Pipes and Peeps in Glasgow

We were going to go on a cruise on Loch Lomond today, but we had to change plans.  There had been some confusion about where our friend Leonie was coming into (from England) for Lisa's party tonight, and it turned out that she was coming into Glasgow instead of Alexandria (where she was staying, and where the party was).  Lisa was working, so that left Sue and me to meet her.  Igor decided to stay in Balloch and do some hiking and birdwatching and such, and Sue and I went into the city to do some sightseeing before meeting her bus at 2:10 (or maybe 2:30, or whenever National Express got around to arriving).

We wanted to find the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, but got started off in the wrong direction.  We realized we had gone wrong, and headed back the right way, but realized after a bit that even if we did manage to get there today (and that was still iffy), we would have virtually no time to actually see anything before we had to head back.  So we decided to visit the Willow Tea Rooms and have a cappuccino instead.  The Willow Tea Rooms were another Charles Rennie Mackintosh design.

As we walked along, we started hearing bagpipe music and drums from various places.  It turns out that the Piping Live! festival begins tomorrow in Glasgow and runs through next Sunday.  Obviously, pipers are already on the street and practicing.  The actual festival is centered around the National Piping Center and various other points around the city, and most venues are free. We stopped and watched a couple of  groups, then went on our way.  Too bad we didn't know about this in advance, but I am sure we will run into more tomorrow.

After our tea room break, we went up to see the Glasgow School of Art building, designed by (guess who!)  Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  (Glasgow is all about Charles Rennie Mackintosh, in case you haven't guessed).  Glasgow is hilly, and the School of Art is on one of the steepest hills of all.  It was a two-stage process getting up that one. We couldn't see the whole building without taking a tour, and we didn't quite have time because for some silly reason we assumed that Leonie's bus would actually be on time, so we just poked around in the shop for a bit, then headed for the bus station. The bus was late enough that we could easily have done the tour had we known, but whatever.

The party was held in the lounge room of a pub in Alexandria.  There was music and dancing, cake, and a nice little buffet of homemade dishes set up in the pub kitchen.  The room was pretty crowded with friends and family, and we had a great time.  We stayed until just after 11:30, when we had to leave to catch our train back to Balloch. (Emma had retrieved a key from her granddaughter for us, so we could let ourselves in.) 

We had talked earlier about not knowing when breakfast was tomorrow, but I found a note on my pillow that said it would be at 8:30, and Emma even signed it.  (Like, who else would be leaving a note on my pillow saying when breakfast is?)  Interesting, because her house rules say that breakfast will be served no later than 8:00.  But like many of her other rules, now that she likes us, the rules (some of them) no longer exist.  We have actually come to really like her, and are glad we stayed.

The plan now is to finish Glasgow tomorrow, then take the boat tour on Monday, since the best forecast was for that day.  Then on Tuesday, I am off to Barcelona.