Month: March 2011

Scotland 4: Day 4

/ Dav / 2 Comments

Glasgow, Scotland | 09:51

For some reason, I had trouble falling asleep last night. Not sure what that’s about- I only woke up a few minutes ago. I think that a 20 oz Coke isn’t the smartest thing for me to do, right before bedtime, that is.
I look out the window, and it seems like it may be a rainy day today again. The rain doesn’t bother me, for the most part. It is somewhat expected- as I brought along a wind-breaker jacket and that umbrella. So far, it’s been overcast mornings, but hopefully, it will clear up soon. I wonder if every day is going to be like this. I guess that April showers bring May flowers. Too bad, I’m headed home at the very beginning of May.

11:53


It’s crazy cold in Glasgow today. It’s raining (like it has been every morning so far), and there’s a strong wind out there. I just trudged through it to grab an early lunch at Pizza Hut (sadly, I missed the free breakfast) and the wind was so strong, I knew it wanted to knock me over. I think I may stay inside for a bit today and wait to see what the storms going to do. I hope it lifts soon. It’s my fault for making plans, I guess.

15:20

The rain finally stopped and so even though the wind was still crazy, I went out and went for a walk. I first stopped by Central Station to grab my train ticket for the 2nd. I prepaid for all my tickets, so all I have to do is go to the kiosk. I enter the confirmation code that was emailed to me and scan the card I used to pay. It’s a very cool thing to be able to do this. This way, I don’t have to carry all my tickets with me for the entire trip.

I walked west along the River Clyde today (yesterday I’d walked east), and it was beautiful. The entire time the wind acted like it wanted to push me into the river. I had to keep my hand on my head- so I wouldn’t lose my hat into the water. Still, there were cyclists and joggers all around.

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23:16

This afternoon, I went back to the Brunswick Hotel for dinner I had the Spaghetti Carbonara. Soooo good, it was! I’ll probably have to go back there this afternoon, I went back to the Brunswick Hotel for dinner and had the Spaghetti Carbonara. I’ll probably have to go back there for dinner tomorrow and get something else. I needed to hear some live music this evening, so I hung out in a pub. The band was good, not great. They were admittedly loud, though… they’ve got that going for them. I was able to hang out with some hostel mates who are from some other part of Scotland. They were friendly and told me that American accents were sexy- I am proud to be an American. I’ll say to you- Scottish accents are sexier- till I get up into the highlands and can’t understand anybody unless they speak very slowly. I mean, “Huh?” and tilt my head a lot.

Scotland 4: Day 3

/ Dav / 3 Comments

Note: I don’t know where Day 1 or Day 2 ended up, if I come across them, I will update Scotland 4. Enjoy!

Glasgow, Scotland | 06:17

Good morning world! I think my body has adjusted to the time change splendidly! Is splendidly even a word? I woke up a few minutes ago and remembered that the desk clerk told me that there was a free breakfast each morning! Today is going to be a great day! Once again, I’m thankful for the fact that I don’t have to share a room here. Also- free wi-fi in the lobby downstairs! At this moment, I’m looking at a city map, deciding where I want to go, or what I want to do today.

12:39

My morning was a good one. It’s rainy in Glasgow today- bring your umbrella. I went for a walk that was about a mile up the River Clyde, then around the city. It was a beautiful walk, but it kind of wore me out.

I look forward to a nap that will start in just a few minutes.

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First, however, I came up with reason #457 of why I should never travel alone. I’m walking around the city, and I see a salon that is having some sale on hair coloring (you know where this is going, don’t you?). I walked into it thinking I would get some highlights done… I walked out and my entire head dyed purple. I kid you not- I now have purple hair. When the light hits it just right, it looks blue. It’s freakin’ cool, that’s what it is. This is the perfect time to do something like this- my work would never allow me to do purple or blue but I have a month off… and I’m in a foreign country. So why not?

I just left the grocery store with a bottle of Ribena Blackcurrant juice- my favorite! I remember it’s one of my friend Colee’s favorite drinks as well. Ribena… and chocolate… and a nap.

16:50

It is apparent that my body hasn’t quite adjusted yet. Is this because I’m an old man? Probably. I laid down to take a nap and woke up about 2 ½ hours later. This is kind of a long nap- but I guess vacation is for relaxing and resting.

What was once purple hair, no longer is. I’m just thankful that I got some photographic evidence! The lady who colored my hair got so much dye on my scalp, and some on my cheek. This would never do. I ran to Tesco and grabbed some shampoo. They didn’t have that big of a selection, but I still didn’t know what kind to get. The idea was to try to clean my skin but keep the hair color. I ended up with a bottle of hydrating Herbal Essence. I came back to the hostel to wash, rinse and repeat. This took all the purple out. I don’t dare go back and pay the gal to dye it again. So now, instead of the purple, my hair is what I would describe as “dusty platinum” with a very slight blue tint. I like it more. It’s [ever so slightly] more natural than the purple was… as natural as platinum hair is, of course.

19:42

For dinner tonight, I decided on curry. Low and behold, there is an Indian restaurant just down the street from the hostel. I ended up getting some lamb curry. It was very delicious! I tried to call home to say hi to the folks, but they didn’t answer, so I called one of my sisters instead.

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After dinner, I decided to walk to the north, since I haven’t explored that part of Glasgow yet. In all, I’ve probably done about 4 or 5 miles of walking today, and I’m pretty proud of that accomplishment.