Sunday 17 February 2013

Farewell Glasgow

The time has come for us to depart Glasgow and begin the long journey home to Australia. We’ll have many stop over's along the way which is exciting, but it is also a little sad that our travels are coming to an end.

Living in Glasgow has been a great opportunity for Cara and I. We’ve experienced many different things over our time here. We were able to eat haggis for the first time, broaden our knowledge on scotch whisky, try some traditional local ales, but most importantly, we were able to be apart of Scotland’s local traditions and customs.  As a soccer/football supporter, it’s also worth mentioning, the experience of living in a city which has arguably the biggest rivalry in sport, the battle between Rangers and Celtic. A rivalry which transcends football and becomes more about religion and politics. Only having lived in Glasgow can you then truly understand the level of tension between these two clubs.

Glasgow’s famous “Ashton Lane"
On our last weekend in Glasgow, we decided to treat ourselves to a night out along the famous “Ashton Lane”. This small cobblestone lane way is the hub of trendy bars and hangouts in Glasgow’s, West End. We both ordered cocktails to toast our amazing time in Glasgow, and to start our adventure toward home.  I decided to stick with the scotch whisky theme and order a variation on a classic “Whisky Sour”. I ordered a “JamDram Sour”. This consists of Drambuie (whisky liqueur), apricot jam, and lemon juice.  Usually I like to analyse the cocktails I drink closely and scrutinise every flavour with a fine tooth comb, but this time it was all about enjoying our last night out in Glasgow, reflecting on our time here and looking to the future.   

We’ll both have many great memories from our time here, but what will always stick in my mind are the many times we’ve walked up the Argyle St Mall, and without fail, every time we’d see buskers playing the bag-pipes. These pipers would always be dressed up in the full Scottish attire. The bagpipe music would be heard along the entire mall. It doesn’t matter how many times you see these “bag-pipe buskers”, there are always a few people who would stop and listen. The Scottish (and especially the Glaswegian’s) are some of the most patriotic people we’ve met, and when they stop and listen to the bag-pipers in the mall, watching on with such pride, you know you’re living in Scotland.


“JamDram Sour”
In a shaker:
45ml Drambuie
15ml Lemon juice
teaspoon of Apricot jam
Shake and strain over ice
garnish with a slice of lemon

1 comment:

  1. Don't be sad that it's over ... be glad that you did it. You both should be very proud of yourselves and what you achieved.

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