Palate cleanser: Glasgow

by Annie Scott on

Ah, Glasgow. Rarely do you find a city with such lovely people, such sexy accents and such stunning architecture. If I were Glaswegian, I would be totally full of myself, but their unassuming Scottish attitude is refreshingly humble and charming. If you’ve ever met someone from Glasgow, you know.

The Scottish are known for a few things: their witty storytelling, their fantastic rolling landscapes and their ability to make delicious haggis out of actual tripe. To me, the landscape is so appealing I caught myself thinking “If one were to live in or even visit beautiful, green Scotland, why on Earth would they want to be in a city?” Glasgow answers that question with Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

The Scenery

If scenery is your thing, you will never be disappointed with Glasgow. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh stamp is all over the place, both authentic and imitated, from churches to tea rooms. Add to that the River Clyde and museums like The Kelvingrove featuring some of Europe’s finest art, and you’ll find your need for beauty well-nourished. For big CRM fans (like me), you can actually take a tour of the Glasgow School of Art (below), which he attended and then designed — his simple, elegant design featuring progressively growing wrought iron plants along the windows (swon him his alma mater’s new building commission in 1896.


Another must-see is the mysterious Queen’s Cross Church in Maryhill, Glasgow, which is a bit of a walk from the train but definitely rewarding. The church now serves as the headquarters of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society. See the gallery for pictures.

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Eat

When you’re done with your sight-seeing and ready for a bite to eat, a couple places I’d recommend include:Fifi & Ally, where they have unbearably fresh food and swarms of women (in case you’re into that), Cafe Zique, a West-End quirky brunchy beauty near the Kelvinhall subway station and walkable to The Hunterian and Kelvingrove art galleries and Stravaigin (means “to wander”), a luscious 2-floor gourmet restaurant with haggis so good you’d give it to your mother (and the rest of the food, both classic and experimental like the wild mushroom and savoy pierogi below, provided big wows as well).

Nightlife

The nightlife in Scotland can be a little … intense. The Brits are famous for their clubbing tendencies, and gritty Glasgow is no exception. You’ll find scantily, impossibly clad women young and old on the streets with men in shirts and jeans until well into the wee hours. Some of the bars and clubs are nice, one is called Nice n Sleazy. Good luck with that. Most of the best places are a little ways off the main drags like Buchanan Street, where all the mainstream shops are. One place I happen to like is a little champagne bar (and ristoranto) called Mediterraneo over on Ingram Street, and my very favorite bar in the entire world is Blue Dog at 151 West George Street (below). I’m not being hyperbolic; I visited Blue Dog for the first time the year it opened (at age 22) and decided it was the best bar I’d ever been to. I just went back, and not only was I proud of my 22-year-old taste, but the entire pack of journalists I was with loved it, too. It’s loungey, with amazing cocktails and a singer/piano player hammering out Van Halen and Radiohead. The bartenders take unheard of amounts of time with each drink, making sure every one is perfect, so be patient — and be sure to try some of the Saffron Gin.

Details

Glasgow is really easy to get around by subway, and the rates aren’t tricky like they are in London. Cabs are not hard to come by if you’d rather not go underground. If you’re looking for a rock-bottom hotel price, consider the Euro Hostel, which I stayed in as a youngin’ and totally survived. If you’re a little older, I can safely recommend the ABode Hotel — no frills, but the prices are decent and the rooms are clean and comfortable and have internet. I hear that the place to go if you’ve got the cash is the 5-star One Devonshire Gardens in the heart of the fashionable West End — they have a spa, a gym, private walled gardens and award-winning food.

Whether you’re heading to Glasgow for one of the many music festivals, to see the art, or are just looking for an Edinburgh alternative or a place to fly into on your pilgrimage to Loch Ness, it doesn’t take much time to walk around and fall in love with Glasgow’s gothic, yet easygoing charm. Be sure and chat up your bartenders and other locals you meet; you’ll hear hilarious tales you’d never hear outside of Scotland.

