Days 1-2: Glasgow
Travel Tip: TRAVEL LIGHT!
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London to ScotlandMy first day in Scotland started in London. And although most of what I did that day involved sitting on a train, it was a bit chaotic. Although in theory there is a direct train from London to Glasgow, it wasn't operating, so I had to change trains in Edinburgh first. Unfortunately, we had to make an unscheduled stop and were slowed by traffic, so my tight connection became impossible. Thankfully, trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow run frequently, so I was able to run between platforms to grab the next one leaving in 5 minutes. All this meant that the hour cushion I built in to arrive before our tour meeting vanished and I had to rush to the hotel and drop off my bags quickly.
Travel Tip: Book Seat on Trains
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Glas-Wow!We started Day 2 in Glasgow with a walking tour of the city with local guide, Maureen. She was fantastic and we learned so much about the city, its history, and many of its landmarks. One of the things I loved learning about was St. Mungo. According to legend, St. Mungo performed 4 miracles in Glasgow and children learn the verses about them.
Here is the bird that never flew Here is the tree that never grew Here is the bell that never rang Here is the fish that never swam These are also integrated in lots of little ways all over the city - in the city crest, street lights, and even at bus stops! It was fun to try to find some of them. The other thing that really impressed me about Glasgow was the architecture. Because Glasgow boomed during industrialization, many businessmen built more and more elaborate homes and warehouses with intriguing architecture. It makes for a very interesting city scape! |
After our tour, we had the afternoon free to tour Glasgow on our own. First stop? Lunch, of course! (Or rather, afternoon tea). After an incredible tea at the Willow Tea Rooms, we decided on Rick's walking tour of Glasgow. We hopped on perhaps the least confusing subway ever (2 routes that run in concentric circles in opposite directions), and headed over to the West end. Starting at the Hillhead subway station, I played tour guide for our little group with my ripped out pages from the guidebook, and we visited the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Ashton Lane, and the University of Glasgow. Since we were enjoying decidedly un-Scottish weather, everyone in Glasgow seemed to be at the Botanic Gardens. The real highlight for me was the University of Glasgow, where I felt like I was at Hogwarts. I really wish I went to school here! Since I work in higher education, though, we walked around and picked out my future office with a dedicated parking spot. Haha! We wrapped up the day with dinner at Ubiquitous Chip. Yum!
Laugh a Little!On our walking tour around the West End, we came across this traffic management worker... hard at work (or on a break?). There was not much traffic management going on at the time is all I can say!
Someone at our corner recognized our American accents and asked what we normally do in the States. Unlike we might do at home in New Jersey, our little group waited dutifully at the zebra markings (crosswalk) until the light was green to cross. If you're jonesing for more pictures, check out my slideshow below. Or continue onto Day 3 and more!
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