A Day in Glascow

Our tour actually began on the day we met with everyone in Glasgow, with a visit to the National Piping Centre for a demonstration by a Master Piper. Bagpipes are loud! But I learned that bagpipes probably got their origin in the Middle East.

            The next morning we set off by bus to visit not one, not two, but three museums. Along the way, I noted that the city had a lot of Victorian-era buildings of red and blond sandstone. Our first stop was the Burrell Collection, which houses 9000 pieces of art spanning six millennia. We were treated to an early entry to a Degas exhibit with 23 Degas works from Burrell’s original collection together in one place. I recommend this exhibit to anyone in Glasgow since it traces the development of Degas as a painter and sculptor. Then we wandered through the overwhelming collection of art in the main museum. I was so overwhelmed I only took a few – a relatively poor – pictures.

After that, we went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, with 22 galleries with 8000 objet d’art. Here my legs gave out, but I had a grand time sitting in the enormous atrium listening to an organ recital.

            Our final museum of the day was the Zaha-Hadid Riverside Museum, which showcases the city’s transport, ship building and engineering history. I had restored myself enough to walk amongst the antique cars, boats and trams, but especially liked the way the spectacularly engineered modern museum opened onto the River Clyde. Just outside on the river. Glasgow’s tall ship, the Glenlee is moored. This British sail-powered cargo vessel was also an Italian ship of mystery and a training ship for the Spanish Navy over its 127 year history.

A long day for someone unused to walking more than 2-3 miles a day!