Scotland, the Last

I had a couple of days on my own as my wife and her sister spent the days together shopping. Friday was the walk around the west end. Tuesday, the final day we had in Glasgow, had me taking a walk, in the rain, towards the east end.



It was a very pleasant walk. There'd be a sheet of rain, that would stop, start up again, then the sun would try to make an appearance. Unlike Friday, it did not.



Glasgow Green is the oldest public space in Glasgow. It's a lovely park that has the People's Palace, a neat little museum that depicts the history of the city.



In front of the museum is the Doulton Fountain, the largest terracotta fountain in the world. It's very impressive.



The Anderson Shed was used as a bomb shelter during World War Two. Glasgow and the surrounding areas, including Clydebank, were heavily bombed due to their shipbuilding capabilities.



Perish the thought!

I did manage to drink several fine whiskies during my stay, and was given an old bottle of Glenkinchie from my Father-in-law.

After my tour of the People's Palace I walked a bit on the east end and found the Barras, a part of the city that is filled with character among the small shops and stalls that are only open on weekends. These shops have reputations for selling dodgy, pirated merchandise and I'm guessing things that came out of the back of a lorry. Next time I want to see this place in action.

Met up with my wife and S-I-L at Rogano's, a very classy place that has been around since the mid thirties. It's art deco style is based on the Queen Mary, and the food is top class.



I'll be eating at the bar next time.

It was a short walk from here to The Lighthouse, a school of architecture and design. It contains a very cool spiral staircase.



It was designed by Charles Rennie McIntosh and was a part of the Glasgow Herald's offices.

Before climbing the staircase, I needed a comfort stop.





The views of downtown are worth the climb. Had to hang on to my hat, it was windy up there.

It's a great city to visit, easy to navigate, and I still have not seen everything I want to, and that includes a soccer match. Still have not seen The Mitchell Library, or taken a distillery tour, or seen a gig. So much to do, and outside of the city is Loch Ness, Millport, Aberdeen, the northern islands and on and on.



It was a long trip home. This will be the last time we take a two connection flight. We got out of Glasgow late, out of Amsterdam late, then missed our connection in Detroit. We got rebooked, that flight was late due to the weather. It's all good and fine, but the extra waiting is very tiring.

Had a wonderful vacation. Now back to the real world.