Edinburgh

For the last of our excursions as a group, we went to Edinburgh, Scotland. We took the train up on Saturday morning for an overnight trip. One of the first things to be seen on the Royal Mile (the main street of town) is this statue commemorating Adam Smith, the father of economics.


We went to Edinburgh Castle, high on the hill. It is thought to have been settled since the 9th century BC and throughout its history has been important part of the city.


The Scots seem to have a healthy appreciation of money. Here's the Bank of Scotland, the first in Europe to print banknotes and the second oldest bank in the UK (the Bank of England is two years older).


This is St. Giles Kirk, the "mother church" of Presbyterianism. John Knox shepherded this congregation during


Here I am on the hills of Holyrood Park.

Haarlem Pictures

Here Dad and I are in front of the De Vries & De Vries Antique Art dealership.


St. Bavo Kerk has the world's most photographed organ.

The last vestige of the Haarlem walls, this gate was on the road that led to Amsterdam.


De Adriaan Molen is a reconstructed windmill in Haarlem. There are more than 1150 functional units still in the Netherlands. The oldest one we saw was built in the 1600s.


One of the many flower beds from the Keukenhof, the world's largest flower garden.

Amsterdam Pictures

We have reached Amsterdam and here I am alongside one of them any canals.


The Zuiderkerk, one of the five major churches in the city.


The Magere Brug, a famous wooden drawbridge over the Amstel.


The Rijksmuseum


The Anne Frank House was a moving place to reflect upon World War II and the number of people who died in Nazi concentration camps.

Helsinki Pictures

Now we have some pictures from Helsinki. Here I am standing in front of the Lutheran Cathedral on Senate Square, one of the most recognizable parts of Helsinki.


A sailing ship docked in the harbor.


This statue is a famous gathering place for the people of Helsinki.


The Parliament House of Finland.


Last some Finnish forestry alongside the airport. Because of the high latitude, the forests are primarily pine and birch.

Tallinn Pictures

Tallinn was such an interesting place. I found it to be quite the juxtaposition of modern and new.

Here I am standing on the Toompea, the hill where the elites of the city used to live. Next is St. Olav's Church, for over a century it was the world's tallest building (the original spire was about 120 feet taller but burned down after repeated lightning strikes).



I found that there to be such contrast between the old Soviet remnants and the West. Here were two buildings that were just one building apart and yet represent a major divide.


Last here's a picture of the town square

London Pictures

I would be remiss if I didn't upload photos from my Easter holiday travels. Here are pictures from St. James’s Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London. (I know I normally write large descriptions but there's a lot of pictures for me to sort through and this is just easier. I'd be glad to show more and talk about it in greater depth.)

Next are is the Rosetta Stone and an Easter Island statue from the British Museum. There's also Westminster Abbey and a statue commemorating William Wilberforce inside it. Last is St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the orginator of the Colonial style of architecture.