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Tay Bridge and V&A Dundee

The first stop on the cruise we took last year was … Dundee! It’s only about twenty-five miles or so away from Son of the Rock Acres but it cost £200 less, each, for us to board at Newcastle rather than embark a day later at Dundee. No brainer.

The ship’s docking point in Scotland’s fourth city did give me a view of the Tay Bridge I hadn’t had before, though.

Tay Bridge

To the extreme right of the above photo is the new V&A Dundee, better seen in the photo below with RSS Discovery and Discovery Point beyond V&A:-

Tay Bridge and V&A Building

Wandering round the city centre I came across these stone penguins having a wee daunder:-

Model Penguins, Dundee City Centre

Nearby was this plaque commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Great War. “Dedicated to the glory of god and to those men and women who in all corners of the world gave their lives in service of our beloved country. We Will Remember Them, 11th November 1989.”

Anniversary War Memorial, Dundee City Centre

Penguins, Discovery Point, Dundee

Penguins are a feature of Antarctic life.

Outside Discovery Point Dundee stand four penguin statues. The road is just behind here so not all the Discovery Point Museum building is in shot.

Dsicovery Point and Penguins, Dundee

View from Museum. The new Dundee Railway Station building is across the road behind the penguins:-

Penguins Outside Discovery Point, Dundee

Watercolour of “Penguins at Cape Crozier” painted by a member of the Discovery Expedition, Edward Wilson:-

Watercolour

Penguins? At Christmas?

Reindeer, yes. Lappland, where Father Christmas is said to live, is famous for them.

Polar bears, yes. Also Arctic creatures.

I’d give you elves at a pinch, as they’re as mythic (oops, spoiler) as Santa Claus himself.

But penguins?

No. They are generally southern hemisphere animals; most often associated with the Antarctic.

So why are there illuminated penguins for sale as Christmas decorations and cluttering up the gardens of those who like that sort of thing at this time of year?

Just because they’re normally found in a cold climate doesn’t mean they’re anything to do with others who live in similar conditions. (Not to mention anything that might have happened about 2,000 years ago.) In fact they’re a whole world away.

Penguins at Christmas?

Bah humbug!

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