Located on the River Clyde, Glasgow has undergone a transformation from being just an industrial city to something much more. Scotland's culture is clearly visible here with its excellent museums, art galleries, concert venues, and festivals. Its Gaelic name-meaning "lovely green place"-is apt, given its numerous parks and open spaces. Music lovers of all kinds will find plenty of things to do in Glasgow, known as Scotland's music capital. It's also a busy sports town, home to two major football clubs and a rugby club. In fact, the first ever international football match was played between Scotland and England in Glasgow (0-0 draw) in 1872. For a massive football fan like me, this painting on my hostel wall symbolized the city itself - homage to the two football clubs in Glasgow, Rangers Football Club & Celtic Football Club.
The city's most significant historic building is the 12th-century Glasgow Cathedral. Next door is the St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, which examines the world religions, their rites, and how their doctrines deal with the issues of life and death. Exhibits include Egyptian mummies, Hindu statues, and a Zen Buddhist garden in the courtyard.
The bustling entertainment and shopping mecca of Sauchiehall Street is now almost entirely given over to pedestrians. It is truly a shopper's paradise. Nearby, in the city's West End is a trendy area of cafes, restaurants, high-end shops & posh hotels. Like in the other cities of Europe, I love the street performances so much.
And, if you are in Scotland, your trip is not complete if you have not heard the bagpipes.
There are also art galleries & museums in the vicinity. However, if you keep your eyes open, the street art in Glasgow will leave you spellbound. One of the more stunning pieces is by the street artist Smug, and it depicts a modern day St. Mungo – Glasgow’s patron Saint who happens to be buried in the Cathedral a few hundred yards from this piece. There’s a whole mural dedicated to some famous Glaswegians, including Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame.
Glasgow is home to Tennents Lager & near the Tennents factory, there’s a wall full of murals paying homage to both the beverage and some of the advertising they’ve done over the years.
Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and a number of street art murals were commissioned to celebrate this.
Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become a major seaport. From the 18th century onwards, the city also grew as one of Britain's main hubs of trade with North America & the West Indies.
With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the economy of Glasgow and the surrounding region expanded rapidly to become one of the world's major centres of chemicals, textiles and engineering; most notably in the shipbuilding industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels.
After visiting the major landmarks, I walked towards Celtic Park. I knew I had to visit this famous stadium, which is the home of Celtic Football Club or The Bhoys. The stadium looks isolated, as there are not many buildings around and its stands seem to rise out of nowhere. Celtic are one of only 5 clubs in the world to have won over 100 trophies in their history. They have a very colorful history with Rangers and the 2 clubs are known as the Old Firm. With Celtic having won the Scottish League in the previous nine seasons, the 2020-21 season will be fiercely contested as Rangers try everything in their power to stop Celtic from achieving "The 10" - a feat which remains out of touch for both these clubs (both have won 9 in a row once, this will be Celtic's second attempt at 10-in-a-row). Unfortunately, the next match was scheduled only for Dec 5th and I had to content myself with a look at the stadium and a visit to the club store.
I visited the parks for some time and enjoyed a break from the city life. I was amazed to know that some trees in Glasgow are twice as old as dinosaurs.
Glasgow's top attractions are so widely spread that it's impossible to stay near all of them. But it's a pleasant city to explore on foot, and many attractions are within walking distance of the cluster of shops and restaurants. Traveling within the city is quite easy due to the underground railway system - the only one in Scotland and 3rd oldest in the world after the London Tubes & Budapest Metro.
A day or two in Glasgow is enough if you are visiting only the outdoor landmarks in the city. But, like me, if you are interested in museums (and a bit of the art scene to see what all the fuss is about) you would require more time in the city. I had a wonderful time in the museums and spent many hours observing the wonderful items on display. Notable ones include - Riverside Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Burrell Collection, Hunterian Museum, Lighthouse, St Mungo Museum and the Glasgow Science Centre.
Some of Scotland's top attractions can be easily explored on day trips from Glasgow, which is what I did. One of the most famous sites in all Scotland, Loch Lomond is a short train ride from the city. From here, you can take one of Europe's most beautiful train rides, from Balloch to Oban, gateway to the Isle of Skye. The time I had in Glasgow was wonderful and it served as the perfect appetizer before the main course - the Scottish Highlands!
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