A web site affiliated with Modesto Junior College (Disclaimer)
EDINBURGH
Directions and options from airport to hotel/city center.
Unexpected closures at Historic Scotland sites - check before leaving for a visit.
Locations of public restrooms in Edinburgh
Lauriston Castle - £5 admission CASH ONLY. Interior tours on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Gardens open and free daily 8am to 8pm.
Jedburgh Abbey - £5.50 admission. Open all year but subject to close in adverse weather. Check closures site before visiting.
Edinburgh University School of Mathematics - Seminars taking place while I am in town: MathBio Seminar Tuesday, March 29, 4pm, room JCMB 4305 (Higgs Room), General Audience Maths Edinburgh Seminar (GAMES) Friday, April 1, 2016, 12:05pm-1:00pm, room JCMB 4325A - MAP for both events
Holyrood Palace - £12.00 admission. Open 9:30am-6:00pm, last admission is 4:30pm. Typical time spent is 60 to 90 minutes. The abbey can only be toured during the summer.
Edinburgh Castle - £16.50 admission. Open until 5pm (last entry 4pm) until March 31st - open until 6pm (last entry 5pm) after April 1. Plan on 2 hours.
St. Giles Cathedral - Sunday services at 8am, 10am and 11:30am (see site for details of each service), also a service of music at 6pm.
Murphy's Vault CCGs - Prerelease event on Saturday, April 2 - perhaps FNM April 1 - or just stop by.
Potential Itinerary:
Tuesday 3/29 - light day to recover from travel and adjust to time change - sites near hotel: Calton Hill, Greyfriar's Kirkyard and other such explorations, perhaps the National Portrait Gallery - maybe some wandering in Holyrood Park. NOTE the hotel contacted me and let me know that early check-in may or may not be available - if a room is ready they will check me in, rooms are not cleaned until 11:00 and maids bring info to desk in the afternoon. They can, however, keep my bag free of charge until check in. (Boy am I going to be TIRED)
Wednesday 3/30 - major Edinburgh sites - Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Royal Mile and either Arthur's Seat or the University of Edinburgh main campus.
Thursday 3/31 - Jedburgh (2 hours one way by public transportation)
Friday 4/1 - math lecture at noon at University of Edinburgh King's Buildings Campus, University of Merchiston and either University of Edinburgh main campus or Arthur's seat.
Saturday 4/2 - Burntisland and perhaps Monimail
Sunday 4/3 - visit Lauriston Castle (2pm tour time) and attend a service at St. Giles (either morning or evening - evening is music only).
CONSIDER SWITCHING WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY ITINERARY - NOT SURE HOW CROWDED BURNTISLAND MIGHT BE ON A SATURDAY
LINCOLN
Lincoln Cathedral - 5:30pm evensong - 10:30am communion - £8.00 admission for touring (services are free). Roof and Tower tours are available and can be booked in advance by contacting our Visitors Services Team. (I have booked a tour - bring receipt - 11am, Tuesday, April 5)
Boole's Home - 3 Pottergate - not much more than a block southeast of the cathedral!
Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall - visiting times are generally 10:00am to noon and 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Funeral services or other events may cause a closure - check website before traveling here. Byron and his daughter are buried in the church, though there is also a monument to Byron outside.
Woolsthorpe Manor - a rare English translation of 18th-century edition of Newton's 'Principia Mathematica' is now on display in the Manor House. The Manor House is open 11:00am to 5:00pm Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
Potential Itinerary:
Monday, April 4 - arrive in Lincoln after approximately 5 hours of travel - take in evensong if on time - otherwise wander the city and get familiar with it
Tuesday, April 5 - tour the cathedral (including roof tour - sent request 3/1/16), visit Boole's house, other city sites
Wednesday, April 6 - pick up rental car, drive to Hucknall and then Woolsthorpe - note that Hucknall Church is only open 10 to noon and 2 to 4 and that the drive time from Lincoln is just over an hour at best, try to arrive by 11:15.
CAMBRIDGE
Meet with Dr. Piers Bursill-Hall and Richard Chapling for tours of Trinity College and the former rooms of Hardy and Littlewood - day and time TBD.
Trinity College - Information about opening hours, cost, punting, photography, etc. (I have contacted the Junior Bursar for permission to use a tripod - am awaiting reply.)
Punting on the Cam -
Also see "itinerary-tightened" for full details.
Potential Itinerary:
Thursday, April 7 - Wednesday, April 13 all days help open until I determine with Dr. Piers Bursill-Hall and Richard Chapling what days we will meet to see Trinity Rooms of Littlewood and Hardy
OXFORD
UGH - did not leave enough time for this visit! Find time for Museum related to Dodgson (University Museum of Natural History? or Pitts Museum?), Eagle and Child, day trip to Bletchley Park, visits to various colleges, tour of the Mathematical Institute - as well as the following!
