Olympic Cycling Magic

So the Olympics are upon us, and have been for the last week and a half.  When we've had the time, it's been great to go to central London to experience the Olympics firsthand.  I missed out on the Salt Lake Olympics back in 2002, as I was serving my mission in France at the time, so this has been especially fun for me.
On Saturday, July 28th, the festivities kicked off in London with the men's cycling road race.  I've always loved cycling (and still hope at some point to see the Tour de France) so we made an effort to see the event unfold live.  Fortunately, the race went through a neighborhood called Putney that morning that is close to where we live.  We arrived just in time to line up with the crowds and watch the peleton blow past us.
In the afternoon, we visited Hyde Park and mingled with a few thousand Brits enjoying the race on the big screens that are set up there.  We hoped for a little more excitement though, so we decided to simply relax and let Matthew play.
Eventually, we left the park and made our way to the closest Tube station, where crowds were again lining the street.  We actually happened upon the cycling race again by happenstance, and ended up being within about a mile of the finish line.  It was fun to watch the final breakaway group speed by followed by the peleton.  (It's just too bad that Alexander Vinokourov had to win the race. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6914301.stm)
Our spot near the finish line was also right in front of the South Korea House, where the South Korean Olympic Committee is set up.  We were invited in by the costumed cast on the street and enjoyed a bit of fun and magic while the crowds went home.
All in all, the day showed me what the Olympics are really about: good sports and an appreciation for our international brothers and sisters.  That's Olympic Magic!

Putney - Courtesy of the BBC

Christy and Matthew lining the race in Putney

Our view of the race

The race's view of us - thanks to the BBC

Us with Wenlock, the London 2012 alien mascot

Alexander Vinokourov races past us on the way to the finish line - again courtesy of the BBC

I didn't take the picture, but I did recognize Fabian Cancellara as he rode past us following his crash

Our Korean friend

Some Olympic Magic!

And proof that sometimes cheaters do prosper...

Scotland

Several weeks ago, we spent an amazing extended weekend in Scotland.  We visited two cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh.  These two cities are the largest cities in Scotland.  Glasgow is Scotland's largest city.  It is an unpretentious and unassuming city where people live and work day-to-day.  While there are some incredible buildings, most structures seemed more generic and practical.  Edinburgh, on the other hand, is the glamorous and captivating sibling.  In Edinburgh, a large medieval castle perches high on a cliff, and a mile-long medieval high street lines the ridge near the castle.  The streets of Edinburgh seem to overflow with history, lore, bagpipe music, street performers and kilt shops.  We spent most of our trip in Edinburgh, and we saw some amazing things.  In reflection however, I am grateful we visited both cities.  Scotland couldn't thrive without Glasgow's economic center and population core.  By visiting Glasgow first, I think we enjoyed Edinburgh with a more realistic perspective.

Here are some of our trip highlights:

Matthew and I visited Glasgow's art museum, and found a stuffed giraffe, prehistoric fish, a light-up Elvis, and a moose.  ????  Yeah, I don't understand either.

Matthew and I visited an amazing medieval cathedral and necropolis in Glasgow.  The necropolis was perched on a hill that overlooked part of the city.  The grave markers looked more like monuments, and some of them stood two stories tall.  I had a photographic heydey at this place.

We all visited Edinburgh castle.  Parts of Edinburgh Castle were built as early as the 10th century, and more areas were added in the centuries following as different groups warred against each other.  From the top of Edinburgh Castle, you can see the Scottish coastline (also known as the Firth of Forth).

We meandered through shops, cathedrals, cafes and closes (really small medieval alleys) on the 'Royal Mile', which is the famous stretch of high Street that runs along the ridge in Edinburgh.

We happened upon a unique cafe where Deacon Brodie lived in the 1700's.  Deacon Brodie was the real man that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'.  Brodie was a respected cabinetmaker by day, and a thief by night.

We explored another medieval fortress called the Craigmillar castle, which was just a short bus ride away.  This castle was much quieter, and we were able to go at our own pace without being around throngs of tourists.  We wound our way through dining halls, kitchens, and courtyards and tried to imagine life in a much different time and place.

 Matthew sorting his diapers.  His new favorite game is sorting just about anything into piles.

