November 15, 2023
Well, that’s a wrap on Scotland. It’s been absolutely magnificent! Here’s a look back at the last few day in Glasgow and my 24 hour train adventures.
November 13 – Glasgow, Scotland
On my final day in Glasgow, I did some of the things I actually got to spend some time exploring the city, which was lovely. I went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and enjoyed the sort of random assortment of exhibits there. These ranged from art by The Glasgow Boys, a collective of young artists in the 1880s in and around Glasgow, to taxidermy animals to marble busts, and much more.
After the art gallery, I went to the Riverside Museum to enjoy the exhibits there. There were lots of trollies, bicycles, and cars all over the museum as well as information about the people and histories associated with different modes of transportation. I appreciated the openness of the museum which made it easy to just wander and see things without needing to follow a particular story or path. In this type of museum, with just about an hour to kill, it was useful to be able to just wander over to whatever most interested me at any given moment.
After that museum, I went to a physical therapy appointment to try to address my shin splint issues. I had a pleasant time speaking with the clinician who gave me some exercises I need to remember to do going forward. The good news is that there doesn’t appear to be an acute injury, just stress from overuse without properly strengthening. So, here’s hoping I can fix this problem.
After the physical therapy appointment and some food, I walked around the University of Glasgow campus. The architecture is absolutely amazing and despite the grey day and rain, it was a lovely way to spend my last evening in Scotland.
November 14 – In Transit
I woke up bright and early on Tuesday morning to start my 24 hour train journey. I took the train from Glasgow to London. We were slightly delayed because of flooding on the tracks, so of course I got a bit nervous about missing my next two connections. However, it ended up being okay. I made my way from London Euston Station to St. Pancras International and got my second stamp from “Londres, France” which I find very funny.
The next train took me to Paris where I transferred stations and got a glimpse of the top of the Eiffel Tower way off in the distance because it was after dark and it was lit up. My train out of Paris was delayed, so I ended up having a long time to wait. I probably could have wandered and seen a bit of Paris, but these sorts of things are always hard to predict and are very upsetting to miss.
When my third, and final train arrived around 10pm, I realized I was up at the top of a three bunk berth. So, for the next 12 hours, I shared a very tiny compartment with 5 other people who I was too nervous to attempt to speak with considering my lack of any French vocabulary.
It was surprisingly comfortable for sleeping and while I didn’t sleep well, my sleep was not terrible. For 21€ (with my train pass) and the story of the adventure it was definitely worth it to take the train. I was pleased that the connections all worked because otherwise, the trip would have been very different.
November 15 – Juan les Pins, France
After 12 hours on the sleeper train, I finally arrived in Antibes, pretty exhausted and pretty out of it. My friend, Fiona, met me at the station and we grabbed some coffee on our way to our host’s place in Juan les Pins, about a 30 minute walk away. It was lovely to step off the train into t-shirt weather, although I had to tie my jacket onto the back of my bag because I did not want to wear it. Everything was so sunny and felt extremely Mediterranean.
I was pretty out of it and took a shower and a nap to try to clear the train trip from my system. My first day in Juan les Pins was very relaxing and low-key, which I greatly appreciated after my day of travel.
