Where the ladies are dressed up like princesses and the best pizzas come from ridiculously named pizzerias. 
Starting off Scotland with Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. We did not see rain at all during our trip, but there were some days with dark clouds and not so much sunshine, which was still okay compared to rain. Glasgow was pretty easy to navigate, which made the first experience that more enjoyable. It was also where we first felt the very friendly Scottish hospitality. I wrote on one of the columns on The Korea Times about Scotland that Glasgow was like a bundle of happy, fun, friendly people and we (G, our good friend R and I) still believe the first night out in Glasgow was one of the most memorable.
스코틀랜드에서 가장 큰 도시 글래스고우. 특별히 대단한건 없지만 그렇다고 볼 것이 아예 없는 것도 아닌 곳이다. 다행히 스코틀랜드 여행에서 가장 걱정했던 부분은 날씨였는데 한번도 비가 오지 않아 마음껏 걷고 구경하고 거닐 수 있어서 좋았다. 스코틀랜드에 도착해서 가장 먼저 그들의 유쾌함을 느낀 곳이 글래스고우였다. 아무것도 모르고 음악소리가 나와서 어느 한 바에 들어갔는데 (당시 시간은 오후 4시 정도) 갑자기 같이 춤추고 노래하고 있는 우리 자신들을 발견. 엄청 유쾌하고 오픈된 사람들.
Our b&b was a tiny place, pretty old, a bit dark and dodgy even, but very close to the city center. Nothing much to say than the fact that it was walking distance to the city center. The first meal, according to G, had to be fish and chips. While R and I searched for something else (we wanted to wait and have something a bit lighter for the first meal after hours of driving), G proposed the Merchant Square. It’s a group of restaurants and bars all lined up in a single building, some fancy, some casual. It was once a market, so it still has those high, glass ceilings, a lot of room for events and public screenings.
Another pleasant surprise near the area was Tony Macaroni (which is the worst name for an Italian restaurant) that had one of the best pizzas I have ever tried outside Italy. G and R agreed. We hesitated a bit because of the name, but we needed some Italian in our system. Good call.
피쉬앤칩스를 첫끼로 먹어야한다는 G의 말에 무작정 찾아나선 곳이 Merchant Square. 과거에는 시장으로 쓰였고 지금은 다양한 바, 카페, 레스토랑들이 한 건물에 밀집되어있는 시스템. 다른 곳 찾기가 귀찮거나 힘들다면 여기서 마음에 드는 곳을 골라서 먹고 마셔도 좋을듯했다. G는 결국 피쉬앤칩스를 먹었고 이게 아마 메뉴가 이것뿐이라 어쩔 수 없이 시킨 경우 빼고 처음이자 마지막 피쉬앤칩스. 또 하나의 놀라웠던 음식점은 이름도 민망한 Tony Macaroni. 대신 이탈리아가 아닌 곳에서 먹은 최고의 피자라는 찬사를 받은 곳. 파쉬앤칩스에 질렸거나 뭔가 다른 나라 음식이 필요할때 유용.
One thing I noticed on my first day in Glasgow was how all the women looked like they were going to a fancy party. I’m a tourist, so I was wearing jeans, a striped t-shirt and (I think) my converses, but everyone else (from the neighborhood, I presume) were wearing pretty skirts, dresses and high, very high heels. In Seoul, it’s normal to wear high heels in almost any moment, except when your’e working out or taking your dog out for a walk. In Stuttgart, it’s not as common as in Seoul, but you do see some ladies wearing heels here and there, especially on a Friday night. But our first day in Glasgow was not a Friday, it wasn’t even the weekend, and the ladies were still wearing their best high heels.
신기했던 점 하나. 글래스고우 여성들은 거의 80%는 하이힐을 신고 있다. 오전에는 잘 모르겠지만 적어도 오후가 되기 시작하면 플랫이나 운동화를 신은 사람들은 거의 여행객. 특별한 행사 때문일거라고 하기에는 너무나도 많은 수의 여성들이 화려하게 차려입고 다니는 모습을 쉽게 볼 수 있다. 독일은, 적어도 스튜가르트는 하이힐을 신은 여성들이 그렇게 많은 편은 아닌데 글래스고우는 눈에 띄게 많았다. 신기.
