Greetings From Glasgow!

Gallery of Modern Art, City Centre

I've made it, finally! I arrived in Glasgow the day before move-in day at the halls and stayed a little south of the city in Queens Park. I endured one last night of sharing unisex bathrooms, bedrooms, and particularly pungent, disgusting odors.

Move-in day was a great day to be alive. I was so excited to see Strathclyde University, Glasgow, where I would be staying, who my flatmates would be, and to have my own room and bathroom. I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about everything I was anticipating that day.

I went up, up, up the stairs on campus with my luggage to the building where we were to check-in. It was early yet, so I had some time to meet a few folks while we all anxiously awaited our keys. Before I knew it, check-in began. I was issued my keys, a folder with information, and a map to my hall. I found the hall quite easily without any trouble wheeling my luggage around. I took the elevator to the 5th floor and found myself in a maze of doors. I have to admit, it was pretty exciting finding and discovering the place I'd be living in for the next three months. I finally found the door I was looking for, and unlocked it, not knowing what to expect on the other side. A hall with more doors. I found door #2 and unlocked it. Upon opening the door, I was a bit overcome with joy. A cute little room with a bathroom, just for me. This felt so significant after staying in hostels for the past 11 days.

I'm pretty sure the first thing I did was to walk to the window to check out the view. Yes! I got the city view!  I know now that it's not technically the "city" view, but we'll roll that. I can see two cathedrals and the Royal Infirmary to the left.

I woke up one morning to see this beautiful part of a rainbow outside. It might rain an awful lot here, but that just means more chances to see rainbows. :)

So many things to do - where to begin? I felt so scattered in my sleep-deprived state. Unpacking was a priority, but so was showering, cleaning, shopping for necessities, and figuring out the internet access. So, I unpacked a little, took a shower (hot water and good water pressure!), changed into a suitcase-fresh pair of clothes (which is much better than a backpack-fresh pair of clothes, I assure you), unpacked some more, fiddled with the wireless internet connection on my computer (Mom - I was trying to get it to work!), then headed out the door on a mission to bargain shop for sheets, a duvet cover, pillows, pillow cases, cleaner, and much, much more. I navigated my way to Argyle Street and found TJ Hughes, TK Maxx, and Primark.

I also popped into a department store where I found a very cute duvet cover that just makes me smile. It was 75% off. Score!

It was not easy doing back and forth price comparison while shopping for these items. I had no idea what was considered reasonable prices here, especially taking the currency and exchange rate into consideration. I think I managed pretty well, though.

The cruel irony of my shopping excursions is that I had to walk downhill to get to the city center, then back up steep hills with all of my bags. I can't say that it is worse than having to drive a half an hour to get to a store back at home in North Carolina. I am very grateful for my close proximity to everything here.

Next priority: wash everything! This involved finding an open laundry facility on campus. One of the staff members was surprised I already had laundry to do. Really? I had just traveled for nearly two weeks and just purchased new bedding... I would imagine some other students may do the same? Once my laundry was done and my bed was made (ah, such a good feeling!), I ventured out to find Aldi to buy food. I found The Cooperative Food first, so that is where I shopped. I was exhausted and hungry. I picked up a few items and headed back to my flat. I ate dinner, showered again (I just felt so icky from staying in the hostels - I needed to get squeaky clean), and went to bed, frustrated that I couldn't figure out the internet connection, thus leaving me unable to send a message to let my family know I had arrived and was doing fine.

Though I was so relieved to not be sleeping in a noisy hostel with roommates and bunkbeds, I did not sleep well this first night. It was incredibly noisy outside with kids yelling, talking and making noise. The doors in the hall closing sounded like explosions. This certainly would not be a good place for a person with PTSD to reside. Around 4 am, the noise subsided and I was able to get some sleep.

I woke up the next day feeling better than I had in days. I got ready to go, shopping list and map in hand, backpack on with laptop in it, and headed to Starbucks to let Mom know that I was here and doing well. I did another round of shopping for necessities afterwards, then headed back to my flat to chop vegetables and make a very satisfying salad.

