Away 'n' raffle yer donuts!

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And so the blogging begins....

I arrived in lovely Glasgow on Monday after a rather uneventful flight. I was planning on embellishing the mundane adventures of my journey but they mostly involved me setting off metal detectors and walking into the men’s toilets and now that I have managed to get over the jet lag and do some exploring, it seems unnecessary. For those of you who MUST hear the embellished version however, I did write it down so you may see it when I return home.

As mentioned earlier, Monday and Tuesday were spent getting over jet lag and picking up some essentials (a mobile phone and shoes). Today I ventured out of Glaswegian suburbia and wandered through some of the city’s historical sites. Those of you who recall my love of gothic architecture and cemeteries will understand why I love this city so much.

The day began with a ride on one of Glasgow’s pink double-decker buses. Thinking myself clever, I decided to sit at the very front of the top level. I soon realized that Glasgow bus rides are not like those in congested London and after being thrown against the front window twice, I humbly moved to the back row.

My morning was spent wandering through the city centre on my way to the Glasgow Cathedral. Apparently my attempt at disguising my status as a tourist was successful as I was asked for directions not less than ten times. Luckily, I had studied my map of Glasgow carefully and was able to give directions with confidence. Whether or not my directions were accurate remains to be seen. I, at least, did not get lost and that’s what’s important in the end.

The Cathedral Precinct was fascinating, particularly as the throngs of tourists I expected to find were absent, and I was able to enjoy the museums leisurely. The one exception, I must add, was the one American family that seemed to follow me, their spoiled child screaming and alarming me every time I tried to take a photograph. I will spare my valued readers detailed explanations of every site I went to as I feel you are all capable of googling what takes your fancy. Instead, I will briefly describe the area. The Cathedral Precinct consists of the Glasgow Cathedral, Provand’s Lordship, St. Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art, and the Necropolis.

The Cathedral itself is breathtaking and I feel that pictures cannot adequately express its beauty (that and the very dim lighting that made taking photographs extremely difficult). The tombs in the basement and the towering Necropolis behind provide an eerily fantastic atmosphere.

Provand’s Lordship, Glasgow’s oldest house, was built in 1471 and provides a realistic depiction of life in the middle ages. I was thankful that the house was empty as a very realistic, singing mannequin on the second floor almost made me wet myself.

I spent a couple of hours at St. Mungo’s Museum, looking at the exhibits and relaxing in Glasgow’s first Buddhist Zen garden. It was interesting to see the common threads that run through all of the world’s religions and made the never-ending conflicts seem all that much more ridiculous. A temporary photo exhibit, “Women and War”, was both beautiful and disturbing but was spoiled slightly by the groups of school children who poured in after me.

I ended my afternoon with a stroll up to the top of the Necropolis, wandering through the tombstones, some almost 600 years old. Choosing to take the road less travelled, I began my ascent on the smaller, creepy footpath. This, of course, only led to a close encounter with a wasp and my ending up outside the grounds again. I was not fortunate enough to encounter any ghosts, though I did see some lost souls; many of Glasgow’s homeless take shelter in the decrepit tombs that line the paths.

Alas, my weariness returns and I fear that I must sign off for today. I hope everyone is well and have enjoyed this entry.

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