The Goma, or Gallery of Modern Art. It’s known to be the most visited modern art gallery in Scotland. I’m not an expert on art, especially modern art. I try my best: I listen to the guides, read the little handbooks you get at the receptions and sometimes look up the artist when I’m back home or even back at the hotel. But sometimes it’s just not enough. The Goma does its best, and despite the title of being one of the most visited modern art galleries in Scotland, it’s a rather small space, with limited and (sometimes) confusing rooms. It doesn’t take much of anything (small space, not o much going on, free admission) to explore the gallery but I reckon it can be disappointing at the wrong time/situation. But I really did enjoy Nathan Coley‘s “The Lamp of Sacrifice, 286 Places of Worship.” It’s an artwork that consists of 286 cardboard replicas of places of worship listed in the Edinburgh yellow pages.
고마, Gallery of Modern Art. 스코틀랜드에서 가장 많은 방문객의 수로 유명한 곳이라고 하는데 10분이면 다 볼 수 있다. 그만큼 아담하고 전시가 많지 않은 것. 현대미술은 특별히 어려워하는 편이라 그래도 볼때마다 이해하기 위해 열심히 읽고 보고 듣는 편인데 고마에서도 역시 고개 절레절레. 마지막에 보고 나왔던 Nathan Coley의 “The Lamp of Sacrifice, 286 Places of Worship.” 에딘버러의 전화번호부 (Yellow Page)에 나와 있는 종교, 또는 예배와 관련된 286곳을 하드보드지로 만든 것이라는데 종이에 압도당한 느낌.
The Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Necropolis are two pillar attraction in the city. It’s a way up and a bit away from the busy city center, but it was in fact worth the visit. The Necropolis, especially. It’s a memorial to the patriarchs of the city and includes almost every eminent Glaswegian in the city’s history. The monuments are very interesting to look at and walking along the road with the monuments towering over you does bring a bit of peace. The site is arguably known to be the birthplace of Glasgow itself and thus is as old as the city.
글래스고우 성당과 네크로폴리스는 글래스고우의 유명한 관광지이자 도시 전체를 내려다볼 수 있는 곳이기도 하다. 동네가 약간 어수선하고 텅 빈 느낌이었지만 대학가 근처고 당시 방학이었을 시기라 썰렁했던 것. 네크로폴리스는 글래스고우라는 도시가 처음 생겨난 곳이라고 알려져 있어 어찌보면 글래스고우와 그 역사를 함께했다고 볼 수 있다. 성당은 정해진 시간에만 안쪽으로 들어가서 구경할 수 있는데 이 시간을 지키지 않으면 성당을 지키는 분들께 호통을 호되게 당할 수 있음. 모르고 들어갔다가 무서워서 바로 나가버렸다.
Lake Lomond. It’s the largest inland loch in GB by surface area and is a heaven for families. With kids. And boats. And/or dogs. We didn’t have any of these, plus we weren’t a family. So we walked around the loch and the forest and searched for cows. You can do a lot of different activities on the loch, including canoeing, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing and angling. Quite a lake.
로크 로몬드 혹은 로몬드호. 스코틀랜드에서 가장 큰 호수라고. 주변이 공원으로 이루어져 있어서 굉장히 철저하게 가족 중심의 분위기. 여기에 어린 아가들과 강아지, 혹은 큰 개, 그리고 자전거나 보트가 있다면 완벽한 손님. 우린 가족도 아니고 아가도 없고 자전거도, 보트도, 강아지도 없어서 주변을 걸어다니며 경치구경에 전념. 호수가 큰 만큼 다양한 스포츠들도 즐길 수 있는데 그 중 몇가지만 추리자면 카누, 카약, 윈드서핑, 워터스키 등.
I have a habit when I go to a forest or just anywhere with a lot of trees. I try to find the perfect one. And I found it near Loch Lomond.
이건 어느 공원이나 숲에 가도 늘 하는 버릇인데, 가장 완벽한 나무 찾기.
The cutest family. The photos were all out of focus because the dad was in fact riding quite fast. (And because I was trying to take a photo while walking fast enough) But nonetheless, adorable.
뒤에 묶은 곰돌이가 너무 귀여워 스토커처럼 쫓아가서 찍었는데 너무 빨리 달리시는 바람에 다 흔들리고 말았다.
And yes, we found the cows.
- Glasgow Cathedral
- Glasgow Necropolis
- Merchant Square
- Tony Macaroni
- Gallery of Modern Art
- Lake Lomond
All photos by rachelsanghee