Scotland Day 3

Britishism of the day: Lift vs. elevator

American tourist move of the day: OK, the bus is going west so I should wait on the north side of the street... or not...

Today I managed to get someone else to do the driving by taking a bus tour of Glasgow.

Glasgow is full of buses. Most are the classic double-deckers, including the tour buses which manage to stay reasonably full despite running every half hour during the day. You can hop off at any stop and get back on any later bus, which is a quite nice system. The first bus had a live guide who told amusing stories as well as giving the standard tour spiels, though sadly none of the later buses I picked were so equipped.

Among the stops I took was Glasgow Cathedral, which asks male guests to kindly remove their hats (yes, I did). Glasgow is where I first really grasped the continuity and extent of Scottish history. The place is filled with war memorials in various states of repair and grandeur. WWI and WWII are of course well represented, but so are conflicts such as the Boar War and others that one can barely make out.

As with a castle, being in a cathedral gives you a different sense than looking at a drawing. The numerous subdivisions on the main floor (including an upper area still used as a church and the inevitable gift shop) make the cathedral a different breed from a ‘normal’ church in the US or for that matter elsewhere in Scotland.

The tour also went past Provence Lordship, a medieval house now serving as a small museum which I visited a few days later.

The United Kingdom has a large population of Indians – a legacy of its days of empire. Their food has become a major staple of the local diet, and for good reason in my opinion. Today I enjoyed a very tasty curry along with fresh nan. Chips (French fries in US parlance) are good, but they do not make a meal. Curry and nan and rice do. Overall I was very pleased with the quality and variety of food available in Scotland (even the Haggis, which will be mentioned in its turn). The prices were often on the steep side once one converted to dollars (roughly $1.50 per pound at the time of this visit), but hey, splurging a bit while on vacation doesn’t hurt.

One other local phenomenon is worthy of note. Despite temperatures in the 40’s (Fahrenheit scale), quite a lot of women of all ages wander the streets wearing either short shorts or short skirts over stockings or leggings. While this is not universal, I would not expect that many short skirts on even a warm day in the US. Of course, I’m not objecting…