After 6 days on the Emerald Isle, we flew from Belfast to Glasgow. We landed in Scotland so excited to explore a new country. After a quick stop for coffee, we checked into our hotel, took a nap, and headed off to find some quick takeaway. The falafel place around the corner was closed so we headed to McDonald's for our first vegan Mickey D's meals. Then, we settled into our room and relaxed for the night, grateful for a rest day.
We awoke the next morning, went downstairs, and were amazed to find several vegan options from our hotel breakfast bar. Then, with a list of sights to see, we set off to explore Glasgow. We crossed old streets, walked along beautiful architecture, and explored lush urban parks on our way to our first stop of the day: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The museum featured amazing art, historical pieces, and natural history, but the building housing the collection was just as impressive.
Near the Kelvingrove Museum sat the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. The grounds were immaculate and we took our time exploring the garden rows, spotting familiar vegetables and flowers. 19th century glass and steel greenhouses housed thousands of plants of unimaginable variety. It’s amazing to see even a small sliver of the Earth’s incredible biodiversity all gathered in one place. To top it all off was The Kibble Palace, a massive conservatory with tall, domed ceilings, marble statues, and a large collection of beautiful plant-life.
As we walked along the streets of Glasgow, between old buildings, over gentle rivers, and past groups of school-children in uniforms straight out of Hogwarts, we had an overwhelming feeling of change. Our time in Ireland had been so special to us and had already left a lifelong impression. But now, after just two days in Scotland, we were already making more of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of memories. These places seemed so special, it was hard to imagine ourselves back in the land of parking lots and Dollar Generals. With each step, we were feeling more and more distant from those two people who had left North America for the first time less than a week ago. Sometimes, when you’re feeling a little too much, it’s best to slow things down and have a pot of tea. So, that’s exactly where we headed next. We had the most amazing experience for our first afternoon tea. To think, we just stumbled upon such a charming shop with so many vegan options. It was just one more signpost, letting us know we were somewhere special.
Racing against dusk, we zigzagged across the city center, seeing one historical landmark after another. So many dated from the 17th and 18th centuries, we had never seen so many old buildings in one city. We were having the time of our lives in Glasgow. Alex wrote: “Now that we’ve had this high, how could we go back? Are we supposed to pretend like this world isn’t out there? It’s like that world just got so much bigger and everything else got so much smaller.” We capped the night off at The Flying Duck, a vegan bar with some delicious drinks and food.
We had an early train to Edinburgh on our last morning. But before we left, we had a couple of sights to see: The Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis. Each was impressive in its own way. The Cathedral dated from the 12th century and was GIGANTIC, gothic, and beautiful. The Necropolis was a peaceful Victorian cemetery which offered the afterlife stunning views of the city below. Finally, we rushed off to the train station, boarded with only a minute to spare, and set off for Edinburgh. Some of the best adventures of this trip are still to come so be sure to subscribe to our channel to catch the next chapter!
And check out the whole trip's playlist: tinyurl.com/3e793xe4
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Intro 0:00
Flying to Scotland 0:41
Vegan McDonald's! 2:00
A Walk Through Glasgow 4:25
Kelvingrove Museum 6:18
Glasgow Botanic Gardens 7:35
Sentimentality and Tea 9:47
Glasgow's Historical Sites 11:11
Our Last Morning 12:48
16 июл 2024
