Glasgow 2025

Natalie Hancock, Ashley Fraser, and me at Kelvingrove Museum

Kitchen at tenement house

kitchen at tenement house - look at the rod where you can hang wet towels and aprons. There is a pulley system to raise and lower it

Bedroom in tenement house

Sewing corner in bedroom of tenement house

parlor in tenement house

fireplace in parlor in tenement house

hidden bed

Hill House

Hill House living room

Hill House library

Hill House hallway

Hill House kitchen

Primary bedroom in Hill House

Hill House exterior

Hill House gardens

On top of Knockderry

My Knockderry Group

Our study abroad group at Knockderry, minus some who fled to the water without permission

Grabbing dinner with Ashley

Private tour with colin

We were on top of the music room. They are working on restoring the ceiling and the intricate painting and lettering on the ceiling. To do this, they have a false floor so you can be close to the ceiling. That won't happen again.

Clothes in Kelvingrove

Ladie's room in Mackintosh at Willow

Mackintosh at the Willow

Mackintosh Rose

Me, Colin, and Natalie on our guided tour of Knockderry Castle

I didn't expect much from Glasgow, but I loved it. The hotel was easily the nicest hotel we stayed in on all of study abroad. I even had a bathtub. Glasgow had all the great Scottish souvenirs at about 25% cheaper than in Edinburgh. I really wanted to get a temple bag in Scotland. I thought I'd end up with a Harris Tweed, but I ended up getting a cute red/brown/tan plaid tote bag that I just love. It was a fraction of the cost of Harris Tweed, and so unique. I used it on study abroad for a day bag. It's my temple bag now that I'm home. 

We went to the Mackintosh at the Willow, a tea room designed by Scottish designer duo Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald for Miss Cranston, a socialite and business owner. We got a tour before it opened for tea. It was so beautiful. Every design detail is so specific, even the chairs and walls aligned. The purples and pinks were so soothing. The ladies room, where no men are allowed, was especially great. 

We also went to Kelvingrove, a museum in Glasgow, and met up with Ashley Fraser there. There were a lot of pieces by Mackintosh and Macdonald, and some pieces of clothing. Early pieces from the 1800's showed how women repurposed pieces of clothing...almost like the first capsule wardrobe, with mix and match and multipurpose pieces. I found Dr. Pepper Zero right across the street from our hotel. 

A few of us toured a tenement house that was incredible. It was in the same state it had been in for decades, while a single woman lived there from the 1920's to the 1960's. I love old homes that have a story. The kitchen, parlor, bathroom, bedroom, etc. were so cool to see. There were even hidden beds where company could sleep in the kitchen and parlor. There was an old sewing machine, that predated Singer brand. Even handwritten recipes were on the kitchen counter. We really got a kick out of the kitchen timer, which was an hourglass mounted to a small piece of wood with a hole on the top and bottom. There was a nail on the wall. You could turn the hourglass over and tip it over again to keep time. The only time I've taken an Uber on study abroad was when we left the Tenement House because it was absolutely pouring rain. Natalie and I went with Ashley Fraser to Knockderry Castle that night to get a private tour with Colin, the contractor over the entire renovation. We walked through the castle, learning about it's history and renovation, for more than 2 hours. What a treat. 

The next day we took a coach to the Hill House, the home that Mackintosh and Macdonald designed and raised their kids in. WOW. Their design aesthetic is so beautiful and unique. It was built in 1904 and is art nouveau style. It's been really fun to learn about famous architects and designers and their work from Chad. The house is currently in a big box because they are preserving the exterior. We got to walk all around the house and to the rooftop. That won't be around for long, so it was a unique experience. 

From the Hill House, we rode to Knockderry Castle. Our colleague Chelom Leavitt and her husband have purchased a castle in Scotland. They are restoring it. It's huge and will be an incredible home when it's done. We split into 3 groups. One group toured with Colin. One group went with the interior designer, and my group with with Jamie, a member of the local ward who does their social media. We spent about 30 minutes touring the grounds and seeing renderings of the gardens. Then we had 30 minutes in the castle. We even got to climb the scaffolding. Some students got to hammer in tile shingles. They got to sign their names to the shingle. We had vests and hard hats. Colin said we needed to pray for no rain and for the safety inspector to not show up. He said he could lose his job if they saw all of us there, as it is an active construction sight. Our student Addie was especially excited to be in Colin's group, as she is majoring in construction management. Yes, we put her in that group on purpose. That's the kind of intentionality that we give to study abroad. We had lovely lunch of soups and bread and treats in the guest cottage, then drove the Edinburgh and got settled into the Travelodge. 

I absolutely love Scotland!

Glasgow miracles: finding Dr. Pepper Zero, no rain or safety inspector on Knockderry Castle day. Students are happy with their rooming assignments. We prayed about rooming assignments before we made them. We don't tell students who their roommates will be until we get to each hotel. Each time, students seem genuinely happy with the arrangements and get closer to students they didn't know well yet. It's really quite miraculous.