UK 2.0: Edinburgh - Day 3 - Glasgow

We began our third day in Scotland by walking to the Elephant House. While I do not consider myself too big a Harry Potter fan, I certainly do have such friends. This section is dedicated to all my dear friends who are fan of the bespectacled boy wizard of 7 tomes. Here be his birth place.

This is an Indian eatery's elephant signage with nothing to do with Elephant House or Harry Potter. I was just intrigued by the 2 shop's proximity.

I must also say a hugh THANK YOU to Hoeyyn and Kay. Thank you so much for inviting us to your shop and for the Scottish breakfast in Kilimanjaro. It was a great pleasure to see you again and an added joy to visit your drawing studio and to hear about your growing business. Thanks for everything and I wish you the very best your new branch in Glasgow.

After breakfast, we headed over to Glasgow, via a 45 minutes ride from Waverley train station. I freely confessed that Glasgow did not left too good an impression on me on my last trip, maybe in no small ways thanks to our super budgeted hostel that felt like a prison cell. My main aim of the day was to visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

If I have spoken anything bad about Glasgow's beauty, I humbly recant after beholding the autumn glory of Kelvingrove park.

I would like to climb the university hill and amble beneath the golden canopy, but alas time was not on our side. We made straight for the main agenda of the day. The impressive red sandstone Spanish Baroque structure deemed the most popular free museum outside of London did not disappoint. It can certainly delight and awe and inspire you with myriad of emotions as displayed by these hanging heads.

There were so many amazing exhibits from art and culture to nature. Even Salvador Dali's Christ of Saint John of the Cross were there. But the armory was what fascinates me the most. There intricate works of men highlighted our cultivated and civil skills in making something so beautiful and elegant and our bestial savageness in making such instrument of pain and destruction.

A pangolin and an armadillo, inspiration from nature.

Among the many amazing classical works, this contemporary painting stuck out the most. It looks straight out a graphic novel cover to me. Self Portrait by Stephen Conroy, 2005.

I lingered among these halls of knowledge till the sun was down and we were soon to be kicked out. I skipped the Doctor Who exhibit and took the underground back to the city center. A hearty meal in Rumours, a Malaysian restaurant on 21 Bath Street kept felt especially satisfying after skipping lunch in the museum.

Christmas decoration transformed Glasgow's night streets. Reflections on the wet pavements courtesy of passing drizzles accentuated the festive touch further. The streets by MOMA glistered in gold.

George Square was still being dressed for the festivity. Animated Christmas bells, and other traditional decorations made of light tubes already dangled around the a square. The majestic Glasgow city chambers loomed in the background.

A Christmas tree stood by a glowing sledge with electrical reindeer (of android's dream).

Two lions gazed stoically at the dazzling and colorful lights, unmoving and guarding another war memorial laced with red poppies between them. Who has paid the price that we may rejoice?

Those courageous soldiers, yes. But above all, it was the Lion who bridge the gap with blood, whose birthday we have appropriated into our modern worship of the formless and faceless deity of materialism, whose high temple and seat of power stood surrounding us. God bless us all!