Glasgow!! We love it! July 10th, 2013

We wake up in a CASTLE.  The breezes coming in from the windows are AMAZING – I think we could just stay here all day and hang out, being cool (both in temperature and attitude), and living large.  But we get ready and head down about 9:30.  We aren’t sure about breakfast – we had to inform them what time we wanted dinner, and we’ve looked in the book for info about breakfast but can’t find any.  Also, while we love eating in the castle, it’s more of an “experience” kind of meal (this means that it takes two hours minimum because no one is in a rush), and we want to get out on the town and see what Glasgow and Scotland have to offer.  We go down to the desk to give them our keys (they suggest that we hold them at the front desk because they’re a little bulky, and if we don’t want to carry them, we can just drop them off and pick them up again).  And we’re about to go when the woman working the front desk asks if we’re not having breakfast… oh well.. “it’s included in your stay…” – OH! Well, then absolutely we’ll have breakfast!   We go in, and it’s full hot buffet as well as fruit and cereals.  They have all the fixings for a full Scottish breakfast – nice, hot, fast, and no extra charge.  Perfect.

 

Our waiter chats us up and asks about what we have planned for the day – we’re going to do the hop on bus, look for tartan shops on Buchanan, and look for unique shops in the West End.   We ask him advice for little shops – not malls – not something that we can find in America (because that is where everyone sends us and is very excited about their big shopping centers with American things… we can get at home).   He tells us to go the Galleries, there are lots of “Scottish shops” there – and we have information from the waitress last night that we need to go to Princes Square, lots of “unique” shops there… so we’re set for our day of exploring.  He tells us to be careful in the heat (it’s going to hit about 82 as a high) and he seems really concerned about us because in the city center the buildings can trap the heat in.   Noted. 

We head out in the car, Tim is leading us to Princes Square.  It’s the most southern place we’re going to, so we’ll start there and work our way up Buchanan Street.   That’s the primary street of the city center in Glasgow.  There are a lot of one way streets again, just like Dublin, and there are specific garages designated for parking – so we put everyone in charge of spotting “P”s where we can park.  We get in a garage and spiral all the way to the top level – it’s a little close in there, and you know how I hate a parking garage.  Scarred.

We park and walk to Princes Square.. which turns out to be a mall.  A mall of boutique like shops… not what we’re looking for.  But it’s super cool inside – really modern with walls that change colors and escalators that remind us of the stairs from Hogwarts (this is a very Harry Potter themed trip) – they all come together in one place (not opposite ends of the store like in our malls), and they kind of overlap and intersect like the moving stairs.  It’s hard to explain – hopefully the pictures will help.  We decide to use the restroom while we’re here, and on the way out we run into these two women who are dressed in the same shirts and both have their heads shaved.. hmmmm  

 

 

Across the street we find a little tea shop – and Britt finds some cute things.  And then it’s on to look for our Scottish tartans!  We find our first kilt store and ask the lady what to do to find our family tartan.. Brittany asks her if she has McKay tartans, and the lady can NOT understand Britt (it’s mutual) – she asks, “are you saying McKay or McKay?” (I swear they both sounded the same).  But with her accent, McKay sounds more like “MaKai”.  We understand enough to know that we need to go downstairs and look for a wall of clan kilts, and they all have names on them.   We both find our tartans!  YAY!!  We find both of our “modern” patterns – but there are also “Ancient” and “Weathered” patterns too – and some families also have a dress tartan.  But later I’m reading the only difference with the ancient and the weathered is that they used different kinds of dyes, so they’re more faded.  The modern uses synthetic dyes so the colors are more vibrant.  Britt finds all KINDS of McKay stuff – like pins and pens and magnets and glasses and books and crests and whiskey… you name it, it has “MacKay” on it (the Scottish spelling).. but there is no MacBeth love.  Dana is helping us both look since there won’t be many Bova tartans, and Patti is staying outside where it’s cool.  Outside, it’s not bad – it’s what we would call a nice day back home – but you enter a store?? OMG, it’s like 100 degrees in there, and no air – they have no AC, very few have fans, and there are no open windows.. The big shop windows just act as heat collectors.. So while we chuckled at our waiter and our heat warning, it’s SO hot in the stores.  And if you have to go up or downstairs – worse.

We find about 3 tartan shops on Buchanan and Brittany continues to find all kinds of MacKay stuff – and all they have of MacBeth is the tartan (for which I’m grateful) – I do also find a key chain and frig magnet with our tartan and crest too. 

Buchanan street

We stop into Starbucks for a cool drink and wi-fi – it’s become our thing.  Wi-fi breaks, because international roaming is so much we’re just living on hotspots for this trip.  Britt taught the people at the Liverpool Starbucks how to make iced tea – brew me some tea, and then poor it over ice (they were aghast, but did it) – and it’s become her thing now.  You can’t just order iced tea off of menus, it’s nasty Lipton bottled stuff.   They think she’s cute for wanting her tea over ice, and they’re very accommodating.   Patti and Dana get mango smoothies – frozen, sweet  and yummy!

Back out to Buchanan and we spot a TARDIS!!  We freak just a little that a real Tardis is sitting out here on the street in Glasgow – pictures and selfies ensue.  

