Things To Do in Glasgow
Glasgow is one of the capitals of street art. Every street and avenue offers you a new mural. This art also takes away the gloom of the city. We had a very short time in Glasgow, but of course it did not stop us from walking the streets of the city.There are actually many things worth visiting. After all, since this is the most populous city in Scotland, there must be a reason why people choose to live here or they must have made this place livable.
Glasgow Cathedral
Our first stop is Glasgow Cathedral, but I have my eye on the necropolis, or cemetery, on top of the cathedral. Some of you may ask why the cemetery is worth visiting. In fact, the structures in the cemetery look quite interesting when you look from below, they catch your attention. But for the sake of this section, let’s get back to Glasgow Cathedral! It is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the oldest structure in Glasgow. Its Gothic architecture is immediately noticeable. The Millennium window inside the cathedral is dazzling with its blue. Also inside the cathedral is the tomb of St. Mungo, the founder of the church and the person who brought Christianity to Scotland. Just outside the cathedral is the St. Mungo Museum, which tells the importance of religion in people’s lives, but we did not go into this museum.
Provand’s Lordship
Located very close to the cathedral, Provand’s Lordship is one of the places to visit. Built in 1471, Provand’s Lordship is one of the four medieval structures in Glasgow. This is a house designed with 17th century items and turned into a museum with royal portraits. It is as if we have visited a lord’s house, and I wished that people dressed in old clothes were also part of the museum. The backyard of the house also reflects how herbal medicines were used in the 17th century. There are plants used as medicine in the garden, and the names of the plants are given. As we were walking around the garden, it seemed as if we were following a woman who was filming the garden with a camera in her hand, and the woman interviewed us. While we were talking about where we were from, we learned that the woman was also Greek, I think she was drawing blood. Shame on those who see us as enemies:)
George Square
Our next stop after Provand’s Lordship is George Square, the city center. It was named after King George III. There are statues of important names such as Robert Burns, James Watt, Sir Robert Peel and Sir Walter Scott in the square. It is a good choice as a meeting point; however, if you don’t specify which statue or cafe you will be in front of, it may be difficult to find each other in this huge square:) Also, if you go during Christmas time, the Christmas market is set up here.
City View from Lighthouse
If you go straight from George Square and turn 2nd left, you will see Buchanan Street, Glasgow’s shopping street. Before you start shopping and get tired, I recommend you go to Lighthouse, the design and architecture center of Scotland, which is located on the street, and the entrance is free. There are sample furniture from the Art Nouveau movement here. You will also find traces of the works and life of Scottish artist/designer/architect Mackintosh. They said we would see a beautiful city view from the top floor. Yes, there is a city view on the top floor, but as seen above, we did not find the city view very impressive. After leaving here, you can go to Willow Tea Rooms and have a look at the chairs designed by Mackintosh, and if you have time, you can have tea. When we saw the line inside, we contented ourselves with looking and leaving since we did not want to waste our limited time.
While we were deciding what to do next, my dear traveling companion was busy shopping, while my mind was on the cemetery. Fortunately, we said that we should not go to the cemetery when it is dark, and quickly set off towards Necropolis, and on the way, we were greeted by a bunch of murals on our way. I see that my traveling companion Semoş also starts to smile. While taking a photo in front of a mural, when the ladies from Glasgow come to our aid, we take a selfie with them. I will also talk about the murals and where you can find them under the title “Glasgow Murals” below.
Necropolis
Let’s come to Necropolis, the cemetery. It is possible to reach the cemetery by walking about 5-10 minutes from the cathedral. The huge cemeteries, which suit the gloomy atmosphere of the city very well, can even create a scary atmosphere, especially when photographed in black and white. The spiritual dimension of walking among the cemeteries becomes even more apparent when you are tiny among these large structures. Also, photographing the cathedral from here produces much more successful images, as you can see in the cover photo of the article.
Modern Art Gallery
Our first stop on our way back from Necropolis is the Gallery of Modern Art. Some of the pieces in this gallery, which attracted us because of its free entrance, are quite interesting and it takes a short time to visit. We liked some items in the gift shop section of the gallery but we didn’t buy any due to the prices. They also put road signs on top of the statue in front of the gallery, although it seemed a bit disrespectful, we could not help but take a photo of it because it gave the statue a rather funny look.
Since we were very hungry after all this walking, we sat at a place called “BRGR” which was reasonably priced and also was preferred by locals. As its name suggests, there are various types of hamburgers and the taste was not bad either.
After filling our stomachs, we were ready to go shopping, in other words, Semoş was always ready and I prepared myself to look around. Rather than Buchanan Street, you can find famous big chains of the UK such as Primark and Debenhams on Argyle Street at the end of the street. There are also 1 Pound shops on this street, where everything is 1-2 Pounds, keep that in mind.
Glasgow Murals
St Mungo and Bird Mural
Let’s come to the best part of Glasgow, the street art. First, let’s talk about some of the things we saw, there is the “Wind Power” mural on Mitchell Street, very close to Ligthouse, it is one of my favorites and one of the most shared in Glasgow photos. If you take a photo with the girl as if you are blowing, you will fit in with the train 🙂 Another famous mural is the “St Mungo and Bird” mural on High Street. This mural is towards the end of High Street, in the section close to Necropolis.
Strathclyde University’s Wonderwall
Another one we came across was the “Strathclyde University’s Wonderwall”, which is claimed to be the largest in the United Kingdom, there are various murals on this wall. It is difficult to say the names and locations of some of the murals we saw, but you can make your own discoveries by losing yourselves in the streets of Glasgow.
Other murals that we didn’t visit but are available online include “Glasgow’s Panda” on Gordon Lane near the Lighthouse, “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” and “The World’s Most Economical Taxi” on Mitchell Street, which we saw from a distance, “Hand Shadow Puppets” on Cowcaddens Parade, “The Gallery” and “Argyle Street Cafe” on Argyle Street, “The Swimmer” under Kingston Bridge, “The Barras Pirate” in Barras Art and Design courtyard, “A Study of a Woman in Black” by St Andrew Square, “Charing Croc” and “Charing Cross Birds” on North Street at Charing Cross, “The Tiger” on Clyde Street, “Lost Giant” at the entrance to Sauchiehall Lane, “Crazy Cat Lady” on Sauchiehall Street, “Big Birds” near St Enoch Street, and “Fellow Glasgow Residents” in Ingram Street car park. I was most upset that we missed “The World’s Most Economical Taxi” here, this mural depicting a taxi powered by balloons looks quite enjoyable.
Glasgow River Clyde
Although the Clyde River area of Glasgow is not as lively as the city center, there are many nice hotels in this area for accommodation. The Hotel Campanile Glasgow, where we stayed, was a place we were not very happy with. There were many hotels near this hotel that we thought were nicer, such as Hilton Garden Inn, Radisson Red Glasgow, Crowne Plaza.
Since we were staying at this hotel that we loved(!), we decided to explore the surroundings a bit and went for an evening walk by the river. A little further on, after passing the Millennium Bridge, there is a cinema and Starbucks at the Glasgow Science Centre. It is enjoyable to sip your coffee at Starbucks with a view of the river, but the place closes at 9pm. The view of the buildings illuminated when darkness falls is also beautiful. BBC Scotland was so bright that you might think they have a night shift.
The SSE Hydro Arena
Glasgow architecture is another important feature of the city. We think that “The SSE Hydro Arena”, where the big events in Glasgow are held, is quite striking and impressive with both its lighting and architecture. You can check if there are concerts during the period you visit and maybe buy a ticket in advance.
