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There is no tour in 2011.
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Previous Tours
Tour of Scotland - September 2009
 Think of Glasgow
these days and anyone interested in the Arts thinks of
Charles Rennie Mackintosh who was born in 1868. Well, we did
him justice – unlike his Scottish contemporaries; he and his
wife Margaret Macdonald were better known on the continent.
A particular favourite for our group was a building he
designed in 1900 for an international competition and the
special condition was that cost need not be a consideration.
It was called House for an Art Lover. It was never built but
a wealthy late 20th century engineer thought he’d try and
build it using the designs still held by the German Company
who set the competition. The house was finished in 1996 but
only after much inventiveness by the engineer and his team.
Mackintosh and his wife weren’t content with designing a
building, they also designed the furnishings – in this case,
wardrobes, chairs, curtains, book shelves and wall hangings.
The latter were designed by his wife using a gesso technique
which had to be reinvented in the 1990s.
The Scottish Parliament building was also well worth the
visit; opinions were united about the attractive interior
but the exterior was a different matter. Designed by a
Spanish architect, several of us felt it was not in keeping
with the Palace of Holyroodhouse next door or indeed with
Arthur’s Seat.
A good number of Galleries were visited, along with Glasgow
School of Art, the Royal Yacht Britannia and Dumfries House
– the stately home saved for the Nation largely thanks to
Prince Charles’ loan.
A successful five
day tour.
Pam Scott |
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Tuscany and Florence
Twenty four members enjoyed
a tour to Tuscany where they stayed in the spa
town of Montecatini near Florence. They visited
Arezzo, Fiesole, Vinci and Lucca on the coast,
as well as the wonderful Pitti Palace and the
Uffizi in Florence. Highlights included the
Boboli Gardens and the pretty town of Arezzo.
Indeed, one Member was heard to say that she was
astonished at how many euros she returned with;
‘We were obviously expected to enjoy the art,
not go shopping!’.
Thanks go to Doreen Macaulay, our former Vice
Chairman and former Visits Secretary for
liaising with the Travel company.
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St Petersburg
On 3 September eighteen members and friends of
WHDFAS set out for a five day trip to
St.Petersburg arranged by Saville Tours. We
were based at the Hotel St Petersburg in rooms
which gave everyone a magnificent view of the
Neva river, the palatial buildings on the
opposite bank and the cruiser Aurora which
allegedly fired the shot that started the
October Revolution. Our tour included both the
buildings within the city - the Hermitage, the
Peter and Paul Fortress, the Russian Museum and
St Isaac's Cathedral - and the nearby palaces of
Peterhof, the Catherine Palace at Tsarsloe Selo
and the great Palace of Pavlovsk. The size and
opulence of the buildings and the range and
quality of the works in the Hermitage impressed
us, particularly in view of the devastation
inflicted on the city and the surrounding area
during the 900 day siege of 1941-1943.
The enjoyment of our visit was greatly enhanced
by our excellent tour guide - Alla Boromykova -
whose comments on social and political history
from Rasputin to Putin provided essential
background to what we saw.
Catherine Carter
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Fountain at
Peterhof (Russian: Петерго́ф, Petergof,
originally named Peterhof, the Dutch for
"Peter's Court") |
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