Scots Wha Hae! Part 2B - That Glasgow Grin - cont.

Did you read Part 2A? 

Enjoying afternoon tea high above the River Clyde

In the last blog post, Chris and I were wandering through the Charles Rennie Mackintosh house at the Hunterian Art Gallery, near the University of Glasgow.  

Once we finished touring the house, we headed over to the art gallery to see the exhibits there.  The entrance was immediately impressive:

Doors created by Scottish sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi

One of the neatest things about the art museum is that it focuses so much on Scottish art and artists; the pieces are also grouped in really interesting configurations, not just by style or date.  For example, since Glasgow used to be a major hub of shipbuilding (something like 25% of the world's ships built prior to the World Wars originated in Glasgow, which is crazy to think about), one wall of the gallery was dedicated to nautical themes, featuring pieces both old and new, in several different types of media.

An antique coin collecting case

A more recent museum addition - painted ceramic skulls celebrating Glasgow's nautical heritage

While the Mack house charges admission, art gallery access is free.

Students and members of the public use the gallery for sketching and inspiration.

I have zero artistic ability, so seeing evidence of the process of the work is fascinating to me

Finished meandering the galleries and viewing the art, we reclaimed our bags and raincoats from the basement and made a quick stop at the gift shop where Chris bought a cool coffee mug.  It was back into the elements once again, as we walked to our next stop of the day, the Radisson RED Glasgow.  Our journey was a bit over a mile, and it took us through Kelvingrove Park, a huge green space on this side of the city.  As we strolled through the park, the wind gusted on and off, and it was easy to see the damage from Storm Amy.

So many leaves on the road!

Just one of the large branches on the ground

The Radisson sits right along the quay on the River Clyde, and while we walked there, the weather turned just a bit.  As the wind continued to blow, a light rain started to fall, but thankfully, it didn't really begin coming down in earnest until we made it to the hotel.  Although I'm sure the Radisson is a fine place to spend the night, we were there for their afternoon tea, which is held in RED, their rooftop bar/lounge.  The food offerings were an interesting take on a more traditional afternoon tea setup, and while it wasn't the best tea we've ever had, the view more than made up for it.

The crane over the River Clyde seems to be more of a monument than working machinery at this point

The SEC Armadillo (straight ahead) and the OVO Hydro (to the right) are both concert/performing arts spaces.

Across the river, the arc with the flat side is the Glasgow Science Center.

Our tea treats!

Our nibbles ranged from mango smoothies topped with cotton candy to haggis sausage rolls

to teriyaki quinoa wraps and chicken bao buns.

While we sipped our tea and ate our snacks, the rain grew heavier, and we enjoyed watching it storm from our indoor perch.

Visibility has significantly decreased!

The rain eventually slackened, so once we were done with our lunch, we rode the elevator back down to ground level and walked along the quay to our next stop, the Clydeside Distillery.  We thought the wind through the park was nuts, and it was even stronger right along the river!  Laughing, we leaned into the gusts and eventually made it to the distillery, albeit in a rather disheveled fashion.

The BBC Scotland building

Check out the waves on the river!

Looking back along the quay

We made it!

Per our norm, we were way ahead of our scheduled tour, but the kind folks there were able to get us into an earlier slot.  We still had about 30 minutes to kill, so it was off to the bar for us!

My tasting samples and Chris' flight - too many great options!

The bar's fridge - please note the cans of regular and diet Irn-Bru

Our tour was a good one; although the distillery was in its quiet period (most distilleries have a certain time each year where they don't actually make their spirits, so they can focus on repairs, deep cleaning, new construction, and the like), we still had a chance to learn about its history and that of the local area, its production process, and its offerings.  

Our tour guide, explaining the distillation process next to the main still

After a tasting of Clydeside's core lineup, we ended up back in the gift shop where we picked up a bottle of their HMS Glasgow before heading out into the weather once again.  Our stroll home to the City Apartments returned us through Kelvingrove Park, and we stopped for a quick pint and snack at a local beer bar on the banks of the Kelvin River, Inn Deep.

In this weather, everyone needs a raincoat!

Chris has all the essentials in that tote bag: a cool coffee mug and a bottle of Scotch

A neighborhood street in Glasgow's West End

Inn Deep's entrance is at street level, but the main seating area is on the bank of the Kelvin River, so down we go!

My local stout - on nitro!

The taps at Inn Deep - if you zoom in, you can see our girls on the Untappd check in list!

We finished the quick jaunt back to our lodging and chilled out for a little bit; after an hour or so, it was time to dress and head to dinner.  The Kelvingrove/West End area of Glasgow has tons of amazing restaurants; we chose Brett for our Saturday night dinner, and once again, we were not disappointed in the food scene in the city!

Excited to eat!

Our tasting menu for the evening - everything was incredible!

My pork loin main dish

Once again, full of amazing food and drink, we wandered the short distance back to our room and fell fast asleep, dreaming of yet another great day in Scotland!

On the next blog, we depart Glasgow and head to the highlands, and Storm Amy continues to wreck havoc with the best laid plans (those plans would be ours, in case you're wondering).

Later!

Amy