DEAR GREEN PLACE ,(GLASGOW) ,A GLIMPSE OF SCOTLAND
The translation of "Glasgow" from Gaelic to English is "Dear Green Place".Truly it is a beautiful green place as I saw during my summer (end of May) visit there. I travelled with a young lad, to Glasgow from London. This young fellow accompanied me because I was new to the ways and methods of this country. We took the 6:30 pm train (Avanti West Coast) from London Euston to Glasgow Central. It was approximately a five hour journey through nice green fields , farmlands and small towns. The advantage of travelling by train is that one gets a panoramic view of the landscape. To begin with, the land was flat. That gave way to rolling hills and then to a rocky terrain. By the time we reached Glasgow it was already dark. There was a chill in the air. This is because Glasgow is up north as compared to London. Also Glasgow is at the base of the Scottish Highlands. Our host, my dear sister was there waiting for us at the station. It was a short drive from the station to her home (and ours too for the next four days) . My host served up a sumptuous dinner and tucked us comfortably in bed that night.
The next day was a bright and clear day. I ambled around the very warm house, the asthetically arranged rooms, and the nice garden. The garden had a tall coniferous tree in one corner. My host is an ardent gardener and very proudly took me around the garden to show me all the plants she had grown, with so much of loving care. I followed her around with a hot cup of tea in my hand. I was thinking, that all this has to be done and enjoyed within the short span of spring and summer months. It is not an easy job. She had managed to grow the very rare Himalayan Blue Poppy and we were ecstatic to see a flower bloom.
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| Himalayan Blue Poppy in a garden of Glasgow. |
The plan for this day was a tour of the Highlands or the country side. After stuffing ourselves with all the goodies at breakfast, we sat in the car like couch potatoes watching the screen in front. The screen now was the car windshield, through which we got a clear view of the outside. My sister was the driver, guide, friend and philosopher all rolled into one for today. She was going to drive us to Balloch, Luss, Glencoe and Fort William. We sped out of Glasgow and drove into the country side.Our first stop was the village of Balloch. A quaint beautiful one. We parked our car and then walked the wooded area along the longish water body. Actually we were walking on the banks of river Leven , that flows out of Loch Lomond into the River Clyde. By the way Loch Lomond means Lake Lomond.
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| Balloch Village |
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| Country Park along the river |
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| River Leven |
It was a nice park. There were cyclists , joggers , picnickers and boats gently gliding through the water. It is a paradise for large and small boats. People were sitting along the water front and some were having a great time frolicking with their dogs in the water and some were warming/cooking eatables on a stove. The air was pure, the sky was clear blue and the surrounding was green with trees.It was the kind of atmosphere where your spirits are high and the surrounding sets your mood. At the Balloch village one can visit two parks (TROSSACHS National Park & Balloch Castle country park). Both are along the river/lake.
After spending an hour or so here, we drove along the long Loch Lomond and spend some time along the banks at the village of Luss. It was a lovely serene atmosphere. Then we drove towards Glencoe. This was a mountainous terrain . Trekkers and mountain climbers love this place. I liked it too.
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| Bank of Loch Lomond |
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| Picnickers at Loch Lomond |
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| Lake Lomond |
The road was good and traffic here was little, so it was a comfortable drive. We were driving through a sparcely populated area of hills and dales. Or should I say hills and glens? We did stop along the way at view points. One view point was called "Rest and be thankful point".The names are really cute. We did stop here to absorb the beautiful view and take a few photographs. Google maps will show that we were almost in the centre of the Highlands on the west coast of Scotland. We drove on further into the Highlands and reached a nice town called Fort William. Here too there was a big lake( Loch Linnhe). We walked along the water front and the pier and peeped into a small restaurant/ shop. It is a lovely place. Definitely worth spending a few leisurely days to enjoy the lake side atmosphere.
It was already evening and we decided to make the long drive back home. We took a slightly different route this time, and reached back home while it was still daylight. There was still ample time ,before sundown. The sun sets at about 10pm. In all the days that I stayed here at Scotland , I got to see some beautiful hued skies at sunset.
We had an extra lavish dinner this evening with family and friends whom my sister had invited over. The food was very tasty and all prepared at home in the "Bengali" style. The plain drinking water too was tastier than the water at London. Was this actually true, or was it because I was so happy that day? Everyone else at the dinner table ( who have lived and travelled between Scotland and England for years) confirmed that the water of Glasgow tasted better than that of London.
