Circus Christmas Lights...

"You want to display, your charms, on this bright night
You want to display, your charms, over these circus christmas lights"

Deacon Blue, Glasgow and Christmas. Perfect combination!!

Glasgow is a fantastic place at Christmas. But it truly comes alive when the sun dips down and the lights come up. Welcome to Glasgow "The Night"...



The sun just going down behind a Buchanan Street full of Christmas shoppers. The Christmas lights on and the Tron Church in Nelson Mandela place all lit up. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you will know how much I love this building. Probably my favourite in all of Glasgow. And all lit up on a Christmas night? Perfect.

And these photos are probably most people's favourite Christmas scene in Glasgow. The curtain of stars hung over Royal Exchange Square. Often wonder why they don't just leave these here all year long as they just make this square so magical.

And couldn't leave our old friend Arthur out of the celebrations!! Merry Christmas Arthur!!

Now back into George Square again. Two things in Glasgow were Christmas for me as a child. The front window in Lewis' in Argyll Street and the Christmas Lights in George Square. Lewis' may be gone but the George Square lights have never been brighter!!

In my first ever tour on this blog I talked about a UFO landing in George Square. Seems it has finally happened!! Actually this is what happens when you play about with buttons on your camera you don't understand!! But I liked this photo anyway!!

The massive Christmas tree in front of the always stunning City Chambers.

Night skating. What REM do in the winter perhaps when the water is frozen?

The helter skelter and carousel really come to life when all lit up!! Circus Christmas lights!!

A finally the very centre of Glasgow. The Sir Walter Scott column in the middle of George Square all lit up. I love Christmas in Glasgow.
Sending a Merry Christmas from Glasgow to wherever in the world you are reading this!!

Be well, be happy!!

Snow Mean City

It's Christmas time!!

And we are having a white Christmas!!
And not like the ones I used to know. This one is much better than any snow I remember at Christmas!!
Ok... apart from the transport chaos.
But there is something magical about snow at Christmas so finished up at work yesterday afternoon (23rd) and headed into Glasgow to see what I could see.



First photo I just liked as a contrast to the photo of the "Big Heids" I posted in the summer.
Look at all that snow!!

Into the Buchanan Galleries car park. And looking out from level 9 across the abandoned level 8 covered in snow and across the rooftops of Glasgow.

And then down into George Square. Once again I liked the contrast between this and the summer shots of the City Chambers when this blog began back in May.

I remember watching Planet Earth on tv and seeing them waiting for a shot of the Snow Leopard. Well in Glasgow we have Snow Lions!!

Skating in the square. Now a regular feature of the winter festival in Glasgow is the ice rink in George Square. This time around the Sir Walter Scott column.

More skating with the City Chambers looking stunning in the background as always. Rain, Snow, Sun it is always a beautiful building. And in Glasgow rain, sun and snow can be one afternoon!!

Has been really cold these lasts few days and it seems that a colony of penguins have moved into Glasgow. Was so cold yesterday that this one was actually asking me if he could borrow my scarf!!

Christmas time also means that the fair has come to town. Once again just fantastic to see everyone having fun in the square. I had spent so much time walking through here this year and seen so many aspects of this unique part of Glasgow. It really is the heart of the city.

Heading out of Gerorge Square now and wanted to pay a visit to an old friend. Arthur and Copenhagen in Royal Exchange Square. And there was the cone. And the snow.

Round onto Buchanan Street and was sad to see Borders had finally closed. As I covered in a previous post about Buchanan Street this was on the list of one of the best book shops in the world. Was sad to see it gone. This blog was started when I got notice of redundancy this year so wishing good luck to all the staff affected by this and hope to see something new here in the new year.

But sad thoughts were put aside for a while once I wandered further up Buchanan Street and heard the happy sound of Jiggle Bells being played on the accordian. It was the accordian lady I had taken a photo of in one of my first posts!!
http://glasgowtheday.blogspot.com/2009/06/street-theatre.html

I don't know her name or anything about her yet feels like meeting an old friend whenever I see her in Buchanan Street.

Hope you enjoyed this quick photo tour of Glasgow at Christmas. Especially for any ex-pats out there missing the old town.

Wherever you are in the world this Christmas...

Be well, be happy!!

Yo ho ho ho!! A pirate Christmas tour...

Wee flashback blog here cause never got time to post this one...

The weekend of 21st/22nd November was the Christmas Fair at the Tall Ship in Glasgow so went along with the family.
I've been to the Tall Ship before but not had a wee tour as part of this blog so welcome aboard.





The Tall Ship's real name is the Glenlee. She was built in Port Glasgow in 1896. For the next 23 years she circumnavigated the globe 4 times as she transported cargo all over the world (although she was renamed the Islamount in 1898). She then changed hands several times until be purchased by the Royal Spanish Navy in 1921 and renamed the Galatea.

