Tag Archives: Glasgow

July 21, 2013 · 8:14 pm

Yep, you guessed it – I’m still on Glasgow

28th May 2013

Specimen jars at the Hunterian, Glasgow

The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery and the recreation of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow flat are in the grounds of the Glasgow University, so another walk to visit them today. The older university buildings in Britain really are treasures in themselves and the Hunterian is no exception, great lofty ceilings and ornate decorations everywhere. I seem to walk around permanently looking skywards at times. The museum houses a hugely diverse collection – anatomical specimens in old fashioned glass jars, items from Captain Cooks voyages, Roman objects from the Antonine Wall – enough variety to keep even me, with my deficient attention span, entertained for hours. I guess, when you’re visiting so many places, it’s bound to happen, but, I was again disappointed, because the mezzanine gallery was closed for renovation – bugger! The art gallery and Mackintosh house are just across the road from the Hunterian, and because I had to cool my heels waiting for the next available tour of the house I had a look around the art gallery. Then I found all the James McNeill Whistler’s work – the Hunterian has the largest amount of his work on display in the world – and had to drag myself away for the tour. I think being on my own has helped opened my eyes to the benefits of going slow and learning to really look at art work. In saying that, I still find I need to mix it up and not go to too many of the same sort of places or I don’t appreciate them as they deserve.

The Mackintosh house was amazing, but, no photos allowed, and there were always two guides with the group to keep you on the straight and narrow. Then they told us how much one piece of his furniture was worth – and I understood their attitude! His ideas are so far removed from the norm at the time it’s not surprising he was not overly successful, the house and furniture would fit right in today’s world. I totally loved the tour, just wish we could have lingered at times but with another group hot on our heels we had to keep moving – at least I got to see it, that’s the main thing I suppose.

My new home, Glasgow

Is it a sign of something – being a nerd, tiredness, what? A couple of days ago, I realized I walk past a library on my home, so I’ve been joining the locals sitting there reading for an hour or so. I’m working my way through their books on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow and art – it actually makes me feel less like I’m travelling too.

Oh, I forgot to write about my move next door too. I had originally booked 3 nights but decided to extend my time here and found the hotel had a studio apartment next door for £5 more a night than I was paying for my single room. What a bargain – and it’s fantastic, I absolutely love it!!

Hunterian Museum, Glasgow

What the Hunterian used to look like

Roman exhibition at the Hunterian, Glasgow

Roman artefacts, Hunterian, Glasgow

Up close and personal in the Hunterian, Glasgow

From the Hunterian, Glasgow

Just cool at the Hunterian, Glasgow

At Glasgow University

Glasgow University

Cool lamp post, Glasgow

4 Comments

Filed under Mid-life travel, Scotland, Travel

Tagged as Antonine Wall, Glasgow, Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, James Abbott McNeill Whistler

July 21, 2013 · 7:35 pm

But wait, there’s more – it’s Glasgow again!!

27th May 2013

On the tall ship at Glasgow Riverside Museum

Feeling very brave today, I tackled getting to the Riverside Museum via public transport. Glasgow has a little subway system consisting of just two circular lines, the inner and outer lines. I have been using this great system for the last few days but today I tried the buses out as well. My plans went slightly astray when one of the bus drivers told me the Riverside Museum bus I wanted to catch didn’t run anymore – I later found out it does still run, but anyway, it just meant I had a longer walk than I anticipated. The Riverside Museum is quite a way from anything else, sort of stuck in the middle of nowhere with not much around it. So, when I saw other people heading in my direction I kind of stalked them for a while, but also was following my map, just in case – and we all arrived in no time!

Glasgow would have to be one of the most budget friendly places for visiting museums, this one was free entry also – and absolutely full of families. The main museum is chock a block full of every conceivable means of transport, and a tall ship that was built in the Clyde, is permanently moored outside. The fact that you can climb all over a large number of the exhibits really makes it popular with the dads and kids, I saw lots of mums standing by looking just a tad bemused; and had a little chuckle to myself a few times, thinking, hehehe, I can leave any time I want!!

I found the bus stop and had a much quicker trip back to the city, thank goodness, because it had turned really cold and wet by the time I left. Glasgow rain is not at all like the rain I encountered in Ireland. You could walk around in the misty Irish rain for hours and hardly get wet, but this stuff was like ours a home – really heavy and wet you through.

CRM model at The Lighthouse, Glasgow

More Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the afternoon, this time at The Lighthouse Centre for Design and Architecture. Mackintosh originally designed the building for the Glasgow Herald Newspaper, so the architecture has his imprint all over and several floors inside are dedicated to his work.

More quiet time at the botanic gardens produced another sort of acceptable sketch later in the day. I even had a walk through the big round glasshouse instead of just looking at it from the outside – more “firsts” since I left home than you can poke a stick at!!