This trip was paid for by VisitBritain, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Scottish island reaps financial reward protecting birds

by Sean McLachlan on

The Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides is making millions by protecting the white-tailed eagle and other birds.

This small island, home to about 2,700 people and 250 bird species, gets 6,000 visitors a year who spend £2 million ($3.3 million). That’s 2.2 tourists and £741 ($1,211) per person.

Well, the people of Mull only get half that; the other half goes to the Mull Eagle Watch, the organization that monitors and helps the birds. I doubt the locals begrudge this ecological sugar daddy a bit of support.

The local community uses the money for education, youth groups, and other initiatives. The folks at Treehugger say this environmental/tourist model works so well in Mull because the community is small and relatively autonomous, so the money doesn’t get lost in some vast, corrupt bureaucracy.

While most visitors come to Mull for its rugged scenery and abundant wildlife, there are also castles, prehistoric ruins, a stone circle, and a local whiskey distillery. As residents celebrate ten years of the eagle project, they can look forward to a strong tourist industry to showcase all of their island’s natural and historic heritage.

Gadlinks for Tuesday, 1.12.2010

by Katie Hammel on

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Don’t let the midweek slump get you down. Check out these other sources for travel inspiration.

Get more Gadlinks HERE.

Thousands stranded after Flyglobespan goes out of business

by Sean McLachlan on

Flyglobespan, Scotland’s biggest airline, has become the latest airline to go bust. The airline made the announcement yesterday, canceling all of its flights and firing all 800 of its employees.

The workers got a bad deal getting fired just before Christmas, but at least they get to suffer at home, unlike the more than 4,500 passengers left stranded in foreign countries.

The company claims it’s contacting everyone affected, but the BBC didn’t have trouble finding passengers and even employees who hadn’t heard anything official about the closure. One senior cabin crew member learned he lost his job through Facebook.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority is working to repatriate 1,100 travelers who were stranded as part of a flyglobespan package holiday, but another 3,400 passengers who booked directly through flyglobespan.com have to make their own way back. easyJet and Ryanair have offered cut-rate “rescue fares” and passengers should check their travel insurance to see if their repatriation is covered.

There’s also a helpline at 0871 271 9000.

Last year an Irish bookie gave Flyglobespan 5:1 odds at being the next airline to go under. Skyeurope, also at 5:1 odds, beat it out when it failed on August 31 of this year.
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Get out and go: Events around the world (December 2-5)

by Brenda Yun on

It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Alaska – The Talkeetna Winterfest will take place in Talkeetna, Alaska throughout the month of December. The month long celebration features various activities, including Taste of Talkeetna, Broom Ball and Bachelor Auction.
  • Hobart – It may be winter in the States, but it’s summer in Tasmania, and the Hobart Summer Festival will be held for the whole month of December in Hobart.
  • British Virgin Islands – The Fireball Full Moon Party will take place today (Wednesday, December 2) in Trellis Bay, British Virgin Islands.
  • Seattle – Seattle’s Winter Beer Festival takes place at Hale’s Ales Brewery this Friday, December 4. More than 30 Washington State breweries will be pouring their winter brews. There will be a vintage beer tasting featuring favorites from years past. Pub food will be available as well as a selection of fine chocolates and holiday gifts for sale.
  • Aberdeen – We Americans may not “get it” but curling is a real spectator sport in some parts of the world. The European Curling Championships will take place this Friday, December 4 in Aberdeen, Scotland and will last through the week until the 12th.
  • New Jersey – Annual Festival of Trees will begin this Friday, December 4 in Basking Ridge and will continue for over a week through the 13th.
  • St. Lucia – Jade Mountain will hold its annual chocolate festival this weekend, from December 4-6. It is a delicious, interactive and exotic introduction to the world’s favorite aphrodisiac. Cacao has a history in St Lucia that dates back to the 1700’s.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.