Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum
 

Hello there, it's time for another travelogue. During the last 2 years I've put photos of trips to Japan, China and my home base in Korea up on Stampboards. (you can view them here in "The Watercooler") But I realized that since I have spent so much time abroad in the last 10 years, that I didn't have many photos of my own home country! Time to put that right

I'll begin with pics of my home town.....Kilmarnock. Home to Johnnie Walker whisky, and some claim William Wallace (Braveheart fame)

5 minutes walk from my house is The Kay Park. This is the boating pond. Many a schoolboy has fallen/ been pushed in here

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Feeding the ducks



The walk up to the Robert Burns Monument

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The Burns Monument



The view back to my house

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The Dean Castle is a 25 minute walk from my house, and I'm ashamed to admit that until my recent trip home I had never been inside it

From the tourist website

The Country Park, covering over 200 acres, boasts beautiful woodland walks, adventure playground, pets corner, visitor centre, tearoom, shop and a fantastic 14th century castle housing world class collections including historic weapons, armour and musical instruments.

Dean Castle Country Park is a fascinating place to visit for all ages. We also have a full annual events programme for the whole family.

Our newly installed nature cams means that you can enjoy the antics of some of our more secretive resident wildlife

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Inside the castle there are some fabulous collections. Here you can see a suit of armour, and a 15th century tapestry.



Some weaponry

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

You can even try on some replica armour! After feeling the weight of chain mail etc, I can see that strength and stamina would have been extremely important.

These could still be handy on a Saturday night in Glasgow.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Another couple of shots from around the castle

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The minstrel's gallery. Apparently they kept the travelling entertainers at a distance because of fear of the plague!



A minstrel



And the view from the gallery! (Is this where the phrase 'a voice from the gallery' comes from? )

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

More weaponry

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Another thing that I never knew was that The Dean Castle is home to one of the best collections of medieval musical instruments in Europe!
I was lucky enough to get a tour of the castle by the estate manager (the usual guide was sick) and as there were only 2 others looking for a tour that day, he showed us around a lot of areas tourists don't normally see. And we got to ask lots of questions. And as long as I didn't use a flash, he let me take my time and take as many photos as I liked. Nice man

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The kitchens

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Here is a classic image of Glasgow. In the past, students would put a traffic cone on The Duke of Wellington's head, and the police would remove it. Next day it would be back. Now it has become such a famous image, that I believe they actually keep the cone on his head The statue is outside the Gallery of Modern Art.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

I somehow managed to leave my Edinburgh photos on my computer in Scotland, so here are some internet shots....I was there....honest!

The Bank of Scotland building.



The castle

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The Scot Monument

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Here's a postcard from my ancestral home.... Nairn

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

In October, I went went down to Cardiff, Wales, for a wedding. Here are some photos of that trip.

Cardiff Bay (postcard)


The city centre

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Cardiff Castle





In the park

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The library



The couple whose wedding I went to have an apartment which is nextdoor to the Millenium Stadium...a rugby fan's dream address!



A nice pub

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The day after the wedding, I went to an ice-hockey game.



And outside the train station.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

At the end of October I travelled up to Elgin in the Highlands to visit some friends before going down to London. Here are some pics from that trip.

On the bus



Stirling

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

I spent a long time in the highlands when I was a wee boy. Sometimes you forget that your own country has some beautiful sights....people take photos on holiday and forget about home!

Elgin

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Elgin cathedral ruin

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The view from Elgin Post Office.



The monument description

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Some pics from the monument







How can you call this a weed?

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Whenever I go back home, I always take my neices out and treat them. I asked where they wanted to go during the school October holiday, and the said, "Can you take us to Glasgow Science Centre?" There wish was my command! So here are some pics. It was a grand day out....Wallace and Gromit style

My nieces (Jaye and Robyn) aged 7 and 10.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The old Waverley paddle steamer (I bet you Mr Boggler remembers this!)



View from the science centre to Glasgow

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Wow- interesting collection of pics.

Looks like you had brilliant weather and got back to Korea just in time by all accounts of the current snow.

(Special thanks for the Library picture)

The BBC Scotland building next to the science center



The cold winter followed by a good summer and plenty of water meant that the autumn colours were stunning!

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

I'll take a break from posting now....going out for a meal. Tomorrow, I'll post my London trip pics. Hope you enjoy these ones




The weather was great at the start of my holiday, Margo. When I was in Wales, it was 23C. 5 weeks later it was -10C and there was about 12inches of snow!!!

My flight back was delayed because of snow, but the west coast was hit last. About an hour after I flew out, the airport was closed. Because of the delays, I ended up getting to Korea via Tokyo!

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Some great pictures there,bring back a few memories,and also show many places I have not been to..

But I do remember the Old Waverly.and a Couple of other Paddle Steamers that we used to go Doon the Water on,,I had a Aunt who lived in Greenock,,and we often used to board a steamer there and go to places like Dunoon,Rothesay,or Tighnabruaich.for the day.

_________________
Nunawading Stamp Fair
Last Sunday of Every Month - Jaycees Hall Silver Grove - Nunawading.

I've climbed Scotts monument as a kid (with Mum screaming out to be careful at every step) and played the par 3 putt course at the base of Edinburgh Castle.

Even sat on Mon's Meg and had the fright of my life when the 1 O'clock lunch gun went off nearby. There is probably a stain on old Meg still.

Was in Scotland and never saw Ben Nevis or Loch Ness or Iona and now the strings are pulling me home... I need to walk where my ancestors walked.
I'm very jealous ScotsmanAbroad.

_________________
Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

It's great to see the Waverley again. The last time I saw her she was sailing into Rothesay absolutely full of passengers on a Glasgow Fair weekend.

Does anyone here remember the King George V? She was a magnificent ship that sailed for many years out of Oban down to Mull and Iona. It was so sad when she was lost in a fire during a refit in 1981.

I sailed on her on a very happy trip with my Dad back in 1974 and I remember being excited when I saw her plaque recording her role in the evacuation from Dunkirk.

_________________
Nigel

After a trip to the Highlands, some friends and I flew down to London for some sightseeing and to go to the San Francisco 49ers v Denver Broncos game at Wembley.

Here's a classic image of London..... Nelson's Column and a big red double decker bus

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The National Art Gallery



The view down to The Houses of Parliament

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The Albert Memorial

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Over the years, I've visited London many times, but it has been a while since I took the time to do some sightseeing. My mates and I agreed that as well as football (and beer sampling ) we'd take the time to be tourists! So we did an open top bus and river boat tour.

Here's the Albert Hall

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The Natural History Museum

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Dinosaurs

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The museum and ice rink



The museum and ice rink website is here http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/ ... index.html

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Some scenes around the museum

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

The pillars are massive, and I believe tell the story of a conquest.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Some street photos

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

Some shop windows

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

_________________
It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.