From Melrose east and south: July 13 & 14, 2008

   National Cycle Route 1 starts in Edinburgh and goes south over the Lammermuir Hills into the Tweed Valley.  It follows the Tweed Valley east to the coast and then turns south towards Newcastle on Tyne.

  We said goodbye to Frank in the Tweed Valley, shortly after the picture below was taken.  It was at a baronial estate:  this was the gardener's cottage, built to look like a castle.

Landscape with clouds in the Tweed Valley.

Thank goodness the strong wind was behind us!

Alan in front of Bamburgh Castle, near Lindisfarne.

There have been fortifications at the site since the sixth century AD, around the time the Romans were leaving England and Christianity was arriving.

Biking off-road on the cycle route near the coast.

Heading South from Edinburgh with Frank: July 12, 2008

  Frank accompanied us again on bikes, heading south from Edinburgh on National Bike Rt 1.

We headed toward the Lammermuir Hills of the Borders region.

Strong tail winds blew us up the hills and we dodged rain.

  Very friendly pig who begged oatcakes from us.  This is a smart pig, who has a very rewarding schtick along the bike route!

Sheep on the road in the Borders.

Photo taken on bike of Frank while descending the hills

Frank at the Scottish Borders road sign, Alan in background.

This area is famous for raiding and lawlessness over many centuries, as well as the fighting between England and Scotland.  It is also the site of the opera "Lucia di Lammermoor," and the Walter Scott story it is based on.

Great Glen Bike Route: July 7-9, 2008

  The Great Glen is the rift valley slashing Scotland almost in two.

It cuts the country from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast.

Loch Ness is the deepest and most famous lake in the United Kingdom, right next to Ben Nevis, the highest point.

The naturally occurring lakes have been connected with a working canal system.

Boats use the waterway to go from the Irish Sea to the North Sea.

Along the canal is a bikeway and hiking path.

Here is a shot of Alan and Cyane at the Banavie hostel before starting out near Ft William.

Cyane at the highest point in the Great Glen Cycleway

Our trusty bikes with the canal in the background, waiting at a lock/bridge/teashop stop.

Shot taken while riding on the bike on a forest path, blurry because of bumps and speed.

Much of the route is unpaved.

Glasgow, Scotland: July 6, 2008

  Alan and Cyane made the most of a short day in Glasgow.

This is the place for Charles Rennie Macintosh - Glasgow architect around 1900.

Macintosh worked with his wife Frances Macdonald and were leaders in a Scottish Art Nouveau/Arts and Crafts approach to architecture, interior design, textiles, and furniture.

Below are shots of the Glasgow School of Art, designed (mostly) by Macintosh and built in the 1890's.  Macintosh and Macdonald both had attended this school.  It still exists today.

The exhilarating design may come through a little in these shots.

  Although Macintosh was recognized as a leader abroad, he was not accepted or successful during his life in Scotland.  He and Frances left Glasgow, moving to England and France.  Macintosh largely gave up architecture and concentrated on producing beautiful luminous watercolors of flowers and landscapes.  Charles and Frances both died early, poor and unappreciated.  Recognition of their vision and genius has really come much later and much of their work has been lost.  The remnants now left in Glasgow seem to be the biggest single cultural draw of the city.
  

Edinburgh to Glasgow: July 5, 2008

  Frank accompanied Alan and Cyane on the 65 mile bikepath from Edinburgh west to Glasgow.

It rained most of the way, and we all ended up covered with mud.

Still, a great ride and an introduction to the engineering wonder of the Falkirk wheel - a ferris wheel for canal boats, designed to get them from one canal to another at a different level.

Here is a picture of Frank in the rain with the Falkirk wheel behind.  It is hard to tell how enormous it is - that is a canal boat the size of a train car at the top of the question mark!

Edinburgh, Scotland: Visiting Frank

  Cyane and Alan did not originally go to Scotland for the usual reasons of art, architecture, whisky, or golf.  We went to visit Cyane's cousin Frank, the tall and handsome fellow shown biking with us in Scottish pictures.

  Frank is a cartoon animator and has an 18 month gig creating a BBC TV series with an international team based in Edinburgh.  Frank was a great host, introducing the wonders.

  Edinburgh does have great art and architecture.  Further, it has an impressive network of biking and bikeways, a waterfront that is being rebuilt, and an international mix of talent.

1)  Below is a door lintel made of good old red Scottish sandstone used in many buildings.

The lines of structures have a reassuring and substantial glow.

2)  Alan and Frank on the canal bike path starting in Edinburgh

3)  Port area of Edinburgh, being rebuilt for upscale residential and retail - where Frank lives

4)  Another ace mechanic transplanted from England, Dan Thompson of Thomson Motor Co.

Dan trained at the Rolls Royce factory and now has a "Freds in the sheds" repair business in Edinburgh; he kindly helped Cyane with a bicycle problem.

Alan is the one on the Triumph motorcycle and Dan is the chap in red coveralls.

Two Days in Dublin: July 1 and 2, 2008

  Alan and Cyane arrived in Dublin July 1 - six months to the day after arriving in New Zealand.

Ireland was intended as a layover; however it's vibrant spirit made it much more.  

Here are some shots showing:

1)  street scene showing Abby Street near the famous Abby Theater

2)  gorgeous flowers and a proud Celtic history

3)  fine Georgian architecture, shown here in the doorway

Beginning of Summer 2008

Here is a picture of Marjorie, Alan's mother with dear Swiss friend, Monica. Marjorie has recovered well from major operation and chemotherapy. We all hope that she has a calm summer to get back to gardening and enjoying life.

Alan and Cyane hope to visit Monica in Switzerland!

Finally, we are ready to move on. We leave for Europe June 30 for more cycling:

Edinburgh and Scotland;

Holland and Belgium;

Germany to Bayreuth for opera August 20-29

Switzerland

France

We may return to America September-October, just in time for the election.

Please stay in touch with us.

May thru June 2008

Alan and Cyane moved back to Kutztown at the beginning of May.
The Lehigh Valley is a lovely area, with many farms and horse-drawn carriages still existing.
Also, a great biking area!
Alan had worked on renovating our house there for a year.
Finally, it is on the market:
look it up at realtor.com under the address of 498 Siegfriedale Road; Kutztown, PA 19530

February thru April, 2008

For those folks who thought that Alan and Cyane had fallen off the edge of the world - you had good reason. We have not "blogged" since February.

We had a marvelous trip to south island New Zealand. However, about six weeks into the cycle tour, Alan's mother Marjorie was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. We came home early to help. Marjorie had a massive operation, is almost finished chemotherapy and is doing remarkably well. We spent two months at a boarding house near them in Philadelphia. We enjoyed the American big city sights and also appreciated the bike trails in Philadelphia.