Scottish Flowers

Scotland in summer is full of flowers!

Here's the famous thistle, the national flower of Scotland, in its natural state

And here it is, in its symbolic state

These stunning wildflowers (Rosebay Willowherb) lined the roadways and railways all across Scotland; they formed enormous drifts of brilliant pink

Here they are, setting off the heather-covered hills. Heather only blooms for about 6 weeks...

Let's take this road!

The photos don't do justice to the heather - this is probably the closest to their actual color

I tried to get some up close (I guess I'll just have to go back and try again!

Here's another pink flower, but this one was by the riverbank 

These bristly fellows were along the banks of Lochs Lomond and Ness - a Gaelic word (forming part of the name of a national park) is "Trossachs" - one of the meanings is bristly, like this plant (and Scots, according to our guide 🤣)

This is the seed

Not all of the flowers were wild, of course...

And, not all of the flowers are even officially flowers!

If the hillsides aren't covered in trees or heather, then it's bracken!

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You can get a better feel for the road and rail sides by watching a couple of the short videos in my Scotland 2022 photo album. 

Glasgow Odds and Ends

Some odds and ends about Glasgow...

Apparently, the Indian team won at cricket - this sudden celebration happened right outside our apartment 

Someone has a strange sense of humor...

Italy...

Light show on the Pavilion 

In case you ever wondered if Glasgow has a public transportation system...

Tons of bus stops 

The original Black Adder (another sign had this spelling, but it didn't turn out)

According to my neighbor on the bus, this Tolbooth tower is where the last hanging of a woman took place 

Train to Oban

Yesterday, we took a slow train to Oban, had a quick, early dinner, and came back to Glasgow. Here are a few  photos of the scenery 🙂 (see my Scotland 2022 album for more)

Oban on the West coast of Scotland 

Castle ruins

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The route - normally 3 1/4 hours, leaving us 3 hours to look around Oban. But! Our original train was cancelled, so we killed an hour by the station; then the train we caught was delayed... By the time we arrived, we had an hour... 

Glasgow Cathedral

Yesterday, we spent a rainy afternoon in the Glasgow Cathedral - even though it was not sunny, the stained glass still glowed!

Quotes from displays:

Most of the cathedral's medieval glass was replaced in the 1850s and 1860s with stained glass made in Munich by the Königliche Glasmalereianstalt (Royal Bavarian Stained Glass Establishment).

The glass didn't last long, suffering from the effects of pollution which caused the painted surface to deteriorate. Some was removed during the 1930s and today only two Munich glass windows remain in their original setting upstairs.

The glass now represents the largest single collection of Munich glass in the world. The Bavarian Glass factory was destroyed during the Second World War, along with many examples of its work in Germany.

The remains of the glass is still stored in the cathedral and depicts scenes of biblical figures.

THE TOMB OF ST MUNGO

St Mungo-also known as St Kentigern - was a much revered bishop of Glasgow. Traditions says he was buried on this spot around 612.

GLASGOW'S SAINT

St Mungo was a missionary in Strathclyde and may have built an early church on this site. His sanctity was promoted by later bishops and he became a cult figure in the Scottish church.

This tomb, and a shrine upstairs, attracted many pilgrims, who followed a stage-managed route through the cathedral to get here

[Figure] An artist's imagining of St Mungo with a fish and a ring, which feature in one of his most famous miracles.

[Figure]: The cathedral seal of 1280 shows St Mungo, crozier in hand, giving a blessing while three figures pray below

THE AISLE OF FERGUS

The inscription above the entrance reads 'This is the aisle of Fergus', suggesting that it may have been the burial place of holy man Fergus. He was alive at the same time as St Mungo.

Pilgrims would have visited this aisle before heading down to the Lower Church to see St Mungo's tomb.

THE BLACADER AISLE*

The chapel was left unfinished until Archbishop Blacader added the vaulted ceiling in around 1500, so today it's known as the Blacader Aisle.

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We got reservations just in case, but it wasn't crowded.

* A different plaque spelled this as Blackadder, like the Rowen Atkinson comedy series 😀