It has been about 12 months since we have posted. The original idea of this blog was to capture our travels... but as we came back early we ever quite got out of NZ. Anyway, as it is about travels we thought why not continue... so here it is... only this time its a bit more closer to home.
We missed out on the Olympics so we decided to try and get tickets for the next international event to hit our shores... the Glasgow commonwealth games. So about a year ago and a half ago, there we were on the phone and internet to our good friends Tom and Hannah booking tickets. Surprisingly it was fairly easy and we got the tickets we wanted - cycling, gymnastics and hockey (that was a bonus one as tickets were cheap and we needed to fill a day).
Off to the games
We wanted to make the most of the trip so Julia and I decided to stay up in Scotland after the games and go on a little adventure. Anyway more about that in another post.
One thing I have realised is that Scotland... well Glasgow is a lot closer than I thought - only 6 hours - but we decided to split the journey and stayed with my family just south of Manchester (thanks Jen).
As we entered Scotland (Julia grabbing the camera to take a photo of the 'welcome to Scotland' sign) the landscape became a lot more interesting, with hills rising up around the road... we knew we were in Scotland.
We made it!
We decided to camp at camp ninja as even a year in advance, there was little/no accommodation in Glasgow. The site was near the Tunnocks tea cake factory (to Julia' s delight) and only a 20 mins or so bus journey from the venues and centre of the city. Good facilities and a fry up in the morning. .. not bad for a pop up campsite.
The first event was cycling in the velodrome. It was awesome. .. there were loads of races - points, pursuit and tandem - we even saw Scotland get a gold! In the evening we headed into the city. There was such a great atmosphere! There was music, live performances, stalls etc. And loads of people mulling about... which meant finding a restaurant a little tricky... but we found one in the end... and it was surprising good! Glasgow really put on a good show!
Cycling in the Velodrome
Our next event was the hockey the following night so we decided to investigate the city during the day. After a healthy Scottish breakfast, we headed to the games park to try to catch the marathon and see what else was going on. We followed this up with a wonder around town ending up at the mackintosh building. The burnt put shell was really sad to see and I could only imagine what it was like inside. We chilled out in merchants square for a drink or two and then headed off to the hockey.
Thirsty work
It was here that we first experienced the Scottish weather. Up to that point it had been lovely, but half way through the second game the heavens opened... and when it rains in Scotland it really does rain! Luckily enough after the monsoon, it cleared up and England came out to play beating Malaysia 8-1 (if i recall correctly) - so lots of goals to cheer.
Umbrellas up!
Great game
Our final day in Glasgow was at the Gymnastics. This was one of the highlights as not only did we have fantastic seats, but also England were on top form! It really is amazing to see - the flips, jumps, twists and turns! No medals that day, but as we all know England really did clean up!
Flying through the air
Our new friend Clyde
The Scottish adventure wasn't finished there... we then headed to Skye...
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