Glasgow Green and our 'Surprise' Night

I have obviously delayed in posting tales of mom and dad's trip over here. (1) Because, again, Mike was using the computer for REAL work, and (2) I had my first real bout of homesickness sense coming here. I have been the one saying how much I would love to move here, yet with the departure of mama and dad, I could not stand being so far away anymore. So for a couple days I wallowed in homesickness, and then got over it. There's too much still to see here, and its not forever. We'll be home in 4 months. Saying that... here is the first installment in our tales.


The first day that they were here, Mike took them to Glasgow Cathedral where one of the Rectors took them on a personalized tour of the Cathedral. You have no idea how jealous I am that I had to work. Not only did Mike get only child time, but they also got a great tour of the church. They also got to venture through the Necropolis and see a lot of the beautiful old monuments.

The next day mom, dad, and I wandered down to Glasgow Green and the People's Palace. Mike had to do some schoolwork, so it was MY turn for only child time. Not going to lie, I LOVE only child time. We were hoping to stop at the Police Museum, but as it was not yet Easter, it was closed. The Park Rangers were starting to plant all the flowers in Glasgow Green, and its always a pretty park anyway. Its right along the banks of the River Clyde, which is a dirty river once it hits Glasgow, but its still picturesque. I had not been in the Winter Gardens yet as last time we were there, a wedding was about to take place and they were trying to take pre-wedding pictures. The Winter Gardens cannot compare to the Botanic Gardens in the West End (nor Meijer Gardens), but they are still nice. This photo is of two of the three wire sculptures depicting the different parts of the Glasgow's Crest: the bird, tree, fish, ring and bell. The rest of the People's Palace was really quite interesting. Its a museum telling the social history of the city. You get to learn about the different industries, the tenement houses, fairs, businesses, etc.


We had lunch at a West Brewing Company. Mike has been seeing signs for it over the past few months, and has been dying to go. It was really great. I felt a little under dressed in my jeans and fleece, but the prices were reasonable, and the food and service was great. Its right next to Templeton's Carpet Factory. This picture was taken right outside the gates for the restaurant, with the factory in the background.




We took our time walking back to our apartment as we went through the older, more ornate, Merchant City on our way back. The buildings are spectacularly made and everything seems to be so ornate. Its one of the many parts about this city I will miss when we return to Michigan. On our wanderings, we stumbled across a park/old graveyard behind the Ramshorn Theatre. It was really beautiful and the gravestones seemed so old. Some of the lettering was so worn that the only way to read the writing on them was to follow the path of the moss.

After that, it was time to head back to the apartment and get ready for the surprise evening we had planned. Mom and Dad knew that we were taking them out to an authentic Scottish restaurant for dinner at Cafe Source, but after that it was a mystery. We had a spectacular meal, and everyone got to try haggis. I am still surprised that I like something made of organs I would never normally touched and all cooked in a sheep's stomach, but I do. And its a taste you just cannot describe, nothing else tastes like it. If you're in Scotland, its a must try event. Dad and I tried very traditionally Scottish stovies, while mom and Mike got lamb and fish. Surprisingly the lamb had lemon on it and not the fish. Thankgoodness we asked, or the trip could have been a disaster!

Then we were on the the "surprise" of the night. Months ago Mike and I had read about Ceilidh dance lessons at St Andrews in the Square. It is a beautiful venue, and it sounded like a blast. Mike knew mom would love it, so we made it a big secret. I must say, neither of us knew how it would go since all of us had NO experience with traditional Scottish dancing. It was a BLAST. It was two hours of exercise and it was cheaper than a movie or dinner out, and just as fun. Even my husband who HATES to dance, had fun. We might even go back another day.


After all the hard work, and given the fact that they happily danced with us, Dad and Mike felt the need for a beer. We brought them to a great Irish themed pub where they were able to try the new Guinness Red. We all agreed that the regular Guinness was much better. There might be a reason its only in the UK for the moment. We have a friend who lives in Dublin and even he has not seen it yet.