After leaving Southampton and spending two days at sea, our first port of call was Greenock, Scotland. From here we had booked an excursion into nearby Glasgow, pop 1,700,000, the largest city in Scotland. It was about an hour ride from Greenock into Glasgow. We then had four hours to explore on our own before being picked up for our bus ride back to the ship. It seemed like the most efficient use of our time was to use the Hop On Hop Off Bus which was reasonably priced and included a senior discount.

It took over an hour and a half to make the entire loop around the city. Our four hour time limit was disappearing quickly. The second time around we got off at the Glasgow Cathedral. The Cathedral, a parish of the Church of Scotland, is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The first stone cathedral was dedicated in 1136 and fragments of that building have been found under the present cathedral dedicated in 1197. Much of today’s cathedral was rebuilt in the 13th century. The inside of the cathedral is breathtaking.

Outside the Gallery of Modern Art is an equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, erected in 1844 to mark the successful end in 1815 of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Since the 1980s it has been traditionally capped with a traffic cone by members of the public to represent the humor of the local people.

The People’s Palace is a museum that tells the story of Glasgow and its people from 1750 to the present. It first opened in 1898.

Outside of the People’s Palace is Doulton Fountain, the largest terracotta fountain in the world. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of  Queen Victoria’s coronation.

University of Glasgow is a public research university founded in 1451.  It is the 4th oldest university in the English speaking world and the largest university in Scotland. It ranks within the world’s top 100 universities.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum  was constructed in 1888 and opened in 1901.

City Chambers is a Victorian style building which has served as some form of municipal government since 1889.

While the buildings in Glasgow are architecturally impressive, years of pollution and grime have made the buildings look dirty and tired. I couldn’t help wondering just how beautiful the buildings would be if they were power washed and restored to their original grandeur.

With a stop at the Hard Rock Cafe for Bill’s shirt and a lunch nearby of fish and chips while sitting on the steps at George Square, our four hours were up. Time to meet up with the bus back to the cruise ship. We could have definitely used another two or three hours.

We certainly enjoyed our day in Scotland. That evening as the ship was preparing to leave port, some Scottish bagpipers gathered on the dock to play for us as we pulled away. What a nice touch to end our time in Scotland. Select the image below to start the video

or use this link: https://youtu.be/UdEQ6b2YamM

Our last view of Scotland.

Next up: Iceland