to keep a car from flipping over?
I had never thought about this question until I visited The Riverside Museum, Glasgow’s Museum of Transport and Travel.
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This surprisingly engaging museum was designed by famed architect Zaha Hadid. The cars and trains (and bicycles, motorcycles, etc.) were fascinating not only in their historic value but as objects of art.
Postal delivery motorcycle ©readinginterrupted.com
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But I really laughed when I saw this little car:
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I don’t know how many books it actually took to keep the car from flipping over, but I love the idea that one needed to drive with one’s library for safety reasons!
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this museum is on my list now. thanks 🙂
There’s so much to see in this museum- and the layout is very well done, very organic. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!
Love this post!!! I have just put the Riverside Museum, Glasgow’s Museum of Transport and Travel on my bucket list!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love Scotland and this was my first visit to Glasgow. While Edinburgh has my heart, I still enjoyed my time in Glasgow – the museums were interesting and the people were charming. Let me know if you end up going to the museum!
You must definitely come, come, come…. 🙂
That is completely wonderful; keeping oneself grounded with books.
keeping oneself grounded with books- yes!!!
Haha… That is what you would have done as well, I am sure given your love for books and reading. We guys used to solve such problems in physics back in high school days 😛
Sometimes I think why is it that we are easily attracted by vintage stuff. I mean for one, they have been there once, seen their times and have been replaced. There is a better technology out there now. But still it feels so warm… the old typewriters and all. Sort of like gives a story of how it all started and, we love stories- don’t we 🙂
Yes, the stories make them much more personal and remind us that they are part of the human experience. I think that you would have liked the museum, Tatsat; as you walk around, you see the beautiful trains and cars and see how technology has changed over the ages and also why it has changed; quite interesting.
I haven’t been to a museum, and that is not something I am proud of. But as you can understand, I would love to be there. Moreso in one where it is about technology. This one is going to be on my list 🙂
It’s great to have that to look forward to then- that might start a love of museums in your future 🙂
I love this museum and that little car loaded with books in the front must have been something….I would put a few dictionaries that I never use and a few outdated travel books.
I love the postal motor bike too! What a great sight showing up everyday!
A few big dictionaries would certainly help, that’s a good idea! And all those outdated travel books we never know what to do with, great!
I love the postal bike too!
I’m assuming hardcovers because they weigh more. In the States, people keep bags of sand in their pickups to prevent the back end from fishtailing on ice. I wonder if anyone has used waterproof books.
I have friends who have a pickup truck- I’ll have to ask them if they use bags of books in their truck in the winter!
Let me know!
Seems like an interesting museum.
It definitely was- not only because of what it displayed, but because of how it was displayed.
That’s fantastic! I love the colors of the vehicles. I wish more new cars had those cool milky tones.
Milky tones, exactly! Even the colors of the trains were beautiful. I kept wanting to touch everything, the colors were so inviting and tactile.
Um, this museum looks rad! Keeping the car from flipping with books…genius.
Quite clever, isn’t it? The idea of keeping the car right-side up with canned goods is funny too!
What a crazy question to contemplate, I would love to take all my books around with me. This type of car was always getting abuse from Mr Bean in the old TV shows…you always pick the most fascinating places to visit.
I’ll have to watch my Mr. Bean episodes again, it’s been a while, and I’d love to see this little car in action!
This museum looks absolutely fantastic, Letizia. What a blast from the past! 😀
A time-traveller transportation museum, for sure, Dianne. They even had prams from throughout the ages… all modes of transport!
Hahah now that’s a new reason for books, as per that last photo! Big smiles here 🙂
At least she always had something to read with her, hahaha!
I always knew that Encyclopaedia Brittannica would come in handy – also good for propping up bed-ends for people with circulation problems
Encyclopaedia Brittannica: 1001 uses! Hahaha!
Thanks for unearthing another gem! This is one reason not to totally convert to Kindle – without the real thing how will we stop our cars from tipping over!
Now my mind is trying to calculate how many Kindles it would take to keep a car from tipping over…. feels like an algebra problem from schooldays!
He he, stop!!
What a great museum 🙂 Annie
It was a fun discovery!
I have a coach’s guide, two notebooks, three coloring books and a box of cookies in mine – and it hasn’t tipped over (yet), so that’s confirmation, right? I hope it can go on the coach’s guide, notebooks and coloring books.
I predict the cookies won’t be there long.
Eat the cookies slowly just to be sure 🙂
I can’t resist a museum, any museum. Sometimes the little regional ones are fascinating – none of your flashy inter-activity and stuff, just interesting social history.
Love the ‘world’s oldest bike’ in Glasgow, some claim.
And Roy I love that they weren’t 100% sure if it really was the world’s oldest bicycle and that they admitted that. Very humble and sweet in a way. The bike seemed to weigh a ton; it must have been quite difficult to navigate and remain upright (not to mention trying to get uphill….).
I would have been well-prepared. I always have several books in my car. Who knew they could be useful for things other than always having a good book onhand to read?
It’s good to always have some good books on hand; you never know when they’ll be useful. That’s great that you keep some in the car: emergency books!
Isn’t it wonderful to have such great museums that everyone can admire even from your (admittedly fabulous) photos. Hopefully everyone will actually visit in person too though! 🙂
As you know, I’m such a fan of Scotland and thanks to your wonderful suggestions, I made the most out of my short trip to Glasgow!
🙂
This is so clever. I love the places you introduce us to. This will have to be on my list. We always had to balance the firewood in the back of the truck as we wound around mountain roads. But that car is adorable.
Firewood can really weigh a car down – I think it would flip this little one right over instead of weighing it down!
Next stop, Museum of Transport and Travel, Glasgow!
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it if you go 🙂
Fantastic museum. I love the little car. I tried to find out its car brand, but I could not. Lovely post.
It’s such a cute little car, isn’t it? The car was commonly called the Wee Bluey but also known as the AC Car. If you google AC car you’ll see that they made a few cars but this one was different in that it only had three wheels.
I have not being to Scotland now I have to go, what a cute car, who knew books could help with cars too. The photos are really good and love the museum did not know that Zaha Hadid had done it, it is truly amazing (that first photo has so much texture in it I like it).
The museum was hard to photograph but it was so interesting- the shape is meant to mimic waves and the glass reflected the nearby river and ship- very cool.
thanks for share so interesting post about books and literature. A book itself is a vehicle to read, to run,to fly…to sustain things like lamps and other objects…utmost, a hill of books I feel as a wall protection to myself…at home…at office. What is a book? All the best.
Yes, a book is a vehicle, good point! So, it makes sense that it would be discussed in a Museum of transportation.. the transportation of ideas… I love it!
me too…
Great post, Letizia
Thanks 🙂
It’s a wonderful museum! Awesome photos. That cute tiny car reminds me of Mr.Bean’s car 😊
It’s such a cute little car isn’t it? I hadn’t realized it was like Mr. Bean’s car until I saw the episodes again, so funny!
Letizia. You are such an artist with a camera and words. I love the ship in refection and the motorcycle. I enjoyed the car. If ever you get stuck you have plenty of entertainment!
Thanks Dannie! The ship in the reflection is such a clever idea on the architect’s part. And I love that motorcycle too. I would love my post to be delivered that way (in fact I would love to try to ride it!).
So many of the vehicles’ beauty lay in the details and the color. True pieces of art.
I would use books. . . I have no taste for canned food (or is it the other way around?)
And it would have the benefit of having books in the car with you at all times as well!