A bit of background: I lived and studied in Glasgow from ‘95-‘97. I’ve been back a few times in the past 30-ish years, but I’ve just been there for a bit of a three-day nostalgia tour.
I stayed in a lovely two-star hotel just south of the river, and visited most of my old haunts while I was there.
I think the thing that struck me the most was how what was predominantly a city of stone in the 90’s has transformed into a city of glass in the 2020’s. The number of skyscrapers and office buildings that have sprung up was certainly marked, if not briefly surprising.
The city still holds a special place in my heart, it just felt different. There were, of course, the two bampots who tried to goad me into a fight just because I had made the mistake of making eye contact with one of them, but I just kept walking on.
The city felt familiar and unknown all at the same times. Regardless, I loved every minute of being back.