UK Trip - Day 4: Glasgow
I just realized the topic of breakfast has not come up at all in these posts. What has been essentially the first activity of each day has been all but forgotten. Odd. But then maybe that's because the breakfasts thus far have been, well, nothing to write home about. Ironically, I suppose, their mediocrity has now given me something to write about. That said, I'll try my best to keep it sweet and short.
[Note: Since I did not take any pictures today, I will be using the pirated photos of others to supplement my descriptions. Being a photographer this naturally causes me some flecks of guilt (albeit tiny) so I will try to credit where I can. Another odd thing with this lack of photos is that I find myself rambling more... Coincidence?]
Our first few nights have been spent at the Euro Hostel Glasgow. As hostel = budget conscious, there are obviously going to be "standard" hotel things that aren't included here (such as daily change of sheets and towels, room phones, etc.). Actually we were lucky there was any breakfast at all. But basically it was generic, unsweetened dry cereal poured out of economy sized bags into large metal mixing-type bowls from which we served ourselves. There were two pitchers of milk (regular and low-fat), and plain sliced bread, which you could then toast and top with a packet of jam, butter or honey. There were also vending machines dispensing coffee, tea, hot chocolate (free during the breakfast time period, which was very strictly timed-- something like 8-10am). So there you have it-- nothing exciting, but free nonetheless.
Insert daylight. Insert two asian girls eating breakfast.
This is pretty much exactly like our room, with the following exceptions: Insert Katie in place of random white girl. Insert pen and paper in place of modern communication technology (i.e. our lack of working phones). Oh, and throw out the flowers. The previous generic hotel photos were grabbed from here.
Today we took our time having breakfast, getting ready and then leaving. One of the pros (or cons depending on who you are) of not having a rigid, fixed schedule or tour when traveling is that it allows you to relax and take things at your own pace. Some days you do a lot, some days not so much. I'm not against setting goals or scheduling, or even tours entirely, but I've come to realize that I really enjoy wandering, and the freedom and the random discoveries that come along with that. I would much rather experience a place as a new, uninitiated local than as a tourist... Meaning that generally speaking, I am more excited about experiencing local cultures/scenes than getting to all the big "must sees."
So basically, all that rambling was to excuse the fact that by the time we left and got anywhere today, it was near lunch time. Walking up Queen Street, we happened upon The Twisted Wheel, a bar/restaurant (upstairs) and club (downstairs). Since it was during the day, it seemed like just a normal pub/restaurant, but it seems that in the evenings there is a swingin' club going on downstairs. When we got there there were just a few other people, but by the time we started eating, the place was totally full with a line waiting to be seated.
We sat at that corner table to the left of the tv screen. Photo stolen from The Skinny.
This is where I ended up having my first taste of the infamous "haggis, neeps, and tatties" (although I had the vegetarian version). In case you aren't familiar, let me explain: Haggis is traditionally a mixture of sheep's heart, liver and lungs mixed with oatmeal, onion, and various spices, cooked by boiling in the sheep's stomach. Neeps are mashed turnips and tatties are mashed potatoes.
Baby's (I mean my) first "haggis, neeps, and tatties"
I know what you're thinking... but actually it's not as bad as it sounds (or looks). I actually kind of liked it... but then I often like mushy food. Since I had a vegetarian version (replacing the meat products with vegetables, nuts and beans) I can't speak for the traditional version. The haggis I had was different than anything I'd ever tasted. It kind of had the consistency of thicker, drier oatmeal. It was quite flavorful-- The one I ate had a nutmeg spice to it (spices vary in different recipes). I guess if I had to compare it to something, I would say it was like if you combined sausage or meatloaf with oats and beans and added some nutmeg. The neeps tasted like mashed yams and the tatties tasted like uh mashed potatoes.
Katie had "fish and chips and mushy peas." Yes, they call them mushy peas. Another weird thing is that every time I had peas in the UK, they were served completely unflavored-- like no butter or salt or anything.
