"... City! I am true son of thine;
Ne’er dwelt I where great mornings shine
Around the bleating pens;
Ne’er by the rivulets I strayed,
And ne’er upon my childhood weighed
The silence of the glens.
Instead of shores where ocean beats,
I hear the ebb and flow of streets. … "
~GLASGOW by Alexander Smith
The Creation Window by Francis Spear
Glasgow Cathedral
Music for the Glasgow!
Glasgow
We arrived in the evening to our funky little place in Glasgow. It was a young lady's artsy flat a few floors up. Every time we left the place we had trouble getting back in and we had to drag our stuff up maybe 3 or 4 flights from the underground parking. It was not exactly a swanky part of town but, to me, it made things interesting and I loved it!
Our funky little place ...
We were very hungry by the time we got settled and ended up walking a mile or so to an Indian restaurant that the pub across the way recommended. We got there pretty late and we might have been the only ones there but it was delicious!!
I am going to have to hunt down the name of the restaurant. I usually keep track of those things but I was so tired and stuffed by the time we left. Bonus was that being in an apartment we were able to put our copious amounts of leftovers in the fridge.
The next day was gorgeous but we were tired and had things to take care of. My dad and I found a shipping place to send hiking boots, sneakers and rain gear home before heading to Venice, which would presumably be drier. This would be a false assumption.
If you are gone long enough and doing enough shopping this is definitely a good option before continuing on to another destination. You may also have different wardrobe requirements for your next stop!
The best thing about taking the car back to the rental place was our cab driver. We had a few that day and I've decided Glaswegian cabdrivers are my favorite cabbies on the planet. Hilarious and friendly storytellers with amazing personalities. I would go back just to ride around town!
Glasgow Cathedral
"The first stone that built Glasgow Cathedral was dedicated in the presence of King David I in 1136. The present building was consecrated in 1197. Since that same period the Cathedral has never been unroofed and the worship of God has been carried out within its walls for more than 800 years."
I might have been interested in going to the Cathedral for less that spiritual reasons. The truth is that it was an Outlander location. It was the hospital where Claire worked in Paris, in season 2.
The Millennium Window
The Millennium Window was unveiled on 3rd June, 1999 by H.R.H. The Princess Royal.
"The glasspainter selected was Mr. John K. Clarkwho was a student and then lecturer at The Glasgow School of Art. His studio is in Germany. Progress was carefully monitored by Historic Scotland. The theme that was agreed with the Donors was GROWTH. As the project was mainly funded by three Glasgow schools this is a highly appropriate theme."
It turned out that it was a beautiful gothic cathedral with incredible stained glass windows and gorgeous woodwork.
We hoped to make it to Kelvingrove Museum but because of some mixup we waited forever for our cab. At that point, it was too late to get into the museum. I think you have to get there a full hour before they close. That is the case with many museums and monuments in Scotland.
When we finally got our next hilarious cab driver we had him drop us in an area with some cool street art and murals. There is actually a Glasgow Mural Trail Map! I'll link that below.
From Artists Rogue-one and Art Pistol, Wind Power, which can be found on Mitchell Street.
Below, a mural on Mitchell Street by artist Rogue-One.
I loved my red raincoat. A funny Scotsman compared me to a phone booth whilst wearing my red hat and coat. I can totally see that.
Below, also on Mitchell Street, mum and dad being picked up by a giant! Mural by artist Smug.
Below, also on Mitchell Street, mum and dad being picked up by a giant! Mural by artist Smug.
After that, we ended up in a very cool pedestrian only shopping area on Buchanan Street, in Central Glasgow, called Prince's Square.
I was able to pick up some makeup and ended up in a fabulous clothing store. There were so many beautiful things but I narrowed it down to a beautiful white blouse! I don't know what I expected Glasgow to be like but it wasn't this. I figured I'd like it but I suppose I thought the whole entire city would very industrial.
I was able to pick up some makeup and ended up in a fabulous clothing store. There were so many beautiful things but I narrowed it down to a beautiful white blouse! I don't know what I expected Glasgow to be like but it wasn't this. I figured I'd like it but I suppose I thought the whole entire city would very industrial.
Me, below, in front of artist Klingatron's (James Klinge) Panda at Gordon Lane.
"The original buildings consisted of a 4 storey merchant square built in yellow sandstone and completed in 1841. The then owner, James Campbell, was knighted by Queen Victoria and later became Lord Provost of Glasgow. In celebration of the birth of the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII, he named his new building Princes Square."
The area is a great example of urban renewal done in a beautiful way. People were definitely out and about and enjoying themselves!
We found a large pub for our last dinner in Scotland. There was a football (soccer) game on and live music. Though I don't remember what I ate, I do remember I had one last Scotch.
Scotch in scribbles ...
I've been blogging about this Scotland adventure since the beginning of 2018! This is my 26th post of Scotland! Perhaps a wee bit excessive but I loved it so much that I didn't want to leave anything out. Alas, there were probably 14,000 or more photos so it was tough to edit. I tried to include my art and some of what I was inspired to paint for my solo show last December.
Links
for more Scottish poetry go to
After our incredible time in Scotland we went to the Veneto area of Italy which was also wonderful. We were able to meet up my niece, my Aunt and Uncle. This was all in August/September of 2017. In 2018, I spent some time in Hawaii where my boyfriend was living and we were back and forth. This was just part of the reason for my sporadic posting. Like many of you, life has gotten busy!
I'm currently training for a pilgrimage walk in Italy, sometimes referred to as The Way of Saint Francis or the Via di Francesco. I will try to share a bit of Venice, Verona and the Biennale before moving on to this new adventure on my blog. Hopefully, I can share a bit of Hawaii too!
One more thing!
I found so much Scottish music,
as I was looking for songs for these posts,
that I now have a huge fabulous list on my YouTube Account.
I might have saved the most fun song for last ...
Much gratitude to those that stuck with me
through all my big pauses and breaks!!
As always,
Blessing and light to you friends!