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| On the way to Glencoe |
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Through the Highlands
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| Stop point in the Highlands |
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Fort William on the shores of
Loch Linnhe |
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| The Spectacular night sky (12pm) of 1st June. |
Glasgow, is greener than many other cities of UK. The citizens I am sure strive hard to keep it that way. There are quite a few parks scattered around greater Glasgow. My place of stay was very close to Rouken Glen Park. We took an early morning stroll in this park enjoying the green lawns, the lake, the fountain, the gurgling brooks, little bridges and the beautiful blooms of this season. It is a well maintained park with amenities like play area, visitor centre, sports zone, events area, boating pond, a created waterfall, and many walk paths. The walk paths criss cross the entire park. In some places they are made of concrete, in some places it is made of gravel and in some places it is just a mud path. As one walks around one gets a "temperate forest atmosphere" feeling. I am glad this trip materialised during summer, because the daylight hours were long and so we could pack in a trip to Edinburgh this day.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and like a twin city of Glasgow. Many people live in Glasgow and work in Edinburgh and vice versa. Glasgow is situated in the Clyde river valley and therefore on lower plain land. While Edinburgh is in a little hilly terrain.
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| Rouken Glen Park |
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| Swan at Rouken Glen Park |
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| Open Space at the park |
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| The pond at the park |
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Flower covered walk path
at the park |
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| Gurgling brooks that flow in the park. |
It took us about an hour to drive to Edinburgh from Glasgow, ( a distance of about 75km). We went to the tourist hotspot first, that is the Edinburgh Castle. It is perched on top of a hill and looms over the whole city. Edinburgh has a medieval kind of look and this castle is definitely medieval. The castle looked more like a fort. The area at the entrance is quite large. Today we found that, preparation for a big event was taking place. There were cranes, scaffoldings and other steel structures strewn about. Looked as though a rock concert was being planned. We bought our entry tickets and moved into the fort/castle area. the entrance was big and arched like all entrances to most forts. It is called the Portcullis entrance. We entered a large open space of the castle and were greeted by a battery of cannons, all of them pointing towards the city below through openings in the thick stone walls. The view outside was fabulous.In fact one gets an almost 360 degree view of Edinburgh. Along the walls are framed charts with descriptions of the view and landmarks of Edinburgh in that direction. At a distance I could see the Firth of the Forth. Wish I had brought my binoculars. Edinburgh is situated at the estuary of several Scottish rivers , including the Forth.
There were cannons of all possible sizes and the tourists were having a gala time sitting on them and enjoying the cool breeze. A very funny thing caught my eye. There is a dog cemetery here. It is a place that you can see, if you peep over the boundary wall . It is a little patch of grass garden at a slightly lower level. This patch of land was used since Queen Victoria's reign as a burial place for regimental mascots and officers' dogs.
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| Edinburgh Castle |
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Activity for a big event at the
entrance of castle.
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| The entrance to the Castle. Portcullis Gate, the main gateway into the castle, built around the 16th century. |
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| View from the Castle perimeter. Church steeples are visible and the Firth of the Forth visible at a distance. |
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| Inside the fort /castle. Argyle Battery-- The line of 18 Pounder cannons |
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| Cannon closeup. |
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Cannon eye view of Edinburgh.
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There is so much to see and absorb inside the castle that one visit is not enough. My sister guided me to the interesting places here and fed me with a lot of information and insights. She has been here many times and therefore knows a lot. The attractions of this fortified place are the royal residence, military garrison areas, governor's house, museums, St. Margarets Chaple and much more. I enjoyed walking around the place, thinking about how people must have lived here, with all the formidable walls, stairways and towers. Walking the uneven areas and climbing of stairs makes one tired. There is a solution for that. There is a big cafeteria. We refreshed ourselves there and continued with the tour of this fortress.The thick stone walls of the boundary and the buildings were very impressive but all these buildings had a very ancient and grim look. They were definitely old buildings but many of the stone blocks were black. I wondered how? Were they black stones at the building stage or they "blacked out" later. No one could give me a satisfactory answer.
We went on to see the collection in the museum. There were antique swords, antique rifles, navy memorabilia, Scottish kilts, bag piper's uniform, medals, ornate plaques and many more things and each with a history of its own. Being from the Indian subcontinent, I got attracted to the objects related to the "British-Scottish-Indian" relationship. At the entrance to the museum the tall statue of Earl Haig on a horse caught my attention. It is a sculpture gifted ( or arm twisted into gifting) by Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji of Bombay (a Parsi from India), to the city of Edinburgh. Inside the museum I found Tipu Sultan's sword. There were swords with ornate handles and shiny blades. These were spoils of war . The war with Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam. Even Tipu Sultan's turban with ornate embellishments ( taken as souvenirs) was there at the museum.