She remained as a training ship with the Spanish Navy until 1981 when she was decomissioned and tied up with the intention to scrap her.
However in 1990 she was spotted by a group of ship enthusiasts and in 1992 was brought home to Glasgow where she now serves as a floating museum.

That is her incredible story.
But even if you knew none of that it doesn't change the fact that she is a beautiful ship which as you board her just feels like you are stepping back in time.




As you pass the front of the ship you will see the Glenlee's figurehead. This was a sailing superstition that she would look over the waters and hopefully calm the seas.
Her nickname today is actually "Marydoll" :-)

At the rear of the ship you will see a Jolly Roger flying. Now the Glenlee was never a pirate ship nor did she even sail during the "Golden Age" of piracy during the 1700's.
However she does host pirate based kid's parties and no matter what age you are you can't help but imagine being Captain Jack Sparrow for a wee while when onboard this ship.

As a wee note if you notice the black squares on the side of the ship these are not actually cannon hatches as the Glenlee is unarmed. However this was a traditional paint pattern on cargo ships to make them look armed to deter pirates.



As you first cross onto the front of the ship you will see the ship's bell over the forecastle. This served as the ship's clock as it was rung every half hour to signal the changing of the watch. The kids love ringing this now and you got to love a museum that has real hands on exhibits that bring the place to life.




Up on the forecastle you look across the prow of the ship back towers the entrance building which I believe used to be an old pump house.

Also from the forecastle you get a fantastic view across to the Glasgow Science Centre and Glasgow Tower. The Waverley paddle steamer was tied up there on the day we visited.

The Glasgow Heliport is also situated directly next to the Glenlee and is a great contrast between the transport of the 19th Century and the 21st Century.

A wee exploration around the ship soon lets you see just how hard a life on the ocean waves truly was. This is a picture of the main deckhouse where the crew would live, eat and sleep. Very small and cramped.

The galley is just to the rear of the main deckhouse. This was seemingly one of the most popular places on this ship as it was the only place that was always warm.

Below decks now and looking out through the portholes at the Glasgow Tower.


And as this was the Christmas festival below decks was also full of lovely craft stalls selling Christmas gifts. The room smelling of cinammon and other Christmassy smells. And in the Captain's cabin was the main man himself. No not the captain but Santa!!

Really is something a bit special for the kids to meet Santa on this beautiful old ship. A very Scottish Tartan Santa as well!!

Didn't want to leave this special wee Christmas tour without showing you a couple of shots of Glenlee's new home. Or it will be in 2011. The shiney silver building in the background in the new transport museum. The museum in Kelvin Hall will be moving here and the Glenlee will also be moving to be moored there.

Is it sad to actually be excited about the opening of a new muesum?

Probably but I am genuinely looking forward to visiting the new transport museum and seeing the tall ship proudly sitting outside.

The Christmas fair at the tall ship is something a bit special but they have all different events during the year so go along if you have the chance.

Be well, be happy!!

God bless her and all who sail in her...

Hello again!!
Sorry for the big gap between posts but been a busy time.
But I'm back... and Christmas is coming!! Hopefully be able to post up some photos of Glasgow's run up to Christmas.
But if you will forgive me I will take a wee jump back to 21st October because it was a special day in Glasgow's calendar. The launch of a new ship on the Clyde.

Thanks to my amazing friend Alexis, I was lucky enough to go along to see the launch of the new Type 45 destroyer, Defender.

Really was buzzing with excitement to see this as I had never been to see a launch before.

The launch took place from the BVT surface fleet yard in Govan. This was the old Fairfield yard founded in 1864 and named after the farm that used to sit of this site. Elder Park opposite the yard is named after John Elder, one of the founders of the yard and famous for his development of the compound marine engine.
See below for more:
http://www.clydewaterfrontheritage.com/fairfieldshipyards.aspx

Shipbuilding maybe not as big on the Clyde now as it once was but as we headed in through the gates of this historic yard you could get a real sense of what it must have been like when all the shipyards were full and Glasgow was really the world centre of shipbuilding.

Before we could see Defender we first passed her sister ship, Duncan. Or at least the front section of her. That's when you first get the scale of this type on engineering.



As we came round the corner of ths sheds there she was, Defender. D36.

Like a big grey building in her own right. But even without her armaments already looking like a dangerous big grey building.

Defender is the 5th of the Type 45 destroyers to be built.

Her older sisters being Daring, Dauntless, Diamond and Dragon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_45_destroyer



Dragon appeared in a the previous post when I visited the Clydebuilt down at Braehead.




On the stern there was her proud name. When she is commissioned she will be the 8th ship to have borne that name. The oldest being built in 1797.




