After docking in Scotland, a two-hour bus trip through the countryside brings us to Glasgow.

The landscape as we drove by is as scenic and vast as I had imagined it would be, with mountains along the sea, sparsely populated with cattle and hydro lines!

The first day of our stay in Glasgow had a rather rocky start: although we were assured that a ” free” guided tour would begin from George Square at 11h00, 11h00 came and went and no such guide ever made an appearance! Fortunately most travel guides offer their own do-it-yourself walking tours, which might not have the same charming fun facts that a guide can provide, but at least give you an idea of the range and history of the main tourist attractions. The advantage of course of doing our own tour is that we could stay as long as we liked in locations that interested us.

The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Edinburgh and Glasgow

This was also the first location where I was able to use this really cool shopping guide: The civilized shopper’s guide to Edinburgh and Glasgow(2008) by June Skinner Sawyers. This guide offers names and descriptions of unique boutiques and some restaurants that offer an “authentic” Scottish feel, including wool shops, tartan shops, shopping districts, cheese mongers, chocolate and fudge factories, etc. Although most of the locations ended up being a little beyond our price range, it did take us to locations that weren’t necessarily mentioned or properly indicated in the Lonely Planet.

Over the course of the days that we were there, we toured quite a few cultural, historical,  shopping and geological locations. Glasgow really offers it all! The highlights for me were definitely the Necropolis that overshadows the city; Byrnes road, a diverse shopping area where I found outstanding cheese, a sweet vintage cashmere sweater for super-cheap and a comic book store (What were the odds!); a prehistoric fossil grove, right within the boundaries of the city (although signage could be better); and finally the museum of the Royal Highland Fusiliers.  I’m really tickled by the fact that on some of the promotional pamphlets for the British army there is a small but very clear picture of Prince Harry (in uniform) among all the others… I’m sure it’s a complete coincidence!

Also, Glasgow has the smallest subways I have ever seen! Barely taller than I am and I’m 5’7″1

When looking for a piece to read for this post I came across this book.

The cutting room (2002) takes place in modern Glasgow, in the world of antiques and historical novelties which can onlyCutting Room really be experienced in the Old World (Europe and Asia). This sexually explicit, and highly descriptive mystery follows Rilke, a promiscuous auctioneer who tries to unearth the truth of some disturbing photographs found among an enigmatic deceased belongings. Familiar locations such as Kelvin Way, Argyle Street, Byrnes Road, and the Necropolis steep the story narrative with an unsettling sense of reality.

Readalikes to The cutting room  include books from Elizabeth Lowell’s Donovan Family series: Jade Island, Pearl Cove and Amber Beach. Books from this series deal with the unique world of jewellery making  and jewellery history within very specific locales.

Even young, spry women such as ourselves get tired from all the walking associated with backpacking, so in Glasgow we decided to take an evening off and stepped into a movie theatre to watch Brave. I swear that I understood more the second time around than the first because my ear was subconsciously becoming accustomed to the Irish and Scottish accents during my stay!

Like Dublin, Glasgow is really a location worth revisiting.

Next and final stop Edinburgh!