my dantastic adventure: Scotland – Part 3 of 3

August 1, 2010

Glasgow, the largest city of Scotland, held a very special place during my journey. While it did not have the historical feel of Edinburgh or the majestic panorama of the highlands, it did portray the everyday normalcy of the working class Scots. When it was cloudy and grey, which happened fairly often, the dreariness of the concrete city did not make a tourist’s dream. However, I was truly lucky in always finding interesting things to see and do.

2010 07 25 - Glasgow, UK - Buchanan Street pedestrian mall

2010 07 25 - Glasgow, UK - George Square

One of the great experiences was hitting the Merchant City festival during the first weekend I was there. I was immediately enthralled by the performance of a quartet of dancers, weaving in and out of a steel structure resembling a compartment of a subway car in the aptly named Underground. Other street performers were scattered throughout the area, interjected by vendor stalls selling artisan crafts and food items. I had to restrain myself from buying any of these delicacies.

2010 07 25 - Glasgow, UK - Merchant City Festival - the Underground

2010 07 25 - Glasgow, UK - Merchant City Festival - food vendor

Another great feature throughout the UK was the free admission to the majority of the city museums (donation welcome). This made a perfect getaway to spend a rainy afternoon. My favorite in Glasgow was the Kelvingrove Museum, an eclectic collection of nature and art and everything in between.

2010 07 28 - Glasgow, UK - having fun at the Kelvingrove Museum

2010 07 28 - Glasgow, UK - Kelvingrove Museum

But most of all, I was truly biased by fact that I was able to stay and catch up with my friend Graz in Glasgow. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I did not have to pack and unpack daily, the delicious home cooked meals, laundry availability, WiFi access to catch up on major planning for the Scandinavia segment, season 2 of Leverage, going to dim sum (my first in UK), reminiscing about the good ole days of St. James, and last but not least, and the play fighting with the adorable Misty, who had to wear a lampshade because her paws were hurt. In the end, it was very difficult to leave my home away from home!