Free Tango and Church

Wednesday there is a free milonga at the Blackfriars pub, in City Center. Good floor, good DJ, good music, good people, good dancers. Good price. I will return often.


 Today, after getting up late from a long and fun-filled evening, I decided to visit Glasgow Cathedral. It's a long way away, 2-3 miles, but it was worth it. I unfortunately arrived very late, so half of it was closed, and tours were not running.
Technically it has not been a cathedral since the Scottish reformation, but is part of the Church of Scotland and owned by the Crown.

 The church is named after the 6th century saint Mungo (he of Harry Potter fame), who founded it. His insignia are found in the Glaswegian coat-of-arms, and in a poem:
Here is the bird that never flew
Here is the tree that never grew
Here is the bell that never rang
Here is the fish that never swam


The church is surrounded by a very large and very full graveyard.  It was consecrated as a place of burial in the early 5th century.

The current building was consecrated in 1197, replacing previous one that had been damaged by fire. It has the oldest intact spire in Scotland.

 The inside was glorious.

Next to the cathedral is the Royal Infirmary. Yes, this is an actual working hospital.

On the other side there is a museum of religion. Again, I had only a short time to visit before it closed, but they had some very cool exhibits.