Gratitude in Glasgow

It was still dark when we checked-out from our hotel and headed to the nearest bus stop, East Suffolk Road stop, which took us around 5 to 10 minutes’ walk to get there. Half an hour journey on the bus from our hotel to Elder Street Bus Station felt not that long as we were chatting with a friendly old lady which was also on her way to the bus station. And surprisingly, she and her friend are going to Glasgow on that day, too! Boarding off at the South Bridge stop, we went on separate ways after the old ladies gave us warm farewell hugs. 

The journey from Edinburgh to Glasgow took us more or less an hour. We arrived at Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow around half past nine. The weather was quite fair to be honest, even though it was a bit gloomy but at least, it wasn't raining. On our way to our first destination, we bumped into another friendly lady at a traffic light junction. Predicted correctly that we were tourists, (a group of girls with luggage and rucksack with cameras hanging on their neck definitely leads to an obvious deduction hehe) she introduced herself as a lecturer in University of Glasgow, teaching Neuroscience. After having a short good chat, we bid her goodbye and can't help ourselves from not expressing to each other how blessed we were for being surrounded by friendly locals in Scotland as well as the warm treat and welcome that they provided us with :) 

Kibble Palace

If you think all palaces house the rulers, then I am afraid I have to tell you that you might have to step into Kibble hehe. This palace, which formerly known as 'The Kibble Crystal Art Palace' houses a forest of tree ferns. This palace is located inside the Glasgow Botanic Gardens that also house a few other glasshouses (like the one below).

The Conservatory, Glasgow Botanic Gardens

After visiting the glasshouses (and taking thousands of pictures with beautiful green views XD) we started to walk to our next tourists' attraction spot, which is my favourite place; the museum. Just before we arrived at our next stop, it started to rain. Alhamdulillah, luckily it was just about the time for us to spend our day indoor :)

Riverside Museum

It is a huge museum too! Yet it just cost us 1 pound to put ALL of our bags in. What a blessing again! (It costs me 1.50 pound per item in the cloakroom while I was in the National Museum of Scotland, that's why we were delighted XD) Alhamdulillah :) 

Interior view of the Riverside Museum

This museum is actually a transport museum, located at the riverside (most probably explains how it got its name). It is the best tourists' attraction spot in Glasgow. 

The velodrome

Of all things displayed inside the museum, the part that I enjoyed the most is a reconstructed 'old town' of Glasgow Street in the museum. You can go inside each shops and stores to get the feeling of being in 'Glasgow's past' (always my favourite part hehe)

Cause I love the insights to the past ;)

'The Tall Ship'

This ship is located in front of the back entrance of the museum, I wish I had more time to explore it but we didn't have time to get into the ship :( (an excuse to come again, maybe? XP)

easyHotel Glasgow, located in the City Centre :)

We checked in to our hotel at around half past two. We initially planned of going to The Lighthouse, but cancelled the plan anyway since we went out late for lunch (which was also our early dinner) and the place is closed at 5.00p.m.

The next day, the weather was fairly good too. Alhamdulillah the bus service is better than in Edinburgh; you can use contactless payment to buy a day pass on the bus instead of having to pay exact change XD A day pass on the bus costs 4.30 pound in Glasgow (30p more expensive than a day pass in Edinburgh though)

Provand's Lordship

If you are not sensitive to your surrounding, you might have overlooked one of the most significant historical building in Glasgow as there is no huge sign outside this building to indicate its name. There is a 'Provand's Lordship' sign carved on it in front of its door, which is just visible if you're standing in front of the door! It is one of only four surviving medieval buildings in Glasgow. Inside the 3-storey house, there are displays in each room that show its function over time.

It was once used as a sweet shop :D

The dining room

Commonly, a dining table would have a set of chairs of the same pattern, isn't it? But if you observe closer, each of these chairs has a pattern of its own. This is because the chairs in this dining room represent the royal succession. 

