Glasgow

So we're up here in Scotland since two days. Trev has an interview at the University of Glasgow for a job as a post doc.
I know, I know. :o) We've just got a flat in France, now we're up here in the noth. How is that supposed to work? Well, Montpellier was always only planned as an interlude between PhD and postdoc. The university there doesn't have any groups that work in the field that Trev wants to get into (Biofuels). It was my choice to go to France because I really want to spruce up my French and since after this our destinations will be very much defined by where there's work for Trev, he agreed to go there for a while.

Now up here, of course, it is a different story than in sunny, 15°C Montpellier. Trev was at the uni all day yesterday, so I went out exploring on my own. You might have heard in the news that Scotland had the worst storms in over ten years - yesterday. I can tell you, they really were BAD. One time really all I could do was brace myself against a wall and use all my strenth to not get blown into the direction that I just had come from... it was frightening at times. I also saw a girl that had been hit on the head by some stones that had fallen down from a roof.

Nevertheless I walked all day and got a good impression of the city.

Botanic garden

Cathedral

Necropolis

When I was walking through the Necropolis, it started to pour down, and then the rain turned into hail. It was really painful because the gusts of wind slammed the little pieces of ice against my legs. So I ducked between two tombstones until it was over. Weird feeling...
Afterwards, the grounds looked as if some favouring spirits had spread cherry blossoms everywhere.

random city shot

I decided to walk back towards the hotel along the river. It was such a fight! Parts of the walkway were flooded. When I got back I was really exhausted and felt as if I had been walking for hours (well, I had, but I felt unusually exhausted). When I was lying in bed that night my legs still felt like they were walking, struggling against the draft. ^^

really high waves

So after that exceptional first day, today felt a lot milder, even though it is very chilly and still soggy and grey - winter weather in Scotland.

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery

 

University of Glasgow tower

You'll read this on Saturday, when we'll be spending the day looking at the city together and possibly deciding if it would be a place to live in for 2-3 years. On Sunday we're taking the train down to London to stay with Trev's parents until christmas.