Hello Glasgow!

Apologies for how long it has taken me to post something here. I arrived in Glasgow, Scotland in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, 28 January and have been a study in hurry and delay ever since I arrived. The time difference between the UK and Washington, D.C. has taken some getting used to and the daylight hours here in Glasgow are increasing but still slight. Combined they make a person very disoriented and sleepy and so I’ve been slow to get out and explore the city. Much of my time has been spent unpacking and setting up the flat, but I have ventured out into the neighborhood to go to the local grocer, Peckham’s, and to try to find an electric coffee grinder. (Unsuccessful.)

The weather was quite sunny and pleasant at the beginning of the week, the other days were more typically wet and drismal. Despite (or in spite of) the damp, the natives are very friendly, warm and engaging. In fact, I am very thankful for their good humor and quick smiles because I often have to beg their pardon! The local accent, or “Glasgow patter” as they call it, is notoriously thick and at times unintelligible. It makes eavesdropping entertaining but very perplexing!

Our new flat is very handsome and well situated in the Edwardian neighborhood of Hyndland in the West End of the city near the university and the commercial hub of Byres Road. Ann Laird, a local historian, has written a good primer on the development of the area, and much of her scholarship and photographs are available on Hyndland’s local history website. I hope that you have the time to check it out!