“Dum Spiro Spero” – “While I breathe, I hope”. ~ St. Andrews motto

In honor of Scotland's official National Day…

St. Andrew's Day, celebrated on November 30th…

we shall ponder…

my Top Five Reasons to Visit St. Andrews, Scotland.

1) Our visit in June with a special teen-age visitor in tow justified a tour 

of the oldest university in Scotland…

University of St. Andrews…

founded in 1413.

 Graduation was looming the day we were there,

as were dark clouds,

so campus was quiet.

2)  There's the whole birthplace of golf thing 

and St. Andrew's importance to the game.

It's pretty important.

3) St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland 

and the town itself was strongly influenced by religion.  

The St. Andrews Cathedral…

built in 1158, is today beautiful ruins left behind 

after Catholic mass was outlawed during the Scottish Reformation.

St. Rules Tower actually predates the cathedral 

and lucky for visitors had a stone spiral staircase inserted in the 18th century. 

I stopped counting at 50 something 

because I was too concerned with what would happen if someone was on their way down.

There would be negotiations involved.

 Research has divulged 156 steps up

and 156 steps down.

4)  St. Andrews Castle is a beautiful spot for a stroll...

or a rest...

amidst the grounds of a focal part of the Church of Medieval Scotland...

 and home to the bishops and archbishops of St. Andrews.

5)  St. Andrews, the town itself, is quaint and easy to meander about.

Ren Man and I are partial to seaside havens 

and the West Sands Beach in St. Andrews 

was the opening scene of the movie, Chariots of Fire.

More recently known as the place where Kate and Will met,

you find tourist wandering around town snapping photos of where they had coffee, 

or lunch,

etc., etc., etc.

Our favorite spot for a lovely view of the sea while dining on fresh seafood,

is the aptly named…

The Seafood Restaurant.

Happy St. Andrews Day!

“Just imagine! In the early nineteenth century, this cathedral was in such a state of disrepair that the city considered tearing it down. Luckily for us, Victor Hugo heard about the plans to destroy it and wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame to raise awareness of its glorious history. And, by golly, did it work! Parisians campaigned to save it, and the building was repaired and polished to the pristine state you find today.” ― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

I finally made the time to examine…

  up close and personal…

Our Lady of Paris…

dedicated to the Virgin Mary...

better known as…

Notre Dame de Paris.

Touring with a parent of two Notre Dame University alums 

was the incentive needed to slow down…

 for a contemplative stroll…

observing its history, art and spirituality.

Following a full year of celebrating its 850 years in the heart of Paris,

the Cathedral still welcomes 14 million people through its doors each year.

Meanwhile, the gargoyles peering from each spire above…

are practical as well as intriguing.

It would be worth a trip during a rain storm 

to see the rainwater pour from their mouths.

Happy Thursday.

"Pompous yet majestic, the Italian Renaissance-style former royal court church (1905) does triple duty as house of worship, museum and concert hall. Inside it's gilt to the hilt and outfitted with a lavish marble-and-onyx altar, a 7269-pipe Sauer organ and elaborate royal sarcophagi . Climb up the 267 steps to the gallery for glorious city views." ~ Lonely Planet

Down the road from Brandenburg Gate,

is museum island,

 filled with museums...

and the protestant Cathedral of Berlin,

known locally as the Berliner Dom...

where concerts take place... 

in addition to church services.

The dome was also busy while we were in town providing another canvas

 for the Festival of Lights.

Happy Thursday.

"Norwich is a fine city. None finer. If there is another city in the United Kingdom with a school of painters named after it, a matchless modern art gallery, a university with a reputation for literary excellence which can boast Booker Prize-winning alumni, one of the grandest Romanesque cathedrals in the world, and an extraordinary new state-of-the-art library then I have yet to hear of it." ~ Stephen Fry

Norwich was a pleasant surprise.

Fully established as a town somewhere between 924-939 AD, 

 Norwich Cathedral, Church of England, 

not to be confused with the Catholic Cathedral in Norwich, 

followed shortly...

 begun in 1096 and completed in 1145.

 Like a reel of film sitting idle on a projector, 

stained glass windows appear lifeless...

until saturated...

 with light when the art comes alive.

Norwich Cathedral had its film debut this past March in the film Jack the Giant Slayer...

although its history with a large cast of characters, 

would be quite the screenplay on its own.

Having the largest cathedral close in England, 

part of the close is one of the oldest schools in the world.  

Norwich School was established in 1096 and still uses the Cathedral for morning assemblies.

As notes from the massive organ...

filled the air...

 the boys choir entered...

and proceeded to practice...

 for the five services they are involved in each week. 

Quite the setting for a reflective Sunday afternoon rest.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

My Aberdeen Mondays...

There is nothing like being shamed by visiting friends...

into a closer inspection of the city in which I have lived for over a year.

After a dozen questions about Aberdeen came flying my way with no chance of being answered intelligently...

it was with a renewed heart and wide open eyes...

that the rain was ignored and one of many new spots were visited.

What is known locally as simply St. Machar's,

  this Church of Scotland lost its status as a cathedral during the reformation of 1560.

Officially...

The Cathedral Church of St. Machar, located in Old Aberdeen, is named after a celtic saint...

with a celtic cross on display inside...

 believed to have been part of the original church dating back to 580 AD.

Original to the rebuilding completed in 1530, the ceiling displays 48 shields crafted in oak.

This church is so special...

we returned three days later to hear an amazing organ recital belting out of those massive pipes.  

At one point, a crescendo coincided with a sudden burst of sunlight radiating through these stain-glass windows into the church from behind... 

 like a spotlight. 

Yeah...

it was quite impressive...

but sadly the last Music at Six concert for a few months.

Definitely something to look forward to in the fall.

Happy Monday!