Glasgw subway

on the way to the Riverside Museum, Glasgow

Double decker tram, Riverside Museum, Glasgow

Really cute double decker tram, Riverside Museum, Glasgow

Real cars on the wall at Riverside Museum Glasgow

Part of a MASSIVE loco at Riverside Museum Glasgow

On the tall ship at Glasgow Riverside Museum

Strange signage on the car at the Riverside Museum Glasgow

Fascinating moving display of boat models, Riverside Museum, Glasgow

Staircase at The Lighthouse, Glasgow

Kibble Palace greenhouse at the Botanic Gardens Glasgow

Inside Kibble Palace at Botanic Gardens Glasgow

Cool infographics in the greenhouse at Botanic Gardens Glasgow

4 Comments

Filed under Mid-life travel, Scotland, Travel

Tagged as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow, Riverside Museum, The Lighthouse

July 16, 2013 · 5:44 am

Huge day around Glasgow

26th May 2013

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

First port of call today was the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – I walked there, only went a tiny bit out of my way and was still early, wonders will never cease!! Once again the building held more allure for me than anything else , until I went inside and found what a treasure trove they have. It is truly amazing, and, guess what? It’s free!! There’s a huge range of exhibits, a Spitfire hanging from the ceiling, a whale somewhere else and a massive amount of beautiful sculptures and art. I really had a wonderful time there and saw my first live Salvadore Dali, the painting ‘Christ of St John of the Cross’. It sort of feels a bit strange to mention that one – I’ve actually seen lots of ‘my first …….’ in galleries all over England since I got here, but this one made quite an impression, and I loved the preliminary sketch hanging in the same little space.

School of Arts, Glagow

I have a slight problem lately, I seem to have developed a very short attention span when visiting art galleries or museums. I used to joke about having a short attention span with my grandchildren, because I could hand them back, but now it’s for real. Seems like after a few hours my eyes glaze over and my brain just refuses to take in any more information – old age????

But, at Kelvingrove, I discovered Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a Glaswegian architect, interior designer from the late 18th early, 19th century, so I took myself off to the Glasgow School of Arts to find out more about him. As luck would have it, the inside of the School of Arts is shut for two weeks in preparation for their annual open house or something so I had to be content with a walking tour around the building with a short visit to their gallery of original Mackintosh pieces. He designed everything about the School of Arts building, furniture, clocks, name plates, he even developed his own font – and it’s very cool. Did I say I became slightly obsessed with all things Charles Rennie Mackintosh?

To continue my trail of discovery I went looking for the Willow Tea Rooms in the city, one of many tea rooms he designed for the owner Miss Catherine Cranston. An English woman got off the bus at the same stop, we happened to start talking and she was heading to the tea rooms for a look too, so we had afternoon tea together. It was funny, because we walked there together, sat together and then we both started to apologise and ask if the other minded, but of course I didn’t mind, it was like we’d known each other for years. She was in Glasgow with her grandson while he was a contestant on some game show, so while he was at the BBC all day she was out sight-seeing. We had a lovely time, I had a vanilla flavoured tea and a piece of sponge cake – but their sponge cake is not like ours, it’s much heavier, but still nice. It was good to have someone sneaking photos with me for a change, I’m often not sure if photos are allowed or not.

Duke of Wellington wearing his cone hat in Glasgow

After a little snoop in the other rooms we parted company and I ended up down in the shopping district listening to some wild looking Scottish band busking in the mall – and I must be going crazy, I bought one of their CD’s, still, it was a bit of light relief! The guy riding a horse and wearing an orange traffic cone was beckoning me, so the Gallery of Modern Art kept me off the streets next. I still don’t get some of the modern art installations but I can usually find things to appreciate in most of them these days – still with some shaking of the head and frowning, but, hey, I figure that’s an improvement.

I was absolutely had it by the time I left there so caught the hop on hop off bus back to my hotel. There weren’t many on the bus and a family had asked for the ghoulish commentary, very entertaining. It just amazes me how these guides keep talking and how they remember all the stories, I was fascinated but half an hour later can’t remember any of it, oh bugger, must be that old age thing again.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Bizarre invention, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow

For the technically minded, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow

Steel wire sculptures, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Salvadore Dali sketch

Very cool building in Glasgow

Details at Glasgow School of Arts

Willow Tea Room, Glasgow

The deluxe room at Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow

My afternoon tea companion checking out the leadlighting at Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow

Busking band in Glasgow

Not very good pic, but the windows are lined with old sewing machines.

Glasgow showing their sense of humour

Cool railings inside GoMA Glasgow

GoMA, Glasgow

8 Comments

Filed under Mid-life travel, Scotland, Travel

Tagged as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Duke of Wellington statue, Glasgow, Glasgow School of Art, GoMA Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

July 15, 2013 · 3:20 am

Gritty Glasgow

Ambassador Hotel, Glasgow

25th May 2013

I said goodbye to (and took lots more pics of) cute little Wood Cottage today and headed off to Glasgow, and I decided to catch a cab to and from the railway stations – bugger the expense! It was nice to arrive just after lunch, not feeling frazzled for a change, and my place is across the road from the back of the Botanic Gardens, so it’s lovely and peaceful with a nice view.

At the Necropolis, Glasgow

I’d seen the hop-on-hop-off bus stop just down the road so I dumped my gear and took off for a quick circuit. I couldn’t help myself and got off at the Necropolis for a squiz, it looked so interesting. It dates back to the early 1830’s and there’s around fifty thousand people buried there in some amazing tombs – on a hill of rock. I had a lovely time wandering around admiring the architecture, reading the tombstones and of course taking lots of photos. There’s amazing views from the top as well. I also had a quick walk through Provend’s Lordship, the oldest surviving house in Glasgow – it was guilt in 1471 – that’s almost 300 years before Cook discovered Australia – mind-blowing.

Glasgow building

I think I fell in love with Glasgow that very first day, the architecture, the red stone, the stone turned black from industry, just everything about it.; it’s funny how some places strike a chord with you and others can be perfectly nice or even spectacular and they don’t move you isn’t it? I rode the bus back to the Botanic Gardens and joined a few hundred others there taking in the beautiful sunny weather, I’ve never seen glass-houses like they have there, they’re gorgeous little buildings in their own right, let alone what’s inside.