I enjoyed a quiet yesterday to draw breath, sort out details for the rest of my trip and do the washing. Happily, the sun was shining so I got everything dried.
The first act I saw was a tenor singing Rodrigo's Aranjuez Concerto. I always remember this piece because it was featured in the film, Brassed Off, where they called it Orange Juice. The tenor's name was John Innes and he bills himself as The People's Tenor. He sings in the street a lot and has a pretty neat setup: a little Honda generator powering his microphone, all his backing tracks on an iPod and several baskets strewn around to receive the donations. He really was good and I ended up buying one of his CDs.
Today, I decided I would have a day in Glasgow. Jean was off to do some shopping so I walked to the station to get a train. Easy! Glasgow Central Station is just what it says - right in the heart of the city. I really had no idea what I wanted to do so just followed my nose until I found Buchanan Street. This is really great. It's been set aside as a mall, four or five blocks long and it's certainly the place to be on a Saturday morning. It was packed with people, locals and tourists alike. It was the entertainers and street theatre which impressed me.
Further on was a piper and two drummers, in full kit, playing some traditional Scottish tunes but also things like Bohemian Rhapsody, and further on again a scruffy mob called Clanedonia, dressed in ancient kilts and playing Celtic-style music. There was a pop group with a singer who looked to be about 14; they must have been good because they had the bystanders dancing.
In among them were preachers, unembarrassed as they spruiked their message and young kids trying to earn some pocket money. I had no problem spending the morning immersing myself in the culture of this Scottish city.
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