Glasgow GTG 2014

[Sundae]

Where did I leave you?
Oh, I was a bit lonely.

It was raining in a significant kinda way, but I'm British and I can deal with that. I wanted to wander rather than just wait, so I went out to explore the immediate environs.

Hang on, it's my fourth stay in the Alamo, how come I'd never done this before?
Well it's a combination; I'd been drinking on the journey in other years, so needed to sleep it off. It was snowing previously, so a jaunt out was very much heads down, watch your footing. Or I came by train and didn't have as much time to kill.

But I said to Dana - and it's true - that I do have a real feel for the area around the hotel now and can navigate it quite well.

This is a park more-or-less on the doorstep. Probably where my bear-hat friend was headed.
I was fascinated by the slide. I never thought I'd want to be ten again, with all the vulnerability that entails, but seeing the slide I did wish myself back, just for a little bit.

Actually I might have been able to fit down it, not having quite such a fat arse these days, but it was running with rainwater. And I'd never attempt it alone. Can you just picture the headlines?
"Child traumatised by rotting corpse found stuck in tube slide"
"Mystery woman tried to smash her way out, autopsy suggests"
"Bodily fluids the first sign of trapped body"
"Posh Spice has new haircut"

[Sundae]

Flooded skate-park.

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Park photos.
I particularly liked this fountain? pool?
As Limes said, it's very Albert Memorial.

[Sundae]

Details

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Moar.

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And back across the bridge.
I wanted to take photos of it the other year, but that was the year of the treacherous ice.

I can't tell you what these statues represent.
Or even the name of the bridge.
Sorry.

[Sundae]

When I get back to the B&B I find out that Limey definitely cannot make it to Glasgow that day (Friday).
Which is pretty rubbish.
But if you've been reading this thread you know it works out okay, so there's no need to dwell on it.

Here comes Dani! Yay!
I'd probably have welcomed Kim Jung-un at that point, but how much more lovelier to welcome Dani.

Both of us ready to hit the town.
Well, to hit a local diner which I'd checked out online.
916 Diner. Worth a visit. Very good waitress, although my opinion may be skewed by the fact she loved my hair (and I loved her tattoos)

[Sundae]

Dana's dinner. And latte (not Irish coffee as the glass suggests)

[Sundae]

As Dana posted previously, we had a very giggly time in the diner.
Very, VERY giggly on my part. At one point I brayed with laughter so hard I felt like I was an extra in Pinocchio.

And I let out all the laughter on the way back, to the extent I'm surprised it didn't bounce off cars and set off alarms. FTR I kept my knickers dry.

Anyway. My yummy, yummy pizza.
If this week was a stomach stretching exercise, this was my first challenge.
I reckon I ate about 2/3.

[Clodfobble]

This is so wonderful, Sundae, I can't wait for more. I do have to say, it always startles me to see solid-metal playground equipment. Around here, that slide would get hot enough in the summer to give you third-degree burns. Even the plastic ones are too hot to use sometimes.

[Sundae]

Thanks Clod. I've never thought about playground equipment in terms of A&E before (aside from getting stuck in it).
Glasgow does have hot summers sometimes; I stayed just outside Oban for a scorcher of a week one year.
But in general I think the unfamiliar yellow burny thing in the sky would startle Scottish children so much that a metal slide would be the least of their concerns.

Oh and I looked up the bridge and the statues for you.
For all of you I mean.
The bridge is Kelvin Way Bridge, and the statues I photographed are Peace & War, and Navigation & Shipbuilding.

I didn't mention that I am wearing my rockstar trousers in the above photo.
Maybe because I hoped you'd notice...
Yeah well, okay. Dana liked them anyway.
And my red shoes.

[Sundae]

Next morning.
Breakfast documented in Breakfast thread. As before.

Limey contacted us to say she was already on her way so we got ourselves ready to meet her at the station.
I was confident we could do so in plenty of time, as it was pretty much downhill from the B&B back to town.

Sauchiehall Street, then Hope Street, then you can't miss Glasgow Central Station.
I know this is what people say when it really is quite easy to miss, but this isn't an elaborate set-up for us ending up in the Athens of the North; we really did get to Glasgow Central with no detours.

Delays, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
Except I'll mention them - Dani can't walk past a beggar with a dog. Or just a dog actually. It's part of what makes me love her of course. Except when I am worried Limes is waiting on us.
Silly, really. I'm not responsible for either Dwellar and of course we met up just fine with no recriminations.

Interestingly, Glasgow seemed to have lots of American candy shops. I saw four or five. Marshmallow Fluff, Babe Ruths, Reeces Pieces etc in the window. I can only assume a ship came aground somewhere in the style of Whisky Galore!

The photo is the ceiling in the Alamo breakfast room.
I was trying to turn off the camera.
I liked the photo, so I kept it. Note my cotton candy hair making a sneak appearance bottom right.

[Sundae]

Off to my second hotel.

Dani only slept in the Alamo. Limey only slept in the Ibis Budget (as below).
I win because I slept in both.

NB. Limes did question my idea of winning. I'm not sure I managed to get it across very well. Perhaps because it's essentially incomprehensible.
It is almost entirely a private joke, although the phrase, "Once again I win the game" does come from The League of Gentlemen.
But the idea of silly, silly, very silly games in which it is only possible to win comes from assuaging the natural boredom of being a reasonably intelligent single person.

Today I cut 300g of Cornish Quartz Cheddar cheese bang on.
I win.
See?

Anyway.

Those of you who follow my posts obsessively will remember that Mum & I stayed in an eTap hotel in Cardiff to pad out a trip won by my brother in a raffle.
eTap is now Ibis Budget, but the idea is the same. Basic accommodation, clean but no frills.

We checked in on floor six and got the keycard for the lift and the room on floor eight.
Twin room. The shower cubicle opens straight into the room, the sink is in the room. The toilet is separate. There is a telly and a little desk with a stool. And WiFi.

We were there to sleep.
It was (you may say) satisfactory.

1) Dana arsing about because I told them they didn't need to pose, I was just taking photos of the room
2) Shower and sink and reflection of me lovely me

[Sundae]

Dani and I had already exchanged Christmas presents.
Mine from Dani was the same as Limey's - a most excellent mug with Yorkshire sayings on it. Some of which I have never heard. And I've read Alan Bennett.

A further Christmas exchange occurred.
Limey gave me her old iPad. Which is just like, wowza. She was worried that my delicate sensibilities might be offended. I was worried that Dani might think her carefully chosen and cool gift was overshadowed.

But hey - I bought them both cocks so I guess it all evened out. In truth we're pretty much tuned in to eachother after four years and don't do the jelly thing. My only disappointment this year was not getting my girls together overnight, but no-one could help that.

Moar of budget room, inc MY iPad on charge.

[limey]

I must just interject here that I had adopted it some time ago as it was Mr Limey's cast-off and it is a little battered. But still serviceable. I seem to have accidentally bought myself a replacement on a previous trip to Glasgow ....


Sent by thought transference