Glasgow, Scotland - Highlights

These are some photos that feature the highlights of our visit to Glasgow, Scotland this summer. We spent the night before our big day in Glasgow in a B and B north of Glasgow and a little south of Loch Lomond called Shieldaig Farm. 

I own a teahouse in the U.S., so we started out by visiting the Willow Tearoom on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow's City Centre.  

The Willow Tearoom was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Kate Cranston in 1904, and originally made use of all five floors of the building.

A gift shop now occupies the first floor. We ate in the second floor dining room.

 The menu featured many unique teas -- Honey and Almond, Summer Pudding, Caribbean Crush, Gunpowder Green, Willow Tearoom Blend, and mackintosh Festival Tea. I had the Scottish Rarebit with Bacon. My husband tried the Arboath Smokie with Cloutie Dumpling, and we all had a round of hot toast.  I had Caramel Shortcake for dessert -- the Sinful Chocolate Slice looked wonderful as well.  My sister-in-law and nephew had a more traditional breakfast -- they had just arrived from California and were experiencing some jet lag. My nephew was told several times that he looked like Prince Harry. Maybe that's why we received such excellent service! 

When we were done eating, I went exploring and found the third floor Room de Luxe with its silver furniture and leaded mirror friezes. 

We left the teahouse full and content and headed for the Glasgow School of Art to see another building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

We enjoyed walking around and found a few treasures in the gift shop.  

 There were many lovely buildings in and around the 2 1/2 miles of Sauchiehall / Argyle and Buchanan Streets that comprise Glasgow's main shopping district. Many of the buildings are built with red sandstone. George Square is a great place to people-watch!

d From there, we drove to the Necropolis Cemetery near St. Mungo's Cathedral. There were roses blooming in the gardens as we walked up the hill to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral looms magnificently over the whole area. The outside is impressive, but the inside is incredible.

The stained glass was awe-inspiring -- especially the window in shades of blue.

When we stepped outside the cathedral, we were greeted by the sound of drums. A parade! As we walked towards the music, we heard one lovely hymn after another played by fife and drum bands from every part of Scotland. Seek Ye First, Great is Thy Faithfulness, How Great Thou Art, Marching to Zion... the music was absolutely beautiful, and the drums, very rousing.

Children, grandmas in sturdy shoes, and drummers of every size and shape marched for blocks. As soon as one song faded into the distnace, it was replaced by another rousing rendition. We couldn't have had a nicer surprise, or a more fitting end to our day in Glasgow.   

I was raised on a farm and am still a country girl at heart -- I'm much more fond of quaint little villages and pastural scenes than I am the big cities of the world. But Glasgow was a delightful place to visit. We could have seen many more things in Glasgow and spent several days enjoying all the city has to offer. Instead, we opted to head for Scotland's islands, lochs, and highlands. But I'm glad we didn't miss Glasgow -- especially the parade, with all its exciting pageantry and enthusiastic music.