This post will be about our trip to Glasgow. Which means I'll write about three days. For more easy understanding, I'll divide this post in three chapters: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Be prepared for a long read! :)
FRIDAY
Friday morning started a bit differently for Tjaša. I told her she should get up in time for us to drive Daniel to school, so that we would then go to Tesco straight away. As it was Friday during Lent days (for Slovenians "post") we were a bit limited with what to buy and what to eat for lunch later on. I've decided to fast all sweets, candy and chocolate so we bought apples and grapes for our snack. Tjaša of course still had Maltesers and Hulla Hoops from the day before. When we came back to the house, we started packing our clothes and toiletries and slowly getting ready for our weekend in Glasgow.
At first we planned to find a cheap B&B or hostel but there were no cheap ones. So we then decided to try something both of us haven't tried before. Couchsurfing. I know most of people have (at first) bad opinion about it. And I can't understand why. The percentage of bad people, who would harm you, is much lower to people who are good. Really can't understand why couchsurfing has a bad ring to it. When Jana and I went to London we actually did a very similar thing. Airb&b is a site where you can rent a room from local hosts. And couchsurfing is the same thing. The only difference, which is a bit difference, is in price. Couchsurfing is for free. So why does paying money for accommodation make us feel safer?
I am very happy with our decision. We sent message to many hosts in Glasgow, hoping someone will say yes. Most of them didn't reply, one said he can't, because he will be away that weekend and then we got a yes. A 22 year old Brazilian guy named Caio said he can host us. He's studying pharmacy in one of Glasgow's universities. He lives in a student accommodation but was more than willing to give us space in his room. But more about him later on.
At 11 o'clock we took the bus to Edinburgh. It was Tjaša's first time seeing the city and she loved it. All the old buildings, the castle, the parks etc. It's hard not to like the city. We went off the bus at Princes Street, passed few stores and then went into Primark so she could get a quick glimpse on what the store's offering. We didn't plan on shopping until Sunday or Monday. Afterwards we went to Costa for coffee and chat. We chatted for like an hour at least. Topics were various. About the city, about my life here, about what Tjaša should buy in Primark, about her and mum's visit in May and what should we do etc. The weather wasn't that great. It was very windy, which made it cold. So that's one of the reasons why we stayed in Costa for so long. Close to 2 o'clock in the afternoon we headed towards Princes Street Gardens, then to Royal Mile and Grassmarket. At 3 o'clock we went to the bus station where the bus to Glasgow would depart.
Scots monument and below Princes Street Gardens
I in Princes Street Gardens
Royal Mile - this road leads to the castle
The other side of Royal Mile
Interesting name for a club :)
View of Edinburgh Castle in Grassmarket
At 15.15 our bus left the station. Due to rush hour we needed a bit longer to reach Buchanan bus station in Glasgow. We needed almost two hours. We then went to Sauchiehall Street which is very similar to Princes Street. Tons of stores there. More than in Edinburgh. We went to Primark of course where Tjaša bought two things: jeans and a semi-formal shirt. Then it was finally time to get something to eat. Due to Friday and no meat day during Lent days, we had a bit of problem finding a place to eat. There are mostly fast food shops on that street. But we eventually managed to find a nice Italian restaurant. We shared pizza margherita. Was a bit small portion though. However the ambience was really nice. Live music - a guy was playing music from 1920/30s on his guitar. And some of you probably know that I love music from that time. He played Django Reinhardt's songs! Plus, I must not forget to mention, one of the waiters who served us was really handsome. So we were both very happy with our choice to go to this restaurant.
After our dinner we met with Caio who was so nice to meet us at the entry to Primark. I was in Glasgow only once before this time and even then I just went to shops. So I didn't know much of the city. He offered to pick us up actually. After typical Brazilian greeting - kiss on a cheek, we headed towards his place. He lives approximately 10 min walk away from that shopping street/bus station. So perfect location. Immediately Tjaša and I saw he's very friendly and a very nice guy. We chatted about all sorts of things during our walk. He informed us that there's a birthday party going on in his flat at the moment and there will be another birthday party the next day but one floor above us. To be honest we were slightly worried about staying in a room, which meant it would be very loud etc., but we were worried for nothing. It wasn't really loud and the party stopped at around 2 in the morning. When we reached his flat, he told us we can sleep in his room, while he will sleep at his friends' place. If that's not nice, I don't know what is! He then left us, while we relaxed a little bit and then headed out. We ended up in a bar called Yates. Was nice there. Only problem was or is that all bars close at midnight in Scotland. Probably in whole UK actually. And nightclubs are open only until 3 in the morning. That's very different from Slovenia. So at midnight they turned the bright lights on, turned off the music and informed us we need to leave the premises as soon as possible.
