Our plan is to take an hour walk through the West End of Glasgow, with a destination of Kelvingrove Park. We found a map from Bernie which indicates that it would be 1/2 hour each way. So out the front door to the Quay and turn left this time. We capture better pictures of the view from our balcony....The facility below, built just last year (2013), is the Scottish Exhibition Conference Center. It will be the venue for the boxing competition and the finals of the netball competition during the Commonwealth Games.
The Armadillo again....don't know if they even have armadillos in Scotland, but this sure does look like one! As you see, it will host the weight-lifting competition during the Games.
The second of the two pedestrian-only bridges
We are bout the only ones on the bridge, as you can see. It is 1pm....everyone is at work....or school. , The children are still in school; their last day is Friday, July 18. We spent the morning uploading pictures with the fastest wifi EVER!!! It is faster than our own at home, so we HAD to take advantage of that opportunity.
This is a building made of freight shipping containers. Reminded us of Christ Church, NZ, where so much of the city was using the containers for stores, shops and offices after their devastating hurricanes. This one is the only we have seen so far and was randomly placed along the waterfront housing some offices.
Due to the preparations for the games, the whole first 1/3 of our route is not accessible. We are lost again -- this time in a strange looking hat, thanks to Bob Gallager. This is not Sherlock Holmes; it is Tom dressed in Gallager's hat and coat, prepared for rain.
The Security Guards have no idea how to tell us where to go....this one had such a broken accent, we could not understand him even if he had know where to go! Tom kept trying....I just walked away. Another few feet we see this sign....there are guards and fences everywhere. It's like being in a labyrinth. We meet another couple who are both wearing badges; they can't get in either. I told them we are lost and don't know how to get out....they laughed and replied: "We work here and we don't know either!"
Tom insists this is the right way....would you follow?????
After MUCH confusion, discussion, disputes....we arrive at the much anticipated Kelvingrove Gardens.....which you see directly below.....fenced and filled with portable toilets....you guessed it!! The Gardens are a venue for the Games!!!!! Lawn bowling to be exact, the game dating back to 1595 in Glasgow.
The bleachers are visible in distance.....we are both a bit pissy at this point!
Alas....the Museum and the Art Gallery are open and free....and it is going to rain anyway, we tell ourselves.
Clyde is here to welcome us.
Originally built in 1901with funds from the 1888 International Exhibition which was hosted in Glasgow, this magnificent structure was one of our more pleasant surprises. I hope you enjoy this journey of art, history and culture...
There was a separate section about the first inhabitants of Scotland who appeared about 10,000 years ago from northwestern Europe. They were around when the Romans arrived in the first century AD. Them came the Vikings. All contributed to the present culture. One side of the building was for history; the other for "expression"......We spent most of our time on the latter side.
A separate room set aside for this famous painting....
I only took a picture of the middle painting which was flanked by an angel on either side. Please note that in the background of this painting is the camp where Baldan and many others were prisoners for many years. Each day they would look at this rendering and know that they were still human, still alive, still loved and protected. They all survived. This display, like Dali's, was in a darkened by itself....a very quiet, respectful place....a fitting way to end our day.
Our last stop was at one of the top rated restaurants in Glasgow...by the residents and tourists alike. It is a "hole in the wall". We walked right by it and were looking for it! "Crabshakk" is the name...after Tom's oysters, we both had "queenies", tiny delicious scallops. Excellent!
