August 3, 2004
Day 1: Glasgow
Lauren: “Take my picture. We’ll call this one ‘Jet-lagged in D-minor’.”
5:47 p.m. (local time)
Soooo tired. 3 hours of half-awake plane sleep is really not enough to sustain a person throughout the rest of the day, be they in Glasgow or anywhere else for that matter. After we landed Lauren and I successfully navigated our way through customs and baggage claim, and then attempted to find our way to the Charing Cross B&B by public transit. We were given specific instructions on where to go at the ticket counter, but the two of us were either too tired or too enthralled with the Scottish accent to really listen to anything that was being said. We found the right bus easily enough, though, which dropped us off in the city centre and left us and our packs to navigate towards our intended destination. One turn-around and a rather STEEP climb later we made it to Renfrew St. and the Charing Cross B&B . The lodgings do well enough for our current needs, which at the moment are a bed and a hot shower. The room is small but in a cozy ‘I’m just here to sleep’ sort of way.
The two of us promptly crashed as soon as our bags hit the floor, and we vowed not to sleep more than a couple hours in order to still be tired enough to sleep through the night tonight. The first one awake after the cat-nap was supposed to wake the other one up and true our pact, no more than two hours later Lauren wretched me from my quiet slumber. It took all the energy left in my body to keep my eyelids open and it was only with the mention of chocolate as a bit of an energy boost that I really started to feel conscious again.
A shower and a rinse later, Lauren and I decided it was time for a walk and a meal, our last bit of food having been at about 9:30 a.m., right before we landed (which for our stomachs was about 2:30 p.m.). We walked around the busy city centre, which though it isn’t far at all from where we’re staying, was drastically different from the route we took once we left the bus. The previously bare, uninviting streets were filled with people, all with something in their hand, be it a shopping bag or a cup of coffee.
We walked the streets for a little while before stumbling across an Irish pub. Fish and chips with a pint on the side was my fare of choice, and Lauren joined me, though she decided the air was too heavy for ale and went for a Strongbow cider instead. We ate and chatted about our experience so far, and when it was time to go we left happy, full and not too much lighter in the wallet department (£1.50 for a pint? Awesome!!). Another scenic walk and it was back to the B&B where we decided to collapse and write-off the remaining hours of the day. After all, Glasgow will still be here in the morning and I’ll be much more inclined to see it if I’ve had a decent night’s sleep.
Things I’ve Observed About Glasgow:
1. It kind of reminds me of a giant Sparks St. in Ottawa
2. It’s full of random casinos that sort of look like pubs before you see all the neon
3. Toilettes flush unnecessarily loudly over here
4. Car alarms are annoying everywhere.
