④Glasgow

Sep 13, 2026

So as I planned this trip that elusive Scotland-sensation said “see for yourself.” I knew, after one day here, that Glasgow isn’t that Scotland (though I may have spied it through the train window on my journey). Much contrast between friendlier folks and the many residents who just always appear to be…sullen? unsettled? Am I just tapping into a stereotype? I’ll admit the stereotype is foremost when passing pubs or groups of men, perhaps just…socially-energized but it sounds, to my ears, aggressive, clamorous. London is quite diverse, Glasgow almost as much. Whyever it’s impressed me, I see more diverse friendship groups. And - a Scotsman with a beard, a proper Scottish beard - ah, yes, there is handsomeness on the streets. And redheads here are SO intensely red!

At least for this apartment I’m much reminded of Airbnb’s I’ve rented in the East Village and Lower East Side of NYC - exterior is quite dismal, the entry offers no relief from the trashy. Enter the flat into another world. It’s nice. Of course I knew that from the listing photos.

...entrance to the Airbnb

...stairwell

...living room

...bedroom

...the main, central, areas are chock full of chains, so I am so pleased to come upon a simply nice neighborhood shopping street

...a nice south Indian thali lunch - that's a flatbread type I hadn't had before. He said it's a fermented batter of rice and dal, I said "like idli?" - he said "oh, yes!"

...different wording (more on that later) so our "road work" is "road works" - and here it's City Halls

...please don't see them as urinals - but as sculpture! and the orange inserts are NHS messages "Blood in your urine? Call your GP."

...again, beloved dogs

...quite a number of Madeline compatriots!

...most of the buildings are faced with what appears to be sandstone (some brick, some marble), there's a uniformity but also several shades of the stone

...Mellis Cheese Shop, offering more than cheese. Here Scotch eggs, eggs, wrapped with sausage (these with upscale options), breadcrumbs and deep-fried

...a fine piece of Wensleydale (they were out of Lancashire!) and a particularly photogenic plum

...one of the many stone-faced side streets