Hello future Glaswegians!
Today I will talk about the things I love about Glasgow. Even though Glasgow is a huge city with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, it does not seem like it. The city centre is pretty small and you absolutely don’t need a car to visit it or to go shopping. I liked it a lot as it allowed me to go there frequently and without paying any transport fare.
In the heart of the city centre
Strathclyde is right in the city centre, so a less than 10 minutes’ walk will bring you to Buchanan Street or Argyle Street, the commercial arteries of Glasgow. Almost everything can be found in the shops there, it was very useful when looking for presents to bring back to the family or for products that were not easily found back in France.
The city centre really is alive! I particularly enjoyed the numerous musicians (either traditional Scottish bagpipe players or guitarists rocking the street) who can be heard at every corner.
The West End, that you can easily reach with the subway, is also an amazing place to go to. It has a nice museum, a big park and a beautiful botanic garden (and many great pubs on Ashton Lane!).
Another great thing about Glasgow is that when you want to leave the city and get some fresh air, a simple 30 minutes ride in the train will bring you to beautiful and calm places in the countryside. I will talk more about some awesome places to visit in the next emails.
What's the greatest thing about Glasgow?
The greatest thing about Glasgow is definitely the Glaswegians. The atmosphere of the city is amazing, everyone is very nice and welcoming.
I never felt unsafe anywhere in the city. Even during a rugby game between Scotland and France, being in a Scottish pub with a French jersey was absolutely great and fun!
Their accent however is very different, you think you understand English? Think again, it will take you time to understand Glaswegians. But it is not a problem at all as the people are always willing to repeat slowly what they were saying. Never hesitate to ask them to do so!
Food is better than expected!
Lastly, I cannot say that the food here is better than in France (no one would believe that right?), but it was definitely better than I expected it to be! Except for cheese as good as back home, pretty much everything can be found here. In terms of restaurants, the city centre features all kinds of food so it really is easy to vary. The prices are approximately the same than in France, except for the beer which is cheaper in Scotland (and tastier!).
I hope you will enjoy Glasgow as much as I did!
Have a good day!
Pierre
