Scotland: Part 1

Overview

Head to this website to learn more about Scotland :)

www.visitscotland.com

Hello everyone, my name is Sara. Last year I decided that I wanted to travel and discover a new culture and a new way of life. I was very interested in Celtic nations and I really wanted to see either Ireland or Scotland. That is why I applied for an Erasmus Trimester at the University of the West of Scotland, in Paisley. My journey in Scotland is almost over now and I wanted to introduce you the amazing country that is Scotland and my experiences far from my native country, France.

I arrived in Glasgow on the 28th of August with 3 other French students from my university in Saint Etienne. The trip was quite long, and we were all tired but when we finally landed the landscape in front of us was nice. The weather was so changing that we had the impression to be always looking at a different landscape each minute. Scotland has for sure a rainy weather, but it was not a problem if the landscapes were very fascinating.

I lived in Paisley during my whole stay in Scotland. It is a peaceful city 7 miles (12 kilometres) far from Glasgow, so this made it easy for my friends and I to spend time in Glasgow and discover the city. When arriving we have been welcomed by the students’ accommodation team of Paisley. The members of the team were very friendly to us. After that we discovered the campus life of the University of the West of Scotland with many events organised by the Student Union. That was something new for me as I never live on a campus before. There are many pubs in Paisley so this allow many foreign students to go out and discover the night life of the city.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland. I really liked the city of Glasgow because it is a big city, very young and dynamic but at the same time people are not stressed like in other big cities. In many big cities we can found people always in a hurry, but the mood of Glasgow is different, and people are relaxed, welcoming and polite. As said before, I spent most of my time in Glasgow and one of the places that I visited was the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

It is one of the most important museums in Scotland. It is a very impressive building near the centre of the city, where you can enjoy many works from artists like Salvador Dali. The museum sheltered a very impressive collection of works from all around the world. That is why it was impossible to see all the works in only one afternoon. I went there with my friend Yufei that I met in Paisley and we were very impressed by the beautiful architecture of the museum.

But if you’re not fond of museums you can go shopping in Buchanan Street, which is one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow. You can found many shops and activities in Buchanan Street, like an Harry Potter shop for example or the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Finally, you can have a walk alongside the River Clyde and be in the open air. The River Clyde was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire. The thing that made my stay in Scotland pleasant was Scottish people. They are always very warm and willing to help. The Scots know how to enjoy life and are very proud of their cultural identity. Their kindness often made me forget about the rainy or harsh weather of the country.

Hope you enjoyed that look into Scotland

See you next time :)