A Relaxing Day in Glasgow

We slept late today, like 8:30 late. It’s cool and rainy today, so we took advantage of it. Coffee in the room, slow wake up, and Brad has a little head cold. Could it be because he was outdoors on a 30 degree day with a baseball cap instead of a real hat and scarf? Took him to Pringle, took him to Fraser, extolled the virtues of cashmere in Scotland – he wasn’t having it.

On another note, Kirsten’s bag made it home with her in one piece.

Jeff and the girls ended with a bang — no surprise there. They started the day playing virtual cricket, headed to Carnaby Street, Chinatown, then off to meet California friends for a pre theatre dinner at a Pub and to see the show, Matilda, in the West End. They found a make your own bubble tea shop, then took pictures with buses that have the same number as your birthdate. They would have fun no matter where they are. I couldn’t hope for better. And they are off – hope they sleep on the plane!

We’re having an easy day today – a taxi to the East End to see Barra’s Market and the famed Barrowland Ballroom, a favorite of David Bowie’s.

The East End might be better for college students than us geriatrics, so we hopped in another cab to the Hunterian Museum at the University of Glasgow in the West End. Much more our speed. The buildings we visited are the “new’ buildings, that date from 1870. The university is five centuries old.

The Gothic Revival architecture is everything you hope it to be. You feel smarter just walking around. The museums are amazing – with ancient Roman ruins from sites in Scotland, to dinosaurs, to the history of medical equipment.

And then there’s what we really came for, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh’s home. Designed by them, every window, chair and stick of furniture as well as the textiles. The home is perfect and thankfully preserved. This was designed in 1891 – I’d live in it today.

And the most beautiful piece, in my estimation

One table with all that intricate work. We need to find out who the craftsmen were. It’s one thing to design, another to execute. The curator thought that because there were so many ship wrights in Glasgow, that maybe the furniture was made as a side hustle.

That’s enough sightseeing for today – we headed back home for tea and massages. The hotel has a magnificent spa (I remembered it from our last stay) and we both had terrific therapists. Pictures of the spa tomorrow.

Off to dinner at the Ox and Finch. BEST MEAL IN THE UK. Glasgow has a great food scene, not that London doesn’t, but London gets all hypey- Glasgow is more artistic with less overhead. A chef who cares can really make it what he or she wants. You all know that I’m Ottolenghi crazy, but this is better. I don’t say that lightly.

For those who care read on (Wendy, this means you). Rookie mistake, we ordered homemade bread and butter – and ate it all. Then we ordered almost everything on the menu – truly. Fried artichokes with home made yogurt doused with an Aleppo chili butter, smoked fish with pickled Spanish peppers and paprika, hake with squid and chickpeas with aioli and fresh celery (a game changer- the bright crunch), a lamb ragout on the softest polenta with crunchy pickled onions, braised whole carrots in this walnut gremolata in a pool of beurre blanc, cabbage with Roquefort and pears and really good steak and chips (Brad’s pick). Can’t tell you how special each dish was, and no we didn’t finish half of it, but I was like a kid in a candy store.

Needless to say, I’m back under crisply ironed sheets with a very happy belly. I will sleep with the angels tonight.

7600 steps. Slackers.