(Originally in the notebook, now here in convenient digital form. Post date has been appropriately manipulated.)

It might be sleep deprivation talking, but this is a remarkable city. So far, in the past 30 minutes I have passed up the opportunity to pay 20p to use a “Superloo” (the mind reels), spent £1.30 on a ballpoint pen, had no idea wha tthe lady who sold me the pen said, and taken some pictures.

The couple on the bench next to me is breaking up, I think. The guys sounds exactly like Spud from Trainspotting (later I would come to grips with the fact that not everyone in Scotland sounds exactly like Trainspotting characters. –Ed.). The girl is just fed up. You don’t need to understand a Glasgow accent to figure that out.

The cops here all wear bulletproof vests. I wonder if they always do or if it’s a response to the car bomb at the airport last month. I’m watching two cops question some guy while his friend videotapes.

I’m honestly not terribly impressed with Glasgow. I’m in the city centre area, which is just a huge shopping district, like that part of Cork. Edinburgh seems a bit funkier, plus everywhere you look there are these mountains. Glasgow’s just a city, from what I can tell. (Clare, if you’re reading this, I apologize. I didn’t know better when I wrote this originally. –Ed.)

Maybe the cops weren’t questioning the guy. They’re all getting along fine now. Maybe he was intervieweing them? One cop looks like a thinner Tommy Lasorda. The other looks like he’s about 16.

If this were Ireland four summers ago, I’d nap here. There are a lot of people doing just that. I think this is probably where you go if you work downtown, it’s warm and sunny out, and it’s your lunch break. If there were more grass and less pavement, this would be an amazing spot.

Glasgow

I’ll head up to the bus station in a few minutes. I don’t want to miss the last bus to Drymen. I can’t wait to sleep.