![Scotland, Glasgow, River Clyde, Squiggly Bridge](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203I03.jpg)
I’m what might be termed a repeat traveler. Not sure if it’s fate or (un)intentional acts on my part, but I seem to return to the same places over & over. Whether for work or play, I always go back for more.
Guess my underlying belief is that there is always more to see, & after returning home & researching, I usually find something else that merits another visit. A little over a year had passed since my first visit to Glasgow, so when Darío spoke at the 46th IATEFL Conference in 2012 the opportunity proved irresistible. I even saw the sun in Scotland!
Day 1
No jetlag to overcome arriving from Lisbon, so I spent most of the day walking… covering familiar territory, doing some shopping & checking out a few buildings seen from afar on my last trip. Not many pics because it was grey & dark for most of the day. Found a number of hand-made Afghanistan war memorials though in Kelvingrove Park, this one to Captain David Hicks.
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203I34.jpg)
I truly regretted not dining at Two Fat Ladies in 2010. But after a couple pints of Weihenstephan at a local pub (Ursula had one too many it seems), we had one of the best meals of either trip. Darío ordered local, grass-fed beef, & I had a chorizo-scallop dish that packed in some powerful flavor. Wonderful service, fantastic food & being the last to leave, we had a nice chat with the staff. More than highly recommended.
![Scotland, Glasgow, Ursula, Weihenstephan, beer](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203I41.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Two Fat Ladies](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203I50.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Two Fat Ladies](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203I47.jpg)
Day 2
Buchanan St called out again for some quick shopping, but later I ended up exploring more of the West End & Kelvingrove. The Gothic Revival University of Glasgow attracts lots of attention, & the Hunterian Museum inside, with its mish-mash of topics & exhibits, turned out to be an unexpected highlight. Beautiful space + a 1674 world map by Ferdinand Verbiest, one of the few Jesuits at the Chinese court. Couldn’t resist a snapshot of my home:
![Scotland, Glasgow, Buchanan St](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J06.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J17.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow, cloisters](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J12.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow, Hunterian Museum](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J20.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow, Hunterian Museum](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J21.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow, Hunterian Museum](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J26.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, University of Glasgow, Hunterian Museum](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J23.jpg)
Ursula wanted to enjoy the sun, so we opted for picnic in the park. What a great lunch option… find a place that offers take-away for local businesses, pick from their recently prepared items & save some cash. Chicken curry & ginger beer hit the spot.
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park, Ursula, picnic](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J33.jpg)
Wandering around the monuments & spring blossoms of Kelvingrove Park, the Stewart memorial fountain stands out. Built in 1872 by James Sellars, the fountain commemorates Stewart’s work in establishing a permanent water supply for the city. Sellars took Sir Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake” as inspiration… marvellous.
![Scotland, Glasgow, West End, Kelvingrove Park](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J37.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, West End, Kelvingrove Park, Stewart memorial fountain](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J38.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, West End, Kelvingrove Park, Stewart memorial fountain](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J35.jpg)
Ursula & I headed up the hill to Park Circle & Trinity College for some fantastic views plus a look at what was once an elite residential neighborhood. From there, it was a quick walk down to some of the most amazing red sandstone apartments I’d seen: St. George’s Mansions & Charing Cross Mansions. Plus a fountain dedicated to Sir Charles Cameron & Mitchell Library donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1907:
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove, Trinity College](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J44.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, St. George's mansions](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J47.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Charing Cross mansions](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J51.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, fountain, Sir Charles Cameron](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J49.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Mitchell Library, Andrew Carnegie](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J58.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Mitchell Library, Andrew Carnegie](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203J61.jpg)
Day 3
How could I not return to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum? Twist my arm. Besides, Alice Kiai from Kenya, also studying at the University of Warwick with Darío, had never been. We had a great morning looking at the exhibits, & I even found a Dalí not seen on my previous visit. How had I missed that?!
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K16.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K12.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Mackintosh, Art Nouveau](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K05.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Dalí, Cristo de San Juan de la Cruz](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K11.jpg)
The sun came out again, so Alice & Darío joined me for another picnic lunch. Later while wandering, I came upon the Kelvin Walkway… a narrow path following the River Kelvin. Magical. In what was once the second city of the UK & an industrial powerhouse, this nature stroll should not exist. Seemed like I had the walkway all to myself at times, with stunning views of the Kelvin Stevenson Memorial Parish Church & the North Woodside Flint Mill nearby.
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvin Walkway](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K29.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvin Walkway](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K31.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvin Walkway](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K34.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvin Walkway, North Woodside Flint Mill](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K39.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Kelvin Walkway](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K38.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, Belmont St](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K46.jpg)
After such a fantastic trip, the last dinner had to be something special. I’d read somewhere about Crabshakk being one of the more upscale places to dine & we made a reservation. Unfortunately it didn’t quite make the grade. We had a great table, service was fine but there was something stuffy & uptight about the experience… & the food was very good but not out of this world. Perhaps we expected too much.
![Scotland, Glasgow, West End, Crabshakk](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K52.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, West End, Crabshakk](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K53.jpg)
![Scotland, Glasgow, West End, Crabshakk](https://endlessmile.com/images/201304/201203K54.jpg)
Even if that last meal wasn’t all I’d hoped, Glasgow remains special to me. Somehow I knew I’d love the city even before my first visit. There’s still a lot to see: social housing projects, a trip down the River Clyde in summertime… I can’t wait to go back. Besides, Billy Boyd (Pippin of LOTR) sat next to us at Chippy Doon the Lane for lunch one day. I didn’t recognize him immediately, but Darío tipped me off. Why didn’t I get a photo?!
See ye efter, Glasgow!