I had to attend a brief meeting for international students the next day. I was able to pick up an ethernet cable at the bookstore for the internet connection. My efforts to connect to the wireless network had been in vain; there aren't any wireless connections in the halls of residence yet. I felt so connected to the world when I got back and hooked up the cable! What joy.

I had two more meetings over the next two days, so I did more of the same - I went into the city centre and shopped for things I needed. Every Wednesday night is a pub night for international students at Strathclyde. We are sent an email on Tuesdays to let us know which pub to meet at. On this first Wednesday of the semester, the pub night was at the Counting House right off of George Square in the city centre. I had a great time and met quite a few people. The Counting House was nothing like I expected it to be. I wish I had taken a picture of it. The inside was large and ornate, with portraits on the white walls and sculptures peering out. I almost felt like I was in a bank. On Thursday, one of my flatmates, her friend, and I went on the hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Glasgow. I don't think it could have been a worse day to go. It was very cold and very rainy. I rode the entire route without getting off. My ticket was for two days, so I figured I could go back the next day to hop off at the sights I wanted to see. I was absolutely chilled to the bone and completely exhausted when the tour was over. I walked as fast as I could back to my hall, made a steaming hot cup of tea and tried to warm up. I was still very cold, so the remedy ended up being a nice nap, under the covers in bed.

Friday was a much, much nicer day for the hop-on, hop-off bus! Again, I walked to George Square to board the bus, destination: Glasgow Science Center. I really need to get better pictures of George Square; this one does not do it justice.

This is one of the cathedrals that I can see from my flat. I hope to walk around this area soon.

The Doulton Fountain in front of the Templeton Carpet Factory at Glasgow Green. The carpet factory was modeled after the Doge's Palace in Venice because the building was not desired by the wealthy citizens to look like a factory.

The figure atop the Doulton Fountain is of Queen Victoria. It was designed to commemorate her reign.

 The Mclennan Arch at Glasgow Green.

They say, "When in Glasgow, look up." The architecture here is really something to behold.

 The Clyde Arc, also affectionately referred to as "The Squinty Bridge," spans the Clyde River. 

The Squinty Bridge!

Looking out onto the Clyde River from the bridge.

I've reached my destination! The Glasgow Science Center. For some reason, I always forget that Science museums are geared towards children. I tried to be nonchalant with my childlessness and played with the exhibits alongside the families. I did refrain from entering the Alice in Wonderland exhibit, though it looked pretty cool for the little ones.
 

Back at the halls. I have to say, I think that the usage of flyers is the most disrespectful form of advertising there is. We have to navigate around them, the cleaning crew has to pick, sweep, or pluck them up (see the I,S, and P in the windows?), and they are just plain ugly. They are littered everywhere, including piled on the stairwells in our halls.  I was so frustrated, with having to climb six flights of stairs to get to my floor while dodging stacks of these things in an attempt not to slip, fall and break my neck, that I sent an email to one of the clubs to complain about the safety hazard. They haven't thrown flyers in our stairwell since.

I know I won't tire of these views during my walks around the city. 

 

 On the weekend, I strolled around the city a bit, and wandered into the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). I'm not a fan of modern art, but it was nice to take a look around in here for a couple of hours.

I mean, come on. How much fun is it to discover beautiful streets adorned with archways and surrounded by massive, ornate, stately buildings? 

Lunch at Jamie's Italian in George Square. Honeycomb Canneloni Three Ways: Aubergine and Sun-Dried Tomato, Pumpkin, Ricotta and Spinach. Fantastically delicious.

I took a bite out of dessert before I remembered to take a picture! Tiramisu. I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled with this "deconstructed" version. I like my tiramisu on the classic side. I also inhaled when I took a bite and the cocoa powder nearly choked me. I have no idea what possesses people to garnish with gobs of cocoa powder or powdered sugar for that matter. As a consumer, I do not wish the likelihood to choke on my food to be increased because of an ill-thought out garnish, and as a professional baker, I just think it's a terribly unimaginative way to garnish a food item. (Sorry Jaime, I still think you are awesome.)

Thanks for reading through a rather long post! My first week in Glasgow was quite busy, but full of excitement and adventure. I can't wait to share what happens next!

