Scotland's not all that interested in its ancient times. There's little remaining evidence of medieval life in Glasgow, which is a city in love with its red & cream-colored sandstone Victorian & Edwardian buildings. They are gorgeous! Not in a cake-and-ice-cream way as in St. Petersburg & Florence. They are decorative, yes, but earthy too, because of their color (which until recent years was black from coal-burning smoke...now they have been cleaned & are back to their original colors).
They are so warm & glowing, even in early morning light
A museum's imaginative creation of a mythical "haggis" (the snout of an opossum, the ears of a long-haired dog, the fur ruff of a fox, & the feathered body of a duck??), next to a real haggis. Haggis, defined as "a Scottish dish consisting of a sheep's or calf's offal mixed with suet, oatmeal, and seasoning and boiled in a bag, traditionally one made from the animal's stomach." Offal?? Having been traumatized by mutton in Mongolia, I'm not sure I'm prepared to try "offal."
The "Glasgow Boys" created a style of painting that was startling loose & modern for the times
These cows with fetching bangs are emblematic in Scotland
Mother Nature is an artist too. This is not a painting...these are leaves on the ground under my feet, tipped with frost in the morning.
Hundreds of buildings in Glasgow look like this
Sometimes sandstone is pastel
This churchyard is so serene & quiet...it feels like time has stood still
These were the "upstairs-downstairs" houses of wealthy Glasgow families & their servants
In the past 10 years, Glasgow has been daring with its modern architecture
This building that looks like an inflatable space ship is an arena that glows different colors at night. Rod Stewart was the first musician to perform here. You can see the tiny people in front.
Next to it is a building affectionately called "The Armadillo"
They concentrated on pastoral scenes
And romanticized, storybook scenes
No one had seen anything like the almost abstract depiction of landscapes & animals
Or this rapturous painting of Isadora Duncan
The sandstone buildings of Glasgow are fitting for people who love red
Red in all its glorious forms
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