A Little Bit of Literary Glasgow. . .

As any librarian or library user knows, you can tell a lot about a city from its libraries, not just the collection but the design, the programming, the location etc.  When exploring a city for the first time I always go and visit their main branch, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Glasgow's Mitchell Library is the largest public reference library in Europe! And apparently has one of the best collections of resources for researching your family history.   

It's a lovely blend of the old and new - unfortunately what seemed to be the main reading room was closed as they were mounting some sort of exhibition. But it certainly was a busy and inspiring place to read or study in, and a great place to stop en route to chasing down almost every bit of Charles Rennie Macintosh architecture/design to be seen in Glasgow.

Then you have to love a city that celebrates its writers with a major statue in the heart of downtown.  This is Sir Walter Scott (and friend) looking down on George Square.