Top Five Places to visit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Glasgow is a wonderful place, located in the West of Central Scotland on the banks of the River Clyde. Previously a city known for its industry, Glasgow has turned into a popular tourist attraction, being the fourth most visited city in all of the UK. It has a multitude of great places to visit, from magnificent museums and cathedrals to refreshing parks and the highlands. Whether you’re visiting Glasgow for the first time or not, there is always something that you can do in this bustling city. Here are our 5 favourite places to visit in Glasgow.

 

 

Celtic Park is a football stadium which is the largest in Scotland, with a capacity of 60,441 people. It is also known as Parkhead or paradise by Celtic fans. Celtic was formed in 1897, and Parkhead was built in 1898. Celtic Park has been used as a venue for Scotland internationals, and in 2014 it hosted the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. It is a brilliant place to visit for any football fan,  and once you’ve visited it there are even restaurants inside to have a bite in.

Georgia Aquarium

Located in the downtown area of the capital city of Georgia, USA is the Georgia Aquarium. This internationally recognized aquarium is home to over 100,000 animals and many species of fish and sea creatures. It is the second largest aquarium in the world.

This public aquarium has been built by the generous contributions of individuals such as Bernard Marcus, Jeff Swanagan, the Coca-Cola company, and others. It was originally built around the establishment of a home for whale sharks and from that has grown a location with educational programs, public entertainment venues, and seven different exhibitions that are updated yearly to reflect the most recent combination of sea life.

Visitors may view seven different exhibits. Southern Company River Scout is an exhibit that shows local area and regional underwater environments to be seen from the bottom up. The AT&T Dolphin Celebration comes complete with a dolphin show from the 13 dolphins in residence. Cold Water Quest exhibit allows the public to see animals from the polar regions of the world. Ocean Voyager was built by Home Depot and shows life from the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The Tropical Diver exhibit shows Indo-Pacific fish and the development of live coral reefs. Suntrust Pier is an exhibit of sea lions. Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone is the most recently built aquarium and features a scavenger hunt using the aquarium’s mobile app. Included in the offerings is also a Titanic Aquatic that has a walk-through of the original Titanic ship.

The aquarium is open to the public year round.

Fox Theatre

Located in Midtown Atlanta on Peachtree St. is the Fox Theatre, known as the “Fabulous Fox.” It was originally a Moorish temple and eventually a movie palace. It has been restored to be the most active venue for national and international performing companies and stars. Broadway touring companies may be seen at the Fox along with the Atlanta Ballet Company and many award winning films from around the world.

Make sure you hear and see “Mighty Mo” the Fox’s 3,662 pipe, theatre organ that still ranks as the second largest pipe organ in the United States. It has been featured in many live productions and Hollywood movies.

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Midtown Atlanta, Georgia is home to the 30 acre botanical garden started in 1976. It is designed to provide aesthetic, educational, recreational and dining experiences for the general public. It involves itself in conservation and research in order to continue growing species of plant life native to this area of the world.

The garden is home to the Children’s Garden, the Fuqua Conservatory, and the Fuqua Orchid Center. Social events, weddings, art exhibitions and the annual Garden of the Eden Ball are held in these locations. Of special interest during the winter season is the Garden Lights, Holiday Nights exhibition which features 1.5 million LEDs.

Piedmont Park

If you fancy a walk in a beautiful park, long to get your oils out and paint, or simply desire to listen to an outdoor concert, it can happen in Piedmont Park. This urban park was originally a gentleman’s farm, but was sold to the Piedmont Driving Club to be used as a racing grounds. The Driving Club joined arms and money with the Piedmont Exposition Company and began to use the property as a place for fairs and expositions.

In the 19^th century, major expositions were held at this location and eventually the designer of Central Park in New York City was engaged to redesign the land to be more user friendly for the local population. Walking paths, benches, and places of repose were created and the park began to be a more common place for the general population to come.

In addition to a place of beauty and recreation, many outdoor concerts featuring national and international stars are held in the park.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

Known worldwide as the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, this location was very recently renamed the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. It is home to the home of his birth and Ebenezer Baptist Church from which is preached and pastored.

The MLK site consists of a museum that showcases exhibits about the civil rights movement and Dr. King’s role in this movement. There is a gift shop built inside what was originally a fire station. The center is also home to the “I Have a Dream” International World Peace Rose Garden and a statue may be seen dedicated to Mohanda K Gandhi. Visitors may also walk along the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

Special events are held during Black History Month which is February and every anniversary of the assassination of this great man of peace.

