Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland by population and the third largest in the UK. It developed as a port city on the River Clyde and at one point over half of all tobacco imported into the UK arrived through Glasgow. The wealth created resulted in a building boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The two most noted architects of the time were Alexander “Greek” Thomson, who designed buildings based on classicism, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh who created “Glasgow Style”.
The city has major cultural institutions including Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which we visited. The main focus of the visit was to attend the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Glasgow previously hosted the Games in 2014 and stepped in to host the 2026 Games when the state of Victoria in Australia reneged on its agreement to host them. This resulted from self-inflicted cost overruns in an attempt to compete with other state in hosting major sports events. Part of the cost of the Glasgow Games was funded by a cancellation fee from Victoria. The Australians still turned up to lead the medals table.