Bletchley Park - visit either from Cambridge or Oxford depending on when I have time - better from Oxford if possible. It's only open until 5pm. Can I get there on the day I first arrive in Oxford - just turn around and get back on the train? Or maybe Saturday?
Andrew Wiles Building (Mathematical Institute) - Dyrol Lumbard will give me a tour at 10:00am (my Kilns tour is at 2:30 that day - watch time).
Oxford University Library Search Site - My contact is Amanda Saville (also now Lynette Dobson).
Queen's College Library - I have an appointment to consult their first edition "Whetstone of Witte" by Robert Recorde at 9:30am. Amanda Saville had booked me in, and Lynette Dobson will assist me, as Amanda will be out that day.
Bodleian Library - Thomas Clark corresponded with me from admissions regarding a reader's card. I must take all materials that were emailed to him to show in person (NOTE: "The forms seem to be in order. Please remember to bring the physical ID required (i.e. driving license, passport, identity card) and the proof of address in support of you application. I will place this on file with our other correspondence, please remind the staff member you speak to that we have something on file for you under your surname. On the first day of your visit you can come to our office, located on the ground floor of the Weston Library, for admission, and once we have printed your card you can go on to view the material." Gillian Humphreys is my correspondent from special collections (NOTE: "We can pre-order this material to await your arrival. You would then be able to collect the items from the issue desk in the Mackerras Reading Room on Level 1 of the Weston Library. From there you will be able to take them through to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room. The Weston Library is situated on the corner of Broad Street and Parks Road. It is a 'pencils-only' reading room, but you may use a laptop, tablet or iPad. Lockers in which to store your personal effects, other than your working materials, require a one pound coin (returnable) to claim one. We allow personal digital photography (no flash, no tripod and in still mode) for private research purposes, but all requests must be first submitted to a member of staff to check on conservation, copyright and ownership issues. Images are then to be used for private research purposes only.")
The Kilns - £10 admission CASH ONLY. I am booked for a 2:30 tour on Thursday, April 14. ARRIVE EARLY!
Holy Trinity Headington Quarry - 10am Communion, full sung service with sermon - Lewis's grave is in the yard. There is much information at this site. Tours are available by appointment if a guide is available.
Potential Itinerary:
Wednesday, April 13 - arrive - head right out to Bletchley Park if there is reasonable time to visit it (or else hold off on this to the weekend) - otherwise acclimate to campus - especially where the libraries are and check out the Racliffe Camera
Thursday, April 14 - 10am tour of the Andrew Wiles Building/Mathematics Institute, contact person is Dyrol Lumbard - 2:30 tour of The Kilns bring admission fee and arrive early! If time check out other Lewis locations, church, cemetery and/or "Bird and Baby"
Friday, April 15 - booking time set at 9:30 at Queen's College Library to access first edition Whetstone of Witte - plans (need to be finalized as yet) for afternoon in Bodleian accessing correspondence between Ada Byron Lovelace and Mary Somerville.
Saturday, April 16 - Bletchley Park(?) - University Museum of Natural History (Lewis Carroll/Charles Lutwidge Dodgson connections) - visit other Oxford Colleges (Merton for Henry Briggs, Magdalin for C. S. Lewis, Christ Church for Carroll/Dodgson, Oriel-St. Mary's Hall for Thomas Harriot, Balliol for Charles Hinton)
Sunday, April 17 - worship at Lewis's Church - Holy Trinity Headington Quarry - if time check out colleges I've missed above or other items that catch my eye - possible visit to crematorium to see Joy's plaque.
LONDON
Location of public restrooms in London
University College London - James Joseph Sylvester was a professor here (couldn't be at Cambridge because of religious non-conformity)
Royal Society Library - is open 10am to 5pm Monday through Friday. The location is 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, United Kingdom - which is just down The Mall from Buckingham Palace across the street from St. James' Park. I think the front is on the side opposite the park (i.e. on Carlton House Terrace).
The British Museum - Free and open daily from 10 to 17:30 (later on Fridays)
The British Library - Free and open daily.
Kensal Green Cemetery - burial place of Charles Babbage - at a distance from all else I am visiting, and I don't know the exact location of his grave - beautiful Victorian Era cemetery, though!
Highgate Cemetery - West is by tour only - advanced booking is required for weekdays but not possible for SS. Tours on SS normally run every half hour from 11am - 4pm. Tickets are sold from around 10.45am for all tours that day. Places are limited. Rossettis who influenced Dodgson are on West - Marx is on East. A ticket for a tour on West also include entrance to East. A tripod may be used as long as it is not on a tour - still photography for personal use only. By tube - take ARCHWAY tube, High Barnet branch, Northern line. (Don’t go to Highgate tube – it's a much longer walk!). Take the Highgate Hill exit. Then either take a bus (210,143, 271) two stops to Waterlow Park or walk up Highgate Hill. It’s then a very pleasant five minute stroll through Waterlow Park to the gates.
