

"Keep on Truckin" written on a bridge! At first I found this strange since I thought it was an American expression, but after googling, I discovered that Adam Smith (Scottish philosopher and economist) first started using the term trucking to refer to the process of getting what you want from someone else by appealing to their self-interest. Amazing!

Bloodshot eyeballs with wings on bar window

Top USA Nails! Didn't realize American nails were so popular in Scotland. (And not exactly sure how American nails differ from other countries' nails.)

Like both dwarves and diner food? Then Glasgow's Dopey Diner is the place for you!

Edinburgh

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Scotland. I fell in love with everything about Edinburgh - the art, the architecture, the skies, the streets, and Scottish accents. I can't wait to go back again. See below for highlights from my trip!

Morning view from Princes Street

Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street

Princes Street Gardens 

Red and white houses on a hill

Lovely greyish-brown building with blue door

Angels with Bagpipes - a wonderful name for a restaurant!

Beautiful architecture. Love the curved ornamentation on the windows.

St. Giles Cathedral, the historic city church of Edinburgh and the mother church of Presbyterianism. Beautiful sculpture, vaulting, and stained glass. Especially loved the unique architectural details.

Stained glass window by Edward Burne-Jones

Hind from a statue outside St. Giles. According to legend, Giles was accidentally wounded by a huntsman in search of a hind. Loved the sight of the black hind against the blue-grey skies.

Lovely architectural detail

Buildings in the Old Town 

Sign for deep fried Mars bars, a popular delicacy in Scotland!

More buildings in the Old Town 

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Man emerging from the ground. 

Charles Jencks outdoor sculpture, or "landform", in front of the Gallery of Modern Art

Front of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. "Everything is going to be alright." 

Pink and purple skies

Powerful words on Thistle Street

Thistle Street as night approaches 

Scottish National Gallery at night

Princes Street ferris wheel at night