The unusual and the quirky

During our holiday we came across a number of unusual objects in our travels. Sometimes the objects were located in an unexpected context. Being grandparents can also alter the focus when viewing items - it can be easy to consider how the grandchildren would view items. Some of the items, however, were just unusual or quirky.

This sculpture of a cat by Giuliano Mancini is located near the ramparts of the medieval village on Saint Paul de Vence in southern France. Definitely a mixture of the old and the new.

In a park in Nice the play equipment is based on the skeleton of a large whale.

This theme is replicated in the playground on the roof of the Oceanographic Museum at Monte Carlo.

Outside the Oceanographic Museum is the submarine used by Jacques Cousteau for his underwater explorations. My grand-daughter would have been most impressed with this yellow submarine and possibly would have provided us with a rendition of the chorus of the song.

On a bus tour in southern France taking us through the countryside known as Pays D'Or towards Oingt we passed this straw pig, one of a number of straw creatures lining the road.

In Trafalgar Square in London we found this bright blue rooster on a plinth outside the art gallery. The artwork was unveiled on 25 July 2013 as part of a changing exhibition of artworks to occupy the plinth. The rooster will remain in the square for 18 months and will then be replaced by another attraction.

Coming out of the National Gallery into Trafalgar Square the following day we did not expect to find this charming Batman, one of the many living statues and entertainers in the square.

Giraffes in the streets of Edinburgh? In Leith Street, Edinburgh, around the corner from our hotel, we came across two models of giraffes made from scrap metal. They are the creation of sculptor, Helen Denerley and were unveiled in July 2005.

The small town of Pitlochy is known for its colourful garden displays each summer - Pitlochy in Bloom. Here we have a model of a lady golfer teeing off from a flower bed.

Unfortunately we were not in town for this event held at Ullapool.

It has become tradition for people to leave stones - the stones to being them home - collected from other parts of Scotland at this location on the road to Fort William. For those of us with young grandchildren it is difficult to look at the site and not think of the character, Makka Pakka from the television program - In the Night Garden.

This Police Box in the main street of Glasgow was one of a number of police boxes we passed in the city. Unfortunately we did not see Dr Who.

This stature of the Duke of Wellington has been a Glasgow monument for many years. Some years ago a traffic cones was added to the Duke, and sometimes to his horse, by people unknown. As soon as the cones were removed they returned and, after some debate, have been accepted by the council as a fixture (and tourist attraction).

Glasgow

Tuesday 19 August

After finishing our shopping and booking out of the hotel room we still had some time to further explore Glasgow. We therefore crossed the city to visit Glasgow Cathedral. The first stone building on the site was dedicated in 1136 while part of the present building was consecrated in 1197. Glasgow Cathedral was one of the few Catholic churches in Scotland to survive the Reformation intact. It is owned by the Crown and is looked after by Historic Scotland.

In the forecourt of the cathedral is a statue of David Livingstone.

Decorative light fittings can also be found in the Cathedral forecourt.

Over the road on the other side of the Cathedral wall can be see part of the Glasgow Necropolis- a major cemetery.

Near the Cathedral is the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. Upstairs was an exhibition, In Honour's Cause - Glasgow's First World War memorials.

This was a most effective exhibition consisting primarily of photographs of World War I memorials outside and inside buildings in Glasgow.

The final place we visited was the Gallery of Modern Art.  Outside the Gallery is a statue of the Duke of Wellington seated on his horse. Apparently it has become a tradition for traffic cones to be strategically placed on the Duke and his horse, usually by students, to the consternation of elected officials. A social media protest has caused officials to review their decision to spend large sums of money altering the statue plinth to stop the practice.

The exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art was entitled Generation: twenty-five years of contemporary art in Scotland. The exhibition did not impress us at all so it was a very quick visit to the gallery, however we did find Wellington's statue amusing.

Our flight to Dubai left in the evening. While we were waiting at the airport we noticed the bright blue sky outside - a little ironic considering the wintry weather we had experienced during our mid summer visit to Scotland.

Loch Lomond and Glasgow

Monday 18 August

On the way to Glasgow we visited Loch Lomond, a freshwater loch.

Before going on a cruise on part of the loch we had a short walk along the loch banks.

From the boat we had good views of a variety of scenery

before landing at another location further along the loch.

The coach trip then continued to our final destination, Glasgow. The driver drove around the centre of the city showing us some of the main sites and providing us with an overview of the city layout. Once we had settled into the Marriott Hotel it was time to explore the city on foot.

One of the first things we saw was a blue Police Box - we had not anticipated encountering the Tardis in Glasgow.

The city streets were decorated with brightly coloured flower arrangements.

There were also many reminders that the Commonwealth Games had been held in Glasgow a week or two previously.

Banners throughout the city were probably also part of the decorations for the Commonwealth Games.

We walked back to the hotel via the River Clyde which flows through Glasgow.

A variety of bridges link both sides of the city.

In the evening we had dinner at an Italian restaurant near the hotel.

Isle of Skye

Sunday 17 August

 A bus tour of part of the Isle of Skye was organised for the morning and it was our turn to sit at the front of the bus. Lots of photo opportunities. It rained.

Initially we drove to a lookout for a view of the region.

Through the raindrops we saw views over the water

and of small communities on the banks.

Out on the road again the purple of the clumps of heather contrasted with the bright green grass.

We drove past the Skye Museum of Island Life which shows how the crofters lived before the Clearances.The museum is on the Trotternish Peninsula.

More striking scenery at the Kilt Rock

and flowers everywhere as we ended our tour of Skye and returned over the bridge to the mainland.

The next stop was the Eilean Donan Castle, which is situated at the meeting point of three lochs - Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. Our notes stated that under a clear sky there would be a perfect reflection of the castle in the surrounding water.

However on a cold, wet, windy day the scene was not quite so picturesque.

At different locations throughout our exploration of Scotland Michael, our tour director, had said that if we felt particularly drawn towards a stone by a loch, for instance, then keep it for later in the trip when all would be revealed.

On the road to Fort William we stopped, in the rain, at a spot where people have left stones - 'the stones to bring them home'.

The stones are meant to keep a connection between travellers, when they return home, and Scotland. I have been watching too many episodes of the children's program In the Night Garden where Makka Pakka collects and polishes stones.

On the way to Fort William we stopped at the Commando Memorial dedicated to the commandos who trained in the area during the Second World War.

Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles, is one of mountains that can be viewed from this area.

After a short stop at Fort William, which because of the weather we spent having a warm drink and checking out tourist items for sale, the bus then proceeded to the Valley of Glencoe where the Campbells murdered the MacDonalds in 1692.

The history of the area may be gruesome but the scenery is magnificent.

One advantage of the rain was the number of waterfalls descending the slopes.

We stayed overnight at the Caledonian Hotel, Oban. Once again there were good views from the hotel windows.