Small Bars and Street Art

Perth and Calgary differ as much as they're alike.

Knowing that anything outside of Perth proper is a "suburb", in the early 2000s, Perth's population was 250. This means that the city was filling up during the day and everyone was leaving at night. The city figured they needed to do something about this. Tied in with an economic boom was also a high density housing construction boom. Now, Perth's population stands at about 50,000. Including the suburbs, the population is 1.9 million.

The solution to attracting people downtown seemed to be small bars and street art.
Historically, bar licenses primarily only went to big players. They went to sports arenas, casinos, and government run bars. Somewhere along the line, someone figured out this wasn't working - people weren't drinking,  money wasn't being spent, and no one wanted to spend their time having government sanctioned fun.

Enter small bars. These are spaces in alleys, on rooftops, in store fronts, that can hold no more than 120 people at a time (often far less). Some of them brew their own alcohol, some buy alcohol from the government. At any rate, it is an astounding success!

With more people staying downtown came a lot of the expected social issues, including graffiti. Perth has a lot of blank walls and as such, taggers were using them and leaving unsightly tags. The city decided to commission some of the taggers and artists to make murals instead. There are many kinds of art represented. Some are beautiful. Some are not.

As I went through my pictures from this walking tour, I realized I had only one. It is called "The Conversation". Because Calgary and Perth are alike.

The alleys are very safe to walk through. They don't smell of pee or puke or garbage. There are no (daylight) vagrants hanging about.

Next: let's get out of town!

Two feet and a heartbeat

I walk a lot in Perth. It is an easily walkable city. The weather is ideal, the roads are very well-kept, and it is mostly flat.

Perth is a lot like Calgary - both historically and currently.
Both cities were named after places in Scotland though were initially called something else (Perth was the Swan River Colony, Calgary was Brisebois). Both have Scots as colonist - Perth had James Stirling, Calgary had James Macleod. Both have less than great histories with indigenous people. Perth is slightly older than Calgary; it was founded in 1829, whereas Calgary was founded in 1884. Calgary differs in that we have a history with the railway. We also have no connection to the French or Dutch.

Both cities have resource based economies. Very boom-bust. Perth has mining, Calgary has oil and gas. Oil and gas is slowly starting to become a thing here; I think the houses are heated with natural gas? As I understand it, they get their LNG from fracking. I hope they learn from the lessons that Canada has on that. A recent oil deposit has been found in Western Australia as well.

Perth calls itself a "suburban city" meaning that people primarily live in the suburbs. What they are calling suburbs, I would call inner city. It is a half hour walk from this house to downtown, which is not a suburb in my mind.

Not the street I'm staying on.

As Perth is a state capital, I set out today with the plan to find the legislature buildings.
First I discover that I need to find the proper name of the buildings. Even though Australia is on the same Westministerian system as Canada, this does not mean they have the same words. I remembered in Brisbane, they called it State Buildings. That is not the case here. Apparently it is called Parliament or Parliament House. The actual assembly still seems to be called the Legislature, however.

The building is made out of a Western Australia variety of sandstone, as well as local tile and wood.

These gargoyles representing the national arms, figures of the unicorn and a lion, formerly occupied positions on the historic Waterloo Bridge in England.

A short walk from here is Jacob's Ladder. This is an amazing viewpoint! It is 86 metres above most of the city

Also an amazing workout if you're in to that sort of thing. There are two sets of 242 stairs. I chose to take them down.

I realised today that while I broke in my sandals, I did not break them in for walking in heat. I also was unaware there is a difference until today. Frigging blisters.

Next: let's do a walking tour!

Four airports, three continents

AKA the boring video one.

I didn't take pictures for this portion. Whoops.
I did, however, have my passport and Aussie visa and that's all I need. I don't need things like locks for my backpack because why would they be in the same pocket they've always lived in? Who needs to lock check bags anyway?!
As I start contemplating how much work it would be to turn it in to a carry on bag (not much), my brain helpfully remembers that there are shops at the airport! One of those shops is sure to have a lock. Turns out my brain helped for once!

It is Hallowe'en! Kidlets are about, in their costumes and seeking candy. We had 10 or 11 kids before we left Ernie's house for the airport.

