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Post by riotgrrl on Nov 22, 2008 19:43:31 GMT
So, it's the credit crunch, and nobody can afford trips to far-off places. The new, environmentally friendly kind of tourism is localised and urban. Some part of your existing city or town, that you wouldn't normally go to - you go there and take photos. Today we took ourselves off for a little walk around the East End of Glasgow, not a place we would normally have much cause to go to. As with most other cities, the East End of Glasgow is where the working class live. OK, maybe that's old-fashioned. How many of them work and how many of them rely on benefits does beg the question of when the phrase 'working class' has had the arse kicked right out of it. So, parts of it, near to the city centre, are pretty run down and not regenerated. And any idea that Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic are mere football teams is soon laid to rest. So you leave the city centre and head off down Duke Street. It's not long before you're reminded that you're in the East End and the normal rules don't apply. Although there are still some much-loved brands produced in industrial plants along Duke Street. At this point in our journey we stopped for a fight about how much profit Gothboy had contributed to this local industry over the past 30 or so years. More to follow . . .
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Post by riotgrrl on Nov 22, 2008 20:02:28 GMT
Our end destiny in the Eastwards stage of our walk was the Louden Tavern, allegedly the most famous pub in Scotland. So you will have heard of it. The red, white and blue bunting and the general colour scheme may give you some indication of which football team this pub is associated with. (It's Rangers you daftie. You know, the Protestant team, the mighty Glasgow Rangers, finalists in last year's UEFA cup, etc. etc.) The pub is painted Rangers-blue all the way through inside, and every wall is covered with Rangers memorabilia. The attention to detail is amazing; the very tables in the pub are painted red, white and blue. PLEASE note the red, white and blue table. As, as this travel story unfolds, the colour of tables in pubs will take on a previously unthought of significance. While we were there the pub was visited by a man off whose jacket my flash reflected and his associate. Nobody seemed perturbed by this in the slightest, which showed true grit I feel. The pub has recently been closed for a refit apparently, and they now have re-opened. You would be hard pushed, outwith of Glasgow, to realise quite how controversial the re-opening banner is. Because Celtic fans sing 'The Fields of Athenry' (which is about the pain of the Irish famine), Rangers fans have composed an answering song, sung to the tune of 'Sloop John B', the chorus of which goes: "The famine's over, Why don't you go home?" (A reasonable enough point one might think . . but only if one was some kind of sectarian bigot.) The singing of this song by Rangers fans has resulted in complaints to the Irish Government (which kind of proves their point, but never mind) and huge amounts of debate in the Scottish media and even the Scottish Parliament. It is in the light of this controversy that I feel the Louden Tavern is maybe . . eh . . not taking things quite as seriously as Celtic fans by taking the piss out the famine song on their 'reopening banner'. The 'famine song controversy' is one of the most hilarious political scandals I ever remember, and it serves to remind me why Scotland is a no-mark, client state, that fucks it up every time. Honestly, when we can work ourselves up into a state of self-righteous agony over the Famine Song and the Fields of Athentry, we really probaly don't DESERVE to be independent. MORE TO FOLLOW
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Post by riotgrrl on Nov 22, 2008 20:11:52 GMT
So, we enjoyed a pint, and one of those crappy little mini bottles of red wine that they give you in pubs that don't sell enough wine to make it worth their while to have a proper bottle open in the Louden Tavern, and enjoyed the company of a regular, who informed us that Celtic always received preferential penalty divisions, that there was a clear link between Catholicism and child sex abuse, and that he wished all Catholics dead. Despite some suggestions on our part, he could see no merit in the opinion that they were no worse than the Muslims. We felt we should make our excuses and leave at this point, turning south down towards the Gallowgate. Bizarrely, there is one solitary doo-cot standing there, like some kind of monument to old-school working classism. Beyond the doocot you can see Parkhead Stadium, home of Glasgow Celtic football club, mere minutes away from the Louden Tavern. If you look closely at this tower block, you will see that somebody, hundreds of feed above the ground, had taken the trouble to paint Ulster Loyalist paramilitary organisation supporting graffiti. However, it was not all depressing sectarianism. We also came across this bizarre block of newly built, trendy, modern flats, stuck behind an obviously listed facade. I don't know what this facade was, and am trying to find out, but it contrasts very strangely with the modernity of the new flats behind. We also came across some other recently-built modern flats, which appeared to have gone pretty much straight-to-slum. Much pondering on the nature of poverty and gentrification. More to follow.
