Glasgow, Scotland continued...
Our Glasgow trip started here. Read how we got to Glasgow here.
The place that marked me the most in Glasgow, Scotland is without a doubt the Necropolis; I, in no way, worship death or cemeteries but this place has impressed me deeply.
Just as we left Glasgow Cathedral at 4pm, we literally ran towards the Necropolis since it closed at 4:30pm. As we stepped on the path leading to it, we could see the graveyards and the monuments standing tall on the horizon. I got goosebumps from the imposing view ahead of us; I have never seen more intricate monuments in a cemetery before I saw the Glasgow Necropolis. No wonder it has become an important landmark of the city, especially since it was initially intended to be a park/garden.
Its history goes like this… In the 1800s, Glasgow grew into a large industrial city, and merchants had taken over. The population grew so fast that the city infrastructure could not accommodate it. This led to overpopulation, extreme poverty, and poor sanitation. These conditions caused as many as 5000 people to die yearly, and cemeteries were running out of room. That's how it was approved that this park be converted into a cemetery. They say that about 50,000 people are buried here.
From its hill, the Necropolis overlooks the city, and once on its grounds, we were enveloped in peace and silence. The cemetery really was beautiful and serene. We walked around, looking at the impressive monuments touched by the years, with the endless names carved in them, and admired the trees in bloom. I couldn’t help but notice and wonder about all the Roman-looking architecture I was seeing… We could have spent hours here but, not wanting to get locked in the cemetery overnight, we headed towards the exit.
We realized at that point that we were hungry and headed to Cafe Andaluz, which was on my list as a place to try.
FYI, the majority of the restaurants in Glasgow begin serving dinner after 6:30pm or later. Before these hours they have a set menu called "pre-theatre", with limited options and a fixed price. Also, note that some restaurants will bring you the bill, right after you order your food.
We would normally eat a good breakfast in the morning, and not get hungry until late in the afternoon, missing lunch. Also, we were visiting places during the day, which made it hard to keep up with the restaurants' schedules, reason why we haven’t tried eating at a lot of restaurants on our trip. But back to Glasgow…
So, of course, we arrived at Cafe Andaluz prior to them serving dinner and were given a tapas menu, where you each can select 3 tapas + dessert if you wish. I don't remember exactly what we had, and it seems that they changed their menu, but the tapas were all delicious. The restaurant itself was very busy and cute. We wanted to return here but didn't get the chance to.
After we ate, we strolled aimlessly since I think that the best way to discover a city is by walking in it. We found the Style Mile on Buchanan street and spent a few good hours there window shopping while being entertained by diverse street performers.
Buchanan Street and the Style Mile became our favorite place to hang out. Always bustling with all sorts of people, offering "free" entertainment with the street performers (donations are encouraged), it's certainly a lively area.
After walking up and down this street, we found a local Sainsbury's, stocked up on some snacks, and headed back to the hotel. We were tired and had to get ready for Edinburgh the next day. Stay tuned for our next adventure...
Until next time.
xoxo,
Em
Our Glasgow trip continues and ends here.