Discovering Ireland: The Conclusion

Dublin

Beep, beep, beep! Bang, bang, bang! Beep, beep, beep! Bang, bang, bang!  I am in the hostel in Kilkenny, not quite fully awake yet, wondering what on earth this noise is that I keep hearing. A garbage truck? An alarm clock? I leave the room to take a shower, and a woman is frantically trying to get her locker open to remove her stowed possessions. The beep, beep, beep was not a garbage truck in reverse, but the noise made when she swiped the card she was issued to unlock the locker. The bang, bang, bang was not a garbage truck smacking a dumpster to get the contents out, but the lady pulling furiously on the locker in a vain attempt to get it to open. Even though the hostel was supposed to be staffed 24 hours a day, there was no one there at 8:00 in the morning to assist her in getting the locker open. Nice going, Kilkenny Tourist Hostel.

Finally, we were off to Dublin for the last couple of days of our trip. Thankfully it was mostly motorways to get back there. We had a couple of missed turns due to a bit of confusion on the motorway approaching Dublin, then it took a while to spot the Budget Car Rental, and I thought, well, logically, that a gas station would be close to the rental agency since you have to gas up before you return the vehicle. Wrong. It was borderline infuriating to try to find a gas station. After asking two different people where a gas station could be found, ("You mean, a petrol station?" "Yes.") we had a direction to go in and found one. I wanted desperately to be rid of the car, and I am sure my travel companion felt the same way. So, it was back to Budget, and the last challenge was to park it in a tiny alley (which I passed twice trying to find it....). Success. Goodbye little red rental car. I conquered you and the roads in Ireland too. No more driving for me for three months.  I wish I took a picture of the little car, but I did not. I must ask you to use your imagination here.

Taxi!

We were back at the Generator Hostel, located right next to the Jamison Distillery (see the tower?), for our last two days. After my colorful experiences at the previous hostels, I felt like I was in paradise here.

After dropping my things off in the luggage room, I headed over to Cinnamon Cafe for lunch. I had a bagel with goat cheese and red onion jam. It was so terrifically satisfying. I then walked a short distance over to St. Michan's Church, pictured above, where I went on a crypt tour with a rather noisy bunch of tourists. The tour took place in two of the crypts (there are twelve total beneath the church). Our tour guide was theatrical, with a booming, articulate, and strongly projected voice. He was quite appropriate for the nature of the tour. The first crypt held two brothers, who were educated at Trinity College, and eventually accused of treason, and sentenced to death. (Queasy folks - skip the next sentence). They were hung but kept alive to be drawn, set afire, and quartered. Their remains in coffins and their death sentence certificate were located in one of the rooms of the crypt. The crypt preserved remains fairly well because they are made of limestone, which absorbs moisture and due to the crypts underground location, the temperature held pretty constant. The second crypt held four rather intact remains and we heard stories about who the deceased could have been and why they were buried the way they were (one had his legs cut and crossed).

After the crypt tour, I went off on a long walk to the old jail, Kilmainham Gaol, photographing along the way. I don't remember what this building is, but the Liffey is in the foreground.

I knew I was headed in the right direction when I approached Heuston Railway Station.  I think it is the prettiest train station I have ever seen. I also passed a couple of museums along the way, which I unfortunately did not have enough time to visit. I learned that the map I was using was not to scale when I kept walking, and walking, and still hadn't reached my destination.

Touring Kilmainham Gaol was my absolute favorite thing that I did in Dublin, not because it was fun or exciting, but because it was so rich in history and I learned so much in the two and a half hours that I was there about Ireland and the people who fought, suffered, and died for its independence.

The structure of the jail was influenced by Jeremy Bentham and his panopticon design, which I learned about in the spring in my Business Ethics class. Many political prisoners were held here. A woman who was in the same tour group as I was, is a descendent of one of the political prisoners who was held here. She shared some information with us on the tour.

I waited patiently for this lady to move so I could have a perfect picture, but she wasn't budging! Maybe she was waiting for me to move...  During the tour, we learned about the living conditions of the jail, the political prisoners who were held in the jail, and how life in jail, in order to be a punishment, had to be worse than life outside the jail, which, especially during the famine, was quite terrible.

