The University of Stirling – Top 5 places – Worth to take a photo
Han Jin
“I feel like I am studying in the scenic spot now.” a Chinese classmate told me. For most Chinese students who study on Chinese campuses , they came to a place at the first time that combines the natural environment with the school building is a special and exciting experience. After the class, you can not only enjoy the natural scenery of the gradual change, but also interact with cute animals peacefully. In order to save the distance and take good-looking photos, I designed a route which start from the AC dormitory. And I chose the 5 best places that worth to take photos. The most important thing is that you can own the beautiful scenery.
Garden in Fairy Tale – Behind the AC dormitory is a winding path, dotted with colourful mushrooms on the green lawn. The seductive color is reminiscent of the woodland path that little red riding hood has walked through in fairy tales. It is full of temptation and also full of danger. Looking at the end of the road, a vast mountain with its stalwart chest, for this scene, depicting the outline of the background. If you walk slowly along the path, or look down to find a unique leaf, this scene is integrated into this canvas, fixed into a beautiful and eternal moment.
Historic Castle – Walking along the golf course, a small castle with faded brilliance will appear in front of you. This castle is called Airthrey Castle. It has been nearly 300 years old. When the night is coming, the blue sky becomes dark gradually. The yellowish light shining through the windows of the castle. Sitting on a bench in front of the castle, you can looking up at the stars and smell the leaves and grass in the air.
Unique Bridge – Airthrey Loch divides the University of Stirling into two halves. As the only bridge, with its straight body, connects the two sides with loneliness and loyalty. It facilitates the teachers and students who commute between the dormitory and the teaching buildings. Walking along with two friends and you just be able to cross the bridge side by side. Bowing your head down, you can see the flowing lake through the gap in the ground. Looking up, you can see the trees and swans that swim across the lake freely and slowly. If it is winter, the lake will be covered with thin ice, the cold wind is blow off the leaves, and the snow flutters. It will be a different kind of scenery.
Lake Mirror – Walking through the small bridge and going to the right along the lake, there will be a bright and open view. You can sit on a long wooden chair and pose in any position you like. Because behind you, there is a calm lake, just like a mirror, reflecting the lush trees on both sides of the river, and the sky with soft clouds. Your background will be a huge landscape painting. A breeze blew through, the lake was sparkling, and when the shutter was pressed, it became a static GIF.
Playing with Queen’s Swans – At the last place, we came to the nearest place to the lake, where have some little cute animals, seagulls, ducks and swans. If you want to experience the fun of interacting with them, you can bring some bread and smash the bread into small pieces. You can put it into the lake, ducks and swans are easier to eat. You can throw it into the sky, the sensitive and greedy seagulls will bite it in the air. When you quietly feed the Queen’s swan and watch them eat with elegant deportment, will it seem to return to the last century in a flash, just like the leisure time that the princess or the noble lady once enjoyed.
From the Wallace monument to the belief
Words & photograph by Yirugui (Irene)
An obsession
In September this year, I came to the UK to study as a visiting student in University of Stirling. University of Stirling not only has a good educational environment and public facilities, but also has a very beautiful campus environment, just like a national park. From the first day when I entered the school, I was very excited when I went by the Airthrey, Airthrey loch and golf course on campus, I saw the beautiful scene of the campus and the Wallace Monument. Especially in sunny day weather, it would be the very beautiful picture photograph by my camera. My friends said that I have an obsession with the Wallace.
An experience
On September 25, we climbed the hillside of the Wallace monument. It was rainy day and the clouds were closed, which made the monument more magnificent. The Wallace Monument is a tower standing on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It was built to commemorate the 13th century Scottish hero Wallace, he made a great contribution to the victory of Scottish independence war. The monument is a typical building of Victorian gothic architecture. In the center of the monument stands a statue of Wallace, looking down on the direction of the battlefield, which is the direction of Stirling Old Bridge. This statue looks very grand, it is said that the statue was carved according to the real Wallace.
A kind of belief
My first impression of the Wallace monument began with a movie called braveheart. Few months ago when I learned that I could come to the University of Stirling I watched it again. The film is set in the courtly politics of 13th-14th century England, with the war as the core, and tells the story of William Wallace, leader of the Scottish uprising, and the indomitable struggle of the rulers of England. This is the man whom this monument honors. Here’s one of my favorite lines in this film: Many man dies, not every man really lives. When your belief in pursuing a matter becomes an obsession, it becomes a belief. We live in an age that it is easy to lack faith. We are easily lost myself and feel lonely. It is because of our loss that this age has become so material; It is because of our loneliness, the emergence of the idol, the annihilation of the hero. William Wallace’s dream of freedom cost his life. His belief in freedom has become a symbol, a symbol, a belief. Such a belief is exactly what each of us needs.
Gothic architecture: imagination into reality
Scarlett
Imagination
Mysterious, bony and colorful, the Gothic architecture in my mind presents such a picture. TV, literary classics, the classroom, to all of the contact, Gothic architecture almost all here. In retrospect, what really attracted me to Gothic architecture was the book called Introduction to Western Culture. The words “soul soaring” “separation of spirit and flesh” and “spiritual baptism” left indelible traces in my mind.
Look at the picture in the book, rose window dappled light and shadow, imagine myself in a dark and empty church, a light through the tracery, the whole space become colourful. Dark and colour, seemingly false and real at the same time, what a kind of beautiful enjoyment! Every time I walk down the street and look at the towering “bean curd” buildings, I always imagine what it would be like to build a church at such a height. In Beijing, there are some churches, but there’s no right time to see them. Gradually, “going to church” becomes one of the “dream lists”.
Reality
It was unexpected for me to study in the UK at the age of 23. Maybe I thought it could be realized in my heart, but I still feel incredible to realize it such an early age. The moment I stepped onto the plane, the words “Britain, Europe, church” popped out of my mind.
Wondering, and feel so lucky. On the train to Edinburgh I had a mental picture of the church. As I walked along the royal mile, I could see nothing but Gothic buildings, though the destination had not yet been reached.
St. Giles cathedral, located in the middle of the royal mile in the old city of Edinburgh, has a history of 900 years. As its name, this church was originally dedicated to saint giles. In the long course of history, it gradually assumed the functions of the church.
Step by step, I toward the direction of the church. Tall, thin wall, the richly ornamented flying buttress, the pointed arch, fancy pane, the carvings. The images in my mind came to my eyes, at an astonishing height, the acme of symmetry, majestic and magnificent, vertical down from the sky, yet deeply poignant and fragile.
The interior of the church is open and transparent, with an umbrella vault, symmetry, arrangement and repetition of the figures, and the ultimate perfection. The sunlight reflects the colorful biblical story through the glass flower Windows. Sitting in a chair, quiet, as if time stands still.
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