Glasgow: The Mackintoshes

Glasgow has long been on my bucket list because of the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928). Now I realize it was a pilgrimage with reverence and devotion. We visited whatever could be visited, including a few that turned out to be construction sites for restoration, and paid whatever admission fees we had to. We had terrible weather in Scotland. I started swearing - I'm never coming back to Scotland again, but I know it's not true. I'll want to at least return to Glasgow to check out the results of all the restoration projects.



We visited the inside of six places, in the order listed below. I was in awe when inside all of them - everything was exquisite. As much as I loved the designs, I hadn't bothered to learn more about the artist(s). I hadn't realized how much of the works originated from his wife Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh. I hadn't expected such brilliant minds to be not fully appreciated during their lifetime.

It was all the more poignant to see "House for an Art Lover" constructed 70, by enthusiasts, years after Mackintosh's death, from mere drawings for a competition. Also, when a nearby former Mackintosh home, terrace house, was demolished in 1963, Glasgow University preserved the content, and built a new wing to the their museum, The Huntarian, to redeploy the content. It opened in 1981.

• Mackintosh Queen's Cross Church
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Willow Tea Rooms
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• House For An Art Lover
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Mackintosh House @ The Huntarian
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery: Mackintosh gallery
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Hill House in Helensburgh
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Scotland: Fort William and the Hogwarts Express

Our second base in the Highlands was Fort William. The weather did not improve. A Scotsman we chatted with on the trail said to us: "if it is not raining now, it is going to rain". We must be getting used to rain, as we kept pretty busy by doing three day walks. This post covers the third day.

We started on the Great Glen Way from Fort William to the Banavie locks on the Caledonia Canal. We then took the bus to Glenfinnan, barely making it before the steam train puffed across the viaduct, made famous by Harry Porter films. It wasn't until after it was over, we realized there must have been as many as 1000 spectators. Wow! We spent the next couple of hours walking around the area, before catching another bus to Mallaig and returning by train back to Fort William, going over the Glenfinnan Viaducto in the process.

This day started out sunny. On the walk to Neptune's Staircase on the Caledonian Canal we had a clear view to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, at 1,345 meters (4,413 feet)


Neptune's Staircase is a flight of eight interconnected staircase locks on the Caledonian Canal.








From the canal locks we caught a bus to Glenfinnan, arriving just in time to see the Jacobite Steam Train / Hogwarts Express cross the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct. In the video 4th below, the steam loco is puffing by, and you can see swarms of very annoying biting insects - "highland midges" they call them here.








From Glenfinnan we rode the bus to Mallaig. On the way we saw some Mediterranean-like coastlines. In Mallaig we looked around the somewhat busy harbour. There was a ferry departure and arrival, and in the water we spotted a seal and a Lion's Mane jellyfish.










Returning on the train, the scenery was very good, and we crossed the Glenfinnan Viaducto, and there were thousands of flowering rhododendrons, but the trip did not live up to the billing as the most beautiful train ride in Scotland.










Finally, the 10PM sunset view from our apartment in Fort William. Thanks for reading! And please leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you! - john and sun-ling