Sunday, May 11th – Monday, May 12th, 2025
Day 1
Today marks the beginning of our first “free” weekend – and Sav and I are going to Glasgow, Scotland! A dream for us both, holding deep emotional and familial ties for myself, we decided that if we were going to be on this side of the pond we were going to go over.
We got up at 3:30 AM (after not going to bed until roughly 11:00 PM) and headed straight to the airport. We walked to St. Stephen’s Green (about a 20 minute walk at 4:00 AM) to catch an Aircoach and were on our way.
This was mine and Sav’s first time traveling solo like this (getting to the airport, booking hotel rooms, purchasing plane tickets, etc.), but we felt confident and had planned most variables in advance to ensure a smooth trip and to optimize our time in Glasgow.
Although we got a little lost and confused (briefly at the airport) the early journey went off without a hitch. In fact, because everything went so smoothly at first, I wasn’t surprised when the plan was having technical difficulties and we had to switch planes (putting us a little behind schedule, but better safe than sorry).
We woke, boarded, and landed in Glasgow in a 6-hour timeframe. We arrived at 9:15 AM and immediately began our adventure.
Here’s a list of our trip itinerary:
- A visit to the University of Glasgow
- Walk through of Glasgow Botanical Gardens
- Trying out Gregg’s for the first time
- Walking along and shopping in Buchanan Street
- Visiting St. George’s Square (which was closed for construction, but we still got to see the outside and the stuff around it)
- Dinner at an Irish pub (isn’t that ironic) called Waxy O’Connors (where Sav and I tried Haggis as well as Scottish Coca-Cola for the first time)
After a jam-packed first day, we relaxed at the hotel, taking a dip in the pool, and then watching TV before crashing for the night.
Day 2
Day 2 of Glasgow we had 2 big things on the agenda: see Highland Cows and get pack to the airport.
Our adventure began with complimentary hotel breakfast and we were on our way. We found ourselves a bus and travelled outside of the city to Pollok Country Park. At first we only saw Highland Cows from a distance, but determined we walked more. We ended up finding a bunch of cows, but the best part is that they were so close you could probably touch them (we didn’t because there was a fence and we didn’t want to disturb them). They are just as fluffy as I imagined.
We began to explore the park and quickly learned how enormous it was. We found ourselves wandering through endless gardens and trails – even seeing a fairy village and “dinosaur bones”. I think the biggest surprise was finding Pollok House (a grand house on the land) tucked away. Being on the property felt like time travelling back to the Regency Era. I thoroughly felt like I was in Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice.
Although a magnificent and whimsical park, it was time for Sav and I to head back to the airport. We boarded out flight back to Dublin at about 5:10 PM and landed in the Republic of Ireland by 7:00 PM.
All in all, it was a busy, fun-filled weekend, we saw so much in a roughly 39-hour period (from takeoff to landing).
It was unforgettable and undeniably of the best experiences of my life and I am honestly so proud of myself for not only accomplishing so much in such a short timeframe, but also being mature enough to want something and to make it happen. Especially because not even a full week before, I was anxious about flying from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, NC – so to get on a flight again (and this time basically by myself) without feeling any bit of stress was a really prideful moment for me.