Back in 2008, when the world was wondering if the economies of their countries were going to survive, I took off to Prague, Czech Republic. I had been to Mexico, Morocco, and other countries for work and vacations, but going to Eastern Europe would be a new adventure.

I arrived at the Prague Airport after an 11 hr. flight from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. My first thought was the information I had read about not trying to exchange money at the airport. It is more expensive than other places in the city, so I decided against it. Next was where to get a taxi and getting on to the apartment I had rented for the year.

One of my purposes in going was to earn a Teaching English as a Foreign Language(TEFL) certificate at a school in Prague. I would be earning this certificate and teaching for whoever would hire me after graduating from the 30 day certificate program. I hastened to a taxi and spoke my address as best I could in Czech. Fortunately, the driver had been picking up Americans for a long time at the airport and he took me straight away to my apartment.

After starting school, I began to make myself aware of some of the local attractions. I will list and describe them here, but I recommend after you see them go ahead and “go off the beaten path” to the non-touristy areas. The local people will help you find them and the prices will be cheaper also.

First of all, I think it’s important for any person visiting Prague to understand it is geographically divided in two different ways. It has individual sections and these look like pieces of a puzzle if you see them on a map. In addition, the capital of the Czech Republic is divided into three concentric circles known as Prague 1, Prague 2, and Prague 3. If you cannot pronounce the name of your street, it is possible to simply announce, “I live in Prague 2, section 10.” Every local will know what you mean.

Charles Bridge

So, what did I first see when I went on my first excursion in the city? Well, I went to the Charles Bridge, of course. Upon first stepping foot on to this bridge, one is confronted with the shear power of its presence over the Vltava River. Yes, there will be many tourists, musicians, and people selling their art, puppets and various trinkets. But, if you look closely at the structure and its statues placed all along the sides, you will begin to hear the voice from the past.

The Charles Bridge was started in 1357 when King Charles IV reigned over the area. It took the next two centuries to finish it culminating in the 15^th century. The Charles Bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge which lasted from 1158-1172 and had its demise when flooding overwhelmed it. The Charles Bridge was the primary means of crossing the Vltava River from the Prague Castle into the Old Town. Establishing this connection made this bridge an important land connection for trade passing from eastern to western Europe.

The Charles Bridge is 2, 037 ft. long and 33 ft. wide. There are 30 statues and statuaries along the bridge fashioned in the baroque style. As you approach the Old Town side of the bridge, you will presented with the Old Town Bridge Tower. Do not fail to look up and see the Hebrew letters written on this Gothic style tower.

Prague Castle

It is impossible to not see the Prague Castle as it looms over the city as a great testament to the past and present Czech history and government. It is actually a complex of smaller structures that is the home of the President of the Czech Republic. It houses offices of government, the Bohemian Crown Jewels and is in fact the largest ancient castle in the world.

It was founded in 880 and is presently a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s architecture is a combination of styles ranging from Romanesque to Gothic to present modifications after the Velvet Revolution.

St Vitus Cathedral

Just as the President of the Czech Republic has his own castle that is his administrative address, so does the Archbishop of Prague. He offices at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus, and Adalbert. This is a Roman Catholic cathedral known to the locals as simply Saint Vitus. The cathedral is part of the Prague Castle Complex and is owned by the Czech government. It contains the tombs of Roman Emperors and Bohemian kings.

Prague Jewish Museum

When the Prague Jewish ghetto was demolished, many items were saved and placed in this museum. The founders of the museum were Salomon Hugo Lieben and August Stein sometime around 1906. Although it is an actual museum, one of its original purposes was to save Jewish culture and religious artifacts as a “safe haven.”

It has become nationalized and during the communist era, the museum was not allowed to research or curate on a variety of topics. Research and freedom to include various research areas were allowed in 1994 when the building was returned to the Prague Jewish population of people. Further, items were then made to be under the aupices of the Federation of Jewish Communities thus giving it even more freedom to curate.

Astronomical Clock

Every day of the week, it is possible to stand in the Old Town Square along with a throng of camera phone wavers and observe the Prague Astronomical Clock do its thing. It is mounted on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall and consists of an astronomical dial, statues of Catholic saints, and a set of figures that present what is known as The Walk of the Apostles. It does this every hour upon the hour without fail. There is a skeleton that actually strikes the time and a calendar dial that shows the months of the year.

These were some of the places I visited while teaching in the beautiful city of Prague. I saw these locations most every day as I hustled around to my next client at some place of business. I loved the beauty and history of the place and I carry its inspiration with me.

If you can, go there. It will not fail to inspire, motivate, and educate regarding past culture, art, music, and architecture.