Glasgow, Scotland, June 24, 2022

Friday, June 24, 2022

When Pounce and I got up we had a heart to heart talk. We decided to stay in Glasgow two more days instead of starting the West Highland Way. We still needed to figure out how to bounce our extra bag and it was supposed to rain the next two days. Staying longer in Glasgow would also solve our problem of arriving at the proper time to Ewich House for our reservation. But we did decide to move to a hotel on the west side that was a bit more upscale than the Eurohostel with actual wifi in our room so we could more easily plan.

We made a two night reservation at a hotel called the Devonshire and packed up our backpacks. We walked over to where the tour bus stop was and since we still had our receipts from the bus tour the previous day we were able to extend it to a second day for only a pound more. We rode the tour bus over to the Devonshire and this time I could actually understand the tour guide and it was like a whole new tour! 

The Devonshire Hotel

It was too early to check in but they had a luggage closet we were able to store our backpacks in and we set out to explore the University of Glasgow which was only a couple blocks from our hotel. It was graduation day and we heard bagpipes and saw students in graduation gowns and men in kilts. I learned about the Antonine Wall which was further north than Hadrian's Wall and had been built by the Romans.

Bus tour views

Riverside Museum

University of Glasgow

Physicist Lord Kelvin

Kelvingrove Art Museum

The Psalmist

University of Glasgow

Huh.  Reid (Reed) is Scottish. 

One would hope

Bowing Green

The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 and is the fourth oldest university in the English speaking world. While there I saw a plaque on the wall about Thomas Reid. Although a DNA test revealed I'm 65% Scottish, Welsh, Irish, I did not realize part of those Scottish roots were from my Reed side of the family. Thomas Reid founded the Scottish School of Common Sense Philosophy. Interestingly, he advocated for education to be free from religious and political biases.

Next we caught the tour bus back to Buchanan Street to take the Clockwork Orange Subway. The subway opened in 1896 and is the third oldest subway in the world after the London and Budapest subways.

running out of time

The Clockwork Orange Subway

You drive on the left and walk on the left!

Tea at the Mackintosh at the Willow

People Make Glasgow

I was finally able to get some cash out of an ATM! Then we had tea at Mackintosh at the Willow. I had the 1903 tea blended specifically for that restaurant with a berry tart. The building was designed by Scottish artist Charles Renne Mackintosh and is his last surviving teashop. It originally opened in 1903. I really like his style. It is a mix of art nouveau with Japanese influences and inspired by floral motifs. 

We walked back to our hotel and checked in and tried to figure out the luggage transfer. Part of the problem was that without a specific end destination the luggage transfer service would not take our luggage. We finally booked a campsite at the Glen Nevis Campground so we would have an end point and destination. Since it was only 12 pounds, if we cancelled or missed the reservation it would not be as expensive as losing a hotel room. Then we had to email to ask  them to hold our bag for us since it would probably arrive before we would.

We ended the day with dinner at a Thai Restaurant. It felt good to have a plan finally figured out.

Pounce quote of the day regarding our luggage transfer problems: "Here's the box and here's us. We just keep walking around looking for the door."