Catch Up Post: Glasgow, Scotland

Floating Heads at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

For the Easter long weekend, I took a short trip to Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. This gritty, witty city won me over with its architecture, food, and especially, the warmth of the Glaswegians.

What I wrote in my notebook while riding a train to the Glasgow city centre from the airport: The entire countryside is a golf course, sandwiched between train tracks and urban development on one side, and the deep blue waters of Ayr Bay on the other.

Also, the deep blue of Ayr Bay is my favourite colour for eyeballs.

My favourite moments in Glasgow consisted of:

Kelvingrove Museum: I’ve had the pleasure of visiting museums in New York City, London, Paris, and Florence, but none of them created the impression on me that Kelvingrove did. For the first time, I really felt like the museum wanted me to be there, wanted me to wander its halls for hours, wanted me to sit and touch and talk and think and learn. The museum not only offers a library, study space, and free internet, but provides stools for visitors for sitting, thinking, or sketching! In addition, Kelvingrove features some truly “local” art, in that they had an installation that was created by members of the local community. Not local artists, just people, average Glaswegians who were invited to create some art and display it in the most visited UK museum outside of London.

The University Café: We stumbled upon this little diner (pictured below) as we were wandering through Glasgow’s West End. Don’t be fooled by its slightly dingy appearance; this place was the Ice Cream National Alliance Competition champion many, many times over.

Diner dining at the University Café

Vintage shopping: Glasgow is sort of famous for having awesome vintage and charity shops. Some of our favourites were on Dowanside Lane (pictured below), a lovely little street by its own rights. Visit Starry, Starry Night for turn-of-the-century top hats and quite a selection of military wear. Keep going down the lane for a collection of vintage shops, some more organised than others, and start rummaging!

Danica on Dowanside Lane. Starry, Starry Night on her right.

The Lighthouse: This museum is tucked into a side street, but definitely worth a visit if you’re interested in architecture and design. It also offers you a wonderful view of Glasgow if you mount the tower. It was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow’s favourite architect/designer. He can also lay claim to designing an eponymous font. Visit the Willow Tea Rooms to enjoy his furniture and interior design firsthand. Though, if you order the pancakes, be aware that they may not be served warm (seriously, my butter didn’t even melt).

Tchai-Ovna: Without a doubt, my favourite night was spent at this tea house. I sat barefoot in their “Zen Room” with a Scottish lass, two very good-looking Kiwis, my Australian host, and Danica (hah, sorry for the non-descriptor), sharing chai and eating vegan curries while listening to a fiddler and a guitarist perform together. The chai was amazing, the chat even better, and I bought a teacup from Tchai-Ovna on my way out. Favourite tea house ever.

Here are a few more random shots of Glasgow:

Entrance to Barras Market

Birds on a building at Barras Market

Buchanan Street

Glasgow University

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