I would never see Glasgow like I see any other cities in the world. I stayed in this biggest city in Scotland from mid September 2005 until beginning of March 2007, and there, I had one of the most tremendous times of my life. The culture, the people, the food and the unforgettable Ceilidh dance.The name Glasgow itself comes from the word Glas-Cu meaning 'dear green place'. In AD 453 St. Kentigern or St. Mungo ('dear one') built a wooden church on the site of where Glasgow Cathedral now stands. The area gradually grew larger and St. Mungo became the patron saint of the city.
Top: Glasgow from my window on one snowy night
As a post-industrial city, today's Glasgow has transformed its image from rough labour living into lively cultural city. Glasgow is a vibrant city with great restaurants, cafes, pubs, clubs and shops selling international as well as local brands. The friendly, outgoing Glaswegians (or 'Weegies') would also be more than happy to help you whenever you get lost and tell you more about the city (just make sure you pay enough attention when they speak, as the accent can be a whole new English language to your ears!-at least that's what I thought).
Getting into the city centre and you would instantly know this is a Victiorian city. High-street buildings from banks, post office, government and private offices, shops, hotels and cafes can be as far as 100 years old, designed in Victorian architectural style. Glasgow is also proud of its Art-Nouveau outlined by the brilliant architect, artist and designer Charles Rennie MacIntosh whose works can be seen at the Glasgow School of Art, the Willow Tea Rooms and the beautiful House for an Art Lover. For a more ancient feature, Glasgow has Provand's Lordship, where you can witness an example of a dwelling house back in the 15th century.
With all the exciting things, it is not surprising that the city is shifting tourists' attention from just visiting Edinburgh to including Glasgow on the list. This is deservedly so, as Glasgow has turned into a fascinating tourist destination.
I sum up 9 visitor attractions worth visiting. Here they are:
The Hub of the City Centre
George Square is a good starting point for exploring the city. It is perfectly located North of Argyle Street, East of Buchanan Street and West of Merchant Square, all three are the main points for shopping and dining. Moreover, if you happen to visit Glasgow by train and hop off at Queen Street Station, the square is just 2 minutes walk from the station.
At the centre of George Square stands a statue of Sir Walter Scott rising on top of a 24m-high Greek Doric column. The initial plan was to set a statue of George III (after whom the square is named) at the central part. However, due to the fall of Tobacco Lords that left the economy in turmoil, he forfeited his place of honour that was later substituted by the Scottish author.
From top: Walking in George Square on one sunny day; George Square and the City Chambers in snow; Statue of James Watt
Other statues of famous figures dotted the square namely Robert Burns (Scottish poet), Lord Clyde (British soldier, native of Glasgow), Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, but my favourite is James Watt, the inventor who refined the steam engine which led to Industrial Revolution. Tourists normally like to take their picture facing Eas, so that they can have the formidable lion statues and the glorious City Chambers as the background.
City Chambers
Built in 1880's, it took 7 years to finish this imposing building, situated just off George Square. It is arguably one of the finest civic buildings surviving 19th century Britain. The magnificent exterior with its superb domes has appeared in many films as backdrop to replace Vatican and Kremlin. Yet the interior is more extravagant than the outside. I went inside once with a friend to attend a seminar held in one of the conference rooms, and instead of listening to the speakers, I ended up admiring the interior over and over.
Top: The magnificent City Chambers.
Right: The Chambers with Christmas lights and decorations
It has grand staircases, Italian marble, nicely colourful Venetian mosaic and lines of columns…for a person coming from Asia like me, the ambience is just so…European. Highly recommended for a visit.
Discovering Medieval Glasgow
Glasgow Cathedral
The present form of the building dating back from 15th century and it is the only cathedral to have survived the ravages of the 1560 Protestant Reformation in Scotland. It is an awe inspiring place, with its darkened stone casting a gothic shadow over the beautifully landscaped Cathedral precinct, which actually was used for burning witches and heretics. On the other end, you can see the Necropolis, a garden cemetery, set as the background of the cathedral.
Top: Glasgow Cathedral with Necropolis far right
Popping your head into the cathedral, then you will see the dark interior. Not quite a pleasant feeling when I entered though, as the atmosphere made me shivering a bit. Still, it is an unusual experience. You might as well find St. Mungo's tomb if you decide to walk further inside.
Provand's Lordship
Provand's Lordship is the oldest surviving house in Glasgow built in 1471 where you can discover a piece of Scottish medieval history. The house is part of the Cathedral complex, you can just cross the Castle Street once you finish with the cathedral. 
While buildings surrounding the cathedral fell into ruin, one remnant has survived despite the extensive demolition and redevelopment programmes in the area over the past hundred years. This ancient monument used to serve a variety of purposes from a manse, an alehouse and even a sweet shop.
It is close to where I lived that I did not bother to visit it until a few days before moving to the West End.
Top: The medieval kitchen inside Provand’s Lordship
Getting into the house gives you the authentic feeling of the living history. The ceilings and doorway are so low that a friend kept wondering about how small the people could be in medieval times, or perhaps that was just a trend at the time?
The wooden table and chairs in the dining room are like the ones you see in Robin Hood movie, and the fireplace reminds you of the fairy tale flicks like Narnia or the Lord of the Rings. On the upper floor there is a bedroom where they put a mannequin of a priest sitting on a chair and you could hear religious music from the room. It could be a representation of the chaplain who was a resident here.
