I
wasn’t sure what I was going to do on my final day in Scotland. I had already
been to the highland games, explored our port town of Greenock and taken the
train into nearby Glasgow. Although I didn’t like the idea of staying on the
ship, I felt like I’d “done it,” “done Scotland.” So, I Googled “free things to
do in Glasgow” and found the Glasgow Cathedral. The Google images were quite
nice so I decided this would be my last-day activity.
I
took the 50-minute train ride from Greenock to Glasgow and huffed about 30
minutes to the Cathedral. Upon arrival, I knew I’d made the right choice.
Although I’ve been to many European churches and cathedrals, they never get old
for me. I love the Gothic architecture and the stained glass windows. I
especially love old Scottish churches (this one was built before the 12th
century) because the stone seems to darken over time so the buildings end up a
sooty-black color. It makes the building look dark, mysterious and intriguing.
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| Glasgow Cathedral, as seen from the Necropolis. |
I
walk up to the Glasgow Cathedral and pull out my camera to take a picture.
After several tries at the power button, the camera won’t turn on. It’s then I
realize I’ve forgotten my camera battery in the charger in my room back on the
ship. HUGE bummer! So, I’ll do my best to describe the cathedral in this blog
post and also please note that the pictures I’ve included are completely stolen
from online and therefore, I take no credit for them.
The
cathedral opens into a main hall that is in the Gothic style. Large, carved, dark
gray stone pillars line the main hall with brightly colored stained glass
windows all around. The church smells musty and makes me sneeze. Lining the
main hall are tombs of ancient Glasgowians and although most tombs have been
walked smooth, others state dates leading back to the 1600s.
At
the end of the main hall, I walk up a few stairs to a room known as The Choir.
This appears to be where the services are held and the room feels somehow cozy
despite being filled with hard wood pews and cold, gray stone. The stained
glass windows are enormous and magnificent.
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| Postcard of the Cathedral that I purchased since my camera was without the battery. The picture on the left is The Choir. |
I
go back to the main hall and go downstairs. It is very dark despite the newly
installed lights which seem out of place with the continued Gothic style. The
downstairs holds many different chapels and small meeting rooms. I literally
stumble through the only remaining original door in the cathedral complete
bullet holes from a more difficult time in Scotland. The room with the original
door features old Scottish flags, threadbare and stained from Scottish wartimes.
The place reeks of history.
After
leaving the Cathedral I make my way up to the Necropolis, the Cathedral’s
graveyard. The Necropolis is on a small hill and features a good view of
Glasgow. The Necropolis is an eerily interesting place that has been described
as a city of the dead. It’s estimated that 50,000 people are buried in this
graveyard although not everyone has a stone. The gravestones are neatly lined
up and very large; most are taller than me and feature whole families with some
dating to be 400 years old. I wander around the Necropolis as the clouds roll
in and it begins to lightly rain. I realize I’m the only person in the
Necropolis, get creeped out and hurry down the hill to join civilization again.
After a quick lunch, I take the train back to Greenock and board the ship in
time for our departure to Dublin, Ireland.
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| Glasgow Cathedral, as seen from the front. |
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| Glasgow Necropolis. |
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| Glasgow Necropolis and a view of the city below. |
