Glasgow
October 3, 2001
After breakfast at the New Lanark Hotel we drove to the home of the Chief of the Carmichael Clan; unfortunately he was not at home and unfortunately the Clan's museum and visitor center were not open. We did have a good view of their deer farm. Heading north and west to Glasgow we arrived at The Manor Park Hotel in Broomhill north of the Clyde River, our home for two nights.
After a lunch of "toasties" we went downtown Glasgow to Fraser's Department Store and bought two additional suitcases so we could ship through our various purchases. Dinner was at the Park Bar, a pub-meal of Fish and Chips, with 12 inch fish, or Beef and Guinness Pie that was about 10 inches across.
October 4, 2001
We spent the day sightseeing in Glasgow, starting with the Glasgow Cathedral, the present building dating from the 13th century. The early history of the Church in Glasgow and the Cathedral is associated with the legend of St. Mungo (St. Kentigern) who died in 612. Even the arms of the City of Glasgow were inspired by miracles attributed to St. Mungo including a robin he is said to have restored to life; a fish with a ring in its mouth associated with Queen Languoreth; the tree that he used to start a fire and his bell.
The Cathedral reminded us very much of St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall in the Orkneys. The beautiful Cathedral building survived destruction by the Covenanters because the Glasgow Guilds of Craftsmen intervened on its behalf. We also visited the St. Mungo's Museum of Religion, which emphasizes diversity and understanding of the world's many religions. Among many famous works of religious art is Salvadore Dali's painting of Christ on the Cross.
We then drove to the Kelvingrove Park area where we toured the Museum of Transport or the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The rest of the day was spent packing all those suitcases with clothing and the many purchases we'd been making for the last month. We had dinner at the Three Crows Pub that featured rib eye steak and a starter called "Texas Toothpicks."
October 5, 2001
After an excellent Scottish breakfast at the Manor Park Hotel B & B we packed up the minivan and headed for the Glasgow Airport. Checking our minivan's mileage we drove a total of 1356 miles during the 17 days of this trip. We saw a wide variety of scenery, stayed in several different types of accommodations and tried many types of traditional Scottish foods and some new types of cuisine. We learned that lunch is often a "toastie"-something like a good American grilled cheese sandwich. We survived a lot of rain and some fog plus we learned to really enjoy the days of sunshine.
Charley and Jean would like to express our many, many thanks to Guy and Betty for planning the itinerary, securing the lodgings and for guiding them on a wonderful adventure.