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Post by riotgrrl on Nov 22, 2008 20:29:52 GMT
So we walked West down the Gallowgate towards the world famous Barrowland Ballroom, widely acknowledged by bands from all over the world to be one of the best venues on the whole planet. Which seems fair to me, and I've been there often and will shortly be there again. Everyone has a history with Barrowlands - mine includes the Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Motorhead, Simple Minds, Stiff Little Fingers, Muse, Idlewild, the Levellers, Catatonia, the Cardigans, Travis, Eminem . . and many more. During the day at weekends the Barrowlands forms part of the famous 'Barras' Market . . which is a tacky street market where one can buy pirate DVDs and stolen goods generally. So, despite this surge of nationalistic pride about my city hosting the acknowledged best live music venue in the world, as i looked up and down the street, I became a little confused as to which country exactly it was I was living in. So, that last photo, Baird's Bar, is a Celtic pub. Had you guessed? So we went in it for a further drink. Although it had adopted a more Bohemian approach to home decor, it's fair to say that Bairds Bar had a similiar vibe to the Louden Tavern, in that every space of the walls and ceiling were covered with memorabilia. The tables were painted green (of course . . see, I told you I was coming back to that) and the drinks were served in Guinness glasses even when the drink was lager. It was a relief to know that we would face a life ban had we indulged in any sectarian chanting. Among the Aladin's cave of Celtic and related memorabilia, it was nice to see that space was still kept for those well-known Celtic players from the 1960s, Jack and Bobby Kennedy. Do you think they scored many goals for Celtic? Sorry about the poor focus on this one, but it really was shite, and wouldn't look good even if it was in focus. It's a sort of doormat, pinned to the wall. So not a good look. FINAL PART TO FOLLOW
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Post by riotgrrl on Nov 22, 2008 20:33:31 GMT
We headed out the pub west, and soon were back in the city centre, where the normal folk live. Never been so happy to see the Tron in my life . . Sadly, however, it seems that even sober southsiders like ourselves have been infected by the madness of this silly, silly city. At our bus stop . . the bus that takes you over the river and back to sanity . . .someone had obviously had some kind of a personal argument concering the timetabling. We just sighed . . and went for another drink.
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Post by Patrick on Nov 22, 2008 21:31:15 GMT
Amazing! - Wouldn't it be verging on blasphemy to put lager in a Guinness glass? In these cash strapped times you'd make a mint with that sort of travel guide! More accolades to follow! (I wonder if there's a travel message board - we could send a link!) It depresses me madly that - as I've oft repeated - we still have such dereliction in the so called fourth largest economy! (Who knows - I expect we're about sixth now!)
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Post by trubble on Nov 23, 2008 10:16:36 GMT
Brilliant report, Riot. Is that Rangers Pub beside the Celtic football ground? Because we passed one just like it on the way to see Celtic play but I was too scared to go in. Edit: Doh! It is. Serves me right for speed reading. (ie mainly looking at the pictures). At least I recognised it correctly. The Irish Quarter is chillingly unlike anything I've ever seen in Ireland apart from the street shot of the flag over the bar - I've seen stuff like that but mainly in the really rough areas of Dublin. Again, I was too scared to go in. Heehee I remember some fuss here too. I must admit that the rangers fans have a point but the irish over there are far too scary to be allowed back here. Here, we're all nice. We even let England sing God Save the Queen inside our national stadium, Croke Park, the biggest symbol of Irish freedom-from-the-British in the country and into which the British Soldiers once drove a tank and gunned down some of the crowd and from which all non-Gaelic games have been banned. There were no boos, no disrespect, there was even some joining in, but the reply was in the Irish Anthem which has never in my lifetime been sung with such gusto and pride as then. It brought a tear to my eye.
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Post by trubble on Nov 23, 2008 10:18:23 GMT
Wouldn't it be verging on blasphemy to put lager in a Guinness glass? Nope. That is a common sight. The green tables... not so much. I don't know what cash might be forthcoming but I reckon this is the future for tourism and travel guides. The least we can do is form the Stub Crouch Travel Guide. I'm really down with this idea.
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Post by swl on Nov 30, 2008 0:59:18 GMT
That's really good Riot. If it helps, this is the route Riot took - If you're ever lost in Glasgow, there's a simple way to find out how far east in the city you are. Just knock on a door and check how much jewellery the lady of the house is wearing. A single gold necklace and a sovereign ring means you're in Calton. 3 gold necklaces, gold earrings and 4 gold sovereign rings means you're in Parkhead. Further east in Carntyne, the 'lady' will be wearing at least 5 necklaces (one of which will spell out her name), multiple earrings and almost all her fingers will be adorned with gold. By the time you get to Easterhouse, it's like Tutankhamun has answered the door.
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Post by housesparrow on Nov 30, 2008 12:08:41 GMT
I really enjoyed that. As soon as I can get the hang of photobucket I shall try something in my local area. SWL has given me a clue to where I might start, but I shall have to wait until the summer when the bling is more visible.
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Post by trubble on Nov 30, 2008 16:05:23 GMT
swl
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