Epic Blog Entry Number One

Glasgow is glorious.

Yesterday I was given a whirlwind tour by Wendy and Harry (friends of my parents) and George their nephew. The city is so pretty, and it was snowing most of the day. Big soft flakes too, none of this sleety crap we get in New Zealand.

Today it was time to negotiate the streets alone. This morning I woke up about 3am and was very very awake. The cursed jet lag. So left the flat at about 7am to play on the computers. Then about 8, left for an epica day. Oh it’s been such a good day. I forgot it was Sunday which caused minor convenience as the UK is much more into shops not opening or opening very late on Sundays. Desperate for the loo I went inside this old church. Had managed to forget again that it was the Sabbath, semi-embarrassing, but played the part of an ignorant tourist who was just interesting in historic architecture. After a 15min lecture from a chorister about the history of the building I cheekily used their loo and left.

Such a great cliché by the way that there are scrumpled Iron Bru cans in most of the city’s gutters. I really appreciate that.

I’m not finding things very expensive. Went to Primark, which seemed in appearance to be like a Farmers but in prices was more like a Warehouse. Bought incredibly large and warm scrunchie socks for £1. Sweet deal. Coffee thankfully is about the same price as at home. I have discovered that the closest thing to a flat white in the UK is an “Americano” but then you ask for a jug of hot milk to go with it. Generally that’s pretty ridiculous in my opinion but whatevs.

So then I walked to Kelvingrove garden via the ritzy part of town. The tenement buildings are not very different from the outside in the wealthy and less wealthy parts of town but it became very obvious I was not among my own kind by the ridiculously expensive cars parked outside each building. And they had city views of course. I walked along the streets hoping to bump into someone famous. Billy Connolly maybe? Alex Kapranos? David Tennant unfortunately is not from Glasgow, but that thought crossed my mind too.

This is a photo through the trees of the Kelvingrove park of Glasgow University. Hogwarts much?

I saw a group of squirrels (what is the collective term for squirrels?) in the park and shrieked with excitement. I was then stared at. Fair enough I guess. I don’t think I shriek in a particularly Kiwi accent. But how cute is Mr Nutkin?

And then…. To Kelvingrove Museum. Heaven.

Isnt it amazing? The first picture is it from the outside but the camera couldn’t get all of it so that’s just most of it, and the second picture is the hall of busts. It’s a museum and art gallery. The photos fail at showing just how magnificent it is.I WANT TO WORK THERE‼ It was opened in 1901 and is built out of the red sandstone that is typical of many buildings in Glasgow for the grand sum of £100,000. Actually I could live in there. I didn’t see much of it today as by the time I had walked there I had mega blisters and thought I would save most of it for a day when there wasn’t blood in my shoes. This was also the home of … drum roll….. the Doctor Who exhibition! Oh man. I cannot describe how awesome it was.

I look ridiculous in the picture but who cares?? I’m standing next to a Dalek‼ The video will hopefully be greatly amusing. They had every creature ever. And lots of actors costumes. The trench coat of course. And in their very own display cases were his chucks and sonic screw driver. Glorious glorious.

And there was this interactive Dalek that was child size and children would go inside it and say things like “Exterminate” or “Open the genesis arc” and their voices would sound like a Dalek. I wished very much that Rachel had been with me at that moment. Things like that are mortifying alone, but hilarious with a Dyke Pikelet. The best one was when a teenage girl went in after her younger brother and the Dalek said “I don’t want to be here”. That was great.

So I intend to finish exploring Kelvingrove in at least three other trips.

My walk home was right up the main street of the West End, Byres Road– the West End being the area where the uni is and where I live. I got stopped and asked for directions! Clearly I fit in here. I couldn’t help them at all though.

Also all warnings Mum gave me about the Glaswegian accent still failed to adequately prepare me for it. Eavesdropping on locals talking to one another inevitably leads to me laughing out loud in the street like a complete freak. It’s so absurd. I heard an entire conversation at a set of traffic lights and all I could understand was “Happy New Year”. Seriously, I have never heard anything like it.

Best find ever on the main street – a record store called Popp. I died and went to heaven for the second time in one day. Animal collective, Postal Service, Camera Obscura, Andrew Bird, Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes – albums all £5. And there were loads of other artists I can’t remember at this second that were equally cheap. And they sell cheap books and DVDs as well. I’m going to have to be very careful.

So having just wiped the blood out of my shoes I’m going to make some lunch and have a nana nap I think. And all of this before 3 o clock!

I apologise for the length of this post - I imagine these entries will become shorter and less frequent as the novelty of this place wears off.

Love to all from a wintery wonderland. xx