RAIN

Yes, it's raining again today. Darn. I was so excited about the sunshine yesterday. It was alright this morning. Cloudy, of course, but at least not rainy. Then this afternoon (after we got out of orientation) it began to mist. Then it started to sprinkle. Then it rained. Hard. I have a feeling I won't be dry again until May. So anyways. More orientation today. Lots of information about clubs, sports teams, IT, the library and basically any resource on campus I could ever dream of using. We were let out at 1, and some ladies and I went to the cafe on campus to get some lunch. I tried the infamous fish and chips, and let me tell you, it is NOT tasty in the slightest. Pretty much exactly what you would expect. Fried fish and french fries. No tartar sauce, no ketchup. Thank goodness my German friend had an orange in her purse, or I would have keeled over from lack of produce. After our less-than-wonderful lunch, we headed back to campus, where we got a bus tour of Glasgow. Sadly, I was too mesmerized to grab my camera until we were about half way done. I saw the oldest hospital in Glasgow (the Royal Infirmary), along with the oldest chapel, the oldest house and the oldest cemetery (which they call the Necropolis, yikes!). Here is a shot of the modern mortuary.
Next to it is the courthouse for serious crimes. The tour guide says that's a busy place... After passing by all the old city places, we came across the newer, Victorian buildings. For example, the fountain in the huge park, called Glasgow Green.The building behind it was built as a factory, but the city council stated that the building had to be pretty, so the architect modeled it after a building in Venice. Turned out pretty lovely, if you ask me. To the right of the fountain (which I unfortunately didn't get a picture of) is an art gallery and garden. It's called the Winter Gardens because most of the greenery is in greenhouses, so they can keep it alive all year.

At the end of the tour, we drove past the university. Here is the main building of the school, overlooking the River Kelvin and a foot bridge.Gorgeous. And yes, that's what the environment looks like everywhere. It's very green because there is moss on EVERYTHING. I've never seen so much moss in my life. But it's rather pretty, I think. I guess it's good I like green. All together, a really fun and informative day. After the tour, I went to a few shops with the ladies. Didn't get anything, but had a fun time looking around. On Byres Road, which is very close to campus and my flat, there are a TON of consignment shops and vintage shops. So I'm having a groovy time exploring all of that. I'm hoping to make it down to the city center this weekend. I may be going out tonight... I'm excited for my first night on the town!