Glasgow hallucinations

The hallucinatory effects of an overnight flight, combined with arriving in a strange city. Chatty seatmates, including Stuart Little. Noisy movies into the night, drink trolley then food trolley then merchandise trolley. Lights dimmed ... but it seems only moments later that the lights are bright again and “breakfast” lands in front of us: something called eggs, beans, several processed potato balls soaked in fat. This after I had been told by grinning Stuart Little about the delights of Scottish cuisine: real meat pies, deep fried Mars bars, various forms of ‘delicious, lovely’ sausage ….

Sleep starved, I likely couldn’t be fair to Glasgow at first walk down Duke Street: dreary, dreary, even with the overcast sky which opened up into a sunny if cool afternoon. Concrete and stone buildings, bulky, square, stained and ever so plain. The jumbled mix of these 19thC buildings and newer Soviet feeling grey steel, concrete and glass blocks along the hills.

Many many closed shops along Duke and from what we could see up and down side streets. B’s seatmate estimates 10 % unemployment in Scotland. Along Duke the long low brick remains of some industrial ruin, repeated spaces once held empty arched windows, the grassy areas underneath strewn with plastic bags, cans, bottles.

The best part of the day is meeting grand nephew Dennis for lunch at Bar 91. He likes the solid old buildings he says

The atmosphere seems to have a silvery hue to it. The clouds and ocean light? The light off the rain slicked slate roof tiles. Wherever it comes from, it too brightens the place, brings it alive.

Tom