Well, yes, we did make it to Glasgow via ScotRail. And we enjoyed trekking around this beautiful city. The tour bus system also happened to have a pick-up spot close by to our very nice hotel, the Carlton George. This particular hotel was really one of the better hotels I have stayed in without being overly priced or pretentious. I might add the customer service was outstanding as one of the members of the tour group had her luggage lost by Aer Lingus that makes daily flights to Glasgow.
Below are some city snaps, including the most famous Duke of Wellington equestrian statue, decorated at all times by the University of Glasgow students.
In the bottom left is George Square, where no statue of King George III can be found.
I had neeps and tatties, haggis, and a Pimm’s. Delicious. A clothes shop’s window display was made up of old Singer sewing machines.
We made it to the University of Glasgow, where the grounds were beautiful. The university had a cloistered area and I stumbled up the plaque given by McGill University, which I thought was nice since James McGill was born in and went to school in Scotland before emigrating to Canada. McGill’s estate was used to establish the university in Montreal.
On this day we were joined by Diane’s fellow romance writer, Marguerite Kaye. She planned a nice day for us by leading us to the university and the museums inside and nearby.
Our first stop was the Hunterian Museum. From the museum’s website:
Founded in 1807, The Hunterian is Scotland’s oldest public museum and home to one of the largest collections outside the National Museums. The Hunterian is one of the leading university museums in the world and its collections have been Recognised as a Collection of National Significance. It is one of Scotland’s most important cultural assets.
The Hunterian continues in its Age of Enlightenment mission to be a central resource for research and teaching in the arts, humanities and natural and medical sciences, attracting scholars and visitors from around the world.
For more information about the life of Dr. William Hunter, click HERE.
Sorry for the graphic picture, but Dr. Hunter was an obstetrician. The first picture is shows a chair used in amputations.
The Hunterian had much information about these two gentlemen, Lord Kelvin (as in degrees Kelvin) and Lord Lister (as in Listerine).
Our next stop was the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, not very far from the university.
Above left: The Floating Heads, Sophie Cave, 2006. Above right is the pipe organ in the huge event hall.
I took these below from a poster of an upcoming van Gogh exhibit that showed Vincent’s thick and colorful brushstrokes. This banner was based on the painting from the museum’s own van Gogh entitled Portrait of the Art-Trader Alexander Reid, painted with oil on cardboard in 1887 in Paris.
The perspective artist van Neeffs was seen in this museum. I have seen his work in almost every European museum I have visited.
A Picasso from 1901 has to be one of his earliest after the artist moved to France. I assume it is one of the earliest paintings where he signed his name “Picasso,” using his mother’s maiden name. Entitled The Flower Seller, this painting is oil on cardboard.
Below is a Matisse . . .
And then an artist I had never heard of before:
More on Leslie Hunter can be found HERE.
The Fauves were represented by Derain:
And finally, Monet.
Rounding out the day, we visited the Glasgow Necropolis. This cemetery was one of the most beautiful and we visited in the late afternoon, which cast a nice light on the site and the city.
The entrance gate was beautiful. We saw the tombstone of William Miller, author of Wee Willie-Winkie. We also saw the tombstone of one of the soldiers that served at the Battle of Waterloo.
Glasgow Cathedral as seen from the Necropolis and other views of the cemetery and city.
Below are a hodge-podge of other pics I snapped in and around Glasgow.
Next: We finally make it to Auchinleck House and tour the Isle of Arran.
Excellent!
Such a wonderful city to visit!!