The Grain and Grape

During our trip to Scotland, Rob attended a conference at the SEC in Glasgow, so we had some time for exploring after each day of conference sessions. Because of the conference, we didn’t over-plan like we (I) usually do, and we had a fun time discovering Glasgow, from lovely sights, pubs, and restaurants, to seeing Rob’s Dad’s home town. Glasgow has an incredible international food scene, and Glaswegians are some of the nicest people in the world!

exploring glasgow

Tall, weathered Victorian buildings line the city streets, and dark clouds pop up frequently overhead, giving Glasgow an eerie, old-world feeling. We were definitely in Harry Potter’s world!

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is in a gorgeous red sandstone building, free to visit, and has a very cool exhibit of extinct animals right now. A beautiful walk through Kelvingrove Park brings you to the University of Glasgow, which looks an awful lot like Hogwarts.

The Glasgow Cathedral has one of the most beautiful interiors of all the cathedrals we have visited across Europe. You can visit the crypt under the Cathedral, where St. Mungo, the founder and patron saint of Glasgow, is buried. The nearby Glasgow Necropolis is also a must-visit, full of interesting history and very scenic.

And while you’re in this area, a quick walk brings you to Tennent’s Visitor Centre.

Pollok Country Park is a large city park in Glasgow, with an art museum and historic buildings, and even a herd of Highland Cattle!

Scottish Heritage

Rob is a first-generation American, his parents were both born in Scotland. So he has lots of family across Scotland and England, and we always have a fabulous time seeing them whenever we can. Rob’s cousin Jim and his wife Catherine live in Glasgow, and they whisked us off to see the Kelpie Horses, the Falkirk Wheel, Loch Lomond, and the Celtic Football Club Stadium.

We also had lots of lovely cakes together at a family favorite spot, Alessio’s Café, and were introduced to some great restaurants in stunning settings.

Rob’s Dad was from Kilsyth, a lovely town just outside of Glasgow. Rob made sure to have a Guinness in his Dad’s memory.

Finally, we found time for a kilt fitting at MacGregor and MacDuff! Rob will soon be showing up in a proper kilt in the MacGregor Hunting Tartan.

GLASGOW Food Scene

Glasgow’s magnificent old bank, newspaper, and other historic buildings are now settings for a variety of fantastic pubs and restaurants. We love eating traditional Scottish foods like the Scottish Breakfast, breakfast rolls, haggis and tatties, meat pies, and fish and chips. We also found excellent international restaurants here, what a treat to eat good Indian food!

Here are some of our top favorite pubs and restaurants in the greater Glasgow area:

• Alessio’s Café, in Kirkintilloch
• Boardwalk Café, near the Falkirk Wheel
• The Boathouse Hotel Bar and Restaurant, set on a canal
• Dining In with Mother India, near the Kelvingrove
• The Drum and Monkey, on St. Vincent Street
• Duck Bay on Loch Lomond
• The Kelvingrove Café, on Argyle Street

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We loved exploring Glasgow, and have a list remaining of more we want to see next time. Above all, the hospitality and warmth of the people of Glasgow made the biggest impression on us. Definitely the Glaswegians have the best accent ever! And most of all, it’s always a bonus to get to spend time with family. We felt like we were leaving home when we flew out, and we can’t wait to return.

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