Blogs from Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe
Pre-Departure (first blog)
Published: May 7th 2012Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow
May 7th 2012
SO... I decided to start a blog for going to Qatar this summer, like all of those self indulgent creeps I normally insult. This is my first post to see how this works, and an excellent "useful" procrastination from revision. Still waiting to hear back from the company, QAPCO, I'm meant to be working for which is a bit worrying but hopefully hear from them before I actually leave! Can't believe I start work 4 weeks to the day (probs the only British person who has to work on the Queen's Jubilee- but whatevs.) Been doing some research into what to see/do/wear while I'm there and particularly excited for the Jeep safari tours over the sand dunes, which sound terrifying but lots of fun too. Apparently depending on your tour guide they could have you flying ... read more
Adventure Time
Published: November 29th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow
November 28th 2011
Today I took a trip to Glasgow. I wanted to see the Science Museum but as luck would have it, it is closed on Mondays. (Before you ask, or while you are wondering, yes I did know that it was going to be closed before I went). I went to Glasgow to meet Ewan and we had already arranged to meet today so instead of going to the museum, I went shopping. Glasgow has a lot of shopping and I went into many store (and tried hard to refrain from buying things). There was a Christmas market and stall selling everything from wooden carvings and knitted clothing to nuts and cakes to brautwurst and kangaroo and ostrich burgers. I had a great time!! I ended up buying some chili covered cashews and some honey covered pistachios, ... read more
Tour de Football III (Rangers v Dundee Utd)
Published: November 6th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow
November 5th 2011
After arriving in Edinburgh this Saturday morning, Hamish, Jo and I caught the train to Glasgow to watch Rangers v Dundee United. We were impressed with the transport service. Trains run every 15 minutes and were very comfortable. I even caught a power nap within the 50 minute ride. As we were making good time we decided to treat ourselves to a quick Fish & Chips takeaway while watching the buskers in busy George Street on this beautiful Glasgwegian day. The meal hit the spot with just the right amount of grease required. (One reason why I decided to eat in the city was my expectations of extortionate food prices within the stadium. This expectation turned out to be ill-founded - the prices were quite reasonable. Although there were no alcoholic beverages for sale - I ... read more
A weekend in Scotland: Glasgow
Published: October 25th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow
October 4th 2011
There were two places in Scotland that we visited and the main city that we stayed in was Glasgow. The bus ride down there was a little long to say the least. We took a ton of breaks, visited a city on the way for lunch and we finally made a 6 hr trip into 11 hours with the traffic and breaks. Thank goodness I can sleep almost anywhere! When we arrived at the Premier Inn hotel we had some down time to get situated before having our arrival dinner. This hotel was like a breath of fresh air and a good break from the tiny dorms and showers that we're used to. For dinner I had my first Fish & Chips while in the UK! It was pretty good and something I will definitely have ... read more
September 22nd 2011
The morning started with included breakfast at The Landmark Hotel just outside of Dundee. Their dining area consists of a completely glassed in area that gives a view of a miniature onsite hedge maze and the upper portion of a couple of hundred year old building onsite that has no plaque or sign to show its significance. After breakfast we packed up, jumped into the little red car and hit the superhighway to Glasgow Airport. Driving down the Canadian equivalent to the 401, we came up upon a tractor in the slow lane and a right hand turn lane for an adjoining road. All was good until we got right up to the Airport and the British lady in the gps starting bitching at me again for not taking the right road once we were off ... read more
Culzean Castle
Published: September 19th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow » West EndSeptember 19th 2011
My trip to Culzean Castle (pronounced Cull-ain) brought to me my first taste of rural Scotland. Just outside the city of Glasgow, there is nothing but little farming villages, sheep, cows, and green hills as far as the eye can see. It's picturesque, yes, but one can't help but think, as my parents love to say "What do people do out here?". An hour cruise through the sleepy countryside brought the bus to Culzean country park. What I first noticed was the giant pen of deer and bucks, running, grazing, and bashing horns for dominance. Not a bad welcoming committee to such a cool place! Looking around the parking area, I could see signs pointing in all different directions to various points of interest: a coffee bar, the swan pond, the Castle gardens, a place dubbed ... read more
The Islay Inn
Published: September 11th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow » West EndSeptember 11th 2011
Authentic folk Scottish jam session, right in my own backyard! On Monday and Thursday evening, The Islay Inn, a traditional rustic inn reminiscent of the days when travelers rested from their long foot-journeys, hosts a "Music Session". This is no ordinary garage band 4-piece jam hour. Fiddlers, guitarists, floutists, and musicians of all sorts and ages gathered to play traditional Scottish tunes and enjoy their Guinness. It was a great pleasure to watch as people came together, greeted each other, and shared in their communal love of great music. Songs that everyone knew began and shanty tunes and sing-a-longs, and the band, which grew to about 30 by the end of the night, would jam each one out until I felt like I was back in the 18th century, and would all come together in the ... read more
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
Published: September 11th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow » West End
September 11th 2011
Note: Since I've become lazy with blogging due to internet troubles and how much cooler going out and experiencing things in Glasgow are than sitting in my room hooked to a computer, this blog will cease to be in any particular order. King Tut's Wah Wah Hut looks like any of the apartments surrounding it from the outside. The sign is easy to miss, and though it boasts itself as the "UK's best live music venue," it is certainly a very humble looking establishment. Walking down a flight of stairs to enter below street level, you walk into a bar, a small amount of tables for the food they presumable serve during the day, and a pool table. The real magic happens when you walk through the bar room to the back where there are the ... read more
Glasgow, Bishopton, Stirling & Muthill
Published: September 15th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow
September 9th 2011
September 9th - 12th -- Glasgow & Bishopton Another train ride from Inverness to Glasgow and then onto the small community of Bishopton. I tried valiantly to keep my eyes open on this ride. Inverness is in the Highlands of Scotland surrounded by large hills covered in green grass, trees, shrubs and purple heather. There are waterfalls, bogs and of course, scores of sheep. The constant mist punctuated by sunlight makes this the perfect spot for painters (or photographers). After another “travel adventure” (read: not what we were planning), we finally arrived at the most delightful B&B. The Miller’s Guest house dates from the 1700’s and was originally a stable courtyard. It is in the countryside a few miles outside of Bishopton. There are only two guest rooms and we were the only ones visiting at ... read more
Ashton Lane
Published: September 8th 2011Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Lanarkshire » Glasgow » West EndSeptember 8th 2011
When they say the party at Glasgow never stops, they really mean it. Most of the places I've seen close at 3 am every night but Sunday, and cars and taxis are busy all night. An excellent center to have a great time any night is Ashton Lane. A small cobbled walkthrough, Ashton has restaurants, pubs, clubs, and theaters from head to toe. So far I've tried lunch at Mimmo's, an Italian style bistro, and Jinty McGuinty's. Mimmo's food was excellent, the prawn salad was creamy but tasty, and the pork sausages, as the waiter's request, were full of flavor and truly delicious. The waiter may have been a tad sluggish and...thirsty, but he was kind enough to invite us to his "party for charity" he was throwing later that night. I'll leave that story for ... read more
