Journal
Homecoming
James McIntosh, July 15 2013
Sunday June 23rd, 2013
After a long night of partying after the wedding, on Sunday we had a relaxing day in Gourock.
Johnny P took us on a walk along the waterfront and showed us the “swimming pools” he used to swim in as a kid. These “swimming pools” were actually just concrete pits that filled up with water when the waves from the River Clyde spilled into them.
After our saunter along the river we headed into a local coffee shop for a drink. This was another place Johnny P used to frequent while growing up.
Apparently things in the cafe had changed. I assume this means there are now cars parked outside instead of horse and carriages and there are light bulbs instead of oil lamps lighting the place.
After our quick coffee break we hurried home and headed out to a day-after-the-wedding barbecue. This Scottish barbecue didn’t actually involve any barbecuing, but was rather just an outdoor dinner.
The good news is we were introduced a new Scottish dish called Stovies, and damn was it good.
With our bellies full we left the barbecue and called it a night early, exhausted from the wedding the night before.
Monday June 24th, 2013
On Monday morning we took the train into Glasgow to check out Scotland’s largest city.
Our first stop was the Glasgow School of Art where we took a tour of the main school building, which was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
After touring the Glasgow School of Art we headed over to Glasgow City Chambers.
Next we headed to Johnny’s old stomping ground, University of Strathclyde.
He gave us a special alumni tour of the campus.
Apparently Strathclyde used to have the largest student union building the UK with six bars. Since dad and his friends are no longer there drinking the place dry, there are now only two bars.
Before we left campus I picked up a grey University of Strathclyde tee shirt to wear with my crimson Coug shorts.
With the campus tour behind us we did a little bit of last minute shopping before meeting up with Johnny’s sister Beth and her good friend Flora.
We had a quick drink in the train station before heading just down the street to the Blackhouse Grill for an amazing dinner.
We spent literally five hours in the restaurant eating and chatting before catching the train back to Gourock at about 10:45 p.m.
Tuesday June 25th, 2013
On Tuesday morning we said our goodbyes to Johnny and Jude, and Oliver, Tarynne and I headed to the Glasgow Airport for our short 40 minute flight to Dublin, Ireland.