Day 57: A walk back through time

20/09/2021

Yesterday, we had the large Glasgow map out and Hazel was showing us the neighbourhood where she grew up.

This morning, we set off to check it out! We had not driven long when the memories started flowing back.

“Oh, the Indian restaurant is still here…”

“I got a Furby from that McDonald’s…”

“My birthday party was at that bowling centre…”

When we arrived at Irvine Gardens, Milton of Campsie, Hazel could not believe how similar it was.

We did a wee walk around the block through the park on the back of their old property. Hazel pointed out the street they used to toboggan down during the snow seasons, Eloise will absolutely love that! We will have to go toboggan shopping early next year. We got back in the car to check out her high school, Lenzie Academy and primary school which sadly had been transformed into an old folks home. We then returned to our home and loaded up the mother of all prams for another big day of sightseeing.

The six Aussies caught the train to Partick station and walked through Kelvingrove Park to the University of Glasgow. There were some students on campus for final orientation with semester one commencing tomorrow. The students have been returning since Fresher week events a fortnight ago. There were rowers on ergo machines working hard in the lovely cloisters area. It never gets old looking at these incredible buildings.

It was rapidly approaching lunchtime and everyone was getting peckish. We stumbled upon a great spot, The Brunch Club. Eloise was more than happy helping Sophie and “Tm” polish off their chicken and waffles. Hazel had an authentic Scottish brunch with a Lorne sausage, black pudding and potato scone, putting Liam’s poke bowl to shame.

Full of food and ready for more action we walked down to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, one of Glasgow’s finest attractions. It lived up to its reputation. The building was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum reopened in 2006 after a three-year refurbishment and since then has been one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions. The museum has 22 galleries, housing a range of exhibits, including Renaissance art, taxidermy, and artifacts from ancient Egypt. The original Kelvingrove Museum opened in the latter half of the 19th century. It was housed in an enlarged 18th century mansion called Kelvingrove House, to the east of the current site.

It was free admission and packed with an interesting variety of displays, we will be spending many rainy days here. Liam was particularly excited and had been looking forward to this visit since arriving in the UK. The first room we walked into had the legendary overhead Spitfire display. There were also tons of animals, literally, there was an elephant, to entertain Eloise. She was sprinting from animal to animal and admittedly was the loudest one in the building, full of excitement. We had to make sure she did not pat them. She did well walking most of the day, plus Scotland’s not flat. There were strong Night at the Museum vibes. In the corner, there was an Australian animal display and Eloise finally spotted the “qwaa waa” she had been searching weeks for.

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, using several wing configurations, and it was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war. The Spitfire continues to be popular among enthusiasts; around 70 remain airworthy, and many more are static exhibits in aviation museums throughout the world.

The art was just as impressive, although Eloise was more of an animal kind of gal.

Everyone, including Eloise, was starting to slow down again but there was a final dash through the Salvador Dali room for Annie to see Christ of Saint John of the Cross.

Christ of Saint John of the Cross is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951… it is devoid of nails, blood, and a crown of thorns, because, according to Dalí, he was convinced by a dream that these features would mar his depiction of Christ. Also in a dream, the importance of depicting Christ in the extreme angle evident in the painting was revealed to him.

Overloaded on history and culture we left through the back doors. “Haz” and “Tm” entertained Eloise with the little remaining energy she had with a long game of Hide and Seek, meanwhile Lachlan had Linner.

We then sadly parted ways with Hazel and Tom after a great weekend. We are sure you will all be reading about them again sooner rather than later.

It was a dash back to Partick train station. Lachlan must have been bouncing around a bit too much and peed down Dad. Eloise was fast asleep in the pram and will sleep well tonight.

Poor Lil’ Lachlan has been fighting eczema for a while now and has now mastered how to itch. We picked up a couple of scripts on the way home which will hopefully help. In the UK through the NHS all prescriptions are free of charge.