Glasgow and Edinburgh

Before I went home on spring break my sister and my friend Karen visited me on two separate weekends in March. I took them to see Glasgow and Edinburgh, and we also visited places I haven't been to yet. I will share some pictures, some taken with my camera and some taken with my phone.


First there is Glasgow Cathedral. The Cathedral reminds me a lot about Nidarosdomen in Trondheim. Karen and I went inside and it was similar on the inside as well. It even smelled the same as Nidarosdomen!

Fun fact: It is not actually a cathedral anymore as it has not been the seat of a bishop since 1690. The Scottish Church or Kirk nowadays are presbyterian and administered by a council of elders.

Right beside the cathedral is the Glasgow Necropolis. It is a large public cemetery founded in 1832. About 3500 monuments clutter this hill.

View from the Necropolis:

More pictures from Glasgow:

George Square

Random building in Glasgow

Another Tardis

When I took Karen to see my University we stopped by the Hunterian Museum. This place contains everything from dinosaur skeletons to music instruments.

There was also an old examination chair. The student would sit in the chair while the teacher asked questions, and there was an hourglass above the students head counting the time. Looks very stressful.

I took my sister to the Willow Tea Rooms to experience some afternoon tea and some Mackintosh design. I am in love with Mackintosh's chairs, they are very high backed. Both me an my sister is fairly tall, so these chairs actually provides support to our whole backs.

After the Willow Tea Rooms I took my sister to the Lighthouse. This building contains a Mackintosh Exhibition and a tower called the Lighthouse which provides a view over the city.

I have on several occasions heard Brits calling Glasgow an ugly city. I don't agree, there are so many lovely buildings in Glasgow. But, it is an old industrial city, so there is a lot of questionable buildings as well. Looking at the city from the Lighthouse I was inclined to agree with those calling Glasgow ugly, but then again if you look at cities from above you see mostly roofs and roofs are as a general rule not pretty.

My sister and I found a Russian place to eat. I can't remember the name of it but it was very pretty and the food was good.

On our way back we saw this clock tower, and beside it we saw the ugliest baby angel statue we had ever seen. I don't know if it is supposed to be a cherub, but it looks like one of Shrek's kids.

I took my guests to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and my favourite exhibition is the armor exhibition. I especially like the black one with the smiling face.

I took my guests to Edinburgh and first stop was the Scott Monument. When Karen visited in the end of March the flowers were on their way and I had to take pictures. I can't resist taking pictures of flowers.

Karen and I visited Calton Hill, a place I hadn't visited before. Calton Hill has a public park at the top with several monuments, e.g. the Nelson Monument behind Karen.

You can also find the National Monument of Scotland on this hill. It looks like Parthenon and is actually not finished. If you see it from the back it is just an empty shell, a half built roman temple. Construction started in 1826 and stopped in 1829 when the funds dried up. It has stood unfinished since then.

On our way up to Edinburgh Castle we encounters some birds of prey, an owl and a hawk or falcon, I can't remember what it was. Birds are not my stingiest suit.

And that's it for now.
Later!