A Day in Glasgow

The day of my trip to Glasgow was mighty gloomy, with rain pounding down for most of the morning. Still, I really enjoyed myself. The train ride was a quick two hour trip, and it was really easy to get into the city center from the train station. (Side note: I really love the train system out here. It's a fast, comfortable, and really convenient way to get where you need to go.Wish we had something comparable in the US.)

I started out by heading over to the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) which, I'm sad to say, was pretty underwhelming. It was four stories tall, but the galleries themselves held very few pieces or art. The pieces that were there were mostly of the "conceptual" variety, which I really don't like. I mean, I love art galleries and the modern stuff is my favorite. But the really super avant-guard stuff kind of irritates me. Examples: There was one piece in the GOMA that was a LCD screen that scrolled the message "THERE'S BLOOD IN MY URINE." Another was a crumpled paper bag. Another was a wall with a purple light shining on it.

Sorry. Don't. Get. It. It seemed a little contrived and art-studenty for my taste. But, what do I know? Maybe this stuff is genius. All I know is that it doesn't move me.

The GOMA

After the GOMA, I took a double-decker bus tour of the city, and saw all of the major Glasgow highlights. I know they're kind of cheesy and touristy, but I can't help but love the city bus tours. They're a great way to get to know a city, especially if you've never been there before.

Me, riding the tour bus.

Glasgow University

Another gorgeous museum in Glasgow.

After the bus tour, I headed over to an antique store that I read about online. It was an enormous warehouse filled with all kinds of eccentric and amazing things.

For example:

One of the specialties of the shop was vintage art (which I love). I couldn't resist the tiny oil painting of the fancy cat, so it had to come home with me. All of the other paintings were too gigantic and/or expensive to take the train ride home with me, but it was still great fun going through all of the canvases. They were all over the walls, and stacked in huge piles on the floor. I could have spent the enture day here and been completely content.

I treated myself to a lunch of ridiculously spicy vindaloo at a downtown pub, and then headed back to central station for the trip back home. I made it back in time to put Frankie to bed. Not bad, eh?