Storyline: A Glimpse of Scotland
“Welcome to sunny Glasgow”, the guest house server greeted us with a lovely Scottish accent, as she served us breakfast, “…it is September after all, it’s supposed to rain”, she added catching our puzzled or rather bleary-eyed sleep deprived looks. Leaving steamy 40°C Toronto the previous afternoon, and after a short 6-hour flight, we’ve been disgorged 5 hours ahead the following day to a “balmy” 8°C early morning in Glasgow. We often form our first impression of a city by walking from the train station, usually at the centre of the city, to our accommodation. Rolling our carry-ons on the streets does not prevent us from absorbing the surroundings. It was supposed to be a short 20min walk.
Alex has been consistent with his habit to take us to the wrong direction every time we walk out of a train station (bus this time). The exit from the station was supposed to be on our street and then just walk directly to the location. It took us some time going up and down the streets to find the right (yes, the opposite) direction [Alex: Come on! This time I was initially right but just thought I was wrong, so I turned when I didn’t need to :-p].
After a few minutes we faced a construction zone with the street completely closed off. Zigged downhill to another street that was also closed off for traffic but pedestrians could find their way through the maze of construction fences and garbage to the one open sidewalk. We just followed others making the same detour.
As we walked along old, crumbling and often empty buildings behind the construction fences, I began doubting my choice of location. Everything looked run down.
Peeled facades, stones covered by black moldy stripes, showing the leaks from overflowed rain gutters and window ledges; grass and small trees growing from the gutters, chimneys, and even from the window moldings.
Litter everywhere. (In fact, run down Sauchiehall Street, once a very popular thoroughfare, is undergoing a major redevelopment, but many businesses appear to have suffered during the process).
We are supposed to be in the centre, just beside the Glasgow School of Art and a street away from the Tenement House museum [a ‘tenement’ here is a row of houses containing multiple units; tenement has a different connotation than in North America where it refers to a run-down slum]. Before booking any accommodation, I read a lot of reviews. This place had good ones.
Up a steep hill and we were on our street. No improvement in the views. I could see the row houses, some of which looked empty. It can’t be that!
We finally saw the sign and walked into the somewhat OK entrance of an old row house. And after all that, it was only 8 AM. We wanted to drop off our luggage and wander around the city until check-in time. “Good morning”, the smiling receptionist greeted us, “We only want to drop off our bags and will come back later…”, “oh, yes, the Canadians… Your room is ready for check-in”. “That is so great, it’s 3 AM our time… “, we thanked with tired smiles.
“You can also have a breakfast if you want” added the receptionist as she showed us the way to our room through a maze of doors, so many doors… it is just up to the second floor… and more doors… As we walked up the old worn stair covered by even older, worn, dusty and stained carpets I again got uneasy about my choice of accommodation. Until we opened the door… and entered a royal room! Sigh of relief. I could not thank the staff enough. Not knowing exactly the composition of the guest house, I had booked and paid for a tiny twin room, but asked for a quiet room on a higher floor.
There, we’ve got it! A quiet and spacious room with a queen and a single bed, sitting area and a boudoir.
A second bedroom converted to a spacious bathroom. Chandeliers and crown moldings preserved in both. It never hurts to ask.
It appears that the guest house incorporates 4 aristocratic townhouses retaining much of the original design and standard features to create an 81-room establishment. Using typical British logic, our room was numbered 95.
The receptionist told us that the construction closures were because the Glasgow School of Art caught fire in June, just after being restored from severe damage caused by a fire four years ago. That explains the rubble and construction zone on the street. Pity for the school though.
We took advantage from the breakfast offer too, after which had a refreshing nap.
Our first impression of Glasgow city center? Run-down and dirty. Cigarette butts and litter everywhere. For us it ranks just ahead of Bucharest and Athens in this respect.
But sunny it was! And the next days we walked through much nicer and cleaner areas west of the centre.
Hmm…been to Glasgow many times and never found it to be dirty.
You know we walk places… In the centre it is. The old city. But so is Toronto at some places. Lots of empty buildings. The newer areas are clean as we mentioned at the end. And people are friendly.