Glasgow

The Friday after returning from London was not a day to lollygag around. The whole house went on another field trip, this time to Glasgow. All of the students are required to take a class entitled Scotland: Society and Globalization. The professor, Gerry Mooney, takes all the students to his home town of Glasgow to show the differences between the Scotland we know in Edinburgh, the political capital, and Glasgow, the former industrial capital and what is now arguably the arts and culture capital. 

On a chartered bus, we traveled first to the stadium for the Celtic Football Club. We got a tour of the stadium of the team which was started as a way to raise money for poor families in Glasgow in the late 1800s. The football club still donates to charities and shows a commitment to its community. I would venture a guess, though, that most of the fans are more concerned with the play on the field. Ahmyn and Djanko actually went to a Celtic game the following week after their interest in the team was piqued after the tour. 

WITC's Anna Lehman checking out the Dope Testing Room at the Celtic Football Club

An empty stadium

Katelyn Roeker, Anna Lehman, and Djanko in the comfy seats for the team

Djanko enjoying the Celtic vs. Inverness game

Some action on the football field

The Riverside Museum was the next stop. It highlighted the industrial importance of Glasgow. There seemed to be a focus on transportation. One interesting fact: spitting was outlawed on the trams. Why? Other than the fact that it’s gross, during tuberculosis outbreaks, spitting was one way TB was spread. 

Outside of the Riverside Museum: Djanko, Seryahna, Renae & Sue Momot

Glasgow was once the ship-building capital of the world with its strategic location on the River Clyde. Glenlee, a tall ship built in Glasgow, is docked behind the Riverside Museum on the River Clyde. This tall ship provided an excellent opportunity for us to learn more about the shipbuilding industry and about life at sea. Although working as a crew member during the height of sea trade sounds interesting, I would not want to work on the ships that carried guano. Yes, you read that right. Bird poop was a bustling trade item. Why? Fertilizer.  

The Glenlee, the tall ship behind the Riverside Museum

Seryahna swabs the deck

Djanko checks out the storage baskets -- no guano here

Seryahna at the wheel

Me, WITC's Dutch Shultz and Anna Lehman

Next we went to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. When we entered, organ music from the huge pipe organ from 1902 dominated the soundscape. The museum is interesting because its 22 galleries house diverse collections with various themes and focuses. Yes, there are paintings, portraits, and sculptures, but there is so much more! Giant masks expressing various emotions hang from the ceiling. Natural history, archeology, technology, and history are all represented in the various galleries. Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s architectural genius is highlighted along with historical information about how and why furniture design changed. (Hint: rationing of materials during World War II.) Scottish artistic movements are featured, but one can also find French impressionists and Dutch masters. One surprise for me was to stumble across Salvador Dali’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross. Wow! For more on the Kelvingrove: http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove/Pages/default.aspx.

A harpy

After the museum, everyone had some time to explore on our own. Personal highlights included street musicians and performers, including a fire dancer. Some of the performers were okay, others great. All were hoping that we would drop some change into their hats or guitar cases. 

Street musician in Glasgow that heckled passersby to get them to give him money

Street musicians in Glasgow

Fire dancer in Glasgow

The field trip offered valuable historical and cultural perspectives. We were able to see how this industrial powerhouse of a city has changed as the ship-building industry and others have left. Gerry Mooney’s goal was to show us that there were many faces of Scotland, and this point was well-illustrated through this field trip.