Hot Glasweegian Nights

---

So, what can I say about Glasgow? Well, to begin with it is an absolutely beautiful city, but that kind of goes without saying for this part of the world. Sadly, by the time we got there we didn’t have much time to scout the place out before dinner and bars (not a statement tied to my alcohol consumption, it’s just that everything over here closes early as hell).

There is good news to this. The reason we didn’t really have time to check the city out before the shops closed was because we spent the doing damned near everything you can imagine.

For starters, we hit up Loch Ness. It is rather stunning, as one would expect, and sadly, stunning lakes, while stunning, do not leave a hell of a lot to write about. There are some wonderfully tacky gift shops there and we were afforded the opportunity to check them all out.

From there we took the road through the highlands, past Glencoe, and straight to Loch Lomond, where we took about an hour cruise. At this point in my life, I though I knew what the color green looked like. I was mistaken. The hills surrounding that lake have the most varied and vivid shades of green you can imagine. Every time you turn around you are struck by how alive the area around you looks. Add to that the black water surrounding the boat and the experience becomes something altogether different than anything you have experienced up to that point.

We finally made out way our of the highlands and into Glasgow. Not a bad city at all. We started out at a bar called “The Walkabout,” an Aussie themed bar in downtown Glasgow, which most of the Aussies in the group were glad to remain firmly in all night. There was a contingent that was opposed to that idea, and wanted to strike out and see the town.

Now, this is where things almost got ugly. There are few things that annoy me more than a group of people standing around, talking about making a decision, then failing to make the decision. It seems a bit unnecessary. This was the case. Also, as a teacher I have to stand silent and put up with a great deal of vacillations and refusals to decide while keeping my mouth shut. A woman on the tour, Sarah from Adele Australia, felt the same way and the two of us forced the group’s hand and struck out first.

We headed to a place classed B-Lo (a basement type club trying to make a clever play on the work Below, but not realizing that it is providing a deeper clue as to the true nature of the place), where I was refused entry because I was wearing shorts. So yes, B-lo is a great way to describe the place. From there, Sarah and I were pressured to trying a bar around the corner called Karbon (I love clever misspellings so) where I was once again refused.

At this point we decided to give the loud, seedy looking pub called Archie’s a go. They had double mixed drinks for 1.75 pounds, and a bear in the window wearing a Ramones’s shirt, so it seemed like the place for us. It was. She, like me, is more of a punk and hard rock kinda person, who hates dance clubs, while enjoying the rock club that allows conversation.

The down side, as there always is, was that the pub closed at 11, 30 minutes after we got there. As neither of us wanted to go home, I decided to make friends and began chatting with a group of people on their way out about where we could go for a drink. They took us to a place called, I shit you not, “The Cathouse.” It may have been the greatest bar I have ever set foot in during my life. It was dark, and loud, and had outstanding music. We were sudden celebrities as we were both foreigners. The Glaswegians decided they liked me when they made fun of the American accent and I mimicked theirs rather well.

The whole night people were asking if I was “The Texan everyone was talking about,” and telling me that I had made the night legendary and in doing so, was elevated to that status myself. It was an evening neither of us wanted to end, but as we had a bus leaving at 8 am, we forced ourselves to. Floating on top of the world we got into a cab, and were escorted back to base through a cold and rainy Glasgow night. I truly hope I never forget anything about this evening.

---

Comments

[AlisaBRIT]

HAHAH!
I LOVE THE CATHOUSE!!! MABEY WE SHALL GO BACK??? SEE ya soon....just working like dawgs on the house! glad yer having fun! Cheers, Britt

[ALisa Britt]

WAIT......
WHAT IF .........I am the TEXAN everyone is talking about? EH? EH? LOL

[Jonesey]

Check your work email
If you get the chance, check your work email. There is something important in it about next year.