| Page Views: 351 Last Visit to Glasgow: February, 2007 | GLASGOW by Acirfa - last update: Mar 21, 2007 |
Cultural City or Industrial Estate? 'Glasgow is the United Kingdom's hippiest and most happening city' Time and Leisure magazine USA.
'Brimming with style and culture, Scotland's biggest city is a revelation' Time magazine
If ever you need solid evidence that travel journalists have been born and bred on another planet, the above should cover it.
Before embarking on a critique of Glasgow, let's get something right up front. I am English. Whilst this means a number of different things to a number of different people, it means one thing to the Scots - I am disliked. T-shirts at Glasgow airport will tell you that the Scots support two national football teams- Scotland and anyone else that plays England. This is a truism, not a myth. So, if I am less than positive about Glasgow this will not offend the Scots, as they will happily believe that an Englishman's view counts for nothing anyway. And so to our trip .......
If there is a greyer, more soulless place on the planet then I have yet to visit it (although Worthing does run it close). The fact that the highlight of a visit to Glasgow in the Necropolis should cover all that is needed to be said. This is a huge area for the dead. It's impressive, eerie but...well... for the dead.
There is little to be said for the locals who are dour in the extreme, although we did meet a few who ignored the fact that we were English and talked to us, albeit to put the fear of God into us about he preponderance of muggings and attacks that take place in the city.
However, if I understand VT correctly, I must try to find some positives in the city as a balance! Well - its got a nice Cathedral, a good museum and stacks and stacks and stacks of places to drink. And that place for the dead.
It tries to offer Art and Culture and to paint an image of sophistication - for instance the tourist web site claims:
'Glasgow is an architectural dream: Victorian red and honey sandstone, Italianate steeples and medieval spires sit harmoniously with neo-gothic towers, the sensuous Art Nouveau of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the titanium, glass and steel of the contemporary city.'
What rot! In reality this means that the 60's nightmare buildings are gradually being bulldozed and replaced, but that there are still some older style buildings hanging around. And that the grey sandstone buildings are being cleaned.
And as for culture - well boasting to be the best in the UK is guaranteed to make any Londoners blood boil - for goodness sake, one good theatre does not a cultural city make let alone claims to be the leading cultural city in the UK!! Heritage, sorry but a few old tobacco warehouses does not make history on a huge scale!
In summary, my humble opinion is don't make Glasgow a destination, if your are there or thereabouts then go stay in Edinburgh, or go further into the real Scotland which is undoubtedly a beautiful part of the world. Glasgow simply does not do it and please, if you do have the misfortune to have to go there do not judge the rest of Scotland by this experience. There is so much more to enjoy up there.
(This whole piece is dedicated to my great and true friend John 'Jockie' MacLiesh, who has spent many years trying to convince me that Glasgow is the prettiest, most cultured and most desirable city on the planet. I continue to ask him why it is that he has spent 27 or his 35 years living in London. Keep taking the Ale, Jockie!!) |
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Acirfa's Glasgow Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 4 - Photos: 16 | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | Transportation
Tips: 1 | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for Acirfa about Glasgow | | | | |
yumyum Sat Apr 12, 2008 18:43 UTC
I hope to travel to Glasgow one day too. | goutammitra Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:07 UTC
Great intro! I enjoyed that. | deecat Thu Sep 6, 2007 02:50 UTC
What an introduction! Good use of quotes to make your point. | jo104 Wed Mar 21, 2007 14:01 UTC
Mike I think your tip re the modern art museum is best put into tourist traps?? Otherwise hillarious page I'll have to show my glaswegian friend - how to win friends & influence people hey :-) |
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