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by Adam Weinheimer  ’18

After weeks of overcast skies and rain, we finally had a break in the weather for five days or so. The first of these beautiful days was on a Wednesday (the 10th of February I believe), a day where I only have one hour of class from 9-10 AM. I decided I had to take advantage of this, and spend the day outdoors while the sun was shining. Once lecture had ended, I grabbed lunch in a small cafe and waited to meet up with my friend Lo. Lo (Loriane) has been here in Glasgow since last September, so she already knew plenty of places in Glasgow I had to see if I hadn’t done so already. Now I have been here for a good chunk of time by now, but there is still a lot of Glasgow I have yet to see. Uni is situated in the West End, so in my daily routine of school and studying I am not in the city centre. I typically only make it into the city if I want to go shopping (eg Buchanan Street), get a haircut, going out to eat with friends, or traveling (as the main hub for train/bus is in the city centre).

Weinheimer 2 2 19We decided to walk everywhere we wanted to go since it was so nice out. I will say we covered a lot of ground. By the end of the day I had taken 37,000 steps, walked 18 miles, and climbed 125 flights of stairs (according to FitBit). We explored cool parts of the city, hunted for street art, climbed the Mackintosh Tower for a panoramic view of the city, visited the historic cathedral, and walked the grounds of the Glasgow Necropolis. It was an awesome day and I’m glad I finally had the chance to see a new part of Glasgow. Enjoy the photos I took along the way:

 

 

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by Adam Weinheimer ’18

Weinheimer photo 3 1-25-2016

UVM Honors College students at Trossachs National Park.

Today we (me, Ula, Onni, Ava, Patrick, Jeff, Tom, Dilpreet and Marco) took advantage of our open schedules and headed up north to visit Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. After doing some research, I found out it was pretty easy to get to Balloch (the town/city right at the base of Loch Lomond) via Scotland’s train network. The ticket only cost 5 quid round trip, from Partick in Glasgow to Balloch approximately 20 miles north.

We stepped off the train and popped into the visitor center for maps and info from a very cheery local. We began our stroll on the shore road that basically hugs the water and loops to Balloch Castle and the gardens and tours through the park. The grounds of the park were simply amazing. When we arrived

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

everything was green, but right as we began to walk the snow began to fall in huge flakes and everything was soon covered in a blanket of white. It felt so good to just stroll around as the snow fell in such a peaceful area. We traveled to a few of the viewpoints to look out over the water and take photos of everything around us. We really couldn’t get enough of the views! Now since it was snowing there wasn’t the greatest visibility to see many of the hills and mountains that you can normally see in the distance. However, that did not affect our trip and it only means we will have to go back! Here are a few pictures Weinheimer photo 1 1-25-2016from our walk around the park/castle/gardens…

Some photos don’t capture it well but the place was amazing as the snow fell. Kids began sledding down the big hill in front of the castle and we kept saying how we thought we were going to walk right into Narnia… seriously! We hope to go back because there is a 3 hour hiking trail that allows you to gain some elevation and get a good vantage point. Maybe when the visibility is greater so we can see far into the distance.

Weinheimer photo 4 1-25-2016Once we finished up with the park we headed to a restaurant to warmup and grab lunch. We randomly picked a place called The Stables and it was a great choice. A very cozy, warm place that had everything we needed. I ordered (finally) fish & chips! Easily the best I have ever had… and to top it off I had a hot cocoa with a slice of carrot cake and homemade whipped cream. The floor was run just by two people, a man and a woman who were so kind to us. We ended up hanging out and talking for almost two hours before heading back into the snow. We made our way to the train station and in the 15 minutes we had to wait we decided to build a snowman! After all, Marco had never seen snow before so this was a big deal. The end result:

Weinheimer photo 9 1-25-2016

So that’s all I have for our quick trip today. I am so happy how easy it was to get there, it was a nice first trip to take out of the city. Thanks for reading! More to come later on how I am getting acquainted… the food, the weather, school.

While I’m at it, here are some random photos from the last few days:

Sledding in front of Balloch Castle.

Sledding in front of Balloch Castle.

Balloch Castle.

Balloch Castle.

Entryway to the gardens

Entryway to the gardens

Honors College students at Balloch Castle.

Honors College students at Balloch Castle.

My fish and chips from The Stables! (forgot to add to previous post)

My fish and chips from The Stables! (forgot to add to previous post)

Riverside path to get home. Takes longer but nice on a sunny day.

Riverside path to get home. Takes longer but nice on a sunny day.

Walking through the Botanic Gardens on my way home.

Walking through the Botanic Gardens on my way home.

Ashton Lane after Ubiquitous Chip with Andrew Scott and his  wife Hanneke who are good friends of Ava's family. They live in Glasgow and work as a sculptor and architect, respectively.  I'll have more  on this in the near future.

