Breakfast in Edinburgh started with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon; very nice. We didn’t get going quite as soon as we thought we might’ve, having slept very well in the cosy hotel bed, but when we did get going we headed off to Glasgow; a straight-forward journey of not much over half an hour down the M8. Google’s instructions for reaching a car park took us all the wa to a no entry sign so we went back to the one we first though of before finding the Charles Renne Macintosh’s Glasgow School of Art building. Coincidentally, we were visiting this masterpiece of at deer architecture on would have been his birthday in the centenery year of the completion of the school.
Having booked ourselves onto the 1 o’clock tour we wandered into town, and, having found John Lewis, we browsed potential bed spreads to buy with the vouchers that Emma’s sister had given us. We found some possibilities for when we retun home and actually go looking with the vouchers in hand. We then wandered back, and found The Willow Tea Rooms, before retuning to the Glasgow School of Art in time to peruse the shop and buy some souvenirs before our tour.
The tour itself was given by a very knowledgeable first year student called Lotty who took us round the whole school showing us not just the grander elements of design but also the smaller, more intricate parts, like the motif detailing into the air conditionign and heating vents. Stand outs for me were the staircases in polished cement (or Glasgow marble) and the library which was stunningly beautiful.
Following the tour we went for lunch at the Willow Tea Rooms, a jewellers now on the ground floor, we sat in the gallery. Whilst the setting was stunning we were a bit disappointed by what we received and the service. Also, I found the background hum of all the tea-making machines, an intruding distraction to the ambience, and one that I find impinges the relaxation.
We leave Glasgow spending half the journey time getting between the two rival cities, and half the time geting through Edinburgh. Eventually we arrive at our chosen car park in Holyrood Park in the shadow of Salisbury Craggs and Arthur’s seat.
We mooch up the royal mile in a leisurely fashion, getting distracted by various closes and shops. We manage to restrain being seduced by the fudge shop. Emma does find her MacGregor tartan scarf. We also book tickets for the Mary King’s Close tour for tomorrow and make our way back to our hotel, going on a circumnavigous route through Edinburgh to avoid the tram works to return to our hotel in time for dinner.
