Stirling Castle at dusk
The last time we visited Stirling Castle (Historic Scotland) was a sunny, autumn day in 2011 and the pictures in the blogpost I wrote then reflected that. After arriving in… Read more Stirling Castle at dusk →
Edinburgh’s all dressed up for Christmas
I’m a committed Glaswegian but, whisper it, at Christmas Edinburgh does it better. Both cities have funfairs and Christmas markets but Edinburgh’s are definitely more spectacular. We explored them when… Read more Edinburgh’s all dressed up for Christmas →
A Chinese Opera
John’s just got back from a business trip to China. Unusually for these things, there was some leisure time built in and while in Beijing he was taken to see… Read more A Chinese Opera →
Unwinding in Crieff
On a day out in March, we stopped off in Crieff Hydro for tea and thought it would be a lovely place to stay. After a gruelling few months at… Read more Unwinding in Crieff →
Stained glass and puppets
We’ve lived in our present house for nearly twenty years, and every time we leave it we pass this at the end of the road, yet we’ve never been in:… Read more Stained glass and puppets →
Berlin: Leonard Cohen at the Waldbühne 05/09/12
So – the triumphant culmination of our holiday! Not that we didn’t love Berlin in its own right, but this is what it was really all about: the Leonard Cohen… Read more Berlin: Leonard Cohen at the Waldbühne 05/09/12 →
Berlin: Unterwelten & East Side Gallery
Our last full day in Berlin dawned grey and damp, so we decided to take one of the tours from Berliner Unterwelten E.V. (Society for the Exploration and Documentation of… Read more Berlin: Unterwelten & East Side Gallery →
Berlin: Alexanderplatz to the Reichstag
One of the first German words I remember learning, strangely, is Fernsehturm (TV tower) because the one in Berlin had just opened in 1969 when I started learning the language… Read more Berlin: Alexanderplatz to the Reichstag →
Berlin: Wannsee Villa
To the west of the city (but still within its boundaries) lies Grünewald, an area of forests and lakes. The trees are all very young though, because about 70% were… Read more Berlin: Wannsee Villa →
Berlin: Schloss Charlottenburg
Originally built in 1695-1713 for the Prussian Queen, Sophie Charlotte, and expanded by Frederick the Great in 1740-1742, this very pretty palace and gardens can eat up a whole day.… Read more Berlin: Schloss Charlottenburg →
Berlin: Scheunerviertel & the Circus Hotel
Photo courtesy of Circus Hotel website The Circus Hotel is number one on Tripadvisor for Berlin, and we certainly agree that it’s a great place to stay. Very central, in… Read more Berlin: Scheunerviertel & the Circus Hotel →
Maryhill Burgh Halls
Maryhill is an area of Glasgow close to where we live which, although not particularly touristy, has some interesting developments going on. It dates from the coming of the canals… Read more Maryhill Burgh Halls →
The Glasgow Gallivanter 