Glasgow - Day 2

May 30, 2023

Glasgow - Day 2

Day Two - Botanic Gardens, Hunterian Art Gallery, University, Kelvingrove, Glasgow Green.

I'm up with lark, not having had enough sleep, but I figure the sun will keep me going so I emerge early from the hotel and on to the Subway station. The subway system is basically a circle line with anti clockwise trains called Inner and Outer for clockwise. I bought an all day ticket for £4.20, very refreshing after TFL. To be fair the London Underground is a little larger. The subway trains and tunnels are small and cute, and orange. You'll notice an island platform, which is unnerving at first

It only takes 10 minutes to my stop, where I am visiting the Botanic Gardens. I arrive just before 7.30am in the confidence that they open at 7am. The gates are indeed open but the 2 large glasshouses are not open till 10am. So, I decide to go and have a second breakfast and return. The gardens are not as large as I expected but are beautiful, including a lovely riverside walk.

Botanic Gardens

Waiting for the glasshouses to open forces me to slow down and enjoy the gardens as well as stretching out on a public bench in hope of nodding off. I feel that if there was ever a city where this was perfectly normal, it would be Glasgow. I am only viewed with suspicion by a passing dog.

The historical glasshouse (early 19th century) is stunning in design. I'm happy to find a pond inside festooned with ferns and such, with koi swimming about. Very nice.

On my walk to the Kelvingrove Museum I take a slight detour to the Hunterian Museum where I ask at the desk, trying to sound intelligent, what are the most famous or best paintings they have (with a little glint in my eye, just in case she thinks I am a complete philistine). Truth be told, I don't want to stay long. She smiles wryly and rattles off quite a list, including the Glasgow boys. Now, I am not an expert but I recognise the word Rembrandt in there as she whisks through, so she directs me and I go looking. Very small, dark and not very inspiring I would say. Am I allowed to say that about him?

The Entombment of Christ - Rembrandt

On to Glasgow University Cloisters. This is a stunning building. Several students are being photographed, obviously having just graduated, finishing their studies. This might explain why all the green spaces are filled with the youth and beauty of Glasgow.

University Cloisters

Everything in Glasgow seems huge, unlike Edinburgh. The buildings are collosal and as I pass through the residential roads lined with large terraces, I imagine myself in a big ramshackle apartment with a grand piano and surrounded by books, music, creaking floorboards and houseplants. One can dream.

On arriving at the Kelvingrove Museum I'm struck how like the Natural History Museum the centre hall is, only instead of a Diplodocus there is a huge pipe organ at one end. I'm delighted to discover there is a recital at 1pm, enough time to wander first.

Kelvingrove

Now, I hope that I'm not actually a philistine, but I often find museums tiresome. I feel that having to stand in airless rooms reading reams of text could simply be replaced by reading a book in one's favourite location with the same result. I need to experience something. The Kelvingrove delivers. A happy relaxed atmosphere and a huge variety of exhibits. There is a Mary Quant exhibition on, but its jewel in the crown is Christ of St John of the Cross by Dali. It very rightly has its own room. For me it was an experience. As I get older I feel more the emotional impact of a great painting. How on earth can a painting make you cry?


Christ of St John of the Cross - Salvador Dali

The organ recital is amazing. More a wurlitzer programme to entertain. Two large screens show the manuals and footwork. I must speak to my vicar about installing cameras for our next concert! Gabriel's Theme by Morricone and I am in tears again. A visit to the hotel to recover is obviously required, so to the Subway.

On the journey back I'm struck by how youthful Glasgow is. Of course the University, but a distinct dearth of pensioners, at least it seems so. Most of the youth alight at Buchanan St, the main shopping area, and I spot a much older lady in a very classy outfit and hat. She looks about 80 and is representing her age group impeccably.

After a rest I wander gently to Glasgow Green where more students are lazing in the sun or being sporty. This is where Glasgow gathers for big music and sporting events. I then sit quietly under a tree after photographing Nelson's Column (not a patch on London's) and a terracotta fountain with Queen Victoria presiding. Honestly, where would we be without the Victorians?