 Once again digging into this final section of our day in Glasgow has been so interesting and surprising to discover where we were. Definitely challenging to pin down locations for photos but worthwhile to learn so much more about the area we were in. From Finnieston we drove back east passing by George Square again and continued farther east ending up blocks from Glasgow Cathedral, our ultimate destination. The first picture I was tracking location of was on a walkway Google earth doesn't yet have a street view of, so it got a little tricky. Amazingly I did find it in 3D view. So as we were walking toward the Cathedral I took an “artsy” shot of a streetlamp I liked and discovered it is on the west side of The Barony which began as a church but is now part of Strathclyde University. On the opposite side of the walkway is Saint Nicholas Garden which is on the backside of Provand’s Lordship 1471 house site, the oldest house in Glasgow. The path ended at Cathedral Street which we crossed and continued past St. Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art and on to the Cathedral. The first view of the Cathedral was impressive, and the interior not any less so. As with many ancient sites the current structure is not the first but has been through fire, rebuilds and renovation through the years.  St. Mungo (his pet name) also as known as St. Kentigern is the patron Saint and founder of Glasgow. Anyone with a Catholic background probably knows about Mungo but I am just beginning to learn. As the photos show, the current Nave is very impressive. Wendy and I explored it some but we were piqued as our guide, Kevin, had pointed out the necropolis on the hill behind the Cathedral. He said there was a pathway leading from the church and a really good view of the city. It wasn’t raining so between curiosity and a whole lot of sitting, we found the pathway and explored. A necropolis (this one in particular) was a burial place for the Victorian elite. There is a society in Glasgow dedicated to its history, preservation, etc. And Kevin was right, great view of the city! I found the reddish round carved building in the necropolis quite intriguing; figured it was a mausoleum but it was not marked. My sleuthing uncovered it is the unmarked crypt of Major Archibald Douglas Monteath. Reading the list of people buried throughout is quite a “who’s who” of Glasgow and Scotland. That concluded our tour around Glasgow and it was time to return to the hotel. CIE calls the tour “A Taste of Scotland and Ireland” and it definitely gave a taste that whet my appetite for more!  Pretty busy area around the Cathedral so heading back we hit some traffic and were stopped near an apartment building. I started noticing a woman coming to a window, looking up and down the street and then retreating back out of sight. I loved the story I was making up in my head about what/who/why she was looking. Even had my sister watching, who alerted me when the woman returned the third time and I snapped a shot. I like to think it was something wonderful and romantic!
Deciding to take a much closer look at what happened that day has put me in awe. We were walking around where Glascow began in the 6th century! Unknowingly, I took a photo of a window in a house that's been there since the late 1400s. Wow. Really can't comprehend any of it but I sure am thankful. Even more so since I just got my dna results a few days ago and learned I have Scottish ancestry (with a variety of other British and Irish) specifically from Glasgow. On a more practical note, all the resources I have been digging up prompted me to rethink the website design. I love sharing discoveries and wanted to make it simple to access the links. To that end, there is now a links page which will have a clickable photo from each tour day which will bring up a page with an alphabetical list of resources. This March 1st blog wraps up our first day of the tour. Day 2, which I’m calling “Highlands, Lochs and Locks,” coming soon! |
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May 2022
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