West End

Today was a lighter day to help the guys recover from all the walking yesterday.  So we started the day off right with a stop at Beefcake Cafe, our favorite.  Luis thoroughly enjoyed the freshly baked items, so we were like proud patrons.  I was also very happy with my ginger cake, even though they thought I was crazy.  Pedro thinks ginger tastes like soap. It's not his fault, he's got the genes that make his brain perceive ginger as a soap flavor. Turns out Luis has it too! Oh well, more for me. 

The Botanical Gardens was our first stop.  We went through the glass houses first, since they have the most plants, and always have something different in bloom. 

The carnivorous plants were thriving today! There were also a few tropical plants we hadn't seen before, so it was a bit of home.

I've heard of these plants, but never saw them! (photo with big yellow bulbs) It's called 'Bitter Ginger' but Luis and I recognized it as the shampoo plant.  If you've got these growing in your backyard, you can squeeze out your own natural shampoo from the bulbs, and it'll replenish for more!

The snapdragons were blooming like crazy, and the bumblebees were loving it. 

Once again, it was a nice day, so a lot of people were at the park, lounging on the lawn. 

Certain parts of the park weren't in bloom anymore, like the roses, so we went through the herbs and scented plants garden.  

Pedro wanted to show off his University's main campus after that, and we stopped along the way for drinks.  Pedro discovered that we have a Xing Fu Tang in Glasgow and wanted to visit.  It's a fancy boba tea shop that we loved in London.  Pedro's tea was even topped with a panna cotta rabbit, ooh la la.

Pedro took us through the University library first, planning on seeing the wire statues, but they weren't there.  After a good look around, we found them on the fourth floor, which also gave us a nice view of the older portion of the campus. 

The old part of the school is my favorite.  Pedro caught me falling behind to take more pictures than Luis.

There is a museum inside the university, The Hunterian Museum, the oldest public museum in Scotland. It's full of an odd assortment of things; medical specimens, gemstones, fossils, and insects. 

We walked back to the bus stop through our favorite hidden spot, showing Luis all the neat restaurants and shops throughout West End. 

I don't know why, but this restaurant's name just cracked me up.  There are plenty of cleverly named shops in Glasgow, but I think Bo'Vine Meat & Wine is the winner. 

On our way home we saw some paddleboarders on the canal.  Pedro and I always see these people as very brave, willing to fall into that water.