John Dee Exhibit Royal College of Physicians - Free Monday-Friday 9-5, but check website for closing days. Currently I see that they are closed on Friday, April 22.
MathsJam at The Knights Templar Pub - begins at 7pm, Tuesday, April 19. Bring a math puzzle!
Turing and von Neumann Lecture - hosted by Gresham College on Tuesday, April 19, at Museum of London room EC2 - no reservation, first come, first served, doors open half an hour before the event, arrive early to get a seat.
Temple Church - opening times are at this link (April not yet up - desired date is April 19) - EVENTS April 20
Hampton Court Palace - directions for getting there (use Oyster card)
Potential Itinerary:
Monday, April 18 - after checking into hotel check out venues in the area - possibly University College London, ****Royal College of Physicians (might be my only chance at the John Dee exhibit, so this is first priority), British Museum, 221B Baker Street - as time allows.
Tuesday, April 19 - Plan day around a 1pm math event and a 7pm math event. Use the morning to visit the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. At 12:30pm arrive a the Museum of London for the 1:00pm Gresham College Lecture on Turing and von Neumann. Have lunch then head to the Royal Society and Library at 6-9 Carlton House Terrace (just off The Mall, across from St. James' Park, near the end away from Buckingham Palace). Visit Temple Church and/or St. Paul's in the afternoon as time allows. Head to The Knights Templar Gastropub on Chancery Ln. off of Fleet Street for MathsJam - bring math puzzle.
Wednesday, April 20 (LONDON PASS DAY) - In the morning tour Westminster Abbey (opens at 9:30) and possibly Parliament - take time in and around Westminster Abbey. Science Museum - free - has a model of Babbage's Difference Engine and has a da Vinci show currently on. Next stop - Kensington Palace - perhaps some time at Hyde Park (or, if time, head back "home" to see John Dee exhibit, but note that it closes at 5pm) Handel House is near Hyde park - something to consider. NEW TO NOTE - dates for TEMPLE CHURCH are up and on this day there is an organ recital from 1:15 to 1:45 and an Easter Carol Service 5:30 to 6:30 (maybe skip Parliament tour to take these in). LONDON PASS INFO: see app.
Thursday, April 21 (LONDON PASS DAY) - Hampton Court Palace (maze, Tudor rooms, etc.), Windsor Palace and stay for evensong in St. George's Chapel. (Note that the London Pass gets me to and from Windsor but not Hampton - not sure if it will still work after evensong - otherwise use Oyster card?).
Friday, April 22 (LONDON PASS DAY) - Perhaps use a Thames cruise from Westminster area for this day - with destinations at the Tower (and perhaps Greenwich) - if time late in the day do some walking along the Thames or head to Babbage's grave in Kensal Green Cemetery.
Saturday, April 23 - Highgate Cemetery (BOOK A TOUR!) - British Museum and Library - if time this is another possible day to get to Babbage's grave in Kensal Green - or use the rest of the day to do laundry and/or revisit places and/or visit places I missed and/or journal and blog.
Sunday, April 24 - FREE organ recital at Westminster Abbey 5:45-6:15. Perhaps worship at St. Paul's in the morning - or take the day to spend more time in special places (visit Babbage's grave if I haven't had a chance yet) - back to the British Museum or the National Galleries or walk along the Thames - do some packing -
PARIS
Map from train station to hotel - or take bus (nice overview of city upon arrival!)
Eiffel Tower - I have a ticket to go to the summit for Wednesday, April 27 at ?????
Pere Lachaise Cemetery - burial place of Sophie Germain and Jean-Baptiste Fourier. Here is a virtual tour and searchable map (though I couldn't find Germain and Fourier).
Montparnasse Cemetery -
Abbey of Saint-Germain-de-Pres - Descartes buried here (minus skull and one finger). The plan in 1792 had been to have him buried at the Pantheon after moving him from Saint-Etienne-du-Mont after he was returned to France originally having been buried in Stockholm in a cemetery for orphans, since he was a Catholic in a Protestant country.
Pantheon - Joseph-Louis Lagrange buried here in cell 2.
Notre Dame - Organ recitals take place on Saturdays at 8pm and on Sunday afternoons before the Vespers service (except on Sundays during Lent). That link contains an additional link regarding other organs and recitals. There is an international mass on Saturday at 11:30am, which contains some readings and prayers in English - all other services are entirely in French.
Orsay Museum -
Orangerie Museum -
Dali Museum -
CNAM (Musee des Arts et Metiers) - original Foucault Pendulum, Pascalines, etc.
