Glasgow, Scotland, June 22, 2022

June 22, 2022

We landed in Heathrow Airport in London at 6:30am. It was a bright morning but Pounce and I both felt pretty jet lagged. We had some coffee and then ate breakfast at a restaurant in the airport. I explored the Harry Potter store which was full of things that I thought about buying, but I did not want to have to haul them all around through Scotland for the next three weeks. I decided to stop back by the store on the flight out in July.

We catnapped on some uncomfortable chairs in the airport until 11:25am when we went to our gate for our flight to Glasgow. I had a feeling we'd be delayed and once we were on the plane, we were, due to unloading luggage of missing passengers. Unbeknownst to us, because of a combination of lack of workers and the highest volume of travelers since before Covid, Heathrow was to become a nightmare travel experience this summer.

As we flew to Glasgow I watched the countryside out the window. I could see the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The landscape seemed be fairly flat with lots of fields and some small towns. There were occasional stands of trees and a few rivers.

We arrived in Glasgow at 3:00pm and I put my pack together, stowing my Osprey pack bag inside my backpack. For some reason I could not get any cash out of the airport ATM although Cathe could. I was worried and frustrated by this but Cathe loaned me some pounds until I was able to find an ATM that worked a few days later. We caught a bus to downtown Glasgow and walked to our hostel. I gazed around me in wonder as we walked, absorbing the scenery and culture of Scotland. The cars driving on the other side of the street kept me on my toes but I was surprised that everything seemed, not familiar, but not usually foreign, either.

The Scottish accent, on the other hand, was difficult for me to understand. As we walked along and I overhead various conversations in the street I had a hard time recognizing that people were even speaking English. The Scottish brogue has a musical cadence to it that makes it seem like a completely different language. I enjoyed listening to it, but wished I could understand it better.

Eurohostel mural

We arrived at the Eurohostel. I had never stayed in a hostel before and was looking forward to the experience. It was very affordable at only 45 pounds a night and Pounce and I had our own private rooms. The halls were a confusing warren of  random swinging "fire" doors with strobing epileptic inducing hallway lights. The bathroom was across the hall and the shower was the kind that was warm for three minutes and then turned tepid. Downstairs was a large comfortable dining room and kitchen that we could use and hang out in. Since that was the only place I could get wifi I hung out there on multiple occasions.

After we settled in and rested for awhile, we ventured out to explore. I like Glasgow. It has a gritty, real feeling to it and the local street artists have decorated many of the walls with amazing murals. We found an outdoor store and Pounce bought an umbrella and a belt. We then had dinner at the Drum and Monkey Restaurant. Pounce and I shared a stovie (beef in root veggies) and a Corkie pie (shredded lamb with a haggis topping) Both were delicious. I also had a hard cider. 

It is odd to me that I have never seen a Scottish Restaurant in America. I've eaten in Irish restaurants and the food is actually quite similar. Scottish food is delicious! Pounce eats gluten free and the gluten free options in Scotland were astonishing. Way better than in the United States.

After dinner we wandered a bit more before heading back to the hostel to plan our food carries for the West Highland Way. We determined that only about a one day food supply would be needed at most.

The Horseshoe bar, famous for being the longest bar in the world

Buchanan Street, a pedestrian walk way

Princes Square

Clockwork Orange Subway Entrance

The Eurohostel is close to the River Clyde. Across the street was a statue of Spaniard Dolores Iburrurl memorializing Glasgow residents who joined the fight against fascism in Spain in the 1930s. It featured a quote by her, "Better to die on your feet than live forever on your knees."

The river Clyde across the street from our hostel

Better to die on your feet than live forever on your knees

Pounce quote of the day: "The benefit of traveling together is that only one of us has to think at a time."