Kelvingrove Cafe - Glasgow -

The Kelvingrove Cafe is a totally unexpected venue in Glasgow. It is in the upcoming area of Finnieston, which has been reinventing itself in the last few years. With many new and different businesses opening, Finnieston is the place to go for dinner, a few drinks, or shopping in one of their concept stores.

I have to say I had been planning to go for a long time, as I heard only good reviews about the place. So yesterday was the perfect time to do it.

From the outside it looks a bit like an old pub, I guess they have kept somethings from the old Kelvingrove Cafe. Inside it is cosy and welcoming, and the staff are really nice and helpful. 

We both ordered the sliders, three for £12. I had the lobster, the garlic mushroom and the haddock, which where delicious. Maybe the lobster one was a bit overpowered by the sauce, and I would have liked to taste the lobster a bit more, but that is the only fault I can find. The other two were great and the garlic mushroom one surprised me for the best, it was very good!

The other three were the haddock (again), the lamb and goats cheese and the cheeseburger. It seems that the three of them were great, the cheeseburger one was juicy and soft and I think if it had been a big one, it would have gone pretty fast too! We also ordered some chips, and these were soft and warm and not too greasy, which is always a plus!

The place is supposed to be great for cocktails as well, I haven´t tried them yet but I certainly will be back to the Kelvingrove Cafe as I liked everything about it. 

Have you been to the Kelvingrove Cafe? Did you like it?

Thank you for reading!

Sundays in Glasgow´s West End

In Scotland you have to take advantage of those rare days when the rain doesn´t make an appearance, and that is exactly what we did last Sunday. We spent the day in the West End, shopping and looking at things in Byres Road and enjoying some relaxing time in the Botanic Gardens.

The West End is definitely my favourite area in Glasgow. It is quite cool and trendy, with modern cafes full of university students, vintage boutiques, independent designers and restaurants for all tastes.

Ashton Lane is a small lane near a metro station. You can walk down Byres Road and not see it, but it would be a shame to miss it. Here you can find The Grosvenor, which is a different type of cinema. The room is not too big, and instead of the uncomfortable cinema seats, this one has comfy sofas! The tickets always sell fast, as it is one of the favourite places for the locals to go to.

In Ashton Lane you can also find the Ubiquitous Chip, one of Glasgow´s most famous restaurants. Their menu consists on traditional Scottish food, but of course very refined and full of flavour. The restaurant is beautiful in the inside, and it is a great place to go for dinner. 

 

  

The Lane has a good amount of pubs, where you can find all types of beers and cocktails in those a bit fancier. If the weather is nice you can sit outside in one of the pubs and spend a nice time there, as cars are not allowed and live seems a bit less busy. On the Sunday they have a small market, with crafts, homemade products, books... 

Another famous lane, not far from Ashton Lane is Ruthven Lane. Here you can find to of the best known restaurants in the city, The Hanoi Bike Shop (which is still on my list of restaurants I need to try) and the Bothy. The Hanoi Bike Shop serves Vietnamese food, and not too long ago Beyonce shared a photo of her eating there.

The Bothy is a Scottish restaurant serving classic food in modern ways. The waiters tend to be wearing kilts, and the atmosphere is very cosy, with candlelights and a typical Scottish decoration. The food is very good, and the menu has plenty of options to chose from.

And the last lane I want to mention today is Dowanside Lane, where you can find one of the best vintage shops in Glasgow, Starry Starry Night. With its bright green colour on the outside walls, it is quite difficult to miss when walking along.

At the top of Byres Road you find the Botanic Gardens and the Kibble Palace. The Kibble Palace is a beautiful glass building, inside you can see hundreds of different plats, from all around the world. No matter in which city you are, the Botanic Gardens are always an oasis of peace and quiet, where you can sit for a while and let yourself go.

When the weather is nice the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow get full of people enjoying the sunshine, and they become a happy and vibrant place. But all the time they are a great place to just walk around, sit on a bench or be amazed by the amount of flowers, plants and trees. 

Do you have a favourite place in Glasgow? Have you been to Glasgow´s West End? Have you tried any of these restaurants?

Thank you!

Glasgow, City of Contradictions

Glasgow is one of this odd cities, where opposites meet time and time again. It has some of the best architecture in Scotland, and some of the ugliest buildings you´ve ever seen. People are nice, helpful, funny, friendly, but then again it has the highest crime rate in Scotland.

