Edinburgh looked great. I know those who prefer Glasgow say that Edinburgh just isn't vibrant enough, that it's staid and self-satisfied, but while I like to think that I don't go in for self-satisfied very often, I'm definitely more staid than vibrant (sigh). And anyway, anywhere is what you make of it. So Edinburgh looked great. We were up for the rugby AND OUR TEAM WON!
But we were up for longer than that, so we did other things too. Like visit art galleries, including the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and its annexe, Dean Gallery, across the road. 'From Death to Death and other small tales' was on at the main gallery, and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't give it the attention it deserved. I could mention much walking already, and an ankle carping bitterly about the (no longer new!) shoe but the honest truth is that I didn't properly engage. I've mentioned this before, my tendency upon (many an) occasion to zip around going 'like that, don't like that, can't see the point of that' and leave. I did exactly that this time. There were things I got, other things that I suspect I would never make enough effort to get, but either way, it deserved more attention. Luckily there's still plenty of time, and I shall go back and do it properly before that time runs out. No really, it will happen.
The annexe was more what I had in mind on this particular visit - less demanding of my concerted interaction, I suppose. We were taken with this piece of work in the grounds:
But we were up for longer than that, so we did other things too. Like visit art galleries, including the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and its annexe, Dean Gallery, across the road. 'From Death to Death and other small tales' was on at the main gallery, and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't give it the attention it deserved. I could mention much walking already, and an ankle carping bitterly about the (no longer new!) shoe but the honest truth is that I didn't properly engage. I've mentioned this before, my tendency upon (many an) occasion to zip around going 'like that, don't like that, can't see the point of that' and leave. I did exactly that this time. There were things I got, other things that I suspect I would never make enough effort to get, but either way, it deserved more attention. Luckily there's still plenty of time, and I shall go back and do it properly before that time runs out. No really, it will happen.
The annexe was more what I had in mind on this particular visit - less demanding of my concerted interaction, I suppose. We were taken with this piece of work in the grounds:
There was a suggestion that it might be a useful indicator before the match, later, at Murrayfield, but it wasn't because (as I might already have mentioned) OUR TEAM WON.
Lots of Paolozzi, from the sculpture outside:
Lots of Paolozzi, from the sculpture outside:
to the fantastic, and fantastically massive, construction in the coffee shop:
to the complete studio contents in a gallery:
where I was delighted to see a model of Star Trek Next Generation's Geordi La Forge and some kind of Star Wars Return of the Jedi construction toy (I think) among a million million other things. I could happily have spent the day just looking at that accumulation of everything ever.
But there were plenty of things I could have spent the day looking at. Toddlers and small children rushing about in the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street for instance, with a few hours reserved for the millennium clock (I need a better look at that).
But there were plenty of things I could have spent the day looking at. Toddlers and small children rushing about in the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street for instance, with a few hours reserved for the millennium clock (I need a better look at that).
Or, from the window of where we were staying, tiny people walking their tiny dogs on the park area across the road. Mesmerising.
Then, as we set off for home, the world softly changed. There was already a certain amount of snow and ice (we were in Scotland. It's February) but a gentle, powdery, persistent snow was sleeting down, coating everywhere cold with just enough of an icing sugar dusting to change the world to delicate black and white while still allowing the bones of the land to show through. It's not exactly a busy area, crossing the country south from Edinburgh, and we saw barely a soul - it felt very dreamlike.
Then, as we set off for home, the world softly changed. There was already a certain amount of snow and ice (we were in Scotland. It's February) but a gentle, powdery, persistent snow was sleeting down, coating everywhere cold with just enough of an icing sugar dusting to change the world to delicate black and white while still allowing the bones of the land to show through. It's not exactly a busy area, crossing the country south from Edinburgh, and we saw barely a soul - it felt very dreamlike.
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