You might have noticed that I’ve had a wee bit of a blogging break over the last few days. In fact I/we have been in that place which I’m pining for. Not the ‘wild American west’ as some people have thought in the past but the west of Scotland where life is altogether more pleasant and civilised. More specifically I’ve been in Glasgow, I wanted to have a look at the Christmas lights as it’s years since I’ve visited the city centre, by the time we visit the bookshops in the west end it’s time to start thinking about the drive back to the east. Staying overnight in one of those hotel chains was great and we were just a short walk away from the city centre.
The two main streets in Glasgow are Argyle Street and Sauchiehall Street and they are joined by Buchanan Street. The photos below are all of Buchanan Street which as you can see is pedestrianised.
I took quite a lot of photos but I haven’t sorted through them all yet. Like most people I suppose I’ve taken photos of things all over the place but it’s only in Glasgow that the inhabitants stop and chat with you. In fact I’ve come to the conclusion that whereas people in most cities avoid eye contact with any strangers – in Glasgow the inhabitants are actively seeking to strike up a conversation. It makes everything so much more enjoyable.
I was listening to a Scottish football programme on the radio last week, not that I’m a football fan but we were in the car and Jack was listening to it. Anyway, one of the pundits happened to say that he hated the word wean as it is a west of Scotland word and he associates it with the nastiness of Glasgow!! or words to that effect. I can only think that he is so prejudiced that he has never actually visited the place, apart from football venues, what an eejit!
Below is a photo of Buchanan Street at night. The Christmas lights aren’t bad I suppose but I still don’t like those bright white LED lights, the old creamy coloured lights were much easier on the eyes and I wish they would have more colour in general. It was Thursday – late night shopping night, just before the shops closed at 8 o’clock so it wasn’t as busy as it had been. You can see images of House of Fraser department store here Glasgow used to have loads of wonderful department stores but the best ones have all closed down and we are left with House of Fraser and Debenhams.