There is no doubt though that Glasgow is moving forward, and embracing changes in all levels. However every now and then it is good to look back and see some of those places that make the city great. One of them is the Glasgow School of Art, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Located in the city centre, the Glasgow School of Art has seen some of the top artists in the world study inside its walls. Turner Prize nominees, fashion designers, singers... Although today I don´t want to talk about its alumni as much as I want to talk about the building.

The half further away was the one built first, and from the outside it resembles a Scottish castle.

The Glasgow School of Art design was Charles Rennie Mackintosh first commission, and probably, his most important one. The School was built in two stages, first one from 1897 to 1899; and the second one from 1907 - 1909. This was due to the fact that they run out of money after the first part and had to raise more to continue with the construction of the building.

This also means that there are two easily differentiated spaces, which shows how Mackintosh tastes and designs evolved from one stage to the next. At times the building can be compared to a castle, with big fireplaces, high ceilings and wooden walls.

One of the rooms, the one used by the Board for meetings, was (according to them) too feminine. White is the main colour in this room, and as you can image, it wasn´t the most used colour back then.

But most of Mackintosh inspiration came from nature. Seeds growing to plants and these giving flowers. His famous Mackintosh rose can be seeing in different places at the School too. One of the stories that gets my attention the most is that on the corridors of the first floor there are spaces on the walls where to put vases. His idea was that every morning somebody would go walking around the building, putting flowers in all those vases.

Obviously this never happened as the cost, time and effort of that task was to high to handle.

The images below belong to the Library, built in the second part of the project. All the furniture was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh himself. Always bare in mind this was designed and built at the beginning of 1900, but how modern does it look? Isn´t it amazing to think that somebody back then had such a vision?

Mackintosh was a master of light, he knew how to use it and it is one of the main elements in all his buildings. The School of Art is incredibly bright at times, and incredibly dark at others. For example the stairs going to the third floor are really dark, but when you are at the top you find the "hen run", a corridor with all windows on one side, connecting different artist studios.

Another curious thing is that there is a master clock, that it is the one that controls all the other clocks in the building. When they have to change the time, instead of having to do it one by one, they just go to the master one and voila! all clocks are on time!

If you are interested in learning more about Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of Art, you can take one of their public tours, where students explain the history of the building, and talk you through the intricate designs and features of the building.

I have to admit I had never heard of Mackintosh before I moved to Glasgow, but now I never get tired of discovering more of his work and learn more about his designs.

Had you ever heard of Charles Rennie Mackintosh before? Had you been to any of his buildings in Glasgow? If so, which one is your favourite?

Thank you for reading!

Unknown Glasgow

When we think of Glasgow we think of industrialisation, Celtic and Rangers, the river Clyde, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Belle and Sebastian, tons of Turner Prize winners and nominees... But like any other city, Glasgow also has those smaller places, unknown to the majority but loved by those who know the story behind.

And this is the case of a little square at the city centre, just in Buchanan Street.

When some countries around the world were still seeing Nelson Mandela as a terrorist, Glasgow decided to offer him the "Freedom of the City". This was 1981.

But Glasgow didn´t stop there, they went a step further. The South African consulate was back then situated in a small square called Saint George´s Place, right in the city centre. In 1986 this little square was renamed, its new name was Nelson Mandela Place, and a plaque with the name was hanged from the opposite wall of the consulate.

Nowadays you still can see the original plaque, which is quite easy to distinguish as it is the only one that is a bit different. Nelson Mandela then visited Glasgow in 1993, and in a beautiful speech he thanked the people of Glasgow for their support and concern.

While we were physically denied our freedom in the country of our birth, a city 6,000 miles away, and as renowned as Glasgow, refused to accept the legitimacy of the apartheid system, and declared us to be free.

Nelson Mandela 

When Nelson Mandela passed away a few months ago, that square (where a church is also located) was full of flowers, posters, flags, letters... The people in Glasgow still cared for him, and they can proudly say that they were one of the first cities to support Nelson Mandela, to understand his cause and not look away, to confront what was politically correct at the time and raise questions.

For things like this I feel happy to live in such an extraordinary city. If you ever come to Glasgow, don´t just walk past this little church and square, just spend a couple of minutes remembering the whole story behind the name of the square.

Thank you for reading.

PS My computer has decided not to read the SD card from the camera so the images are taken from the internet. As soon as this issue is resolved I will change them to the ones I took.

