Shopping in Scotland

I made a video about an everyday experience for us here in Scotland--grocery shopping.  Things are a little different, not least because we walk to the store.  We wanted to make this video to show our friends and family not just the special stuff we've seen, but the normal stuff as well.  Behold the haggis pizza!

Puppy Time!

We've been researching a dog breed called the flat-coated retriever.  They're a fairly rare breed, but we found a breeder here in Edinburgh who offers special agility and obedience courses especially for flat-coats.  We love these dogs, so we were excited when the breeder invited us to sit in on one of the classes and meet some of the flat-coats for ourselves.  We had a bit of trouble finding the place, but once we got there we had a great time.  Flat-coats are kind of like children--get enough of them playing in a room together and things get crazy!  It was fun to watch these energetic and puppy-like dogs interact with each other and with the humans around them.  Below is a short video that will give you a glimpse of the class, but only a fraction of the craziness.  Watch the tails; flat-coats are famous for their tail-wagging!

This big guy was getting lots of attention from the ladies!

 

Glasgow

We caught the train and spent a full day in Glasgow, one of Scotland's major cities and home to one of the country's four medieval universities.  Our tour guides were Andy and Emma, our friends from St. Columba's, who lived in Glasgow for five years as they attended school.  Unfortunately, my camera died early on, so photographic documentation is sparse.  We visited a massive toy store, took a stroll along the river Clyde, visited the famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery, had delicious Spanish tapas at Cafe Andaluz, took a tour of the University of Glasgow (and caught a glimpse of a very expensive wedding in the process), and meandered around the shopping district.  I bought some Superman cufflinks.  As dinnertime approached we tried to find a place to sit down and have a drink, but alas! rugby and soccer games ensured that there was nary a place to be found.  But it did give Mandi and me a nice glimpse of some of the finer pubs in Glasgow, including one, Waxy O'Connor's, that boasted a truly spectacular interior (Get a virtual tour here!).  Giving the search up as hopeless, we boarded the train and headed back to familiar Edinburgh exhausted.

Andy tells me that this statue usually sports a traffic cone on his head.  This day, however, it was a pigeon.

Mandi found something she liked at Hamley's.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

The old building of Glasgow University.