Glasgow!

I took a day trip to Glasgow with the girls and found it to be surprisingly likable!

I had heard Glasgow is dirty, a city recovering from centuries of industrialism, crime, and turmoil. It is by no means a glitzy tourist destination, but then again we did spend the entire day walking and shopping.

We took the bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow, an hour ride for 8 sterling pounds, and arrived to a massive shopping street lined with every kind of store a girl could imagine. Sauchiehall Street presented us with quite the feat and put a major damper on our wallets. However, we managed to find Primark, a similar equivalent to the State's version of H&M (even though Europe obviously has H&M). I have never seen less expensive clothing in my entire life. White t-shirt: 1 pound. Camisol tops: 98 pence. Floral blouses: 5 pounds. Red sunglasses: 1 pound. Tartan suspenders: 2.50 pounds. Not that I'm naming exactly what I bought or anything...

For the record, the tartan suspenders are KICK ASS.

After shopping for a while, we ventured to the West End to find an Indian and Pizza Restaurant, which was immensely hyped up by our "tour guide", i.e. Megan from the flat below. Indian and pizza all in one little restaurant did have me a bit worried, but I'm from Chicago - I want me some gooooooooooood pizza. However, after walking to just about Hong Kong and realizing the restaurant was closed (omen perhaps?), we settled for a great pub on the way back into the shopping district.

Where we proceeded to shop some more.

Rachel, Stephanie, Felicia, Maggie, and I took tea at the Willow Tea Room, a tea room made famous by celebrated restaurateur Miss Kate Cranston and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. IT WAS SO COOL! We all ordered some funky type of tea from Black Currant to Orange Peel. Felicia ordered a latte that literally was thimble-sized. We also brought in the afternoon with some fresh bakery including scones, meringues with fruit and creme, and ice cream sundaes - a true ladies' tea party!


According to my super awesome "Scotland - Eyewitness Travel" tourbook, "everything in the tearoom, from the high-backed chairs to the talbes and cutlery, was of Mackintosh's own design. In particular, the 1904 Room de Luxe sparkles with eccentricity: striking mauve and silver furniture, coloured glass and a flamboyant leaded door create a remarkable venue in which to enjoy afternoon tea" (Scotland, Eyewitness Travel 2008). Mackintosh has this incredibly simple style of straight lines and flowing details that do no usually create images as much as divide a canvas into unique shapes and spaces, filled with lead piping, mirrors, and colored glass. I really felt like I should be sipping on my tea with my pinky up, wearing an afternoon sun dress adorned with a big hat..."My Fair Lady" style.


We decided that after our tea and crumpets, our feet were tired from our walk earlier and we decided to head home.

I fully plan on returning again to Glasgow for at least another day because:

a) I only shopped on about a quarter-mile of the road. Apparently there's about 2 miles of quality shopping. DAMNIT!

b) I really, REALLY liked the artwork and style in the Willow Tea Room and would like to visit the "House for an Art Lover" art museum that highlights Mackintosh's work.

c) I never saw a cathedral while in Glasgow. That just doesn't happen in Europe. So I'm going to return to say that I've seen the Glasgow Cathedral.

d) There's a bagpipe museum in Glasgow. How can you not go?

e) Once the weather's nice, I'd like to see the Botanic Gardens. Because I will clearly never have any kind of plant life that will survive around me for more than 1 week.

SIDENOTE: My flatmate, Rachel, bought mini planting pots, dirt, and Scottish flower seeds for us during the first week we were all here. Think of them as "Flatmate Love Ferns" if you will. I have my love fern patiently sitting on the window sill where she can obtain optimum sunlight and I've been concentrating on her watering cycles more than I have on my schoolwork. And what do I get after three weeks? A brown pott with dirt in it. No green. Anywhere. In my mind, this equals no love. Sad day in Flat 7 of Wright's Houses.

Needless to say, I totally went all "girl" in Glasgow with my shopping bags full of red sunglasses, tartan suspenders, and white t-shirts instead of appreciating Glasgow for its "dark and gloomy past" turned "pretty awesome city". Next time.

Rachel and I are planning a return visit so hopefully I'll have a better post than "Confessions of a Broke Student's Shopping Excursion in Glasgow".