5 Reasons Why You Should Go To Glasgow This Summer

1. The Commonwealth Games

The first reason why you should go to Glasgow this summer is pretty simple, the Commonwealth Games are taking place at the end of July beginning of August and the city will transform itself completely. Athletes from 71 nations will be competing in this event, from athletics to rugby and swimming, will you mist it?

If you don´t have tickets yet and you are reading this, you are in luck as over 100,000 more extra tickets will be on sale as for today! Good luck!

2. The Cultural Programme

Ok, so you don´t like sports and the Commonwealth Games is not a good enough reason to go to Glasgow this summer. Don´t worry, the Cultural Programme may be your reason to go! Glasgow will host hundreds of cultural events for all tastes and ages, and in different places across the city. There will be movies, theatre, visual arts, music, dance... I am sure you will be able to find one that appeals to you!

3. Summer Sessions

For the younger people out there this might be your reason to go to Glasgow, the Summer Sessions. At the moment there are only two acts confirmed, but keep checking as more will be announced soon. Plus, even if there are only two, what a pair! French DJ David Guetta and American band The Killers. This event will take place in Bellahouston Park and promises to be a night you will always remember.

4. World Pipe Band Championships

If you love Bagpipes, this is your reason to go to Glasgow this summer! Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th of August are the days when you can enjoy seeing hundreds of pipers showing their abilities. At the World Pipe Band Championships there will be bands from tons of different countries in this colourful and noisy event.

If you suffer from headaches maybe stay several miles away from Glasgow Green!

5. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival

I know, this is not taking place in Glasgow. BUT, taking into account the ridiculously high prices the hotels will have in Edinburgh during the month of August, I totally recommend staying in Glasgow and taking the train (yes, there are extended timetables). Apart from the hotel prices, Edinburgh gets so full of tourists it is difficult to walk, go to a cafe or get some peace and quiet. That is why I recommend Glasgow.

From the 1st to the 25th of August, Edinburgh will host thousands of events during its annual Fringe Festival, some even for free! If you walk down the Royal Mile you will end up with hundreds of leaflets advertising all types of shows/restaurants/pubs/cafes... Anything basically. But if you decide to stay in Glasgow and just travel certain days, you will be in a much relaxed atmosphere, and won´t have to queue for everything. All advantages!

What do you think? Are these good enough reasons for you to go to Glasgow in the summer?

Thank you for reading!

Photo credit: peoplemakeglasgow.com, flickr.com

Cirque du Soleil and the SSE Hydro VIP experience

I have been dreaming about going to see Cirque du Soleil for as long as I can remember. Every time they were in the city I lived, I was away, so it is been years of waiting, but in the end it was totally worth it.

Llevo deseando ver el Cirque du Soleil desde siempre. Cada vez que iban a la ciudad en donde yo vivía, yo estaba en otro sitio. Así que llevo años esperando la oportunidad, pero al final ¡ha merecido totalmente la pena!

Every now and then I check what is in Glasgow´s new venue, the Hydro. They have something nearly every night of the week, making it one of the busiest venues in the world, and taking into account it only opened last September, that is quite an achievement!

De vez en cuando miro los espectáculos que van al recién estrenado Hydro, una edificio multifunciones donde casi cada día hay algo diferente. Eso lo convierte en uno de los espacios para espectáculos más visitados del mundo, y teniendo en cuenta que solo lo abrieron en septiembre, ¡tiene mérito!

While browsing through the website I saw it: Dralion, Cirque du Soleil. Finally! We got tickets (all sold out but Thursday) and after a few days of buying them an email came offering the possibility of using their VIP facilities free of charge. Yes, please!

Mientras miraba por la página del sitio lo vi: Dralion, Cirque du Soleil. Por fin! Compramos los tickets (todos agotados excepto el jueves) y unos días después nos llegó un email ofreciéndonos la posibilidad de ir a la sala VIP gratis. ¡Yupiiii!

We arrived at the Hydro and they give you a bracelet that you will have to show to the people at the VIP lounge. When we came in the lounge I must say the impression was not good. It was not too busy and there were two ladies (Hydro employees) talking really loudly and making jokes about something. As soon as they saw us and the other people they left really quickly.

Cuando llegamos al Hydro nos dieron unas pulseras que hay que enseñar para entrar en la sala VIP. En cuanto entramos mi impresión no fue muy buena. En aquel momento no había mucha gente y dos chicas que trabajan para el Hydro estaban hablando en voz bastante alta y haciendo chistes. Tan pronto como nos vieron a nosotros y que había más gente se fueron muy rápido.

