Maps are a fascinating way to put visual explanation to vague placenames, directional references, and navigational descriptions in a way that is wonderfully simple and revealing. I have made posts about Google Maps and mind maps and this idea of creating through our actions maps throughout the city and spaces we traverse. However, as the … More What Does My (Fill-in-the-Blank) Look Like?
Just because something is written or largely text-based does not mean it is not an illustration. My week in Wales, experiencing the sites and sounds of Cardiff as well as innumerable sheep pastures and walking from Knighton to Machynlleth, did not afford me much time to draw my surroundings, but it gave me plenty of … More Wales Illustrated
What better way to spend your Friday night in Dublin, Ireland than to visit the famous Temple Bar? Of course, if you’re seeking great traditional Irish music, you’ll have to first weave your way through a raucous crowd of rugby fans and then make your way up a narrow staircase to the second floor, to Gogarty’s Bar … More Trad Music at Gogarty’s
The hills of Ireland are steeped in history, from prehistorical settlements and pagan kingdoms to the Celtic saints of the early centuries after Christ and the church as it grew in Ireland. As I travelled, encountering these fascinating spaces and exploring the intricacies of Celtic Christianity, it was interesting to also see how we as a … More On Fire and Steep(ed) in History
Cities are often portrayed as places where dreams come true (or are dashed to pieces), and, every so often, we hear stories that reinforce this image of a concrete place of promise. As I walked along South Bridge Street toward Edinburgh’s New Town one Sunday afternoon with a group of folks from my church, I … More Grilled Cheese & Dreams
A series of sketches from my trip to the Isle of Skye, March 4 and 5. Click on the images to get a closer look!
A free day thanks to Edinburgh University’s “Festival of Creative Learning” (also known as, “no classes, thus an opportunity to procrastinate and opportunity to catch up on all my other procrastination”) affords me the chance to jump on a bike and make my way across Edinburgh to Cramond Island, a small uninhabited island in the … More Cramond Island, Sketches
Apparently you can get a slice of Los Angeles in London – just head over to Half Cup, a cute cafe near King’s Cross Station where we encountered salmon and avocado on seeded toast, iced chai lattes, vegan and gluten-free blondies, and beetroot lattes (that were bright pink!). It was a tiny artsy cafe that … More Half Cup: California in London?
Arthur’s Seat, an approximately 300-meters-tall hill in Holyrood Park, is a very popular place to be early on Saturday morning. Perhaps it’s because I spend most of my time around university students who cannot conceive waking before noon on the weekend, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the Seat dotted with expectant spectators early … More A Memorable Moment and Spectacular View
Teviot Row House is one of the University of Edinburgh’s main student hubs, located on the central campus and a host to a wide variety of student and university events. From ceilidhs and trivia nights to sports parties and comedy functions, this multi-storied, large-stone building boasts a wonderful number of rooms for studying, eating, laughing, … More How many bars can you fit into one building?
After walking around the base of Edinburgh Castle, through the Princes Street Gardens and around onto Johnston Terrace, I can definitely see why the castle is built where it is – a more strategic, foreboding, impressive-when-you’re-in-its-shadow place in Edinburgh would be hard to find!
On January 25th, the city of Edinburgh celebrated, or should I say began to celebrate, Burns Night, honoring the 18th-century poet Robert Burns. Born in 1759, Burns is best known for his poetry, though he also was instrumental in Scottish traditional song collection and collation (check out the Scots Musical Museum here) and served as an Excise … More Robert(, Robert,) & Robert: Fixing Memory Into Place and Space
Edinburgh Illustrated 