Hi Mairiuna! It was truly a pleasure to read your post “The Wonderful Colors of Scotland: Blue…” , so much, it inspired me to gain more insights about blue tartans! The first thing that came to my mind was the blue tartan rug layed upon the corridors leading us through oddly-angled rooms and appartements when we visited the mysterious Cawdor … Continue reading →
Tantallon screams defense. From a distance, its walls soar out of the rocky headland like a monster fortification. A single line of huge wall was all that was necessary to defend this promontory from the land. Sea cliffs fall away precipitously from all sides except the front. Behind the castle, picturesque Bass Rock juts out of the Firth of … Continue reading →
Tuesday 4 September: from Aberlady Bay to Dirleton Castle our journey around Scotland goes on… On our agenda today we’ve planned to follow the scenic coast road (A 198) from Edinburgh to Dunbar. Our first stop will be at Aberlady bay. In 1952, this beautiful bay, much renowned as a bird-watching site, became the UK’s first … Continue reading →
Hi Mairiuna! I would like to share with you today a story about a restaurant owned and operated, for many years, back in the 1950’s, by my father, dearest Jean-Paul, the Braemar Restaurant, which was located at 8440 St-Lawrence Boulevard, just north of the Metropolitain Highway 40, which crosses, still nowadays, the city of Montreal, from east to west. I … Continue reading →
Hi everybody, BONNE ANNEE A TOUS !!! We’re just coming back from Sologne where we spent the New Year holidays not far from Aubigny-sur-Nère and a few kilometers from two of the most famous châteaux de la Loire: Chambord and Cheverny. Cheverny is the castle which served as a model to the Belgian comic book creator Hergé for … Continue reading →
In books lies the soul of the whole Past Time:the articulate audible voice of the Past, when the body and material substance of it has altogether vanished like a dream. (Thomas Carlyle) Hi everybody, Day after day, we’re adding colourful pieces to our great Scottish mosaic and when we aren’t roaming the beautiful roads of Scotland we … Continue reading →
. Blooming rhododendrons at the entrance of Hoddom Castle, in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland © 2006 Scotiana Just try to imagine what it can be to get asleep and wake up in the shade of an old castle, to be immersed in the silent atmosphere of such a place when the only sounds around are the murmur of the wind … Continue reading →
Hi everybody ! In a recent post about golf, I’ve mentioned Hoddom Castle for its quiet and beautiful golf links, promising to tell you more about the castle itself in another post. Standing as it is, amidst a vast wooded estate which has been partly converted into a first class caravan park and campsite, the castle is well worth … Continue reading →
Hi Mairiuna! Hi Jean-Claude! I sincerely hope the weather is fine while you are roaming the roads during this festive season to visit family members and relatives in different parts of your lovely French country. Upon your return, you will have added more than 2,000 kilometers to your car’s km counter and that is quite some mileage! Let us take together a moment to … Continue reading →
It was the end of a grey and rainy summer day when we arrived at Greenknowe Tower, half a mile west of the village of Gordon and about 6 miles north from Smailholm Tower, as the crow flies. It is located on the A6105, close to the junction with the A6089. We had had a busy day, travelling in the … Continue reading →
Mairiuna, here’s an important element for our Scottish studies: Dr Sally Rush, senior lecturer from the History of Art department at Glasgow’s University has found a link between the Nine Worthies and the medallion-shaped Oak profiles adorning the Scottish Stirling Castle King’s Presence Chamber! Dr Rush has dug deep into arts, crafts, fashions, politics and iconography of Renaissance Europe to … Continue reading →