Behind us was a big grey building. The massive enclosed space where these mighty engineering projects take place. The mid and rear section of Duncan were visible within here, like giant lego pieces waiting to be put together.

For the launch day the sheds also housed exhibits from the navy, marines etc and some beautiful model ships. Though all were overshadowed by the real thing outside.

Launch time was approaching. The Union Jack proudly blew in the windy Glasgow day.

The launch crew front and rear donned lifejackets and made final prepartions.

The launch was made by Lady Massey, wife of Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey.

And with the traditional blessing of the ship and all who sail in her the bottle was smashed against the hull...

And there was a lull as nothing happened. A nervous laugh from the crowd.
A wee extra push...

And she was off...

Majestically sliding into the Clyde with balloons being launched and fireworks lighting up the overcast Glasgow sky.
An amazing sight and a feeling of real pride as the latest addition to the long line of Clydebuilt ships started on her journey.

But it is not a long first journey. The tugs came to pull her back into dock.

If she had looked like a dangerous big grey building on the ramp then that ugly duckling had just turned into a swan as she entered the water.

A dangerous looking swan with beautiful sleak lines.

Really was a special thing to witness.

And as was said during one of the speaches everyone there that day will now feel a special connection with this ship. If we read about it or hear about it on the news we will remember when she was launched.

Another connection with Defender is that she is to be affiliated with Glasgow and Exeter.

So she as a extra special link back to the city of her birth.

Duncan is estimated to be launched in October 2010. If you get the chance to get tickets then please do go along as it is truly worth seeing and helps you understand the proud heritage this city and this river has.

I'm hoping to come back to Fairfield and this area again soon to do find out more about the yards and the area.

Be well, be happy!!

It was a dark and stormy night....

Well it is dark and stormy as I'm typing this. The colder weather certainly arriving in Glasgow. Autumn is here. The nights are drawing in.

And as can be seen by this phantom photo of the shop front of Birthdays in Sauchiehall Street...Halloween is approaching .... woooooooo!!

So over the next few weeks going to do some wee posts about Glasgow The Spooky.

I had the chance today to go visit the lovely people at Yorkhill Children's Foundation about opportunities for fund raising. To learn more about this wonderful charity and if you can donate something to this cause then click on the link on the right of this page.
Hopefully more about some Glasgow the Day fundraising soon.

But on the way back to the underground I popped into one of Glasgow's haunted museums.

Yes. The Museum of Transport in the Kelvin Hall. I have already done a tour of here:
http://glasgowtheday.blogspot.com/2009/07/planes-trains-and-automobiles.html

But today was about investigating the haunted parts.

Using a copy of "Haunted Glasgow" by Ron Halliday and "The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow" by Geoff Holder as my guides I bravely set off to see what I could find...

The centre of the spooky activity seems to be mainly around the reconstructed 1930's street. Now this street is a very cool part of the museum but the lighting itself makes it kind of creepy. And I can imagine at night in the museum this being very spooky indeed.

There have been reports of running footsteps, a limping man dragging his foot and children's voices being heard in this street...

By the way the people in the middle of the photo in the background were actually there!! :)

One report has it that a strange energy radiated from the mural at the end of the street...

Many staff and visitors have experienced an unpleasant feeling in the reconstructed underground section. Although have to admit I didn't until I read about it while standing there ... then wasn't so happy.

It was also reporting to seeing a tall dark shadow entering the toy shop at the end of the street.

But the real centre seems to be the Regal cinema. The photo above is of the projector at the rear of the cinema.
There have been reports of the seats flipping down in unison, doors opening and closing and a man sitting in one row that simply disappeared.
It is also reported to always be cold in here and it is noticeably colder in here when you enter.

Has all this spooky activity something to do with the building being used as a mortuary during the Clydebank Blitz?
Or because of the exhibits? Many of them come with a story.
Or just the strange shadows and sounds that get conjured up in old buildings at night?
Suppose it depends how much you believe in such things.
But think you will find like me that next time you visit the museum this street will never quite feel the same way again once you know these stories!!

After leaving the museum I headed for the underground and back into the city centre. Had another appointment to keep with a group of people who were looking to drain some of my blood!!!
Now before you panic and go looking for a nest of vampires in Buchanan Street I was heading for Nelson Mandela Place to donate blood again. Yes it really is that long since my first visit way back when this blog began in June:

http://glasgowtheday.blogspot.com/2009/06/helping-to-save-life-round-at-nelson.html

Once again was a great experience and with this being my second time I got a cool wee badge with my blood group on it to wear with pride.

Hope you found this slightly alternative tour of Glasgow interesting.

Hopefully more Glasgow The Spooky to follow soon!!

Be well, be happy!!