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Quirky Glasgow

18-21 August, 2019

Glasgow, you’re quirky! And I like that about you.

The quirkiest stuff is in the east end. It’s a rough area with no compromises. This is the Glasgow they tell you to avoid but, if you do, you’ll miss the very heart of this eclectic city.

This diner had some cheap cheap meals with a Scottish and Italian twist
This diner had some cheap cheap meals with a Scottish and Italian twist
A Glasgow icon, The Saracen Head
A Glasgow icon, The Saracen Head, the oldest pub in Glasgow. The Glaswegians call it the Sarry Heid. It even has its own song – if you can find it online, let me know
Lots of sandwiches, lots of shutters and an offer to sell us marijuana
Lots of sandwiches, lots of shutters and an offer to sell us marijuana. This was done when a shopkeeper followed Krish out of a store he’d wandered into for matches. Enterprising!
Barrowland, next to The Barras Market
The Barrowland Ballroom, next to The Barras Market, opened in 1934 and has had many musical acts since then
The Barras - Glasgow's east end market
Last time we were at The Barras market it didn’t look as clean. There were many ramshackle stalls and shops and a hoard of football fans. The term “barra” is Glaswegian dialect for “barrow” when goods were sold from handcarts
Near the River Clyde the new Glasgow is emerging
Near the River Clyde the new Glasgow is emerging
A hostel sign that made me feel very Canadian
A hostel sign that made me feel very Canadian

And speaking of feeling Canadian, over by the university we found this! A really good belly laugh – even though we knew Glasgow had two of them.


I had an iced coffee
I had an iced coffee
These sturdy pillars were beautifully etched
These sturdy pillars were beautifully etched,  by the Glasgow Central train tracks along the Clyde
A little glimpse of the station among the metal
A little glimpse of the station among the metal
It's a Chelsea kinda attitude
It’s a Chelsea kinda attitude – on Bath Street
Only ghost sign I saw
Only ghost sign I saw
Could be the Brandenburg or Heroes Square
Could be the Brandenburg or Heroes Square
This bridge looked like it was made by Brunel but wasn't
Are we in Bristol? This bridge looked like it was made by Brunel but wasn’t
Glasgow may seem Italian sometimes but this is a reminder Gaelic is spoken
Glasgow may seem Italian sometimes but this is a reminder Gaelic is spoken
Couldn't resist taking this one - Krish's initials
Couldn’t resist taking this one – Krish’s initials
In the window of All Saints
In the window of All Saints
Ready for development
Ready for redevelopment
On the banks of the Clyde, Ladies used to wait ... for what? A boat?
On the banks of the Clyde, Ladies used to wait … for what? A boat?
Can't leave Scotland without having an Irn Bru!
Can’t leave Scotland without having an Irn Bru!

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Graffiti in Glasgow

18-21 August, 2019

Glasgow wasn’t close to London in how much street art it has but some of the pieces were quite lovely. Before arriving, we checked out the Mural Trail Map, but decided that we would see what we would see in the natural course of our day.

So see them we did. By chance and occasionally by design. Can you guess which ones I love the best?

Don't be fooled. This is a mural!
Don’t be fooled. This is a mural!


























Oh, yes, my favourites were the girl stepping out of the Van Gogh, and St Enoch cradling St Mungo (second from bottom). A close third was the depiction of Charles Rennie Mackintosh with his roses, at the site of the Clutha Bar, where a helicopter crashed in 2013. And I got a kick out of the two pieces featuring Tunnock’s Teacakes, Krish’s favourite snack. In a narrow alley, I could only take badly angled views.

I can’t label all of these but maybe with time… Oh, to have better legs to see all that Glasgow had to offer in the way of street art.