Glasgow

Thursday morning saw my departure from the Ashfield's house in Northern Ireland. They were such wonderful hosts!! Now I'm on my own again for a few days in Scotland.

This was my first time flying Ryanair (discount flight/travel) and I was a bit nervous because I had heard about the strict baggage requirements (it costs £30-35 to check a bag!). I didn't want to check my bag, but the duffle I have is a little off the dimensions and kind of heavy. First off, I pulled a muscle in my neck (am I that out of shape already?!?!?). Next I jammed my thumb pretty badly trying to shove the bag in the dimension box at the check in counter.

The lady at the desk finally said it was okay, that it for sure would squish, after she watched me struggle long enough! I had her write that on my boarding pass so i wouldn't get to the gate and have them refuse to load it! I also wore a few extra "layers" of clothing...I'm sure I looked ridiculous. Long story long, the bag fit in the overhead compartment perfectly, like always, and there were no problems. The strangest thing was that you weren't assigned seats - first come first served - but they left the first 6 rows entirely empty!

Anyway, I arrived in Glasgow to a city preparing for the Pope's visit. I was going to ty and see mass, but apparently they were only letting in people with wristbands who had bought tickets through their parish for £20 (about $35) a person!!! So I settled for watching part of mass on TV. Instead I went for a run around the city - my new favorite way to see cities/places, if it's not raining.

Glasgow is a pretty city, but a lot quieter than I expected. Not many people out on the streets, except some Native Americans dressed in traditional headdresses playing drums and flutes. Strange.