September 17. Glasgow: our first step on our Scottish journey. I often heard that Glasgow was not very interesting, especially when compared to Edinburgh. Well, I actually really enjoyed the city and even though I prefer the capital’s architecture, I was not disappointed by Glasgow’s life and history.

The visit began at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The biggest museum in Glasgow opened in 1901. Located near the University and Kelvingrove Park, its architecture will amaze you. On the inside, 22 galleries on various themes such as painting, Scottish history, arms and armours, Ancient Egypt, and many more.

The Hunterian Museum, our second cultural visit for the day. Opened in 1807, it is the oldest public museum in Scotland and property of the University of Glasgow. It was founded on Dr Hunter’s will and displays instruments that belonged to James Watt, Lord Kelvin and Joseph Lister, as well as objects from James Cook’s expeditions.

The museum also displays objects and artefacts on Roman presence and the Antonine Wall, scientific and medical history, but also about geology, zoology or archeology. The museum is quite small (especially when compared to the Kelvingrove Museum) but there are a lot of interesting things to learn. Moreover, it is not as crowded nor as tiring as bigger museums, plus, entry is free! Sounds like a good deal, doesn’t it?

The rest of the day was spend wandering in the streets of Glasgow. The city is bustling  and, well, Scottish-like. It is not unusual to see bagpipes players in the most crowded streets.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time left, although the city deserves more to be fully visited. I think a couple of days would be a minimum for a cultural visit.

We headed to Fort William in the afternoon. We had a reservation on the 19th for an event I could not miss and wanted to spend a day in the city beforehand, to get familiar with the place. We stopped an hour or so on the banks of Loch Lomond, which is worth the time!

The road A82 to Fort William, in the lowlands, cross through the beautiful landscape of Glen Coe. The sunlight bathes the hills, colouring them in rust.

Some of you may also recognized the scene from Skyfall!

• – The Fiery Heart