D11: Oh Glasgow...

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So. Last night was interesting… so there was this old lady in my room and she was talking to another older lady for the better part of an hour - basically she was going on and on about how the cities are out to get you and psychiatrists are out to arrest you and kill you slowly behind closed doors. You see that's why she escaped from London - they wanted to lock her away... ahem. She's now trying to get to India to live and die on an ashram and then she went on about Princess Di's plan to overthrow the monarchy which is why they killed her you see. She also wanted to go to prison (as a suffragette) but instead was sent to a psychiatric hospital where they "disturbed her". And finally she went on about how doctors are also out to kill you and that the health care system keeps records to help destroy you.

Interesting people in this world, I tell you.

So on this morning. I headed out without any real plans… I’ve been to Glasgow before, and as I walked around staring at all the litter, watching the drunks stumble by and smell puke on several occasions I can remember why I wasn’t overly enamoured last time... ahem.

I decided to try and enjoy some scenery and walk along the Clyde towards the… Armadillo thing? (It’s an auditorium) It was pretty nice other than the trash in the river, but that’s common enough I suppose. As I headed back towards the City Centre I paused to look at my phone (map) to make sure I was headed the right way. This little old lady walked right up to me and started a very odd convo:

"Ok come on you are going to church".
Uhm… no? *nervous laughter*
"What's the matter with you - you don't go to church?"
Not when I'm in vacation?
"Fine. It's your soul. Where are you from?"
Canada.
"Ah. Vive un Quebec libre."

Wow I was so ready for this convo to be done haha. Unfortunately she then had her two cents about how Scotland will separate, how the Commonwealth Games (held here this year) are a pox on the city and that America and Iraq are going to start WW3. I didn't really respond to any of this because I could tell there was no point. I’m all for conversations when it’s a two-way street… it was obvious she was talking at me.

She then went on to tell me Canada is sinking (like, literally?) and started talking to pigeons that were walking by and informing me nothing is as ugly as a newborn pigeon. Silly me I quipped, 'right because they have no feathers'. "Well OBVIOUSLY not. Of course they have no feathers.”

Right. I had my share of playing the patient listener at this point. I told her to have a nice time at church ("I will!" said with all the gusto of a 3-yr old having a tantrum) and then she told me not to walk around the city alone because there are bad people. Well. I suppose it's nice of her to end on a relatively good note..?

Remember how I was loving all my convos with locals a few days ago? Yes, let's rephrase and say I love convos with locals outside of major cities.

Anyway, as I got back towards the centre I was in the shopping district - considering I've been away for 11 days and I haven't shopped once I figured it was time haha. I was good though - I know I want to save my money for London shoppin'.

I dropped stuff off at the hostel (lift is fixed! Thank goodness) and then headed off to Glasgow Green for a little stroll which was nice. I didn't go all the way to Winter's Palace since I went last time. Instead I headed up towards the Necropolis... where I got into another annoying convo. There was a loud demonstration/parade going on and I didn’t know what for. I saw some guy grumbling about it so I took my chance and asked what it was about. Turns out it was the Orange Order having a parade, so he was grumbling about how them marching about it only serves to create a bigger division between the two sides, which is a fair point.

Now, I wasn’t interested in watching the demonstration but I did want to get up towards the Cathedral which unfortunately was the way they were going. So as I walked along the road some drunk guy started walking with me… sigh. He kept asking me where I was going and why I wasn’t watching the parade. Sigh. Maybe it’s just me - maybe I’m just not as patient when I’m travelling in a city as I am when I’m out in the countryside haha.

Anyway, I made it to the Cathedral and I wandered around the Necropolis which was beautiful to see. After that I pretty much called it a day haha - my legs still burn from the mountains, and tomorrow I’m off to do more hiking so I thought I should lay low the rest of the day.

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