Goodbye London Hello Glasgow

Kelly had a restless sleep as she continually checked her flight tracker app watching the band work it's way to Glasgow. (I was out cold personally) The band has many Scottish descendants therefore there is a certain "thrift factor" that helped dictate the routing. They went West Jet from Victoria to Toronto, Toronto to Halifax then on to Glasgow. Others took different routes to arrive even earlier into Glasgow this morning.

Kelly is suffering some PSD (post shopping depression) from having to dispense with the wellie boot box and bag. (For reasons unknown to the male species, the box the items come in holds significant material value.... at least for a couple years until eventually discarded.) On the advice of our daughter Lauren (via text), every effort was made to accommodate this box but alas, room was non existent.

We packed up our gear along with an extra drum & uniform and grabbed a cab to London Euston  Station. Our cruiser friend Dan had arrange passage on the Virgin Train system so once at the station we hunted down our departure track (Dan texted it) and had a bite to eat.

Kelly enjoys the comforts of 1st Class.

Hello First Class! Did I mention Dan is our favorite friend at this point!!   Kelly did find some comfort in the first class seats on the Train. The G coach on the 1S40 to Glasgow will be our spot for the next few hours. Departing 10 seconds early at 09:44:50 :-) we pulled out of Euston station and enjoyed the views and amenities provided.

Cruise friends Linda and Drew even came out to the platform at Wigan to see a glimpse of us through the window.... Canadian Flags flying 🇨🇦 sort of.... We had a very quick chat at the door and then away we went.

Canadian maple leafs and shirt to welcome us... Only these two would walk over to wave hello!

After the Lake District the hills got a little bigger and the countryside took on a more rolling appearance. The train paralleled the M6 motorway for awhile.

Rolling countryside

We stopped a Carlisle, just shy of the Scottish border and the rains started if on cue. We arrived at Glasgow Station early at 14:58 and promptly put on our rain gear.

Heading to the cab in Glasgow.

Grabbed a cab to the Strathclyde University dorms and with the help of our driver, quickly found the office. Keys in hand, we headed up to our dorm room and ran into our flat mates Lori & Paul. For reasons unknown we ended up getting the only room with a double bed. After some discussion Paul moved his bed into Lori's room and they were all set with an even larger double bed!

Shelley came down while we unpacked our clothes and got caught up on the trip etc... and to see Kelly's boots.

We climbed up to the top floor and had a glass of wine with Shelley, Doug, Chelsea, Austin, Ajay and little London. (London did not have wine!)

Social in full swing!

A bunch of us headed to the local Aldi food store to get some staples for the next few days. The stairs that we hiked down now limited the load going up.

We decided to get Kris's room key and deliver his drum and uniform kit to his room. Yes what great parents!! Unfortunately Paul was longing for his drum and stole Kris's into his room so the poor man could sleep a little better. His drum and luggage are still in Toronto due to a connection issue with West Jet Encore.... it's another story.

While coming back from the office we met up with Colin, Dave and Bob in the Lord Todd Bar. Gerri also arrived later. A quick pint and catch up then back to transfer Kris's stuff.

Lord Todd Bar on the campus grounds.

Back at the pad we had a Scotch pie for dinner then dropped some of Kris's stuff. Rumors of a small party came true as we visited Jill & Drew Mackay's room to discuss the days events. Some music, wine, several brands of scotch and conversation ensued. Great hosts and they had great views from their flat, including the Glasgow Green Park that will hold the World Championships.

Practice session underway.

 Off to bed... band practice/first meeting at 09:30 sharp!