Glasgow Mackintosh House

 
 

    Our time on Mykonos was split between a tour of the town and a bus ride to the highest point on the island. On the way to the top we passed many  houses with small red dome chapels attached to them, part of a tradition. Most of the houses are painted white to reflect the hot summer sun. At the top, we encountered the winds that made it difficult to maintain our balance at times. These winds were so strong that the ship could not launch tenders to drop us off at Delos that day.

    We were told that we were lucky to visit in September because, in the summer, the island is overrun with tourists and summer residents. Mykonos is considered the Saint-Tropez of the Greek islands and many of these visitors are billionaires.  Down in the town, the narrow streets with their large stones the mortar between painted white are striking. They front on rows and rows of expensive shops frequented by few prospective buyers in this off-season. This is a rich peoples town.

 

Windy and Wealthy

    We caught a train to Glasgow to see the Mackintosh house. Charles Rennie MackIntosh was a famous architect and designer, He married to another artist and designed the house for them, where they lived there from 1906 to 1914. The original house was demolished in the early 1960s, but the plans and fixtures were preserved. The house has been reassembled as an annex to the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow. The interiors, completed in 1981, have been furnished with the Mackintoshes' own furniture - all of Mackintosh's design. The rooms were decorated as closely as possible to the original.

        Although it the interiors are impressive, we wondered how anyone could live it the place! All straight lines on the furniture and in curves and in the decorations. While they are gorgeous to the eye, they would be uncomfortable to the body. For eight years, to suffer for, and in, one’s art.

        From there, we walked over the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Alas, there was no gardens, just lots of large impressive greenhouses that they were being used for a children’s science fair that day. However, we stopped at their Tea Room at the Gardens, where high tea was served.

Living in a Mackintosh World