 

 

 

 

We walk on and we also find the Galleries that our waiter suggested...with the Scottish shops?  It’s totally an all American style shopping mall.  We look over the list of shop and see one that intrigues us, “Yankee Scotland”.  Dana jokes that it’s probably just a Yankee Candle store in Scotland… and it’s really funny when we find it, and IT IS!  It’s a Yankee Candle shop; so much for our authentic Scottish shops.   We also find a WEIRD place where you can buy adult animal onesies... what?

Back out into the cool air  -- the sun is pretty intense and direct, but the breeze is just so nice.  We head to George’s Square and catch the hopper bus.  Up top when we’re in motion – we’re almost cold...But zero complaints, this is the weather I wanted, and it’s a great break from the hot shops. Brittany has acquired quite a few shopping bags and jokes that she wishes Thomas was here to carry her bags.  The reason that’s funny is because Thomas won’t hold anything.  I mean nothing.  Do you want this?  Will I have to hold it?  Then no.  I still look around for the kids while we’re in shops, making sure that they’re with us and doing ok.. except that they aren’t. 

This town is big on St.Mongo...and I still have to look him up and figure out why, but all I can think as they’re talking about him is “Candy gram for Mongo..”.   We get off at the West End.  This is an area that I had researched and it said there were unique shops there.. so this is our last chance for that.  Already have two strikes!   We walk down the street and we’re not seeing anything that really looks like what they were talking about, and then on the way back we see that there are signs pointing to areas through small alley ways, and there are like a new world of shops and restaurants back there, hidden away.  This is what we wanted!  One side is all places to eat – but across the street there are more signs promising vintage and crafty things.  We go down the alley way and we keep seeing signs and keep going, and I say “I think they’re lying to us again.” Just when we see a sign that says “Just a little further” and then another that says “almost there”…

The food places...

 

Some of it is just flea market type stuff, but some is real antiques and it’s all fun to look through.  One shop barely has a place to walk through and it’s just piled high with stuff.  I find a set of tea spoons (I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee here, and the common thread of my trips has been the cute little tea spoons – about half the size of our tea spoons) – there’s no price on them and I’m reluctant to ask, but finally I decide that I need to ask, I haven’t found spoons elsewhere (I got two in Wicklow) and I really like these.  He gives me 11 spoons for 15 pounds – can’t beat it.  Brittany is on the search for vintage broaches and she finds some really cute ones.  One is a dog that opens and closes its mouth and blinks when you pull the gear, and another has couple of cute lady bugs.

Narrow passage!

 

Another cool thing about the shops was that there was a film crew there.  We were warned as we went in, not to go in this one shop because they were filming the antique show in there – so I went into another place.  This shop only had one path through the whole store, so narrow that there was no passing, and to get out you had to go the end and just walk back out.  Well, while I’m in there, another lady is following after me – I look up and see that behind her she has a film crew… I really don’t need to be on camera, and I try to get out of her way as quickly as possible.

We’re hungry – and we wanted to go to Tennent’s Bar. We heard about it on the bus, and it was the last pub in Glasgow to allow women in, and it wasn’t until the 1970s after women chained themselves outside that they finally changed the policy.  So we thought we would eat there – and it’s the last name of David Tennant (spells slightly different) who played the Doctor on Doctor Who.  On our way there we pass by an Italian place and this guy eating outside has this amazing looking cheesy pizza.. it turns all our heads, we continue on to Tennents.  We check out the menu (bar food, burgers mostly) – and we all look at each other… that pizza looked really good.   So we go back and figure that a better form of protest for Tennent’s is to NOT eat there.  Ha!  We’re very happy with our decision – they even have meatballs as a topping option. 

 

We take the hopper bus back to the square.. and start walking back to the car. The Buchanan street area is alive with people.  There are artists with their work, and musicians playing for tips.  One group of guys is playing and has a who Brittany has called “the dancing grandma” performing with them.  Except that I don’t think she’s “with” them – she’s just out there having a good time and putting on a show for everyone.  The boys playing seem just as amused.  We also spot the Tardis again - only now it has an ice cream cone on it!  It's a tiny ice cream shop... well we have to get one!

 

We find the parking garage and get out safely (the spiral drive down is worse than going up) – and now it’s rush hour.  No worries – Tim gets us back to the castle and we hang out in mine and Dana’s room and have a bit of a blog meeting, talk about plans for tmw, and just chat while we enjoy our castle breezes.   Brittany goes back to her room to facetime with Scott and she has to hang off the edge of the bed to get her wi-fi connection to work.  That’s been a theme on the trip – shotty wi-fi.  They promise us the internet.. and sometimes we actually get it.

We had a late lunch, so we follow that up with a late dinner and head down about 8 – Britt had the pork belly again, Dana and Patti have chicken Caesar salads (with weird mayonnaise like dressing) and I had the scallops..  still on the search for oysters.  Patti and I both have to get that lemon cheesecake.  So good.

Dinner is about 2 hours again – so we’re ready for bed!!  We have to get up early in the morning tmw – pack the car at 6:45, breakfast at 7, and out of here by 7:15 to make the Harry Potter train on time!  We'll be sad to say goodbye to our castle... and to Glasgow.  I really liked the feel of this city - can't wait to see more of Scotland!

Total for steps for the day was 15,226; 18 stairs;  6.30 miles