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Saturday, August 8, 2026
Friday, August 7, 2026
Exploring Glasgow
A drizzly rainy morning in Glasgow. Today is a sleep in day. No need to put luggage out. We start the morning with a 10 oclock, single malt scotch whisky tasting and tour. Apparently it is never too early for “a wee dram”. There is a bottle next to the porridge on the breakfast buffet..
The coach is making a few stops to let people off at several museums a riverside transportation museum, the art museum, and the cathedral and then back to the hotel for an afternoon of your choosing.
Well we are off to the Glasgow Botanical Gardens by local bus. Apple Maps has specific directions where to get the bus. We walk down the block to the bus stop. The number isn’t listed. Okay. Back to apple maps directions. Turns out the stop is around the corner across fromba different theater!! Imagine more than one in a one block area.
Arrived at the garden a nice lady made sure we got off at the right stop and headed the right direction. Saved from another wrong turn!!! The garden was great. Big glass house then another group of glass houses with specialty plants. The rain stopped for most of our visit and started as we were heading out. Our plan tonight is to take a recommendation of our tour guide for a pizza place. We head back since his link shows the restaurant a little further than the hotel. I was impressed so far with Apple Maps all of the bus stops are listed as I follow along the route. Guess what the bus detours off the route!! I give it a couple of stops the we get off. All is good input the name of the restaurant in the mapping app but instead of being a 10 minute walk it directs me to a local that was 10 minutes from the botanical garden. There is no way we are going to get back onbthe bus to go where we just left. Plan B on the way back to the hotel we found a nice quick family owned place with a great dinner of a glass of wine and 1/2 pizza. Divided and served on plates for us both
A couple of side notes. The bus fare is paid for by just tapping on and then when you leave calculating the fare automatically. No need for money or change. I also figured out the recommended restaurant had several locations in Glasgow and I inadvertently ended the original route when we got off the bus instead of using the same original restaurant local. This is another reason my one of my several “Apple” friends needs to give me a tutorial of its use. Oh the joys of travel
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Across the Irish Sea
This morning we leave Belfast and cross the Irish Sea. The day is filled with lots of down time. A short drive to the docks, waiting for the ferry and then the 2+ hours crossing. As we arrive in Scotland it is to bumper to bumper traffic and a slow ride into the city of Glasgow. There was an optional excursion of dinner in the town of Stirling nearby Glasgow. We opted to miss this excursion since the highlight was going to be the presentation of the Haggis. It was a 10 minute presentation and the a tasting associated with a Scot dinner. We opted for laundry then took the easy way and sent it out. Oh the joy of trying to figure out washing machines in a foreign country will be missed with this excursion.
We make an early night of it. We will have another day in Glasgow. A word about the weather. It is what our tour director states is typical British Isles weather. A little rainy a little breezey and a smattering of blue sky. I think gray is the predominant color. It is not terribly cold. Coming into Scotland from Belfast for the almost 3 hours it is definitely raining but by the time we arrive in Glasgow the sky lightens up and the rain stops. Before getting to the hotel we get the bus tour of Glasgow.
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