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Bill, the pianist at Trattoria Verdi, an Italian restaurant in London. We chatted and I told him I'm from Georgia, and he started playing "Georgia On My Mind". I wish I had thought to start recording sooner. Taken with my iPhone.


Big Ben chiming at 2:45 pm, taken from the top of a tour bus in London.


Parliament House. NOT Westminster Abbey as I initially thought. Apparently the Parliament House was originally designed to look like a church, in order to confuse enemies. It works as far as causing confusion.


Another view of the Parliament House. I don't know what weapon that is, someone told me but I forgot.


I chatted with this young woman outside Parliament House, she works there as a guide of some kind. She's from California but has lived in London about 8 years, and has started absorbing the accent.


The outside of Westminster Abbey, with St. Margaret's Church on the left. For reference, the Abbey and the Parliament House are on opposite sides of the same street, but it's the rear of Westminster Abbey that faces the Parliament House.


Closeups of the sculpture work around the door to Westminster Abbey.


A mechanical toy inside the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh. The Camera Obscura itself is in the top floor of the building and works like a closed circuit TV, the same concept as a pinhole camera. The rest of the floors are full of optical illusions and fun things for kids, I'm not sure what the significance of this toy is.


Walking around inside St. Giles Cathedral. Some places don't allow photography inside (Westminster Abbey doesn't), but this place sells you a photography permit for a few pounds. It was worth it.


A sample of stained glass inside St. Giles Cathedral.


Street musicians playing "Scotland the Brave" in the square (plaza? mezzanine? piaza?) outside the Scottish National Gallery. In the background and way up the hill is Old Town and Edinburgh Castle (not visible). To my back is Princes Street and New Town on the other side. To the back of the musicians is Princes Street Garden (a park) and in front of them is a multi-step piece of marble and the Gallery (visible at the end of the video).


A street musician on the Royal Mile playing "Ave Maria" on a saw, accompanied by a recording. He's sitting outside the City Chambers.


I filmed the cityscape outside Edinburgh Castle, with people milling around. A short (yes) woman crossed in front of me but out of sight of my camera. She made an apologetic motion.
Me: "You're fine."
Her: "You tellin' me I'm short?" *chuckles*
Me: "You're fine the way you are."
Her: "Oh...you're so sweet."


An exhibit of the line of Scottish kings. This is along one wall, breaking at the doorway. I think this was inside the Colours of Scotland exhibit within Edinburgh Castle.


The other side of the line of kings (continued from the doorway separating which leads to the next room).


I don't know what song he's playing. One of a number of street musicians that are out on any given day. I've never heard pitch bends on a bagpipe before...


The same street musicians outside the National Gallery. This song they called "experimental".


The shore at North Berwick, which is a short train ride from Edinburgh. I figured it was worth experiencing, even though I knew it would be rainy and windy.


Me inside a booth at the North Berwick train stop, sheltering from the weather.


I had just left the Glasgow Queen Street train station and started walking to my hotel, and came across this group "Clanadonia" performing in the open area outside the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. I bought their CD.


From the top of a tour bus: the Glasgow Queen Street train station and the square outside.

A large part of Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow doesn't allow cars, so it's very heavily pedestrianized. Lots of shops, and lots of street musicians. I tipped this guy a bit (I usually tip street musicians) for sheer originality even though he was playing along with the recording.


This guy was pretty good. He had just finished "Country Roads (Take Me Home)" and went on to do "House of the Rising Sun". I tipped him well.


Snippet of a bus tour, outside Glasgow Cathedral (Cathedral Square).


The center of Glasgow Cathedral. All the windows look like they're letting bright light through, but actually every one of them is intricate stained glass windows. It has a very high ceiling. I don't know what those things are called that are at the "intersections" on the roof. I'm standing just at the entrance to this great room.


The Glasgow Necropolis is next to Glasgow Cathedral (across a stone bridge which crosses a several-lane street). I'm standing next to what looks like the pinnacle, a very tall memorial to John Knox.


The other side of the John Knox memorial monument...thingy.


This is the taxi driver that brought me back from the Clan Cameron Museum, located at Achnacarry, which is in a small rough area between Loch Arkaig and Loch Lochy. He has worked as a driver for the last Harry Potter movie, filmed nearby, and the upcoming new James Bond movie.


Some footage of Achnacarry near Spean Bridge, which is near Fort William (Highlands of Scotland)


Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Chinese section. The place is huge, I was there over 2 hours and saw 1/2 - 3/4 of the garden. If I remember correctly, Scotland actually provided China with some of its plants as part of some recovery effort.


There is a pond in the Royal Botanic Garden which ducks seem to like.


Newhaven, district of Edinburgh. To my right is Leith, to my left is Granton. I came to this exact spot a couple of weeks ago on accident when the bus ended its line. It was rainy that day. This day was much better.


Standing at the end of a long pier or breakwater (not sure what it is), I figure it about a half mile long. On the left were a bunch of small boats anchored. At the end of this thing (made of stone, about 15 feet wide) was a stone or concrete support, and then a broken-up wooden pier. This walkway thing dates back to at least 1959 judging by carvings people had made in it.