Ashton Lane after Ubiquitous Chip with Andrew Scott and his wife Hanneke who are good friends of Ava’s family. They live in Glasgow and work as a sculptor and architect, respectively. I’ll have more
on this in the near future.

Hanging out in the West Quad in-between classes.

Hanging out in the West Quad in-between classes.

View from the South Campus. What we see here is the  Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

View from the South Campus. What we see here is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Hanoi Bike Shop on Ruthven Lane with Ula. Great pho and authentic Vietnamese street food. I had spicy pork pho and started with a small dish of pheasant thigh over a bean sprout/mint/radish salad. Excellent.

Hanoi Bike Shop on Ruthven Lane with Ula. Great pho and authentic Vietnamese street food. I had spicy pork pho and started with a small dish of pheasant thigh over a bean sprout/mint/radish salad. Excellent.

 

Settling In

by Kerrianne Little ’18

Little-Hillhead photo 1 25 2016

Hillhead Street, near where we live.

I arrived on January 5, and it was a cloudy and drizzly day. The weather has remained much the same for the last three weeks, with a few beautifully sunny days and a snowfall sprinkled throughout. The temperature has remained for the most part a tad too warm for my winter coats, at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pleasant, even when it is rainy. The inch of snow that fell only lasted about a day and a half before completely melting away.

I am living in the Student Apartments, which is back to back with the Fraser Building, the equivalent to the Davis Center at UVM. The bookstore, Residential Services, and a cafeteria are in the Fraser building, as well as Student Services. I am within a five minute walk of all my classes, as well as a main shopping street, Buyers Road.

Little-U of glasgow in snow 1 25 2016

University of Glasgow in snow.

The campus is small and diffuse, and the main building is a gorgeous castle-looking building that is very photogenic. For the first week, I had almost no classes and even less schoolwork. I have had no problem understanding professors or students, but I have trouble when I am at the small grocery store on Buyers Road and the cashiers ask me if I want a bag in their thick accent. Also, you have to pay a few extra pence for a plastic bag whenever you purchase anything, so it is handy to bring some reusable tote bags for grocery shopping.

This weekend, we walked over to the botanical gardens, which was about a ten minute walk from our flat. At this time of the year, the outdoor gardens are pretty sparse, although the grass is surprisingly green and lush everywhere. There are extensive glass houses full of blooming flowers and trees and vines from all over the world. It is refreshingly warm and pleasant smelling within the beautiful glass walls, even at this time of the year. I am excited to revisit later in the spring, I expect it will be lovely. We also got tiny little delicious mochas at a coffee shop called Paper cup on the way back, along with a tasty chocolate lime macaroon.

Little-Glasgow gardens 1 25 2016

Glasgow Botanical Garden Glasshouse koi pond.

Next weekend, we are planning on going on a tour with “Student Tours Scotland” to see the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies monuments. Looking forward to more adventures!

Day One

by Meagan Van Zandt ’18

Scenes from Meagan Van Zandt's stroll down Buchanan street

Scenes from Meagan Van Zandt’s stroll down Buchanan street

I arrived in Glasgow at 7:30 in the morning of January 2nd. I took a quick tour of my flat in Glasgow’s West End, then decided to try a local coffee shop for some much needed breakfast. A stroll through the neighborhood brought me past this corner of Kelvingrove Park, which, like most of Scotland, somehow manages to look lush and vibrant despite the measly seven hours of overcast daylight in early January. Georgian style apartment buildings lined the street on both sides of the park, and just over their roofs, the spires of churches and museums rose into the sky. Certainly the beautiful scenery made up for the fact that only one coffee shop in the area was open the Saturday immediately after “Hogmanay,” the Scott’s massive celebration of New Year’s.

Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. Photo by Meagan Van Zandt '18

Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. Photo by Meagan Van Zandt ’18

Following a delicious brunch of soup, tea, and a “biscuit,” I walked down to the City Centre, which contains a large number of stores and restaurants. The main road, Buchanan Street, is a pedestrian street lined with shops whose elegant storefronts draw you inside, if only to see if the beautiful architecture continues within the building. And if you’re as much of a nerd as I am, you’ll be happy to learn that yes, Buchanan Street does indeed have a TARDIS blue police call box.

Winter twilight in Glasgow.

Winter twilight in Glasgow.

Upon returning to my flat after the 4:00pm nightfall, I decided to try out the food delivery service recommended by one of my UK friends – just-eat.co.uk. If you thought the US knew food delivery, than you have another think coming. The number and variety of choices available was simply astounding. After nearly an hour of searching through tantalizing options, I ordered the best Tiki Masala I have encountered in my life so far. In fact, I have yet to be disappointed with the Indian food so far, and hope that this trend continues throughout my stay.

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