We learned about Anne Devlin who protected the names of some 50 rebels from the government and suffered terribly for it, tortured mentally and physically in prison and was followed by the police once she was out. Her lifelong commitment to secrecy helped Ireland become independent.

Because there came a time when public hangings were no longer acceptable, killings took place here, where there were no windows, and no chance for escape. The men who died here were political prisoners who died for the sake of Ireland's independence. I wandered the extensive museum here after the tour was over and looked over notes, personal belongings, and photographs of the former prisoners of the jail. One note was written by a man to his mother, informing her of his death sentence, and expressing that he was not afraid to die for Ireland. This was a somber experience, but I learned so much history here.

I headed back to the hostel after the jail, then went across the street for dinner and had tagliatelle with roasted vegetables in, what else, but a cream sauce. I did my last very expensive load of laundry then headed to bed.

4:20 am. Fire alarm. Get up, get out. It's freezing outside and there is about two hundred of us. I was speaking Spanish with my hostel roommate who was from Spain. (Right? At four o'clock in the morning, very drowsy, in cold weather, I was having conversation in Spanish. Whoda thunk it?) We were outside for at least 20 minutes while they cleared the building. It turns out some drunkard tried to open a door that is not to be opened unless there is a fire. Great. Back to bed.

I headed back over to the Cinnamon Cafe for breakfast the next morning because it brought me so much joy the day before. I had a warm croissant with nutella, sliced banana, and powdered sugar. Yum.

After some frustration and a few wrong turns, I found the post office (which I found rather easily the last time I was in Dublin) and bought postcard stamps. This building is also rich in history, and the bullet holes in the columns speak to that history. I waited for a long time for this bus to get out of the way, but it was not going anywhere. That's not a very good place to park for those of us who are trying to maximize our tourist experience by capturing pristine images of historic Ireland!

I looked at the statues and monuments along O'Connell Street.

Some had bird poo on their heads...

...and some were seemingly unnecessary.

I walked on to try to find Trinity College. I found the college with no problem, but I managed to not see the main entrance, and I walked for what seemed like forever, but was really just the entire length of the campus, trying to find an entrance. By the time I realized the error of my way, I was hungry. Close to a college = cheap food! I ate where James Joyce met Nora Barnacle (Lincoln something or other...can't remember). When I sat down in the big, plush chair, I sank in and felt like a midget. Too embarrassed to get up and go to a different table, I embraced the Alice in Wonderland moment. I had a smokey chicken panini with brie, olive tapenade and rocket.

Since I was right at the National Gallery I stopped in there. The artwork was unbelievable. Some of it dated to the 12th century. There was an exhibit of Irish painters' work and it was neat to see paintings of places I had been to, like Killarney, from the 1800's. There was also a European painting exhibit, of which I also really enjoyed. There was a Van Gogh (that I totally dismissed and walked by at first until the name caught my eye), a Rembrandt, one by Rembrandt's teacher, along with a couple of other big names. I learned that I'm not a fan of Yeat's work (sorry, Ireland).

The museum took a couple of hours to get through. After the museum, I strolled through Merrion Square, a nice, lush park that has gardens and a few sculptures, including one of Oscar Wilde.

There's Oscar. Just hanging out on a rock.

I finally found the entrance to Trinity College and took a couple of great pictures of this stunning tower.

I did not see the Book of Kells. I couldn't justify spending the amount they charge to see it, so my visit to the Trinity College campus was brief.

This guy? Real. Clearly, I didn't realize that the first time I walked by him.

I walked on to Grafton Street where there were lots of shops, street performers, and musicians. This is where I heard the most beautiful music playing. A band called, "Mutefish" was playing away and I didn't ever want the show to end. The music was so moving it resonated with me all day. Imagine fairy music. It was just spectacular. There was a flute player, a drummer, a couple of guitarists, and maybe another member. I must order their cd before I leave the UK.

I walked on in search of The Queen of Tarts. I wasn't leaving Ireland without having a treat here. I had a warm pear tart served with cream. Marzipan was baked into the tart shell. Mmmmmm. What a way to end the day and my stay in Ireland.

Here is a taste of what is to come:

The view from my window!

I am so glad I have the city view!