Next we went into the governor's house, and marveled at the sword collection. The British are obsessive collectors. Not only do they collect stuff from all over the world but they also preserve them well. In all these stone buildings, I loved the stained glass windows. Though St. Margarets' Chaple is a non-descript structure, the stained glass art is very very beautiful.
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| Walk areas inside the castle |
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DOG CEMETERY.
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The "blacked out "walls, giving
an ominous appearance |
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Grim look of the building.
Edinburgh Castle
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| The hilly terrain on which the castle was built |
Stained glass windows of St.Margarets Chaple and a window inside the Governor's building.
After the tour of the castle we walked out into the cobbled street of Edinburgh. Just outside the castle, in the middle of the cobbled street was St. Columba's Free Church. The church was imposing and pitch black. It was made of "black" stones. Again in my mind questions popped up and buzzed around in my brain. Was the church made of black stones? Were the stones black volcanic stones? Did the walls blacken out due to industrial complexes spewing out smoke? Was it some kind of black fungus quietly growing in the stone pores? This region of the castle hill was, (during medieval times) used for the torture and elimination of witches identified in society. There are lots of mysteries and dark magic stories associated with this region. Did the church turn black because of these dark deeds? Now a days " witchery" is more of a tourist attraction idea. In the shops near the castle one can find "witchery" souvenirs. There is a restaurant named "Witchery" closeby.
We moved on, walking along the street, admiring the medieval architecture, the Georgian architecture, the Gothic buildings and finally at the end of the street was the new Parliament Building, which has a modern architecture. On the way I stepped inside the shops along the street, to pick up a few souvenirs. One can find a variety of tartan checked ( criss-cross horizontal and vertical bands woven into woollen cloth. It can be in multiple colours) skirts and mufflers, tweed coats and bags, Scottish male caps and Celtic style jewellery. I learnt that the the braided design jerseys that I knitted during my teenage years, is actually a Scottish invention. Notice the design, and it is apparent that this design traps a lot of body heat making it good for a cold region.
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The Witchery by the Castle
Restaurant |
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| St. Colomba's Free Church |
We walked towards the New Town. We walked to Princess Street Gardens. There is a monument dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, the famous poet and author. The wide busy street was lined with high end stores. It was quite pleasant walking up the street. I would have liked to spend more time here but I had already been roaming around Edinburgh for quite a few hours. Time just flew, and I had not kept track of time. Though the sun had not set , it was late evening. We had to drive back to Glasgow, so we called it a day here.
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| Sir Walter Scott Monument:Edinburgh. |
The next day I decided on a Glasgow city sightseeing tour. The "hop-in-hop-out" double decker bus tour is a nice way to experience the city. An online booking was done. The starting point of the tour was George's Square. So I took the train from Whitecraigs station to Glasgow Central and then walked to George's Square. I walked on the roads and footpaths that lead to the Square, following Google maps sometimes and asking the friendly pedestrians sometimes. I must have walked around in circles, but I wasn't too worried because I was enjoying the Georgian arhitecture and the ambience. I reached the Square and sat there for a while , sipping coffee and waiting for the bus to arrive. George's Square (named after King George III), is Glasgow's answer to London's Trafalgar Square. There is a statue of Sir Walter Scott on top of a tall column here. Just like the statue of Horatio Nelson on a tall column at Trafalgar Square. So there I was, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the cluster of pigeons, the heritage buildings around the Square and the statues of Scottish heros. One Scotsman that all are familiar with is James Watt the inventor of Steam Engine. It is a nice statue of James Watt sitting on a pedestal in a pensive mood. At this moment the pigeons were sitting on his head and their droppings were trickling down his face.
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An installation made of wood at
Glasgow Central Station.
"Tomorrow is a wonderful vision
you had today, it begins in contemplation and
in courage, it meets the light of Glasgow
past and present, and is somehow
sharpened by it, joining with the vision of others
to make a brand new way of seeing"----
Andrew O'Hagan |
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| At George's Square |
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Georgian Architecture
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Sir Walter Scott @Georges Square.
Glasgow's answer to
Trafalgar Square London.
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| James Watt @ Georges Square. |
The bus had arrived and I chose a comfortable seat and plugged on the headphones, to get a constant flow of commentary as we drove around the city. The bus route was going to make a loop and stop at the following places ------ Glasgow Cathedral, Merchant Square, The Barras Market, Glasgow People's Palace, St. Enoch Shopping Centre and St. Andrews' Cathedral, St. Vincent Place, Central Station, Glasgow Marriott, Clyde Arc, Scottish Events Campus, The Clydeside Distillery, River side Museum, University of Glasgow, Byres Road, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Finnieston, The Beresford, Sauchiehall Street, Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall.