I worked in luxury busynesses before and I don´t think this is an appropriate behaviour.  I mean, we were there for free but you never know who is going to show up, and maybe that is a deal breaker.

Habiendo trabajado en el sector del lujo durante un tiempo, no creo que este sea el comportamiento más adecuado. Ya sé que estábamos allí gratis pero nunca se sabe quién puede aparecer, y para mi eso no me parece serio en un sitio donde el precio de la sala VIP es bastante caro.

VIP Lounge

We had some food there, fish and chips and veggie burger, which were nice and fairly big amounts. And at some point a extremely nice and charming venue employee came to introduce himself and explain us how to get to our seats and to call him if we needed any help.

Comimos algo en la sala, fish and chips y hamburguesa vegetal, que estaban buenos y eran cantidades abundantes. Después de un tiempo allí sentados, un empleado majísimo vino a presentarse y explicarnos donde se encontraban nuestros asientos.

From the VIP lounge at the Hydro they have private stairs to the sitting area, and somebody goes with you to show you your seats. I must say that I wasn´t impressed with the VIP area at all. Any lounge at nearly any airport are better that the one there (in my opinion).

Desde la sala VIP del Hydro hay unas escaleras privadas que salen a la zona de los asientos y alguien te acompaña para enseñar donde están. Debo decir que la zona VIP no me impresionó en absoluto. Creo que cualquier sala VIP de casi cualquier aeropuerto tiene una zona mejor (en mi opinión).

This is from a previous show at the Hydro. This time was too dark to take any photos.
Esta foto es de un espectáculo anterior. El jueves estaba demasiado oscuro para hacer fotos.

But now the real reason why we were there, Le Cirque du Soleil. Anything I say about Dralion won´t be enough, as it is a bit indescribable. The combination of live music, impossible acrobatics and colourful outfits made me find myself with my mouth open just like a little kid watching something truly amazing.

Pero ahora la principal razón por la que fuimos, el Cirque du Soleil. Cualquier cosa que diga sobre Dralion no va a ser suficiente, porque es un poco indescriptible. La combinación de la música en directo, acrobacias imposibles y ropa colorida hizo que me encontrase de vez en cuando con la boca abierta como una niña viendo algo increíble.

To me the most impressive ones were a girl with a ring hanging from the ceiling, the four or five acrobats jumping to hang from narrow spaces on the walls, a couple.... oh wait! I found everything impressive!

Para mi los más impresionantes fueron una chica con un aro colgando del techo, los cuatro o cinco acróbatas saltando y colgándose de espacios estrechísimos en las paredes, una pareja que.... espera, todo me pareció impresionante e increíble!

As you know photos of the show are not allowed, so this is before it started.
Como sabéis no se permiten fotos del espectáculo así que estas son de antes de que empezara.

And now I must mention the music. The music is live, and it is beautiful. There is a singer as well who signs like the angels. It is so good that I thought it was an album recorded in a studio and edited... But now, they are that good.

Y ahora tengo que hacer una mención especial a la música. La música es en directo y es preciosa. Hay una cantante que canta como los ángeles. La música es tan buena que durante parte del espectáculo pensé que venía de un disco grabado en un estudio y editado... ¡Pero es que son buenísimos!

Oh and you have the clowns! I can´t believe how much they tricked me! Well, me and everybody else. I had a good laugh which was great to relax a bit after seeing people doing acrobatics that could kill them.

¡Y también están los payasos! ¡No me puedo creer cuanto me engañaron! Bueno a mi y al resto. Me reí mucho lo que es genial para relajarse entre actos después de ver acrobacias que pueden costar vidas.

The show lasts for around an hour and 40 minutes and it went by so fast! I can´t wait to go and see them again, hopefully soon! At least one of my dreams have come true this week!

El espectáculo dura sobre una hora y 40 minutos pero el tiempo voló. Tengo unas ganas locas de poder verlos de nuevo en otro espectáculo, o en el mismo pero en otra ciudad. ¡Uno de mis sueños se ha hecho realidad esta semana!

And here is the official Dralion video if you want to have a look what Dralion is all about:

Aquí os dejo el vídeo oficial de Dralion porque si os interesa saber de qué va:

As always, thank you for reading!

Como siempre, muchas gracias por leerme!