Glasgow architecture
Trip Start
Oct 17, 2011
1
9
24
Trip End
May 22, 2012
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
January 4-9, 2012
On previous trips to Scotland, I've never given any attention to Glasgow, so I decided to rectify that before heading to the "far north." Five days weren’t enough. I liked the city a lot: there’s a lot of wonderful architecture, notably 19th-century Victorian and an early 20th-century style developed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Kelvingrove Museum is marvellous, the red-sandstone building itself included. It’s full of great exhibits, including a room on Scottish culture and one on Art Nouveau and Mackintosh’s “Glasgow Style.” A bonus during my visit was a half-hour organ concert: a music student comes in to play the big, old pipe organ. It must be fun to play in such a huge space. TV screens show the organist's hands on the keyboards and feet on the pedals. Very cool.
I was thrilled to find four vegan restaurants in Glasgow. Heaven for me.
I did a hop-on, hop-off, bus tour of the sights, and one day I visited Provand's Lordship, the name of the oldest building in Glasgow, and the Cathedral and Necropolis, impressive on its raised ground overlooking the city. There a several attractions I want to see next time, including a new Museum of Transport and Travel, and the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens.