I hopped out of the bus at St.Mungo's Cathedral. St.Mungo was a well loved saint and is buried in this cathedral. He is the patron saint of Glasgow. The cathedral with it's Gothic architecture, is at two levels. The basement level or the lower church, is where St. Mungo is buried. The upper level is a grand space with everything that an usual church has. There were inrticately carved wooden structures, an old big piano, finely designed pulpit and the tall and imposing stained glass windows. The colourful stained glass was originally from Munich in Germany. The Bavarian glass factory was destroyed during the war. Therefore many of the stained glass windows that were replaced during the 19th century had to be replaced by glass from elsewhere. Still, some of the stained glass windows are the original Munich glass from the famous factory. The glasses that needed replacement, deteriorated due to pollution.
I walked around the Necropolis next to the Cathedral and the Alms house ( on the other side of the road) and then waited for the double decker bus. I hopped in and then hopped out at the People's Palace.
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St.Mungo's Cathedral
Front View |
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St.Mungo's Cathedral from
the Necropolis area.
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Beautiful stained glass windows
of St. Mungo's Cathedral |
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Intricate designs of stained glass
windows at St.Mungo's Cathedral |
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| The pulpit inside St.Mungo's Cathedral |
People's Palace has an 18th century look though it was opened in the late 19th century. There is large open space around it. The front area has the Doulton Fountain, making the area look grand. I could see the curved transparent roof and walls of a green house behind the Palace. When I entered the building I was quite impressed by the grand staircase that leads to the first floor. There were paintings, photographs, prints and other objects of a bygone era, placed all around. The palace is a collection of things that give an idea of how the people lived,walked and played. It was built to create the community spirit.
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| People's Palace, Glasgow |
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Doulton Fountain
in front of the People's Palace |
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| Within Glasgow Green premises |
I hopped into the bus again and rode till my last destination (River Side Museum) of the day. The building has a modern type of architecture, but inside the large building is a collection of antique stuff. The collection is so large that the antique cars, motorcycles and cycles are stacked up in three or four tiers along the wall. One can get a nice view of the river Clyde from inside the museum. On the way to the museum I spotted two Indian Resturants ("Mother India" and "India Quay" ) and that brought a smile on my face. Later, on the way back to George's Square I did see the dome roof of a Gurudwara and that too made me smile. Finally the bus was back to square one , that is Georges's Square. I took the train back home from Glasgow Station. It had started drizzling, and I could just about make it back home before it started raining heavily.
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Modern Architecture of the
River side Museum
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| Locomotive collection |
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Cars from the bygone era
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Motorcycles on display
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| Passing by the Art Gallery |
The next day I had to take the train back to London in the afternoon. I managed to squeese in a short trip to The Burrell Collection in the beautiful surroundings of Glasgow's Pollok Country Park. My dear sister drove me to the museum and left me there to enjoy the collection and then later picked me up after I had enjoyed to my hearts content. In my opinion one must spend a whole day here. Pollok Park is a magical place with rivers, gardens,woods and old long lived trees. Here I was introduced to a breed of cows that is found only in Scotland---The Hairy Coo. As the name suggests the hair on the skin is quite conspicious , long and shaggy. Their eyes are not quite visible because the long and shaggy brown hair covers them. They were grazing on the vast lawns of the park.
The Burrell Collection is part of Glasgow life museums. Sir William Burrell gifted this collection to the city of Glasgow in 1944. It features objects from across the spectrum of Sir William Burrell's diverse collection which he built up over many decades before giving it to Glasgow. It has been improved upon, refurbished and updated a couple of times over the years. The museum is designed in a unique way, so that the outside greenery is seen through the tall glass panels. As you move through the exhibits, you get a feeling of walking through a natural green wooded area. This place will fascinate any one who is interested in world history, past civilizations, and the art and culture , that they left behind.
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| Hairy Coo |
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The Burrell Collection (Museum)
@ Pollok CountryPark
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The inside decor of the
Burrell Museum |
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| Exhibits displayed inside the museum |
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Egyptian engravings.
"Stele of Amenemhat"
Chiseled on stone Before
Christ (BC), when "Aten"
was the only God of Egypt.
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Meditating Luohan.
.Buddhist practice of deep Meditation.
(From a Chinese Temple) |
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Bactrian Camel with a lady.
Tang Dynasty , China. |
I left for London in the afternoon. The two things that one associates with Scotland are the Bagpiper's melancholy music and the Loch Ness monster. I am sure I will experience these in my next visit. So au revoir Scotland.
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