Glasgow: First Day in Scotland

Out last night in one of our favorite AirBnBs.  We woke up, had breakfast, and packed up.  Tim liked this place so much, that he took some photos before we left.

Eating breakfast

AIrBnB (right) with our rental car parked near it.

We were sad to leave, but excited to be headed to Scotland today.  We didn't realize how close the border was, so Tim missed the welcome to Scotland sign, but there was an electronic sign not to much further that he was able to capture.

We arrived in Glasgow just after noon.  We weren't supposed to be able to check into our AirBnB till after 3PM, but our host said the place is ready, so we were able to park and unload the car.  We hung out in the apartment for about 30 minutes and then headed out for our Rick Steves' walking tour of downtown.

On our way to the walk, we passed this cool clock tower (Tolbooth Steeple built in 1626) just down the street from our AirBnB. 

Glasgow has its own unique architecture style.

There are some pretty cool murals throughout the city.  These are called "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "World's Most Economical Taxi."

Next stop was the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) with the famous statue of Duke of Wellington decorated with cones (more of that later).

We took a quick stroll around the museum which was filled with very weird stuff.  We did manage to fine an Andy Warhol though:

Back outside we got another glimpse of Conehead Duke of Wellington.

I didn't see this taxi, but Tim got a shot of it.

Next stop is George Square.  Here are statues of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.

Tim didn't take a photo, but there is a public space in Glasgow called Nelson Mandela Place.   The cool story is that Glasgow named this street Nelson Mandela Place in the 1980's while apartheid was still in place.  This was also the time that the South African embassy was located here, so anyone sending mail to the embassy had to address it as Nelson Mandela Place.  That's one way to back a cause.

We completed the walk and found a brewery nearby so had to stop and get a flight of beer.

On the way back to our AirBnB we saw a few more murals on the walls of University of Strathclyde. 

And finally, St Enoch mural.  St. Enoch is the patron saint of Glasgow along with her son, Saint Mungo.

We decided to check out one more brewery before heading home.  On the way to Drygate Brewery, we walked passed Tennent Brewery, Scotland's market leading brand of pale lager since it was first produced at the Wellpark Brewery in 1885.

We arrived at Drygate brewery and had a flight...or two.  This beer was really good.  I especially liked the Peanut Butter Orinoco, a sweet stout.

After the flight and a pint of the Peanut Butter Orinoco, we headed back to the AirBnB.  We watched a bit of TV, I blogged, and then we went to sleep.  All in all, a great first day in Scotland.