It seems that going abroad is not as easy or cost-effective as it was before the pandemic. We have to pay for multiple Covid-19 tests after returning, and most destinations require British citizens to isolate when we arrive. So I thought to myself…where is the furthest I can go from England without having any restrictions? and Scotland was a winner! I already had flight vouchers from a cancelled flight, which meant that my flight was pretty much free. The Euro Hostel in Glasgow cost me £90 for 3 nights in a private room.
My trip was 4 days and I made sure to try a new Scottish drink each day. Whisky is popular in Scotland, so I had a shot of whisky at The Piper Whisky Bar (which is a place I would recommend). The staff were friendly and the atmosphere inside is very traditional with tartan chairs. One of the things I like about Scotland is that they will usually give you a free little shot of water to have with your whisky. Beer is never my ideal choice, but I tried Tennent’s which is the local beer of Glasgow. I also tried another beer called Innis & Gunn which is native to Edinburgh.
Glasgow reminds me of mainland Europe because the architecture is very similar in most of these cities. You will always see statues of historic figures, bridges, and there will ALWAYS be a statue of a horse somewhere too.
Coincidently I found all of the above graffiti murals on the same day. Most of them were near Glasgow cathedral but the taxi was in the city centre.
On day 3 I took a day tour in the Scottish highlands. This was the highlight of my trip and I want to come back in the future. We went to see the three sisters mountains in Glencoe. There was also some time to explore Inveraray which is a small town with old shops. Loch Lomond was another stop on the tour where we got to take in some natural scenery along the lake. Oban is a resort town where we had the most free time during the tour. This town is the seafood capital of Scotland, with restaurants serving fish caught fresh out of the Atlantic ocean. The weather was hot (which is not normal for the UK) and this was good because it meant that I could enjoy this tour.
On the last day, it was hot enough to the point where I could feel that my skin was close to burning. This was also the day that I decided to visit Glasgow botanic gardens. It’s a free attraction with many beautiful glasshouses. They had plants from all over the world and it made me feel like I was in a rainforest.
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