Glasgow and Winfield House

 I am a Fulbright alumnus now, which feels quite surreal.  Here is a brief account of the last few official Fulbright events.  First, is the end cap in Glasgow, Scotland, four hours north of London by train.

We were given rooms in the dorm at the University of Strathclyde.  The bed was square, which made it very wide but not long enough!

The university:

Our first event was at the Piping Museum.  A bagpipe player stands outside to greet us:

Inside, we were introduced to Ceilidh dancing, a Scottish tradition:

After dancing for far too long, the next day we went to the University of Glasgow for a tour and some lectures from their Professors.

We then went to the Hunterian museum, the oldest public museum in Scotland:

 The Roman ruins of the Antonine Wall:

Upstairs view:

Here are a few collections of Lord Kelvin, the famous scientist:
PV curve for the thermodynamics nerds:

An early calorimeter:

Harmonic analyzer:

Medical curiosities are quite morbid.  Here is a bone cancer of the skull:

After our museum tour, here we have a small detour to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Stroll in the park afterward:

 We had dinner at the Glasgow City Council, one of the nicest buildings in the city:

Of course, the most representative picture of Glasgow is the massive amounts of industrial construction going on:

The rest of the trip, including final presentations, went quite smoothly, if not as picture worthy.  I won't dwell too much on Glasgow, but suffice to say it is a wonderful and dynamic city. I have come to admire Scotland for its spirit and culture, and it has a natural beauty and wildness that is unseen elsewhere.  While certainly a lot smaller than England, Scotland is a place where many intelligent people are born, great works of art are created, and novel ideas form.  Though right now it is struggling with its own identity and role in the world, the future seems hopeful.

Unfortunately, I have to go back to London to furiously run the last of my experiments!

And a few days later, I go to perhaps final Fulbright event of my time here, a reception for the new 2014 Fulbright scholars (from the UK going to the US).  It is hosted at Winfield House, home of the US ambassador:

 I feel quite patriotic eating this:

Winfield House is a Georgian style home that has exquisite decor (as in, it is loaded with money):

It's private grounds are the second largest in London, after Buckingham Palace:

Little bits of American pride everywhere:

The huge grounds:

 The center room:

They have their own Tabasco sauce:

 Sadly, this amazing year is almost over, but before it ends I am glad it ended on such a high note.  I will certainly miss all the people I have gotten to know - brilliant scholars who will undoubtedly change the world for the better.  However, this does not mean that the blog is done, because there are still more adventures to be had (or to post after months of delay)!