Dear Green Place (Glasgow in General)

Member Name: rustifer

Product:	Glasgow in General
Date:	05/07/01 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Most museums don't have an entrance fee

Disadvantages: None

The name Glasgow means dear green place and, as far as I'm concerned, it couldn't be more accurate.

I've lived in Glasgow most of my life, except for a 10 year period during which I worked in France, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Tunisia so I know a good thing when I see it and Glasgow is definitely one of the nicest places to live in.

For a start it has more green area, i.e. parks, than any other city in Britain but for me one of the best things about it is that most of the museums and places of interest cost nothing to visit. I've had many foreign friends over to stay in Glasgow and they are always amazed by that (and the free toilet facilities!).

It used to be quite expensive to get around Glasgow using public transport but now that First Bus have introduced an all day ticket, which costs as little as £1.80 at the weekend and can be used on any First Bus service, there is really no excuse for not getting out and about.

My favourite museum in Glasgow has always been the Art Gallery and Museum in the grounds of the Kelvin Grove Park in the west end of the city, but as time goes on I am starting to prefer the Museum of Modern Art in Queen Street, just off George Square in the city centre. Although they house completely different styles of art I prefer them because they have such a variety of artefacts, anything from prehistoric dinosaurs to kinetic sculptures and statues of Elvis Presley.

The Museum of Religious Art is also a must for visitors to Glasgow. It has a great selection of religious artefacts from all over the world but its most coveted item is the Christ of St John of the Cross painting by Salvador Dali. Right next door to this museum is the beautiful Glasgow Cathedral and directly across the road from there is the Provands Lordship which is reckoned to be one of the oldest houses in Glasgow.

Another favourite of mine is the People's Palace museum which is in the east end of th
e city beside the famous Glasgow Barras market. The People's Palace appeals to me so much because it is a museum that even people with no interest in art can enjoy because it concerns the way people lived in Glasgow from the medieval times through to modern day. The beautiful Botanic Gardens at the back of the museum are often used for weddings nowadays.

Although I'm not a big fan of Rennie Mackintosh he has designed many beautiful buildings in Glasgow. My favourite is the Scotland Street School, probably because every time I've been there hardly anybody else has been in the building. The classrooms remain just as they were when it was functioning as a school with all the old fashioned desks and blackboards.

A little known museum called the Tenement House, in Charing Cross at the edge of the city centre, is another favourite of mine. This is a house which, when it's owner passed away at the beginning of last century, was preserved exactly as she left it and is a typical example of a 'single end'of that era. You are escorted, by a tour guide, throughout the tiny apartment where you can see, amongst other things, the bed recess and the old range used for cooking meals and heating the house . It's like taking a step back in time.

As well as its many 'free entry' museums Glasgow also has a great variety of bars, nightclubs and restaurants (and, of course, the friendly people) making it one of the best places to come to for a city break, in my opinion!

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