9/15/2019 Liverpool to Lake District to Glasgow, Scotland

(9-15) Day 7 Liverpool – Lake District – Glasgow, Scotland   61 high 48 low 40% rain      

Holiday Inn Glasgow Theatreland  161 West NIle St G1 2RL, Glasglow, UK  Tel  44 141 352 8300  4+* Refurbished 2015.  Reviews -  Located in heart of city center/theater district.  Water tastes bad.  Beds sag.  Restaurants nearby.  Friendly staff.  Great breakfast.  French Bistro restaurant. Walk to theaters, bars, museums, stations, museums

The phone says 6,717 steps, 2.9 miles and 3 flights climbed.  

Not this original Hotel = Crowne Plaza ****   (Full Breakfast)

On the river, Gym, sauna, steam room, pool, restaurant, lounge, Good staff. City Center about 1 mile away, 15 min. walk, taxi not expensive

TOUR INO "Rolling Lancashire pastures give way to the soul-stirring Lake District, whose beautiful scenery has inspired poets and writers for centuries. We travel along the shores of Lake Windermere, through countryside made famous by the poet William Wordsworth. Stop in Gretna Green, where many an eloping couple has tied the knot. We arrive in Glasgow later for an orientation tour, including views of the Cathedral, magnificent George Square and the Clyde River, the former heart of the shipbuilding industry. Warm Scottish hospitality and hearty flavors are ours to enjoy this evening during a Regional Meal in a local restaurant." 

My Info - Lake District is located in Northwest England and people go there for the lakes, forests, and mountains.  It is home to England's largest national park and also includes valleys, villages, towns, and coastline.  It is one of the most populated national parks.  The four highest mountains exceed 3000 feet.  There is a great variety of wildlife.    

Lake Windermere is surrounded by mountains and villages.  It is the largest natural lake in England.  It is a ribbon lake that formed in a glacial trough and lies in a steep-sided pre-glacial river valley.  There are nineteen islands.  The smaller islands are called holmes.  Passenger services operate along the whole length of the lake.  The Windemere Ferry carries vehicles across the lake and there are summer only passenger ferries.  Five large boating clubs are based around the lake.

Since I went on a boat ride on  the lake two weeks ago as an included tour on the Collette Tour, I did not choose to pay more money to do it again as it is not included on this tour.  The bus driver and I drove by the lake and some amazing $5 million pound homes.  It was a narrow road and when we met another bus, it was my driver who backed up until they could pass each other safely.  I walked a path along the lake and then walked around the town of Bowness.  There were many amazing stone buildings.

This is the area with the great stone walls and buildings.  These were in Bowness. 

Gretna Green is a village in Scotland.  Historically, it was the first village in Scotland.  Gretna Green is famous for weddings due to its romantic wedding traditions.  The blacksmiths were known as the "anvil priests".  Couples from England that were not 21 could not marry without parental permission.  These couples would elope to Scotland and would stop at the first place they came to, the blacksmith’s shop.  It evolved into a business and people still come from all over the world to marry here.  At one time, Scotland added a law requiring a 21 day waiting period, as one person of the couple had to live here for 21 days.  We did not see a wedding. Of course, the main focus was shopping.  I think my guide thinks everyone is on this trip to shop, maybe they are.  

Glasgow, Scotland located on the River Clyde, this port city is famous for Victorian and art nouveau architecture.  Most buildings were built during the shipbuilding and trade prosperity of the 18th-20th century.  This is Scotland's most populated city and has the largest economy.  The Theatre Royal (home of the Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet), National Theatre of Scotland, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Pavillion Theater, King's Theater, and museums can be found in Glasgow, making it Scotland's cultural hub.  Many buildings are constructed of red and blond sandstone.  People who live there are called "Glaswegians" or "Weegies".  Glasgow is nearly as far north as Moscow, but it's milder weather is due to the proximity to the Gulf Stream, Atlantic Ocean. It averages 170 days of rain a year. 

When we arrived in Glasgow, we rode around for maybe 20 minutes and our guide pointed out different buildings.  We went to a French Restaurant and then spent three hours eating a three course meal.  After that it was 9:00 and we checked into our hotel...  I am so disappointed in this Trafalgar Tour.  We spent about 7 hours on the bus today and maybe 3 hours actually experiencing the country. This truly is a drive-by vacation which includes eating and shopping and not much substance.  Feeling like I’ll never travel with Trafalgar again.  People had have said that Trafalgar is first class, our hotels have not been anything special. The original info said tonight we would be in the Crown Plaza, but we are in a Holiday Inn with really saggy beds.   Looking forward to Switzerland in exactly one week.  

The buildings look grungy with soot.  They are not cleaning them as the soot protected the building from acid rain in the past and from algae now.  

There were a lot of impressive buildings like this.  At one time, Glasgow equaled London for prosperity.



George Square is the heart of the city and the site of the elaborate Victorian Glasgow City Chambers and numerous public statues. It was one of the things we drove by but I was on the wrong side of the bus for pictures.  

In Cardiff, we had 75 minutes to look around the city, then a three hour meal.  Liverpool, we rode around for 75 minutes, often stuck in traffic and finished too late to do much of anything.  I really wanted to go to the Beatles Museum, but it closed at 8:00.  Yesterday, we took a 20 minute ride around Glasgow and then spent 3+ hours in a restaurant.  We spent more time waiting for food in the restaurant than we did experiencing the country.  I guess the hours on the bus are Trafalgar’s idea of experiencing the country.  That’s three cities I can say I ate and slept in but that’s about all I can say.  I talked to man whose father was from Glasgow.  He was really disappointed with our experience.  My venting is finished.