Adventures in Glasgow!

This past Friday a few friends and I went to Glasgow for the day and stayed over night as well as the next day.  Glasgow is comparable to New York, bustling with people, especially on Saturday.  We took a coach bus, costly little and only taking an hour and fifteen minutes to travel.  Friday we spent the day touring the city and checking out different museums/ galleries and old churches.  We first stopped at the City Chambers hoping to take a tour, but unfortunately it was not offering tours that day.  Outside the Chambers is marked by many statues of famous Scots and a couple monuments.

We visited the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art), found some interesting pieces of art.  My personal favorite was the cheese wedge with the mice.  I actually was able to place my camera lens inside a whole in the wedge and take a picture of the inside...

We mistakenly grabbed a quick bite to eat at Chopstix, a deceivingly tasty looking Chinese restaurant.  Needless to say it worsened my attitude towards Chinese food abroad.  On our way to St Andrew's Cathedral, which was also closed sadly, we passed by Scotia, Glasgow's oldest pub established in 1792.  

St Andrew's Cathedral is located on the street running parallel with River Clyde...

We also visited the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, as well as the Glasgow Cathedral located adjacent to the museum.  Apparently we picked a bad time to visit these historic churches, as they were all closed and parts were undergoing construction.  Nevertheless they were still beautiful sights to see!

This is the view behind Glasgow Cathedral...also my skilled camera work!

After a long day of exploration we were all ready for a rest and headed back to our hotel.  Apparently the hotel bed we were all sitting on watching television (the show Friends!) can not support the weight of four smaller-average size people.  Sitting there we suddenly crashed to the floor as one of the bed legs snapped off...we got it replaced without a problem.  We grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant around the corner from the hotel, despite the small portions it was delicious.  Our day became more exciting after as we witnessed a robbery in the convenience store we were in.  A man took off stealing Buckfast, a cheap bottle of wine made in London, but did yell "Sorry, I need a drink!" as he sprinted out the door.  

Glasgow is known for its night life, amazing pubs and clubs.  We spent the night at a club called O2 ABC, was a fun night!  During the day and early night it is a cinema stage, hosting a variety of events and musicians, such as David Gray.  Once 11 pm hits, the place turns into a great dance club with DJs playing rock and pop.

Saturday was a day of touring the shops and even going to the Buchanan Galleries, the largest city center mall in Scotland.  We found great food at a pub for breakfast and dinner and ate delicious pastries at a family bakery along with scones at the very popular Willow Tea Room.

Day Trip to Sterling!

This past Saturday, a few friends and I took the train into Sterling for the day.  It was only about a 50 minute train ride through the countryside.  We walked around the city and through an old, yet well kept graveyard.  The graveyard had some higher points that overlooked much of its surroundings.

The picture above on the left shows Sterling Castle in the background (which we did visit).  Also within the graveyard were beautiful statues of some important deceased who impacted Scotland's history.

We passed by the old town jail, which was unfortunately not open at the time.  In addition, we passed by the Church of Holy Rude that led us into the cemetery.

After, we went and toured Sterling Castle.  It was very interesting and an amazing place to explore.  I actually liked Edinburgh Castle better; most say that Sterling Castle is the most remarkable castle in Scotland.

 

We grabbed lunch afterwards, nothing too special, inside a mall.....had a sausage roll with beans and chips (french fries).  This meal is very common over here, and the beans are not our baked beans, rather they are beans in a tomato sauce (you get used to then).  The girls shopped around for an hour or so and my buddy Mitch and I putt around in a couple sport stores.  Right before leaving, we grabbed pastries at some pastry shop, delicious!  Arguably, the best part of the day was the train ride home as it was so comfortable and relaxing as we were all exhausted!