A Day's Wanderings in Glasgow, Scotland

The pedestrian-only Suchiehall Street.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, an industrial hive which has swallowed up nearby towns as it expanded over the last couple centuries. Mike and I grabbed a bus and spent the day there on Sunday to check out the city and visit some friends.

We found ourselves walking briskly up the hill to the bus station first thing in the morning—a lazy 11:00 am. We'd been out every night since Thursday: attending a jazz gig, a flat party, and having beers with Mike's friend from Dumfries so sleep was at a premium.

An hour or so after barely catching the bus, we were in Glasgow. And it was pouring. Or, as our French flat mate says, it was peeing like a cow.

We wandered down Suchiehall, a pedestrian-only street lined with shops and fast-food joints. I took a photo of McDonald's to add to my collection. The rain was off and on but it certainly didn't keep people inside: there were so many people around, I figured it must be the major shopping avenue.

Meeting Amy

Fancy escalators in a fancy shopping centre off of Buchanan St. Children played in an open area below, surrounded by stores filled with clothes I can't afford.

Mike was basically still asleep so we decided to find the nearest coffee shop and grab one. It turned out to be Costa Café inside Waterson's—basically a Starbucks inside a Chapters. We weren't there long before Amy surprised us.

We weren't supposed to meet her until later in the day but she had to buy a book and happened to see us. So there we were, three Vancouverites who hadn't seen each other in over a year sitting over coffee and talking about the weather, sushi, and taxes. Go figure.

Buchanan and Argyle

With Mike feeling renewed after his giant Americano he and I took to the streets again. We made our way to Buchanan St. which is like Robson in Vancouver but on a larger scale: it's lined with boutiques and fancy little shopping centres. So many people! It made Suchiehall look like a ghost town.

Walking around Glasgow I noticed there were more street performers than Edinburgh. And unlike in Edinburgh, they weren't all playing bagpipes. I used to like them but after spending only a week in Scotland's capital it was just annoying.

Bagpipes with African drums made a great show on Buchanan St.

On the streets of Glasgow, though, we saw a man dressed in a suit singing an operatic "What a Wonderful World," the occasional guitar player, and a trio playing the intriguing combination of bagpipes and African drums. Unlike the dry, military sound of bagpipes and a snare, these guys had a lively beat going and for the first time since I arrived in Scotland I stopped to listen to some one play the bagpipe.

Unfortunately, we only caught them in the middle of their last song for the day so we continued down Buchanan to the River Clyde and later, another shopping street, Argyle.

Fine Scottish Hospitality

The Glasgow Underground. The train cars were tiny and, with their angled sides, it felt like we'd climbed into a take away (take out) box.

We met with our Glaswegian friends ("Weegies") at Radio, a loungy pub on a hidden gem of a back alley, Ashton Lane. A variety of interesting-looking restaurants and neighbourhood pubs were tucked back there. If I made another trip to Glasgow I'd definitely look for my dinner here.

We reconnected with Amy as well as two born-and-raised-in-Scotland girls, Gemma and Dannii. The five of us knew each other from UBC where Gemma and Dannii had been exchange students.

I'd only met the girls a couple times but they were amazing hosts! After eating at Radio they broke it to Mike and I that the metro had closed for the night at a shockingly early 7pm. However, they offered to walk us to the bus station instead, and gave us heaps of historical information and insider stories along the way.

Impressions of Glasgow

At one point Mike and I exchanged thoughts on Glasgow. He didn't like it. We both agreed that it had a harsher feeling than Edinburgh, a feeling caused by the industrial nature of the city, it's sheer size, and the evidence of crime (e.g., broken store windows). Glasgow also fell short on the number of historical monuments and photo-ops when compared with Edinburgh.

But I didn't come to the same conclusion as Mike. The city has more energy and activity, something you can see in the far greater presence of gig/event posters, the variety of shops, and the way people behave and dress. It's also relatively free from the touristy feeling of the capital. The tourist-targeted stores aren't so obnoxious and you don't see as many people standing around with cameras and maps.

I think Edinburgh is nicer to visit, but if I were to live in one of the two Scottish cities it would be Glasgow.