by Meagan Van Zandt ’18
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.
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.
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.