One of the displays in the building: ancient spoons (can't remember if this was used in medieval times)

A view of its garden, St Nicholas Garden from one of the rooms inside the building

St Nicholas Garden is a herb garden built behind the building to commemorate its original function as being part of a hospital long time ago. Unfortunately the garden was closed when we were there due to safety reasons (the floor of the garden was wet so it might be quite slippery and dangerous to visitors).

After visiting the Provand's Lordship, we decided to walk around the place as they are a lot of significant tourists' attraction spots nearby. 

Glasgow Cathedral

St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art

The Glasgow Necropolis

A closer view of the Necropolis, a Victorian cemetery in which 50 000 individuals have been buried

Cathedral Square, located just opposite the Glasgow Cathedral

From this square, we walked about 20 minutes to our next historical discovery of Glasgow, which is located in the Green Park. If you are ever coming to Glasgow, do come to this oldest park of the city! (If not for the museum just visit it for the sake of the green view!) You definitely don't want to miss the view of a park that has been awarded a Green Flag isn't it? *wink* (Green Flag is the benchmark national standard for quality parks and green spaces)

Doultan Fountain, Green Park

But the main reason I was in Green Park is of course...for the history of Scotland and it's people :)

The People's Palace

Winter Gardens (located inside People's Palace)

If you're into history and is curious about Glasgow people's lives in the past or even the present, this is the best choice of place to visit. From dancing and finding partners in Barrowlands, to being carried in drunk barrows, to acknowledging Glaswegians' gossip routine near the steamie, and of course, how does it feels to live in tenements.

The steamieeeeee (what a cute name XD0

Ehem, time for Scottish Lesson 101 again. 'Steamie' is a communal wash house. If you had ever been in a boarding school before, it's kind of like a place where you do laundry together XD (that's why it's the place where Glaswegians catch up on each other's life or having gossips together hahaha). 'Tenement' is a house that is divided into rooms and let as separate residence. (It's kind of like the apartment hehe, and the word tenement is used in the US too)

We bought some souvenirs from the museum (with a 10% discount that I got from a voucher on a tourist map so do take maps from your hotel or any other places that provide tourist maps XD) and left the place for Glasgow Central Mosque, located at the other side of River Clyde huhu

Glasgow Central Mosque

River Clyde, Scotland's most famous and important river :)

Dinner :D My macaroni cheese was literally 'flooded' with cheese XD

We ended our day by having dinner at the same restaurant where we had our lunch the day before, The Oxford Restaurant which is located at the Cambridge Street (I still find that funny somehow XD). We walked to Buchanan Bus Station, find seats for ourselves and I read a small book that I brought from London while waiting for our bus.

Buchanan Street, Glasgow's version of London's Oxford Street

Finally time to call it a day :)

My last piece of Scotland's 10 pounds (which I can't use in London)

Let me take a deep breath first. Phewwww

I think this is my first time planning for a holiday trip. All this while it has always been my mum who has been planning everything for my family trip. It wasn't hard, but of course it takes a lot of things to be thought of, (weather forecast, prayer times, places' opening times, strategic place to stay, transport, food expenses etc) yet I can't deny I really enjoy doing it. 

It might appear to you that I have enjoyed myself a lot throughout the trip, nevertheless there were times when things just didn't work out as we planned it to. To be honest that is one of the reasons why I keep counting my blessings since the Edinburgh trip :). I was trying to look at the bright side of every single thing. I'm really grateful that I have an understanding friend who had keep me calm no matter what happened at the end of the day or when things didn't turn out the way we thought it is supposed to be. 

On top of everything, Scotland (and 2017) has taught me that where memories are there to be cherished, mistakes are there to be learnt. Alhamdulillah Allah has never failed to enchant me with the beauty of His creations and His plans too, and hopefully insya Allah, it will keep my eyes opened towards His blessings and get me closer and closer to Him, Amin. 

Alhamdulillah 'ala kulli hal, 2017 :)