After lunch we continued up Queen St, browsing stores such as HMV, Avalanche (another cool little independent record store), and Urban Outfitters (I wanted to compare and contrast between here and home-- The differences weren't significant). Eventually we made our way to Mussel Inn Gallery, which was hosting a photo show that I wanted to check out. Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that the venue was actually a seafood restaurant called Mussel Inn. The "gallery" consisted of photos hanging on the walls of the upstairs dining area and the walkway leading to it.
Included in this evening's activities were stops at Mitchell Library (so we could check our email and not have to pay £1 per 15 min.), Boots Pharmacy, and Somerfield.
We continue to be amused by our trips to the grocery store:
More shameless photos by Katie
While in the UK I decided to avoid anything labeled "pudding."
ABC Glasgow on Sauchiehall Street. Photo from glasgow.openguide.
One of the things on my to do list while in the UK was to see a local concert. I ended up choosing Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan at ABC Glasgow. Although I hadn't heard their collaborative efforts before, I figured seeing Isobel Campbell, a native Glaswegian and former member of Belle & Sebastian (whom I love) would be a fitting show to see in Glasgow. Indeed the show had quite a turnout and was, I imagine, sold out. The crowd seemed to be incredibly receptive and appreciative during the show. For myself though, I have to say unfortunately I tired fairly quickly of Lanegan's gravelly voice and their slow-as-molasses tempo which didn't vary much throughout the entire set. I think if I were sitting down, say in a lounge or coffee shop with friends it'd be alright but as a standing room only full set, it didn't do much to keep my attention. I didn't hate it, I'm still glad I went, but kinda wish it was more dynamic or there was more variation. Actually both Katie and I agreed their music was reminiscent of a movie soundtrack, and would be quite fitting as such. See for yourself, somebody recorded a short video at the show. Or listen to their more polished studio recordings here. One random aside: While at the show, I had a Bulmers Cider (English apple cider). It was so good! Better than other ciders I've had in the U.S...
The bar inside ABC Glasgow where I bought that lovely cider. Photo from ABC Glasgow.
[Note: Since I did not take any pictures today, I will be using the pirated photos of others to supplement my descriptions. Being a photographer this naturally causes me some flecks of guilt (albeit tiny) so I will try to credit where I can. Another odd thing with this lack of photos is that I find myself rambling more... Coincidence?]
Our first few nights have been spent at the Euro Hostel Glasgow. As hostel = budget conscious, there are obviously going to be "standard" hotel things that aren't included here (such as daily change of sheets and towels, room phones, etc.). Actually we were lucky there was any breakfast at all. But basically it was generic, unsweetened dry cereal poured out of economy sized bags into large metal mixing-type bowls from which we served ourselves. There were two pitchers of milk (regular and low-fat), and plain sliced bread, which you could then toast and top with a packet of jam, butter or honey. There were also vending machines dispensing coffee, tea, hot chocolate (free during the breakfast time period, which was very strictly timed-- something like 8-10am). So there you have it-- nothing exciting, but free nonetheless.
Insert daylight. Insert two asian girls eating breakfast.
This is pretty much exactly like our room, with the following exceptions: Insert Katie in place of random white girl. Insert pen and paper in place of modern communication technology (i.e. our lack of working phones). Oh, and throw out the flowers. The previous generic hotel photos were grabbed from here.
Today we took our time having breakfast, getting ready and then leaving. One of the pros (or cons depending on who you are) of not having a rigid, fixed schedule or tour when traveling is that it allows you to relax and take things at your own pace. Some days you do a lot, some days not so much. I'm not against setting goals or scheduling, or even tours entirely, but I've come to realize that I really enjoy wandering, and the freedom and the random discoveries that come along with that. I would much rather experience a place as a new, uninitiated local than as a tourist... Meaning that generally speaking, I am more excited about experiencing local cultures/scenes than getting to all the big "must sees."
