Scotland Part 1 - Glasgow and Edinburgh

For some reason, my passport does not have a stamp for the first time I arrived in the United Kingdom.  Is it customary to get a stamp when flying in from Ireland?  I thought so, but maybe I breached security somehow and did not realize it.  Who knows?

Anyway, I arrived in Glasgow early in the morning where I met Craig, my Scottish internet friend, for the first time at the airport.  He had already gone to the airport the night before to meet me, but if you'll remember from my Ireland Part 1 post, I had missed that flight.  So, thank goodness I was able to get a hold of Craig and have him come back the next morning.

We rode the train to the posh West End to Craig's flat - a very nice bachelor pad that he shares with an English doctor.  It was a comfortable place to stay.  This is the view from the room I stayed in...

Craig was nice.  Glasgow is beautiful and full of things to do.  Flowers and trees were blooming, everything was gorgeous and green and it only rained about half the time I was there.

I remember I was a bit intimidated by the traffic on the main streets and confused about the pedestrian crossing signals so it took me a good week before I was brave enough to even cross the street by myself.  My time in Temple Bar, Dublin was much easier to maneuver because the touristy streets there are basically closed off to traffic and you can just walk around freely.  Glasgow, while it is a fabulous place to see, is not the number one tourist destination in Scotland.  It is a big, busy, working city that pretty much can't be bothered.  Unlike that whore Edinburgh!  Just kidding!  (haha)

For the most part, Craig and I knocked around the West End and the City Centre, going to bars, comedy clubs, Curry Karaoke parties,  parks, restaurants and even the Glasgow Science Centre where we rode the elevator up to the top of the tower for a spectacular view of the city.

Breathtaking, isn't it?  That would be the University of Glasgow as the centerpiece of this photo.  Truly a vision!

We went up to Edinburgh by train for an afternoon where we pretty much ran around searching for a pub with seating in the sun so that we could enjoy a few beers.  We found a great spot and I fell in love with the world.  

Oh yeah, and we went up to the castle...

I fell asleep on the train back to Glasgow feeling strangely warm and satisfied.  It was almost as if I had been made sweet love to by the atmosphere.

One of the best things about my trip to Glasgow was meeting Craig's friends who I am proud to now call friends of my own.  You girls know who you are!

I will close for now, but stay tuned for Part 2 and my highlarious adventure to the West Coast of Scotland!