random glasgow photos

I met up with my friend Romi in Glasgow and had a full day here. We spent some leisurely time in the Glasgow Cathedral (photos here) and the Necropolis in the morning, had a lunch of fantastic burgers at The Blackfriars pub, and then walked about in some of the city-centre areas.

Wednesday afternoon at George Square, centre of Glasgow - loved the square!

Buchanan Street, one of Glasgow's main shopping streets, is jam-packed on a Wednesday afternoon. Sleepy after having had a good burger, I attempted a half-hearted photo of the street
(p.s: the street is named after Andrew Buchanan, a wealthy tobacco merchant who owned the land on which the street was built)

We spent some of the afternoon checking out kilt and tartan shops on Buchanan Street since my friend was looking for something specific. I finally sucuumbed and ended up buying a beautiful lambswool scarf weaved in the Lindsay Ancient tartan.
Quite simply, tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, and from around the mid-19th century, specific tartans came to be associated with specific Scottish clans (so the Lindsays are a clan).

The tourist industry has gone a bit nuts with this Scottish clans stuff - selling keychains, magnets, pens, with clan names and clan crests on them... also individual booklets with each clan's history... and even some generic blended Scottish whisky in tiny bottles with clan names and crests on them (so you can see the Lindsay one towards the top right)

Below is a shop-window of the Jack Wills store on Buchanan Street, marketing Wills & Kate mugs in the frenzied anticipation of the royal wedding. Also notice they brand themselves as "outfitters to the gentry" - number of articles on the net about this branding: here and here and here.

Merchant City, an area of Glasgow's city centre, which has some beautiful historic buildings (whose photographs I have neglected to take)

From what I could gather the area came to be known as Merchant City around the 1980s when plans to revitalize the area began. Attempts are on to redevelop it.. gentrify it... as a creative and artistic quarter. I do want to read this article when I get the time (its past midnight and I should stop blogging and sleep!).

In the evening met up with a friend from Glasgow for drinks and dinner. Stuart took us to the Pot Still, a whisky bar where he'd taken my bro as well. Romi discovered hairy whisky and I think, didn't think too well of it. But the smoother one she liked. As for me, I had a real nice and smooth whisky, though I must admit that these days I'm not feeling very attracted to alcohol.

Next morning, on my way-too-quick walk along a tiny stretch of the Clyde river, I spotted The Tiger

Then had to rush to George Square to meet Romi and catch a train to Stirling. So while I liked the feel of Glasgow, I couldn't absorb it enough in a day. Should've had one more day!