Edinburgh 2

Edinburgh 2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The Edinburgh Waverly train station framed by the National Portrait Gallery and an academic building.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

More buidings just beyond Edinburgh's high street.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The sun setting on Edinburgh Castle Saturday night. The castle sits atop a hill in the center of Edinburgh.

standrews5

standrews5
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Also, me. This time I paused for a photo along the coast not more than 50 yards from the course. St. Andrews is a quant Scottish town surrounded in part by beautiful coasts.

St. Andrews4

St. Andrews4
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Me on the Swilcan Bridge with the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse and St. Andrews Links Clubhouse in the background.

St. Andrews3

St. Andrews3
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Hole marker at St. Andrews with the Jubilee Clubhouse in the background.

St. Andrews2

St. Andrews2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Swilcan Bridge golfers have to cross to finish their shot on hole 18.

St. Andrews1

St. Andrews1
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

A golfer tees off on hole 18 at the world famous golf course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Highlands6

Highlands6
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Me at Urquhart Castle situated next to the famous Loch Ness.

Highlands5

Highlands5
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness in northern Scotland. No we didn’t see the monster.

Highlands4

highlands4
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Highlands3

highlands3
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Highlands2

highlands2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Highlands1

Highlands1
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

A boat crosses a ‘loch’ near the town of Fort Williams on the far western seaboard in Scotland. Saturday I took a 375-mile trek from Edinburgh, west to Fort Williams, north to Inverness, east to Perth before arriving back in Edinburgh about 12 hours later. I don’t think there’s any better way to spend a Saturday than just soaking up all the natural beauty of mountains and lakes for miles.

Some Girls 2

Some Girls 2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

David Schwimmer receiving applause with his co-staring ladies. I couldn’t help but laugh at the start of the play when the stage light came on and there was ‘Ross’ thirty feet away. The idea of him making amends with women also gave the eerie sense you were in another ‘Friends’ episode at first. Nothing is wrong with that for a girl who misses her seasons of Friends DVDs more than any other possession left behind in the States.

Some Girls 1

Some Girls 1
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The billboard outside the Gielgud Theatre in London where David Schwimmer of ``Friends’’ fame is staring in a new play called Some Girls. The premise of the play is the guy just recently got engaged and is on a journey to visit four ex-girlfriends to smooth over their breakups of years ago or some level to see if he had picked the right woman. His question: How do you recognize the love of your life?

Oxford 1

Oxford 1
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Christ's Church in Oxford. I went to Oxford Sunday afternoon after spending the morning in Windsor. I didn't stay in Oxford too long because the weather turned crappy.

Oxford 2

Oxford 2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

A famous plaza on the campus of Oxford University.

Oxford 3

Oxford 3
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Oxford's 'high street' otherwise known as 'main street' for my American friends.

Oxford 4

Oxford 4
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Random streetscene in Oxford. I sort of enjoyed the vines growing up the side of the building, which made me miss Wrigley Frield.

Oxford 5

Oxford 5
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

One of the colleges within Oxford University.

London Eye

LondonEye
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is a view from the London Eye looking northeast toward St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance. The London Eye is a ferris wheel situated adjacent from the Thames River near Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament that take visitors high above the street.

London Eye 2

LondonEye2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Another view from the London Eye, but this time looking northwest towards the British Telecom tower. Afterwards, I went to the World Press Photo 2005 exhibition on display in London.

Hampton Court 1

Hampton Court 1
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The front of Hampton Court in Richmond, England about 20 miles southwest of London. All the palaces were built about 20 miles from the Tower of London, which at that time was reachable within a day.

Hampton Court 2

Hampton Court 2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The clock tower in the center of one of the main courts within Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court 3

Hampton Court 3
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The second main court within Hampton Court Palace features the fountain as shown in the center.

Hampton Court 4

Hampton Court 4
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is part of the vast gardens surrouding Hampton Court Palace. This part extends north beyond the palace and looks like a scene from 'Pride and Prejudice,' though I've never watched the film.

Hampton Court 5

Hampton Court 5
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

A view of the gardens on the east side of the palace, which is adjacent to the Thames River running down from London.

Hampton Court

Hampton Court
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is a gargile statue outside of Hampton Court Palace.

London Bridge Night

London Bridge Night
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is the London Brige at night as taken from the neighboring Potters Field Park.

Happiest girl this side of the Atlantic

Forget Tony Blair. I'm moving on to younger, better looking men.

Next week I'll see David Schwimmer of 'Friends' stardom up close and personal. The fellow Wildcat is starring in his first play in London's West End theatre district. I splurged and got good seats next week.

The show is called 'Some Girls' and tells the story of a 'modern man' and his three ex-girlfriends. Someone I met last weekend compared it to a 'Friends' episode. That's fine by me as long as I can watch him for a couple hours.

Calling all Scottish

I'll be living it up in Edinburgh during next weekend's three-day holiday weekend. I've already received suggestions about traveling further to St. Andrews or the Highlands. Anyone have any thoughts on either of those ideas or anything else?

