June 23 Last Full Day in Glasgow, Scotland.

Up at 7:00. Looks like another nice day. I had a confirmation from Westjet that they were refunding my original change fee of $136. I didn't even expect that much so no complaints. Breakfast at 7:30 and afterwards I read until about 9:30 when I was able to check in for my flight home. Apparently it is totally booked but I have a seat. At 10 I started my 2.5 mile walk towards Victoria Park and the Fossil Grove. It was sunny and 10 c. It took me a little over 40 minutes with only one wrong turn. I arrived at Victoria Park at the exact opposite end from Fossil Grove and all their signage has been turned, probably by vandals, to show the wrong direction so after a few missteps I set off to wander through the park. It is a large green space with lots of lawns and trees spaced nicely. There are several garden beds and in some they are planting different coloured succulent plants with different messages such as an organization celebrating 150 years of service or the new motto for the city "People Make Glasgow".

Arriving at the Fossil Grove I looked at the illustrations on the sign boards and could easily have imagined myself at Joggins NS. There are 11 tree stumps in situ found in a whinstone quarry that was being reclaimed tight in the centre of Glasgow. They were found in 1880 and immediately recognized as a significant geological discovery. As a result a museum was built right over the top of them. There is also one tree trunk about 5 metres in length lying down on the ground. The stumps are upright with the roots still radiating out from them.

Muse

Fossil Stump

In Joggins we never get to see this type of preservation because of the destruction caused by earthquakes and upheaval of the geological strata. Nothing is in situ but rather raised up in the cliffs and of course constantly eroding out because of the fragile cliff face and force of the tides. I had a very good talk with the curator and 2 Glaswegian older ladies and told them about Joggins which of course they had never heard of. Nova Scotia and Scotland would have been part of a large continent and at about the same latitude 330 million years ago.

I walked back towards the park exit and before doing so decided to have some apple, cheese and a pint of Jennings Cumberland Golden Ale. I always carry my Caledonian Ale glass with me so it seems so much more civilized. I was close to a small pond that had a group of 6 swans and I think some of them were this years brood as well as a couple of coots. Yes Barry there are more things called coots than old guys like you and me. 

Swan and Coots on nest

Coots and babies

I had a nice walk home but had to stop at a pub on Hyndland to use the washroom and oh well may as well have a half pint, which was the cause of my having to use the washroom in the first place.

Arrived home at 2:00. It is a nice afternoon, 17c and sunny with a little cloud cover. 

Wrote up my diary and had a cup of tea with biscuits and back to updating the blog. At 4 I took a walk down Byres \road to see if I could find some souvenirs without any luck. I may have left this too late. Definitely did. My real regret is that I did not get to Bowness on Solway to find something for Richard. I retook some pictures of the church and Kelvingrove Museum that I had lost in the phone glitch.

Back to the hotel at 5 where I had them reserve a taxi for tomorrow at 6:30. The cost is only 14 pounds whereas I had paid 23 + on the way in. Getting to the end of a trip is always a bit anticlimactic so the blog wears on as I do. For the evening all I did was take a shower, watch some TV and finish getting the blog up to date to yesterday. I probably had a couple of beer too but it will likely come as a surprise to you that I left a full one in my room.Off to bed at 11.