So basically, all that rambling was to excuse the fact that by the time we left and got anywhere today, it was near lunch time. Walking up Queen Street, we happened upon The Twisted Wheel, a bar/restaurant (upstairs) and club (downstairs). Since it was during the day, it seemed like just a normal pub/restaurant, but it seems that in the evenings there is a swingin' club going on downstairs. When we got there there were just a few other people, but by the time we started eating, the place was totally full with a line waiting to be seated.
We sat at that corner table to the left of the tv screen. Photo stolen from The Skinny.
This is where I ended up having my first taste of the infamous "haggis, neeps, and tatties" (although I had the vegetarian version). In case you aren't familiar, let me explain: Haggis is traditionally a mixture of sheep's heart, liver and lungs mixed with oatmeal, onion, and various spices, cooked by boiling in the sheep's stomach. Neeps are mashed turnips and tatties are mashed potatoes.
Baby's (I mean my) first "haggis, neeps, and tatties"
I know what you're thinking... but actually it's not as bad as it sounds (or looks). I actually kind of liked it... but then I often like mushy food. Since I had a vegetarian version (replacing the meat products with vegetables, nuts and beans) I can't speak for the traditional version. The haggis I had was different than anything I'd ever tasted. It kind of had the consistency of thicker, drier oatmeal. It was quite flavorful-- The one I ate had a nutmeg spice to it (spices vary in different recipes). I guess if I had to compare it to something, I would say it was like if you combined sausage or meatloaf with oats and beans and added some nutmeg. The neeps tasted like mashed yams and the tatties tasted like uh mashed potatoes.
Katie had "fish and chips and mushy peas." Yes, they call them mushy peas. Another weird thing is that every time I had peas in the UK, they were served completely unflavored-- like no butter or salt or anything.
After lunch we continued up Queen St, browsing stores such as HMV, Avalanche (another cool little independent record store), and Urban Outfitters (I wanted to compare and contrast between here and home-- The differences weren't significant). Eventually we made our way to Mussel Inn Gallery, which was hosting a photo show that I wanted to check out. Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that the venue was actually a seafood restaurant called Mussel Inn. The "gallery" consisted of photos hanging on the walls of the upstairs dining area and the walkway leading to it.
Included in this evening's activities were stops at Mitchell Library (so we could check our email and not have to pay £1 per 15 min.), Boots Pharmacy, and Somerfield.
We continue to be amused by our trips to the grocery store:
More shameless photos by Katie
While in the UK I decided to avoid anything labeled "pudding."
ABC Glasgow on Sauchiehall Street. Photo from glasgow.openguide.
One of the things on my to do list while in the UK was to see a local concert. I ended up choosing Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan at ABC Glasgow. Although I hadn't heard their collaborative efforts before, I figured seeing Isobel Campbell, a native Glaswegian and former member of Belle & Sebastian (whom I love) would be a fitting show to see in Glasgow. Indeed the show had quite a turnout and was, I imagine, sold out. The crowd seemed to be incredibly receptive and appreciative during the show. For myself though, I have to say unfortunately I tired fairly quickly of Lanegan's gravelly voice and their slow-as-molasses tempo which didn't vary much throughout the entire set. I think if I were sitting down, say in a lounge or coffee shop with friends it'd be alright but as a standing room only full set, it didn't do much to keep my attention. I didn't hate it, I'm still glad I went, but kinda wish it was more dynamic or there was more variation. Actually both Katie and I agreed their music was reminiscent of a movie soundtrack, and would be quite fitting as such. See for yourself, somebody recorded a short video at the show. Or listen to their more polished studio recordings here. One random aside: While at the show, I had a Bulmers Cider (English apple cider). It was so good! Better than other ciders I've had in the U.S...
The bar inside ABC Glasgow where I bought that lovely cider. Photo from ABC Glasgow.
posted by Christy | Friday, June 13, 2008
1 Comments:
On the way back from the concert (around 10:30pm), we found that the streets of Glasgow are much wilder on a Friday night. We saw many scantily-clad girls relying heavily on their friends to stay upright, and a drunkie who weaved precariously until he finally tipped over on his back like a turtle. All this in bright daylight, mind you!
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