Caio
When we reached Caio's place, we met with few of his friends. He told us that mostly Brazilians live in this building. Was very surprised to hear that there are so many Brazilians studying in Glasgow. We chatted for a bit, then they left the room to us. But very soon a guy came in, very drunk, but very funny and amusing. He entertained us for a little while, then left. At around 2 o'clock in the morning we were quite tired so we went to sleep even though the party was still on. Caio's bed is a single bed, so we decided that I'll sleep on his bed that night and Tjaša on the floor (there were few pillows she could use and also a sleeping bag) and the next night we would change the positions. She however woke up in the middle of the night with very sore body and ended up on my bed. But it was okay. I didn't push or kick her out of the bed unknowingly during the night nor did she fall on her own.
SATURDAY
We started our Saturday morning quite late. Woke up at 9 and left the place at 10. The plan at first was to go to a little town called Ayr for the day. We would have to take a bus and drive approximately one hour to reach the destination. But the weather forecast wasn't very good. It was supposed to rain heavily in the afternoon. So in the end we decided to stay in Glasgow and see what the biggest city in Scotland offers. The first thing we saw was Glasgow Cathedral. This cathedral was built before the Reformation from the late 12th century and was styled in Gothic architecture. Behind the cathedral is a very nice Necropolis, which is a Victorian cemetery. It is stretched through whole hill.
Glasgow Cathedral
Necropolis
Stained glass inside the cathedral
The altar
Twelve apostles and The last supper
Forgot to whom this sword belonged to
The view of the cathedral from Necropolis
Necropolis
The view of the city from Necropolis
The view of the city from Necropolis
The view of the city from Necropolis
Tjaša
It was very windy on the top of the Necropolis so we didn't stay there long. It was then time for us to grab something to eat. I suggested to eat at Costa. We headed back to Sauchiehall Street, searched for Costa shop and eventually found one. I loved where this shop was situated. In a library! I've just recently, well 5 months ago, become a book worm :) So I loved it there. We both ordered latte, Tjaša small, I medium. For lunch she had toast with ham and cheese, while I had panini with same ingredients. We stayed there for at least an hour. Just relaxing in a very nice place and deciding where to go next. We decided to go to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
A very nice car we came across while walking
Costa shop in the library
We were both happy to find this book :)
Tesla - never seen this car on the streets before
Walking towards the museum and of course getting lost for a little bit
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon we finally reached the museum. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Musuem is the most popular free-to-enter visitor attraction in Scotland and the most visited museum in UK outside London. It was very crowded inside. One of the main paintings that visitors want to see is Salvador Dali's Christ of Saint John of the Cross. Unfortunately we didn't take a photograph of it. It was too dark and you're not suppose to use flash in museums. We however took photographs of other, very nice paintings.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
University of Glasgow
Tjaša trying to interpret the meaning of a painting
This is something Daniel would like to see. He loves dinosaurs
Tjaša recently got fascinated with deers
Tjaša and I played a game while looking at paintings. We had to choose which one of the paintings would be above our beds. I chose this one (painter is Charles Dixon)
We both really liked how this old man's face looks very realistic. Painter is James Guthrie
At 5 o'clock we were more or less thrown out. The museum closes at that time. Two hours weren't enough for us to be honest. There were still rooms that we didn't see. So that was a shame. And when we came out we saw it started to rain. Of course we didn't take umbrellas with us. It's kind of pointless to have one in Scotland anyway. It is often windy which means your umbrella will bend or break while using it. And it often rains from a side, which means umbrella doesn't cover much. Only problem was we would be really wet until reaching Sauchiehall Street if we walked. So we took the bus instead. And it was pricey! 2.1 pounds. In Edinburgh and in London city buses cost 1.5 pounds.
We went shopping for a little bit, I wanted to show her Urban Outfitter store, Forever 21, Fat Face etc. The prices in Forever 21 are hilarious. To be more specific, British Pound to Euro rate is hilarious.