The itinerary is as follows:
Calgary-Vancouver
4h 55min layover
Vancouver-Hong Kong
7h 55min layover (initially planned so I could have a day in Hong Kong. Given what's going on there at this moment, I made the wise decision to stay in the airport.)
Hong Kong-Perth.

Calgary to Vancouver was exactly as uneventful as you would think.

There are so very many duty free shops in the Vancouver airport. I've been to a lot of international airports and I've never seen this many. The airport itself looks like someone gave the architect the direction, "Can you make it look like a cabin but not one you could afford to stay in? And make it airy too! We're going to need lots of room for way too bright duty free shops!"

Our flight was delayed by about 4 hours. Good times.
This was also the time my brain chose to let me know it did not pack my air mattress or power bar. Thanks brain.

Hong Kong airport is very, very, very long. It is also very narrow, less than 200m across. There are no people movers to get people from Gate 1 to Gate 80. At the very least, this time we were parked at the actual terminal and didn't need to get bussed in from or to the middle of the runway.

Perth!
On my landing card I ticked the "yes" box to having been in the wilderness in the past 30 days because I couldn't remember when we'd been out hiking last. It was a quick and simple process with no dogs this time.

From here, things went minorly down hill.
My cards chose not to work in the cab. The driver took me to a bank machine where they also chose not to work. There was a lot of panic on my part (while trying to seem like I'm not panicking). It was about midnight at this point and all I wanted to do was get in and sleep. The cab driver agreed to come back the next day and get the cash.

When he did come back, he tried to make me feel guilty; he didn't have any other fares that night and hadn't had any that day either. None of these  things are my fault, dude. You're not going to guilt me in to giving you more money. Have a nice day, improve your outlook and get more fares.

Next: Well I thought I broke in these shoes...

Beating Like A Drum

While searching last minute plans, I thought about going to Loch Lomond. I did not do enough research on this and took it out of contention as an option, thinking it was too far away.

After meeting my cousins it was decided we were going to Loch Lomond!
Again, I thought this was too far and was very appreciative of the offer. I thought it was a Calgary to Jasper kind of a drive, which is a bit much to do there and back in a day. Turns out, it's more Calgary to Turner Valley kind of a drive. Not bad at all.

What an amazing place.

I had no expectations for this place. I really only knew it from song - and I really only knew the song because of John Barrowman's verison of Loch Lomond (warning - glitteriest kilt EVER), which is how I learned that River of My Heart used the same tune and it blew my ever loving mind.

I'm glad I went into it knowing nothing. It is a beautiful spot and I am eternally grateful we went.

After learning what a hairy coo (pronounced "hoory coo") was, I made it a goal to see them. The original plan was to go to a tourist farm inside Glasgow on my birthday, but I slept in. Whoops.
When we got into the Loch Lomand area, coos abounded!

This Alberta girl was surprised that many of them were pregnant in the fall.

There is a hilarious video that should be here of me walking amongst the coos but alas, when my computer died so too did the videos.

We almost got taken out by a lorry on the narrow roads but Danielle managed to avoid it. Good thing, as I didn't have travel insurance!

We stopped for lunch and had fish and chips. No mushy peas. We had tea with it too, which was a bit odd for me (as tea isn't something you normally have with fish and chips here). Very good!

Later this evening, I meet with another batch of cousins. I don't think any of us thought to get pictures. Again, the resemblance was uncanny! Michael and Elizabeth have both been to Canada - Elizabeth was born here. His children have not though there is a standing invitation.
Meeting family like this is out of this world. Listening to them, hearing their stories, making the connections, all of it was probably the best birthday present I never expected.

Next: leaving.

Lioness Among Lions

And we're back!
As I was updating, my computer decided to up and die. I'm very lazy and it took me this long to recover the photos from my memory card. Here we are.

Actual birthday in Glasgow!!

While wandering around the night before, I'd found a Tim Horton's. I was vaguely aware one existed here - and it makes sense, given how many Canadians come here for school - but I also vaguely recall being told it is closed. Turns out, it was open! And the Scot working behind the counter was friendly and helpful enough to be a Canadian. She gave me excellent directions and was very kind about my confusion.