My Money is on Albania

All the talk at the office the past couple of weeks has been about the Eurovision song contest. Think hybrid between American Idol and the Olympics.

Every year each European country sends an aspiring pop star or group to represent its flag. The song contest began after the end of World War II and most notably led to the discovery of the Swedish music group ABBA.

Tomorrow night the 2005 edition ends with the 25 remaining contests taking the stage to perform their three-minute song once again.

British bookmakers William Hill give Greece the best shot of winning, Germany the worst. The contestant I placed one pound on, Ledina Celo from Albania, has a 50-to-1 chance. Hopefully, tomorrow's performance of her song, ''Tomorrow I Will Go'' will be to the liking of Europe's Simon equivalent.

As if that it's enough for Saturday's entertainment, soccer club Manchester United faces Arsenal in the final of the sport's oldest competition, the F.A. Cup. United is seeking to win England's 134-year-old tourney for a record-extending 12th time.

Me in Cambridge

Me in Cambridge
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is me along the river in Cambridge Sunday afternoon.

Venice again?

Venice again?
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Everyone gathers around the Venicelike area in Cambridge where students row people along on punts and others lay out on the grass.

Round Church Photo

Round Church Photo
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is the Round Church in Cambridge. Obvious, I know.

American Cemetary 1 Photo

American Cemetary 1 Photo
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is the chapel in American Cemetary in Cambridge. The university gave the U.S. the land to bury the thousands of solidiers, who lost their lives while stationed in the area during World War II.

American Cemetary 2 Photo

American Cemetary 2 Photo
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

All the tombstones in Cambridge's American Cemetary. The vast number is pretty aweinspiring.

Artist Cambridge

Artist Cambridge
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

A somewhat artistic shot of a the sun over a church steeple in Cambridge Sunday afternoon.

The Backs

The Backs
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is the area along the river known as the Backs, which in this case backs up to the library at King's College.

The Backs 2

The Backs 2
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is another view of the famous area known as the Backs, which runs along the backside of the university.

Court No. 1

Court No. 1 in Wimbledon. Next tournament starts June 20, a week after I leave.

Centre Court

Centre Court
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is me in front of the famous Centre Court (as the British spell it).

Wimbledon view

Wimbledon view
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

A view of Wimbledon, the city, from Wimbeldon, the tennis facility.

Broadcasting Wimbledon

Broadcasting Wimbledon
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

These are the broadcast studios, which are adjacent to one of the courts at Wimbledon. This court, in particular, is really quant. Only about 500 people can fit in the seats at the other end of the court, but in the spirit of an afternoon Cubs game, residents rent out window space of the nearby high-rise apartment buildings.

Keeping score

Keep score
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is the scoreboard from Court 1 at Wimbledon. I took the train a half hour south of London Saturday afternoon to take a tour of the world famous All England Lawn and Tennis Club.

Interviewing players

Interviewing players
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is where all the players are interviewed. They are required to attend at least a 10-minute interviewing session or be fined.

Bridge in Regent's Park

Bridge in Regent's Park
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Doesn't this look like something Monet would have painted? I would venture to say even more so than the gardens near the Louvre in Paris he and other impressionists made famous.

Another bridge in Regent's Park

Another bridge in Regent's Park
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The sun sets on one of the pedestrian bridges in Regent's Park.

Houses of Parliament at dusk

Houses of Parliament at dusk
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

The sun sets on the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben Friday night. Probably ironic on some level that I went there for the first sunset after the Brits voted in new parliamentary members.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Tower Bridge was constructed at the end of the 19th century. The idea was to build two walkways to allow pedestrians to cross the Thames Rive while the roadway could be lifted to allow tall ships to pass underneath.

Me visiting Tower Bridge

Me visiting Tower Bridge
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is me standing in Potters Field Park, which overlooks Tower Bridge. If you happened to see the `Amazing Race` last week, this shot could bring back memories. I didn't see it, but my brother informed me that the couples had to go this park for some reason.

Tower of London

Tower of London
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is the Tower of London, which dates back some 900 years. The ancient fortress was founded by William the Conquerer. I went there on my previous visit, but haven't been back inside yet.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Here's St. Paul's Cathedral again. I went to an evening service here Sunday.

Primrose Hill

Primrose Hill
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

This is a view of the London skyline from the top of Primrose Hill in Regent's Park. You can see dome of St. Paul's Cathedral to the far left, the British Telecom tower to the right and then the British Airways London Eye ferris wheel immediately to the right of that. I finally got to Primrose Hill Sunday afternoon after a friend mentioned Saturday night that he always run up to the hill and back.

Regent's Park

Regent's Park
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Just some of the thousands of flowers all around Regent's Park. I went to the park for several hours Sunday to capture all of it on film. So here's one, but imagine many more.

Picadilly Circus

Picadilly Circus
Originally uploaded by mevansdpu.

Picadilly Circus again. I'll be in and around the area tonight. I have tickets to go see Mel Brooks' musical The Producers. Next week I'm going to see Les Miserables.