Rate between pounds and euros is 1 British pound equals 1.39 euros, which means this shirt is suppose to cost 20.81 euros and not 16.50. We of course checked other price tags and it's more or less the same with every clothing. I wonder who made this price tags.
For dinner we decided to go to Nando's. Or I decided we should go there. I talked so much about Nando's to my family that I had to take her. While we were walking to the restaurant, a disaster happened. Water came in my boots. In both! The shoe sole broke or something. Clearly they were cheap when I bought them. But I had them in Slovenia whole time and I walked on wet roads there, but water didn't come through. In Nando's we both ordered grilled chicken burger with chips and then added my favourite sauce - lemon & herb. She really liked it. She also liked the interior design of the restaurant. All Nando's have a unique design. After our dinner we thought of staying there and go to a pub so we wouldn't walk back and forth but eventually decided to just go back to Caio's place. We could rest a bit, plus I would warm up my feet and change socks. Tjaša was writing her travel diary while I was going through Caio's book Scotland - Lonely Planet. For a while we were relaxing and then Caio came home. He went hiking for whole day. He was there with his good (Scottish) friend Gary. Gary told us his best friend is a Slovenian guy who lives in Maribor. Who would have thought :) We invited both out for drinks and Caio was happy to say yes, while Gary had to go home. Tjaša wanted to try proper Scottish Ale, so Caio took us to a recently opened pub. It was a nice place, quite modern and you could see their destillery through glass floor windows. I ordered a glass of white wine and the waiter looked at me weirldy. Like why am I ordering wine and not beer. Everyone in the pub was drinking beer, true, but I just don't like beer at all. He even had to ask his colleague where they store Chardonnay! We stayed there until the pub closed and then went back to his place. He again gave us his room for the night. He slept at friends' place again. So nice of him. Tjaša and I decided we'll both sleep on bed that night. The only difference was she slept closer to the wall. But I didn't fall :)
Tjaša writing her travel diary on Caio's bed
A waiter took a photograph of all of us in the pub
SUNDAY
We agreed with Caio to meet at the entry of The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on late morning and then go for coffee. Our bus back to Edinburgh was due at 13.15. We were all quite tired and sleepy because of the busy weekend we all had. So we had a sleepy, morning conversation. I remembered at some point we talked about different measure rates. How much is one gallon to litre, how much is one foot in centimetres etc. Funny topic! But we are all getting used to British measurements. When an hour passed we said our goodbyes. He then went back home, while we walked up and down the street, went to Tesco to buy something for snack and then went to bus station. Of course my feet were all wet again! Sister and I had a very nice time in Glasgow and are both very happy to have stayed with Caio.
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Interesting clock
Tjaša enjoying the sun
During our trip back to Edinburgh, Tjaša started to feel sick. Closer we got to Edinburgh, worse she left. We planned to go off at the bus station but ended up leaving the bus on the last bus stop on Queensferry Road so she could get some fresh air. The weather was nice. Sunny, quite warm and not that much wind. We were suppose to meet with Ellen for lunch and I was starving by the time we met. We went to Biblos. Ellen and I went there one time before and we liked it. So I thought we could go again. I was the only one eating though. Tjaša felt too sick and Ellen had lunch not that long ago. I ordered chicken, guacamole and tomato panini with chips. It was delicious!
It was a bit odd to see Tjaša like this. She's normally very chatty. Especially when meeting new people. But because she wasn't feeling well, we decided to cut our encounter short. Tjaša and I were also suppose to meet with Jana for few minutes before she had to go home. And I wanted to give her birthday present that I bought for her. We've both been busy the past couple of weekends that we didn't see each other since London. And her birthday was on 19th of February! But we'll meet very soon. Planning to go out on 21st and then staying at her place for the night. Can't wait!
When we reached my home, Tjaša soon went to my room to relax, while I spoke to family Coyne about our trip and what's our plan for the next two days. After an hour or two we skyped with mum and then started watching a movie. We watched Last samurai. She hasn't seen it yet, while I've seen it many times. But still it's one of my favourite movies and music soundtrack is just breath-taking. She liked the movie. Even though Tom Cruise is starring :) Then we went to sleep. I think before 10 pm. So quite early.
And finally this is the end of this post. I hope I didn't take too much of your time to go through whole summary of our Glasgow trip :)