Glasgow is home to a building designed by Zaha Hadid. I have long admired her work and sought it out. I had a near hit in Hong Kong and I wasn't going to let it slip away. What a perfect adventure on my actual birthday!

Following the directions from Google Maps, I took the train in to the central station. After that, Google Maps abandoned me. This ended up being my good fortune, however, as a wrong turn lead me to another Tims! So my birthday breakfast was a double double and a donut as one does.

This is a Rudolph donut, obviously. A Boston Cream with a red timbit nose. It was gooey and delicious and perfect.

I asked for directions to the necessary next step from a very nice police officer. She called her cohort over just so they could hear my accent (and hear me apologise about 20 times for taking up their important time with my silly directions question).

Glasgow has a unique subway system. It has two lines; one that runs clockwise and one that runs anti-clockwise. It is also orange. This has lead to the nickname "Clockwork Orange". It is very easy to navigate! The trains themselves are very small; narrow and low. I am not a tall human and I almost felt like I had to duck.

I took the subway to the Riverside Museum.

This museum was designed by Zaha Hadid. I finally did it!
The building itself is remarkable. It is roughly Z shaped and clad in zinc. It connects the city to the rivers Clyde and Kelvin. There are no internal supports, and the shape of the interior ceiling is the same as the exterior roof. It is very spacious on the inside! The set up flows very well. It honestly took my breath away when I first set my eyes on it. Zaha Hadid was an amazing architect.

The museum is dedicated to all things transportation. There is a piece of the plane from Lockerbie there, and a running track of ships that historically traversed the Rivers Clyde and Kelvin. There is even a turn of the century Glasgow cityscape to scale. I wish I hadn't slept in so I could have spent more time here. I also wish I took pictures inside.

After my time here, I met my cousins!
Karen, Danielle, Kieran, and Jayden are on the Hood side - mom's mom.
Let me tell you, there is no mistaking Hoods! The resemblance was instant and uncanny.

We went to dinner at a mall. Inside the mall was a giant slide for the kiddos (and for adults too if we were so inclined). There was also a climbing park! This wasn't like a West Edmonton Mall kind of place, it just happened to have these things.

It also had a ski hill.
Inside the mall.
With a chairlift and everything.

Seriously. A ski hill. And an instant resemblance. It wasn't all that cold and it smelled like ozone.

Dinner was excellent. It was great to meet people I'm related to! Karen, Danielle, Kieran and Jayden are awesome. I tried Irn Bru. It tasted.....well, it tasted. I'm glad I tried it, but I won't seek it out.

We made a rough plan to go to Loch Lomond the next day.

Ach and Aye and al of that

Eventually, I got to my airbnb. It was lovely! If I were to buy a flat, it would be this flat.

The following day I went exploring on my own. This mostly meant waking myself up and getting in to Central Glasgow. Given their efficient and inexpensive transit system, this was very easy. It's a grey and cool day but nothing I'm not used to. The trees still have most of their leaves and the colours are very pretty.

I wandered to a cathedral. Surprise! My host recommended I go to a place called The Necropolis, which is a very old graveyard with many prominent Scots buried there. It was also in the vicinity of Glasgow Cathedral, so that was a bonus.

For a very long time, Glasgow was a filthy, industrial city.  This caused a lot of soot and pollution.  There's no getting around that. Sandstone (both blond and red) was the building material of choice/easiest to access. It was used for everything it could be from homes to businesses to graves. Sandstone absorbs pollution. As a result, for a long time a lot of the sandstone was black. Over time, the city has cleaned up a lot. It isn't filthy. It isn't industrial. Efforts have been made to clean the stone up but the residue lingers. It's a part of the building now, part of the story that can't be erased or gentrified. I like it.

In order to get to The Necropolis, you have to cross the Bridge of Sighs. There are many explanations given as to why this is the name but my favourite came from the sign guide made by the historical society: the bridge is the divider between the land of the beginning and the land of the dead, with a sigh being the last breath they give.

Cities are not well known for making space for their dead. People used to be buried in church yards if they were sane and baptised and not diseased. Then the insane/unbaptiesed/diseased became far more numerous and cemeteries needed to be built. And wouldn't you know it, people didn't stop dying. Many cities have come up with numerous ways of dealing with this but in The Necropolis, there is no unused space.