This is in Glasgow's central square.  You can tell the Scots are excited for the Olympics.  This is how we tour in the rain. Matthew tolerates his bubble. :)

 Glasgow's main tourist retail street.  Notice the Olympic banner (And I thought the Olympics were in London . . .)  :)

 St. Elvis in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Museum.

 Matthew pretending he is a bird.

 The interior of Glasgow's amazing gothic cathedral.

 View of the Glasgow cathedral from the necropolis nearby.

 Glasgow's necropolis.

 Joyful Matthew and his balloon. Thank you, french cafe!

View of Edinburgh's olympic rings and the castle, which sits on the cliff in the background. 

Edinburgh Castle

 Matthew and me at the entrance of Edinburgh Castle

 This is a section of Edinburgh Castle.

 Chris and Matthew checking out the Edinburgh Castle prison.  The Scots even imprisoned Americans here during our Revolutionary War!

 Matthew loves cobblestones!!

The view from Edinburgh Castle down to the 'new town' portion of the city below, and the 'Firth of Forth' in the distance. The 'new town' area was built in the 1700's, so it is really new (uh?).

Me and joyful Matthew outside of the castle next to the Tattoo stadium (the Tattoo is an annual bagpipe festival).

Cool Edinburgh

 A section of the Royal Mile (Edinburg's high street on the ridge of the hill)

A cool street performer, but an awesome sword!

Chris and Braveheart . . . Matthew didn't care.

 The mysterious mirror woman (Oh, wait, I was talking about myself) :)

Outside the Deacon Brodie cafe (Matthew was done).

 Medieval ruins of the Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh.

Matthew and Chris enjoying the scenery. Edinburgh is in the background.

Ruins of the Craigmillar castle.  If you squint, you can see me (I'm that blue dot).  Rumor has it that feudal lords plotted the treasonous death of Mary Queen of Scots' husband here.

 Family moment at Craigmillar Castle.

Chris and Matthew in the ruins.

 More ruins

At the end of a busy adventure day . . . Matthew's favorite game is stealing hats. :)

Windsor Castle

On Saturday June 30th (wow, I've taken too long to get this out . . .) we took a quick jaunt by train out to the lovely town of Windsor.  Windsor is famous for Windsor Castle, which is the largest and oldest actual working castle in Europe.  Parts of the castle were originally constructed as early as the 11th century, and the castle is still used today because Queen Elizabeth uses Windsor as her primary residence!!  Queen Elizabeth happened to be home when we visited, and we saw where the 'royal apartments' in the castle were, but of course royal guards don't let civilians within any reasonable distance to knock on her door.
The castle sits on a hill that overlooks the Thames and the green landscape below.  It is fortified with huge stone walls, and even has a moat, which is filled with beautiful gardens (it was never actually used as a water moat because it was higher than the river and they didn't want to pump water up the hill).  It is the type of place that dreams are made of - I'm sure Disney took a lot of inspiration from the high stone turrets, winding pathways, and arched tunnels.
We walked the grounds and heard royal stories from a well-informed docent.  We toured elegant state rooms and banquet halls that are still used today for royal and diplomatic affairs.  We watched a royal guard change, and then pestered the guard by posing for a bunch of pictures with the other tourists (The guy has flashes in his face all day, and he has to keep a straight face!!) We also attended an 'evensong' service in Windsor Castle's very own Anglican cathedral.
The cathedral had dazzling stained glass windows, high vaulted ceilings and intricate woodwork.  We sat in the choir area and watched from a really close distance.  The service included an excellent choir of young boys and men, organ music, and a Vicar (priest) who presented passages and lessons learned from the old and new testaments.  I am grateful we were able to stop for a few moments to listen, learn and absorb this unique and reverent atmosphere.

 Welcome to Windsor Castle!

This is the moat that never had water because they couldn't pump enough of it uphill.  I like it better as a garden anyways.

 Chris and Matthew chillin' by the pretty moat garden. 

 Happy day

 Enter ye into the land of fantasy . . .

 This is real. Can I get some of these to decorate my front yard, so people will think I'm a queen?

 The queen was home.  This is her flag that flies whenever she is in residence.

 More turrets and arches.

Uh . . .?

Chris got an A.  Nice reflections, sweetheart. :)