Tinseltown is in the rain

I've just got back from a weekend in Glasgow where I was celebrating the impending marriage of my lovely friend Laura. Laura has an 8 week old baby so it promised to be a relaxed, chilled out time which was just what I needed. M and O dropped me off at City Airport which was bit traumatic as she got really upset and wanted to come too. So I felt a bit tearful as I boarded the flight, but it was so liberating to have a whole Saturday and Sunday in a different city by myself.

the lovely Laura

Within five minutes of touching down, I knew I was back in Glasgow because:

• The smell of cigarette smoke hit me as soon as I left the terminal. Despite the ban everyone still smokes here!
• It was grey, rainy and 'dreich'
  
• The taxi driver was listening to football on Radio Scotland - Celtic v Hibs. All taxi drivers listen to the football on Radio Scotland.
• I heard 'Awright Big Man, how's it goin?' and the phrase 'big banana feet'
• To quote the strapline when Glasgow was the city of culture - Glasgow's Smiles Better. Everyone smiles and says hello. Lovely man who was directing the taxi queues noticed I was shivering and said 'No long now hen' and gave me a big gappy smile. It's a cliche but it's true, people are friendly in Glasgow.

Glasgow always makes me feel excited. I grew up in a small village which is slap bang in the middle of Scotland and almost equidistant between Edinburgh and Glasgow. I've always flitted between the two. When I was little Edinburgh was culture, museums, the castle, Festival and trips to Jenners Department Store for outfits for special occassions and to see the tree at Christmas time. Then as a teenager Glasgow was about bunking off, nightclubs, fashion, music and boys.

Glasgow has a hardness, a glitteriness, for all it's poverty a naughty glamour that was particularly appealing as a teenager. It was the home of the Sub Club, Cafe Nicos and the summer of the City Of Culture when the trains ran all through the night. I'd get the train through, jump on the underground to Hillhead and wander around, soaking up the studenty vibe, falling in love with indie boys dressed like Robert Smith from The Cure. I'd try to emulate the sophisticated looking girls with their dark bobs, bright red lips and black dresses. I dreamed of going to uni there and living in the west end. It was the place that when my best friend Sharon got her first car we'd drive up the M8 to, the boombox blaring in the back, Shazzy twirling her long curly hair and us singing and talking ten to the dozen. It was also the place that I went to when I left home for the first time, almost 18 and full of expectation. I fell out of love with it then, my first year away from home. I hated being stuck out in the halls of residence at Jordanhill. Instead of late night discussions over red wine I had PE students setting the fire alarms of at 3am and thinking it was hilarious to turn people's bedrooms over with shaving foam. I didn't like my course and spent too long dreaming and drawing purple daisies a la De La Soul on my lab coat and not enough time studying my anatomy books. I was altogether too young, without the verve and nerve to be what I wanted to be. But I still have a soft spot for it.

I've known Laura for many, many years now. I can truly say she is the loveliest person I know. We've both moved about a bit over the years since we left uni and I'm so glad that we've always managed to keep in touch. She's one of those amazing people that whenever you get together you just pickup where you left off. I really enjoyed her party, we had champagne cocktails and cupcakes to start, then some yummy thai food. I had one of those seven degrees of separation/small world moments too as TWO of the girls at her party are from my home village - I never meet anyone from there, let alone two.

I spent all of my time in the west end this weekend. The weather was too rainy to go further afield so I just hung out, visited all my old haunts and drank lots of coffee - without having to keep a two year old amused! I love the architecture in this part of Glasgow, how majestic are these wonderful Victorian sandstone buildings?

In and around Great Western Road

I walked down Great Western Road to Byers Road to check out my old haunts. It's nice to see not too much has changed, although slightly less studenty and more upmarket than I remember. The staff in Fopp Records are as grumpy as ever, the Ubiquitous Chip and Cul de Sac on Ruthven Lane are still going strong. But the wonderful old greasy spoon cafe on Ruthven Lane is no longer there, and I was surprised to see a M&S Simply Foods amongst all the pubs.

Although it was wonderful to catch up with old friends, a close second was the luxury of having a massive hotel bedroom all to myself and breakfast in bed with all the newspapers on Sunday morning! I stayed at Hotel du Vin One Devonshire Gardens which was stunning.

My room and stunning bathroom, loved the black tiles