Day in Glascow

Last night, I convinced a few people to go see"The Leopard," a 1963 Italian film that was supposedly one of the best of its day. http://www.filmhousecinema.com/showing/the-leopard/
It was beautifully shot, but had no plot. Simone, our resident Italian from Milano, says we didn't understand the politics. He is probably right, but regardless, this is the last time I go out on a limb and recommend a movie. Three hours of wide expanses, one hour of an Aristocratic party where nothing happened. And the main character, played by Burt Lancaster, didn't even die!

Today was what they call a peasouper. We woke up this morning with the desire to see Melrose Abbey, but the bus ride was too long (2.5 hours) so I opted to visit Glascow instead. The fog was thick and you couldn't see the tops of the buildings. I should have worn trousers today (in England pants refer to underpants). I should have worn a belt too. I am down to my lowest notch on my belt. I have lost weight, I'm sure. All of the walking that I'm doing is probably good for me (though the beer isn't, I'm sure).

We (Igem, Sibel, Gulay (three girls from Turkey), Anna (from Spain), and I) took the train to Glascow. The ride was quite pleasant, and simple. I wish America had a more efficient public transit system. Most of our major cities are connected, but distances are so great, that most of the travel that is regular here would be unmaintainable here. Glascow is a city! Edinburgh has a large town feel to it, but Glascow lacks the green patches that I so enjoy in Edinburgh. There were a ton of people in the streets, many more street musicians, many more shopping opportunities.

Once we got to Glascow, we were struck with bad luck. First, we went to "The Tennement" house which is supposed to be a maintained building that shows how people lived in the 1860's. Tenement, however, roughly means apartment, so while Ikgem asked everyone where "The Tenement" was, most of them gave bogus directions. Once we got there, we found that we were too early. So we went to Mackintosh's School of Art. The tour cost money, and didn't start for another hour. So, we went to Glascow Cathedral. There was a funeral and we couldn't get in. finally, we walked down Argyle Street, where the beautiful campus of Glascow University is, and went to the Kelvin Museum of Art. There we went to the Harry Benson photography exhibit. Great black and whites. Makes me miss the fun (and frustration) I had with film. I need to go back to this museum. It was very well put together, and I didn't have time for anything beyond a cursory glance.

Afterwards, we sat and talked at a coffee shop. The CoffeeScene, my favorite coffee shop to visit in Edinburgh, is apparently a chain, which disappointed me a bit since I wanted to escape Starbucks-like things. For Lunch, Igem and Sibel wanted something cheap, and suggested McDonald's, which I resolutely refused on principle.

The Travel home was much busier than the train there. We arrived back by 7:30, caught a quick dinner and headed to the new SUISS student meeting. 50 new people are being infused into our program today. Will report tomorrow, and post Glascow pictures soon.