Friday, May 29, 2009

Hebden Bridge


One of Hebden Bridge's many bridges, and a mill in the distance

Very steep public footpath between Hebden Bridge and Heptonstall

A nice little graveyard just off the footpath

Countryside around Hebden Bridge


More general countryside/village shots...

View of Hebden Bridge's outskirts on the walk up to Heptonstall

Hard to see, but there are ducks and whole slices of bread in that water...

This morning I got an early start and went out to Hebden Bridge. It's about 1hr 20min away on the bus (you change in Halifax, so I got to see that city again), and my iPod died about 10 minutes into the trip. I tried reading some articles for my dissertation, but didn't get much out of it. Until today, I'd never realized how loud the buses are--the annoying chav pre-teens with their music blaring from their cell phones (awful music, too), little kids crying/screaming, their parents yelling at them to shut up, etc.
On the way out to Hebden Bridge, there are all these cute little villages w/ crazy names: Luddenden Foot, Friendly, Mytholmroyd (Home of Britain's only clog factory!), etc. Hebden Bridge itself is fairly small--little shops, pubs and tea rooms, etc. The main form of entertainment seemed to be feeding ducks/pigeons--everybody was doing it. I watched an old man pushing his wife's wheelchair along the river, while she chucked whole slices of bread at the ducks.
It didn't take long for me to get tired of watching the duck-feeding, so I walked around the town and up into the hills. I tried to make it up the steep hill to Heptonstall, but I gave up. I was so close, I could see it--but it was 70 degrees and I was disgustingly sweaty. On the walk down, a bus passed me going up the hill--so I'll take that next time. The only thing I wanted to see in Heptonstall was St. Thomas' church--it's a really cool looking church and Sylvia Plath is buried there. Something to go back for...

Monday, May 25, 2009

Halifax


Dean Clough Mill, and others packed in around it


Town Hall


And a couple of nice churches.
That's about all there is in Halifax. It's a nice enough little city, but there's not much going on...It only took me about an hour to walk around the entire city centre and out to the mills. I spent another hour or so studying and eating lunch at Cafe Nero, walked around a bit more, then headed back to the station. I checked the map to see if I'd missed anything--I hadn't. Halifax is a nice break from Leeds, but definitely not much of a tourist attraction...

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Edinburgh



Skyline over the train station

View from Calton Hill


Windswept but still smiley...

Sir Walter Scott monument

Cathedral and Adam Smith statue on the Royal Mile

View from the Castle


More views from the Castle

University of Edinburgh

St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile

I'm so immature...but, come on, "Cockburn Street"???

The Royal Apartments, including the room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI

The Great Hall of the Castle


More of the Castle

Closer view of the Sir Walter Scott monument

Lovely park with fountain and the Castle above

Pipers--all over the place in Edinburgh, way more than in Glasgow

Glasgow


Central shopping area on Buchanan Street

George Square and City Chambers

Glasgow Cathedral (13th century, has the tomb of St. Mungo)

Necropolis


View of the Cathedral from the Necropolis

Me at the Necropolis

More of the Necropolis...it was a long climb, so I wanted to take lots of pics!

Merchant City

Maggie May, a restaurant ode to Rod Stewart



Glasgow Green

Look how smiley I am!!! I'm loving life in Glasgow...

River Clyde

View of sunset from Garnethill

Another Tamil genocide protest...I swear they're following me! First Paris, now Glasgow?

River Clyde

No need to argue about which road to take--the sign tells you to go straight to Loch Lomond!

River Clyde