Apart from examining the interior, you can also learn more about Glasgow and the people from the stories displayed. This includes the city's street characters in the 19th century and some images of the city during Victorian era.
Take the exit door at the back and enjoy the tranquility of St. Nicholas Garden.
Top: St. Nicholas Garden
Thirst for Art
GOMA
Just a block South West down George Square, stands a popular site for contemporary arts, the Gallery of Modern Art or GOMA. It displays modern art works ranging from painting, sculptures, installation depicting social issues from worldwide artists. Downstairs there is a café and library where you can lend books, use the free internet access and multimedia.
The building itself is an eye-catching icon of an 1827 mansion with its grand portico of columns. It used to be mansion of a Tobacco Lord before taken over by Royal Bank of Scotland.
Top: GOMA cheering up during festive season
Later on it served as Royal Exchange, then a public library before transformed into GOMA.
The tight square surrounding the building is known as Royal Exchange Square and is home to terraced cafes there you can sip a cup of cappuccino and feel the nice weather during summer (only sunny summer days, of course, as the weather can be unpredictable even in summer).
Outside the gallery, you cannot miss looking at the statue of Wellington which often has a traffic cone placed on top of his head. First time I saw it I thought it was funny and took a picture of it. But as I became used to it for months to come, it turned out to be more like a regular view.
However, for tourists, who do not see it as often, it is considered memorable feature and some souvenir postcards even has the picture on it.
Top Right: Wellington outside GOMA
House for an Art Lover
Charles Rennie MacIntosh, Scotland's most renowned architect, artist & designer sketched the House for an Art Lover in 1901 as an entry to a competition run by German magazine. His works were not celebrated during his lifetime and failed to achieve credit he was so richly deserved, mainly because his genius was ahead of his time. Today, MacIntosh's distinctive Art Nouveau style is highly praised and yields a great interest and demand.
The construction of the house took place long after his death, started in 1989 and accomplished in 1996. The permanent exhibition comprises of decorative furnished rooms. Amongst them, there are three that I like the most. The Oval Room which is oval in shape, the Dining Room with its fireplace and rose motif wall, and the dazzling white Music Room with round bow windows and an ornate piano at one end played regularly for music recitals.
Top: The lovely House for an Art Lover; Below: The wonderfully decorated Music Room
All three rooms have typically high-back chairs, the characteristic of MacIntosh's masterpiece. Changing art exhibitions by gifted Scottish artists are also held regularly and the house functions as part of Glasgow School of Art.
This white-walled country house is beautifully situated within Bellahouston Park, creating a picturesque setting for a day out. It is also available for private celebrations, like weddings and private parties. Sadly I could not afford to use it as a venue for any of memorable events with friends =(
Must-Visit Museums
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Moving on to museums, we have Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, located on the banks of River Kelvin. Internationally renowned for the quality of its international art collection works by major impressionists, Dutch, French and Italian Renaissance artists. It also exhibits history of wildlife, ancient Egypt (look out for the mummy!), pre-historic life (a 4m Ceratosaur welcomes you), awesome weapons, remarkable suits of armour, and other interesting variety of objects. The permanent collection is augmented by an array of temporary exhibitions.
Top: Friends are just too excited to visit the museum =); Below: The wildlife in Kelvingrove
Top: Living predator?
Below right: Kelvingrove Park
The building itself is also of particularly note. A large richly ornamented and impressive red sandstone monument opened in 1901. You can also see the sight of Glasgow University and its gothic tower which is sited not far from the gallery. Don't forget to take a stroll along the lushly green Kelvingrove Park once you exit the museum.
I spent 5 months living in the West End, in an area called Yorkhill which is just across the gallery. In fact, the bus stop in front of the gallery is my daily spot for going to and back from the city centre.
People's Palace
Built in 1889, the museum shows a well-documented history of the people and the city from 1750 until now. It has interactive and creative displays, such as World War II air raid and an example of slightly 'vintage' kitchen set. Another unique object that you can't miss (cause they are so remarkably yellow) are Billy Connoly's quirky banana boots!
Top: Welcome to People’s Palace
Below: The big and beautiful Doulton Fountain
When I went there they were having a temporary photo exhibition of Glasgow in 1955, very interesting to see all the major changes the city has gone through in the past 50 years. Next to the museum is the Winter gardens, one of the largest glasshouse in Europe which contains blossoming tropical plants. I don't know why they call it Winter, but it certainly is not freezing in there. A café is located within the garden so you can relax while enjoying a cup of tea in the green.
Outside the museum there is Doulton Fountain, a magnificent fountain providing a great spot for a memorable photo.
Both People's Palace and Doulton Fountain are situated on Glasgow Green, a vast public park (also the oldest in Glasgow) which is a site of annual fair, festivals, entertainment & sport.
Top: Enjoy the green at Winter Garden
Football Fanatics
Scottish Football Museum
Relive the games. Go to the Southside and visit Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park, the home of Scottish National Team. Not only you can appreciate the long history of the game in Scotland by getting to know more about the local teams, namely Celtic, Rangers, Partic, Thistle, but also the breakthrough of Scottish National Team in international matches.
Get excited with the impressive memorabilia, match tickets, caps, jackets, hall of fame and some inspiring stories of Scottish football players. Get some nice souvenirs at the shop (I got myself a jacket and a scarf).
Top: the way to the stadium
Right: The home of Scottish National Team
A tour of the stadium is worth it if you are really obsessed with football. In that case, also test your footballing skills by attempting to score a goal.
