the traveling cupcake: cathedral

Showing posts with label cathedral. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Glasgow, Scotland

Last week we took a long weekend trip up to Scotland. This was another Brian planned trip, so as usual, I didn't know any of the details. All I knew was that we were flying to Glasgow where we would spend the day, and then our friends would meet us in the afternoon and we would drive a couple of hours to our final destination. More on that bit of the trip to come, but first I wanted to share with you the time we spent in Glasgow.

I have to admit, I had absolutely no expectations for Glasgow. It's not that I thought ill of the small city, I just didn't know anything about it. I can happily say that I was pleasantly surprised by this charming city on the river. There are numerous ways to spend your time - shopping, museums, exhibits, churches...the list goes on and on.

We arrived very unprepared. I hadn't done any research or read any books before landing. We grabbed a map from the rent-a-car desk and made our way in to the center of town. After a quick caffeine boost we decided that we would wander over to the Necropolis. Actually, we thought we were headed someplace else, but when we finally rolled up to the Glasgow Cathedral and wandered over the bridge, I realized that we were not in Kansas anymore.

Err. Right, you know what I mean.

The Necropolis is one of the oldest burial grounds in the UK, and one of the most significant in all of Europe. It attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year, who come to visit the 50,000 tombs and wander the hilly grounds. The cemetery opened in 1833 as a non-denominational burial ground and contains the tombs and graves of some of the most important Glaswegian (yeah I had to look that up) members of society during the Victorian era.

The path from the bridge meanders and wanders over the hills up to the highest point which over looks the Glasgow Cathedral. There are some amazing tombs, gravestones and sculptures and you could spend hours researching and learning about the people who rest here.

After a quick peek inside the Cathedral we were feeling the effects of waking up at 4am and our tummys were rumbling. A quick twitter Q&A with Traveller magazine and we were on our way to one of Glasgow's favorite restaurants - Cafe Gandolfi.

Cafe Gandolfi has been around for decades and continues to be one of the most recommended, well known restaurants in Glasgow. And for good reason! The traditional Scottish dishes, laid back vibe and friendly staff make it hard not to like this place. Even though we steered clear of traditional Scottish dishes for lunch (haggis and black pudding are not really our thing...shocking, right?) we both devoured our meals. A pint of local, Scottish brew and a kick-butt lemon tart later and we were feelin' the love for this charming local favorite. Not to mention that the tables and chairs were some of the coolest I've seen in a long while. Made of thick, heavy wood and polished to give it a healthy, worn look (which might have occurred naturally after 30+ years on the scene!) we couldn't stop staring at them and commenting on how rad they were.

Before we knew it our day in Glasgow was over. We had to head back to the airport to pick up our friends. Then we were heading Northwest into the Scottish Highlands!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

A weekend in Paris...

(From the top: Lobster, mango and grapefruit salad; fresh raspberries and creme fraiche; Ferris wheel by the Louvre; Ferris wheel; inside Notre Dame (next three photos); Promenade Maurice Careme; inside Sainte Chapelle; marble sculpture at the Louvre; iron sculpture at the Louvre; wine at Willies Wine Bar; radishes and cherrys at les Halles market; menu of the day; Rue de Poitou; graffiti; falafel from L'As du Fallafel; bistro; Chocolate/White Chocolate/Caramel with sea salt glace; glace shop

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wedding Story

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I attended my good friends wedding in Connecticut (remember this post on Winvian?) in the beginning of June. My previous post was mostly about the amazing reception site/resort, but I also wanted to do a special post on the wedding itself. You know I love a good wedding - I just had to share this with you!

The official wedding activities started the Thursday night before the wedding when the grooms parents hosted the rehearsal dinner at their summer house near the NY/CT border. Everything about this wedding was personalized and well thought out, all of which extended into the rehearsal dinner. The bride spent hours painting handmade signs for the wedding activities (including signs directing guests to Winvian placed along the suggested route from the church). She also designed their logo and all of the paper products for the invitations, ceremony and reception.

Guests at the rehearsal dinner dined on homemade hummus, fried shrimp with honey and mediterranean salads. Spiked Iced Tea and Pimms were the drinks of choice that night - the Pimms was a subtle nod to the couples current home in London. Dessert was made up of dozens of homemade cookies by the grooms family, including the sweetest baklava you ever did taste.

After the crowd was full of good food and happy from a few drinks enjoyed by the waters edge, things got sentimental. Speeches were made by many a family friend in remembrance of the brides father, a slide show played of the the bride and groom growing up and then growing together, and guests were even treated to a song performed by the bride to her groom. There was so much love in the air that night that it was palpable. There wasn't a dry eye in the house - and this was only the beginning!

The ceremony was held at a small church in downtown Ridgefield, CT. A picture perfect church and weather to match. The wedding ceremony was hand crafted by the bride and groom, so much so that the minister even commented that he had never seen so many revisions by a couple in all his time as an officiant. Lanterns lined the aisle with deep blue hydrangeas and candles. The bridesmaids wore floor length navy gowns and carried bouquets of blue and yellow, the ring bearers were in matching seersucker suits and navy boat shoes (ie, the cutest thing on the face of this planet). An old friend of the brides sang Jack Johnson before the processional and close friends read passages during the ceremony. It got slightly awkward when the minister forgot to hand over the bride - leaving her brother at the alter a little too long - but in the end we were (fairly) certain that Sean and Adrienne were officially married.

It was official - and now it was time to party! There was a bus stocked with snacks and drinks for those who needed a ride up to Winvian. Cocktail hour was held out on the lawn, with lounge chairs and tables, a 3 piece band, signature cocktails and the most amazing hors d'oeuvres (I still have to google that word EVERY time I want to use it!). The mini mac and cheese with pancetta and parmesan crisps were a crowd favorite. The reception tables were named after cities the couple had visited while dating, and place cards were made of vintage city postcards on luggage tags showing the guests which table they were at. The tags hung from tree branches, a vintage suitcase and photo guest book told the story of their travels and relationship.

The reception was held in the Gordon Brown House, which was transformed with candles and flowers. The live band played classic hits all night long and the tented patio provided a lounge space for guests to get some air and relax. Dinner did not disappoint either - asparagus salad and a beef duo (with the most tender, delicious short ribs I have EVER had) made up the first and second courses while amazing red velvet wedding cake and smores (made out at the fire pit) rounded out the dessert selection. Guests (and groom!) were treated to a song performed by the bride, arguably the best rendition of 'At last' that anyone in that room had ever heard (including the singers in the band!) The rest of the evening was spent dancing to the Heartbeat Dance Band, with lots of love and laughter filling the Gordon Brown House. (Apologies for the less than stellar photo qualities below, I couldn't get enough light!)

And as if that wasn't enough, there was an after-party planned at the Helicopter cottage. Bikes from the other cottages were lined up outside the door, signaling the party was in full swing when the bride and groom showed up...ready to party the night away as newlyweds.

Congratulations Sean and Adrienne!

Reception location - Winvian

Band - Heartbeat Dance Band

Photographer - JAG Studios (check out her blog to see some of her amazing work, hopefully her photos of this wedding will be up soon - I got a sneak peak and they are to die for!)

Flowers - Datura: A Modern Garden

Like what you see?