Off to Scotland. We once again took the Ferry, this time heading northeast as we returned to the island of Britain. Our three weeks in the north would begin in Glasgow.
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| Georges Square |
Upon entering the city we were met with a most unusual site. It was a statue of the Duke of Wellington with a traffic cone on his head. This was not a prank but is the natural state of things in Glasgow. And it does represent the city. A respect for the past with with a touch of irreverence. A major city with the feel of a small town.
Our flat overlooked Georges Square, a gathering place for all ages both day and night. Here we watched Government workers in their suits come out of their offices for morning breaks on the square next to parents with their babies and toddlers. Afternoons brought the students in their school uniforms to meet up with friends, or workmen on their way to the pub at the end of the day. Families went out for one last walk before bed as the sun set around ten pm, enjoying every bit of the long days of summer.
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| Shiva Nataraj (Lord of the Dance) |
Our location also was centrally located so we were within walking distance of museums, churches and restaurants.Glasgow prides itself on being a city of tolerance and acceptance as we saw at the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art located in the Cathedral Precinct of the city. http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/st-mungos/Pages/default.aspx
Here exhibits show life milestones such as birth, coming of age marriage and death through the traditions and rituals of different religions.
On the Glasgow Greene, at the east end of the city is the People's Palace and Winter Gardens. Built in 1898 this greenhouse and building was built to provide a place for the citizens of Glasgow to gather for social and cultural events. It is now a museum dedicated to the different experiences of Glaswegians at home, work and play.
.Displays include life in a :single end” (a one room tenement home), going to a “steamie”(the communal laundry), and nights out at “The Dancing” in the famous barrowland Ballroom.
It was here at the People's Palace that we learned the story of the Dukes statue. The cone on his head did start as a prank in the 1970’s. Officials would remove it and within a few days the cone was back on his head. Eventually it was determined that the statue was being damaged more by both groups climbing up to remove or replace the cone and so the cone was allowed to stay making this one of the few statues in Britain not discolored from pigeon droppings.
Work hard, play hard could be the motto of the city. You can feel the people have energy and purpose but without taking themselves too seriously. So go get a traffic cone and put it on a statue. You will feel much better.
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