After breakfast at the New Lanark Hotel we drove to the home
of the Chief of the Carmichael Clan; unfortunately he was
not at home and unfortunately the Clan's museum and visitor
center were not open. We did have a good view of their deer
farm. Heading north and west to Glasgow we arrived at The
Manor Park Hotel in Broomhill north of the Clyde River, our
home for two nights.
After a lunch of “toasties” we went downtown Glasgow to Fraser’s
Department Store and bought two additional suitcases so we
could ship through our various purchases. Dinner was at the
Park Bar, a pub-meal of Fish and Chips, with 12 inch fish,
or Beef and Guinness Pie that was about 10 inches across.
October 4
We spent the day sightseeing in Glasgow, starting with the
Glasgow Cathedral, the present building dating from the 13th
century. The early history of the Church in Glasgow and the
Cathedral is associated with the legend of St. Mungo (St.
Kentigern) who died in 612. Even the arms of the City of Glasgow
were inspired by miracles attributed to St. Mungo including
a robin he is said to have restored to life; a fish with a
ring in its mouth associated with Queen Languoreth; the tree
that he used to start a fire and his bell.
The Cathedral reminded us very much of St. Magnus Cathedral
in Kirkwall in the Orkneys. The beautiful Cathedral building
survived destruction by the Covenanters because the Glasgow
Guilds of Craftsmen intervened on its behalf. We also visited
the St. Mungo’s Museum of Religion, which emphasizes diversity
and understanding of the world’s many religions. Among many
famous works of religious art is Salvadore Dali’s painting
of Christ on the Cross.
We then drove to the Kelvingrove Park area where we toured
the Museum of Transport or the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and
Museum. The rest of the day was spent packing all those suitcases
with clothing and the many purchases we’d been making for
the last month. We had dinner at the Three Crows Pub that
featured rib eye steak and a starter called “Texas Toothpicks.”
October 5
After an excellent Scottish breakfast at the Manor Park
Hotel B & B we packed up the minivan and headed for the Glasgow
Airport. Checking our minivan's mileage we drove a total of
1356 miles during the 17 days of this trip. We saw a wide
variety of scenery, stayed in several different types of accommodations
and tried many types of traditional Scottish foods and some
new types of cuisine. We learned that lunch is often a toastie-something
like a good American grilled cheese sandwich. We survived
a lot of rain and some fog plus we learned to really enjoy
the days of sunshine.
Charley and Jean would like to express our many, many thanks
to Guy and Betty for planning the itinerary, securing the
lodgings and for guiding them on a wonderful adventure.