There is no shortage of mausoleums/crypts/gravestones built into the hills. Foliage runs amok and really gives the area a sense of place. Also mausoleums/crypts will never not be creepy.

The church is a survivor from medieval times and is Gothic in design.
We weren't allowed to go in as they were setting up for Remembering Sunday services. This is a particularly poignant year as it marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice and the end of WWI. Less significant: I lost poppies in two countries this year.

Wandering further (and realizing it is that horrible time of year in the Northern Hemisphere where it is dark at 1630), I tried to find my way back to the train station. It shouldn't be a surprise that I got lost. What should come as a surprise is these awful map post things they have up all over the central area that are completely useless. They have no directional arrows, and when you follow what directions they do give you end up in the wrong direction. Then you decide to outsmart them and walk opposite of what they say but you're still wrong. Also Glasgow has no street signs.

The city hall is beautiful, however.

My secondary goal of the day was to find the Duke of Wellington. I've seen several Duke of Wellington statues in my life but this one is special. Capping the statue with a traffic cone has become a traditional practice in the city, claimed to represent the humour of the local population and believed to date back to the first half of the 1980s, if not before. The statue is one of Glasgow's most iconic landmarks. Due to minor damage and the potential for injury that the placing of cones involves, the practice has been discouraged by Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police.
Of course, this doesn't stop people. The cone has been removed and replaced more times than people can keep track of; often it is replaced within hours of being removed.

illegitimi non carborundum. Glasgow.

Next: Tims, architects, and cousins.

Getting to Glasgow

My original birthday trip was supposed to be to Iceland. Through the ins and outs of how things go, it wasn't.

Instead, Glasgow, Scotland! With about 48 hours to plan!

I didn't have much in the way of expectations. I wanted to eat a chip butty, a deep fried mars bar, and that was about it. If I could get in contact with my cousins out there, even better!

As always, we start things off with a video.

And we're off! For a little more money  -  I think it was $5 - I got Plus seats all the way there.
This meant that me in my yoga pants and general trashiness got to board the plane faster and into better service than the business men who were in my gate area and complaining that they had to board in Zone 3 because they didn't have their gold status yet. See you later, business men!

Plus is what WestJet calls the service they used to have standard. Free meals, smiling faces. Still no seatback TVs but we can't win them all.

The seats to London were like Lay-Z-Boys. They're the old Quantas planes so it was pretty awesome. Good food, an amenity kit, blankets and good service. Still no seat back TVs but they gave out tablets to those of us in Plus. Every other international airline calls this "economy" (except the lay-z-boy part).

London Gatwick is a perfectly cromulent airport. It's dated. It smells a bit. You can't get airside until a couple of hours before your flight which sucks if you've got six hours to kill and no confidence to leave the place (and no cash to take the bus anywhere because you're not smart enough to think of that sort of thing). There's a lack of seating and a lack of things to do landside. The two terminals are a km or so apart.

Once you're landside in the South terminal, things improve a bit - there's more seating, more shopping, more eating. Great! There's no gate announcements. The airport is very quiet. You only know your gate if you watch the board. The board will tell you what time to expect your gate and then when it comes up, you've got another half to 3/4 of a kilometre to book it in a very short amount of time. They don't mess around here; your gate is listed and you are boarding. Done. Once in the gate areas there is nothing to do or eat or anywhere to sit. Not good or bad, perfectly cromulent.

Up until this point, I did not have any through ticket to Glasgow. Whoops. I didn't plan very well and that's on me. My goal was to get to a BA desk in Pearson and buy a ticket but that didn't exist. I found the one in Gatwick and paid about $200 for a round trip ticket. Thank you, decent Cabbotage laws.

The thing with UK airports is that you walk. Period. Everywhere. There are few moving sidewalks and nothing is close. It is easy to hit your step count in a two hour layover just trying to get from baggage to terminal to gate to terminal. This is true of Heathrow, Gatwick, and Glasgow.

It's not exactly early at this point, so I get on a bus and get in to the city, then to my airbnb.

Next: Glasgow!!