Garnier Opera House
Catacombs - holding the remains of about 6 million people - begun in the 1780 due to serious cave-ins of mines and sanitation issues with overflowing cemeteries
Potential Itinerary:
Monday, April 25 - arriving at Gare du Nord at 14:47 - just over half an hour on metro to my hotel (line 8 then line 4 with a walk between to transfer?) - get acclimated - find nearby restaurant and market - perhaps check out Camp du Mars for view of Eiffel Tower - perhaps take a night cruise on the Siene, if I can get tickets last minute -
Tuesday, April 26 - Begin with a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral and perhaps St. Chapelle; then head to Pere Lachaise cemetery for Sophie Germain and for Fourier (also Heloise and Abelard, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Moliere, Jim Morrison, Chopin). NOTE - it's a 45 minute walk from ND to PLC but a 30 min metro ride - maybe walk there and ride back? WCs are available just inside the Porte Gambetta entrance
Wednesday, April 27 - Eiffel Tower (don't forget to bring ticket) - Orsay Museum - Abbey of St. Germain de Pres (tomb of Descartes) - Sophie Germain house 13 rue de Savoie - perhaps the Rodin tour or Odeon Theater or a bus tour as well (or go hang out in the Tuileries, associated with Mary Somerville)
Thursday, April 28 - Louvre (tickets are supposed to give in and out privileges) - CNAM (Musée des Arts et Métiers) open 10 to 6, costs 8 euros (Foucault Pendulum, Pascalines, etc.) - perhaps also the Dali Museum - open 10-18 11.50 euros/7.50 euros for "teachers"(?) (3km from Musée des Arts et Métiers, so a 45 minute walk) - otherwise maybe back to the Louvre or time in the Tuileries or near Notre Dame. The Opera House is also a possibility and is only 2km from CNAM.
Friday, April 29 - Orangerie - Tuileries - Place de la Concorde - Champs Elysee - Arc de Triumph and perhaps the Opera House (if not seen yesterday).
Saturday, April 30 - Sorbonne, Pantheon (7 euros), Ecole Normale Superior, Cochin Hospital (Galois), Montparnasse Cemetery (Poincare, Viete, Galois), Catacombs and perhaps Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
Sunday, May 1 - International service at Notre Dame? Daytime Siene Cruise? Revisiting places that were awesome (or that I missed) or relaxing in the Tuileries or walking the Siene.
HEIDELBERG
University of Heidelberg - I've been granted access to archived letters of Sonya Kovalevsky - and the registration of my ancestor Homerus Wigbuldus from 1593. Sabrina Zinke is my contact person here.
Heidelberg Castle - € 7.00 admission fee € 4.00 for concessions tour is an additional € 5.00.
GOTTINGEN
Gottingen University (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) - see the Mathematics Institute (events calendar) - with its Collection of Mathematical Models and Instruments. Dr. Laurent Bartholdi is my contact person here.
Observatory - including Gauss's (which were later Dirichlet's and later Riemann's) rooms
Plesse Castle where the Hilbert and Riemann families hiked with Max Born upon his arrival in Gottingen (1930?).
Homes of Mathematicians - Klein (3 Wilhelm-Weber Strasse), Hilbert (29 Wilhelm-Weber Strasse), Minkowskil (2 blocks from Hilbert at Planck Strasse). There is a Klein Street (named after he died), and a Hilbert Street (named while he was still living).
Albanifriedhof Cemetery – where Gauss is buried – quite a large tombstone surrounded by ivy.
Stadtfriedhof (City Cemetery) – Hilbert’s grave and famous tombstone – also Klein nearby.
Potential Itinerary:
Thursday, May 5 - Monday, May 9 - all days help open until I hear back from Dr. Laurent Bartholdi regarding meeting and what is open and what is closed around the time of Ascension Day - like trip to Plesse Castle on Saturday, May 7
HALLE (SAALE)
Halle University (Martin-Luther-Halle University)
Meet with Dr. Manfred Stern for tour of "Cantor Places." - Nervenklinik, home, grave, classroom.
Marktkirche - where Luther preached his last sermon (death mask is here) - and where Georg Friedrich Handel was baptized and learned to play organ. Visit - also worship here if possible. See if I can get up to the towers and catwalk. Organ music from the Reichel organ 16:00-16:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00-12:30!!!!! HA! NOTE: Luther’s death mask can be viewed during regular opening hours (€2). During the winter months, the Watchmen’s tower is accessible only upon request. Enquiries can be made by calling +49 (0)345 12 29 984.
Wittingberg Day Trip(????)
Potential Itinerary:
Monday, May 9 - Friday, May 13 all days help open until I determine with Dr. Manfred Stern what days we will meet to see Cantor sites. Fly home Saturday, May 14
A web site affiliated with Modesto Junior College (Disclaimer)