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Published: September 15th 2014
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Thursday afternoon, I took the bus tour of Glasgow which was really interesting. It was not quite what I was expecting, since we were in a one-story bus with windows as opposed to being in a double-decker bus where it's easier to see everything. However, it provided insight into how much bigger the city is than I had originally realized. The tour, which took us about two hours, took us to all of the major sights in and around Glasgow, inserting historical and architectural commentary throughout. All of the information was very interesting, but it was a bit hard to hear, so unfortunately I'm not sure how much of it I actually retained.
The next morning, Friday, was the Loch Lomond bus tour. After walking to the university and meeting our guide, Gary, we got on the bus and drove about an hour and a half to the Loch. Once there, Gary told us some stories about the creation of Scotland and some other folk tales. He was incredibly engaging and really did an excellent job bringing the stories to life. We took a short walk around the loch, having the opportunity and time to take pictures and explore the
sights at our own rates. We got back on the bus, and went to our next stop which was lunch. We found a great restaurant with an outside patio that overlooked the water. It was a bit chilly, but it was comfortable enough sitting outside enjoying the marvelous views. We then got back on the bus to head towards our final stop, which again featured more incredible views and stories. Upon arrival in Glasgow, I enjoyed a quick dinner before heading to the Glasgow University Union (GUU) for the open microphone night. It was a really cool building, and it was a lot of fun going to the open mic night. There were some really talented performers.
Saturday morning, I took the chance to catch up on sleep and spend a lazy morning and afternoon. After dinner, we decided to go to the GUU pub/bar crawl, which I originally thought started at the GUU and then went out into the city, but instead actually took place entirely inside of the GUU. Featuring more than eight bars, the building boasts an incredible amount of space. A portion of time was spent at a couple of the bars, where each one
had a special drink that they encouraged you to order. It was a cool opportunity to try some different drinks that the union offers, and get a better sense of the space. At the end, there was a huge dance party in the debate room which was also really fun. We then decided to try and check out the other union, the Queen Margaret Union (QMU) and see what they had going on, however the queue was incredibly long, so I decided to go back to the flat since I knew I had an early morning the next day.
Sunday was the day of the St. Andrews and Fife coast tour. We met our guide (same guide as Friday, Gary) and got on the bus. This time, the journey was a bit longer, so many of us fell asleep on the way to the city. The coastal town was absolutely gorgeous, and we started on the beach where Gary told us a few more stories. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and after the stories, we were left to explore on our own. There was a ruined cathedral that we were able to check out, and then we walked around
the streets of the town where we found a cute French cafe for lunch. We then got back on the bus and traveled to our final destination. The main attraction at this stop was the Ravenscraig Castle, which was also ruined but really cool to walk around. We spent some time on this coast, exploring the magnificent views. I took a lot of pictures, but they hardly do justice to the incredible nature of the views. After returning to Glasgow and eating dinner at the flat, I went to the GUU traffic light party which was a lot of fun, but incredibly crowded.
This morning, I picked up my Fresher's pass, which gets me access to all of the parties and events hosted by the two unions throughout the week. It's looking like it's going to be a very fun week before classes start next Monday.
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