Beam Me Up, Scottie!
Posted by Leonard And Me , 7.30.2018 5:06 PM
Over the next eight days we are in the land of Scots! Our fearless leader, Ian, will guide us throughout the land of sheep and narrow roads - kilt and all!
We start our journey in Scotland's largest city....Glasgow! After arriving early Saturday morning, we headed out to explore the city. First order of business was to exchange a few dollars to the local currency. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom which relies on the British pound. Unfortunately, 1 British pound costs us $1.28 US dollars. Yikes! That's gonna be a whopping 28% tax on every beer we drink this week!
Jenesa's on vacation....and she doesn't care how much beer costs in dollars or pounds! So we ventured out to hit a few pubs around town - 1.) Shilling Brewing Co., 2.) BrewDog, 3.) Hippo Tap Room, 4.) The Horseshoe, and 5.) The Howling Wolf. Today was the worst possible day to hang out in the bars because the Scotland soccer (football) team was playing England. It was a major event in these parts and near impossible to get inside any bar with a TV. The town was also full of kilt-wearing men in support of their beloved Scottish football team! It was quite a sight to see!
Another amusing site in Glasgow was the equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington. One of the city's most iconic images is located outside the Museum of Modern Art. We just happened to run into this "cone head" on our hike across town. Due to minor damage and the potential for injury that the placing of cones involves, the practice has been discouraged by Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police. It allegedly costs the City Council £10,000 a year to remove the cones. When they take one down....guess what? Another one finds it way back up!
A few other notable sites around Glasgow include:
The seven-story Tolbooth Steeple is topped by a clock and a stone crown. This was once part of a much larger building that provided the backdrop to many of the city`s dramas and it was here that witches, thieves and murderers were summarily dealt with, by hanging if necessary. It also had a special platform from which proclamations were read, important in the days before general literacy.
One of Scotland's most magnificent medieval buildings, Glasgow Cathedral is the only one on the Scottish mainland to survive the Reformation of 1560 intact. The Cathedral also houses one of the finest post-war collections of stained glass windows in Britain.
And, of course, the Hard Rock Cafe! We never eat at these world-wide franchises...but it never hurts to take a picture with the name of the CITY you're visiting! We're certainly enjoying Glasgow so far....and our Scottish adventure is just beginning! Stay tuned!
Looks sunny, but how warm is it? I see shorts and a jacket in the same pic, so I'm curious...