Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow University.

Today was mostly spent in museums. I visited Kelvingrove and Hunterian which were right by each other. I didn't realize that Glasgow University had a museum, but it was convenient that they did! So today will be lots of pictures. I took a lot of photos. Most of them were art pieces or things that I liked at the moment. I tried to refrain from taking pictures of the entire museum because I felt like I was disrespecting the museum by taking so many... But I still took quite a lot though... 

 On the way, I saw this. I thought it was interesting. 

 On the left the Kelvingrove Museum from the street. Adjacent is a building of similar architecture but it's not part of the museum. I forget what it was, something legal or for the city.

 Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum 

Me in front of the museum

 When you walk in, this is what you see.

They have food and coffee on either side. 

 From the second floor

 The organ. There was a recital at 1:00 today. 

 The organist. 

I took a video of him playing. I took one looking up because I wandered waiting for it to start and this was the first song. 

The museum is pretty large and I was somewhat in a rush because I planned on fitting in 2 museums in the day... But there was too much to see. I rushed only a few exhibits that I have seen a lot of, such as Egyptian and one of the animal exhibits. There was a great range of things, from various paintings from various time periods in Scotland, bugs and animals, artifacts from Scotland and around the world, fossils, and more. I'll post some things I liked. 

 I really liked this painting 

 This moved me, the father and daughter lost the mother. I thought the statue was well placed. You can't see it here but it was given a lot of space apart form other pieces. 

 One of the halls on the second floor, behind me leads to the main hall where the organ is as well as the statue of the father and daughter. 

 When it comes to wood, I think it's awesome seeing things carved out of one big chunk. 

 Some old Scottish artifacts. They used wood for a lot. (sorry for the dark picture.)

I thought this was a cool way of displaying weaponry. I didn't take much photos of it, but Japan had an influence on Scottish art at one point (I learned this while reading about some paintings). You'll notice there is a samurai on the middle right. In front of where he is facing, there are Japanese weapons. I thought it was interesting.

 Scottish steam engine, one of the best in its time. Its so cool and well designed! 

 Side view 

 I guess you might call this the south wing? It's to the right of where the organ is. There was an exhibit called expressions here. The hanging heads have various expressions on their faces. Click on the picture for a better look! 

 French influence in Scottish art

 Who does this portrait remind you of? The artist, Camille Corot, was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci with this painting. 

Beautiful landscape painting.
You can see men hunting deer.

Painting representing the tragedy of "The Massacre of Glencoe"

North wing, the left of the main hall. The Wild life exhibit. 

This baby dragon like lizard was put in a flying insect display along with a flying badger of some sort. 

Wood land animals. They had a great display of various birds. 

The Capercaillie is the largest game bird of Scotland. Its an endangered species because its habitat is shrinking and is often killed by electric fences bordering its habitat and wild predators. It was even extinct at one point in Scotland until another country helped bring the species back. It is heavily protected. 

One of the coolest skeletons I've seen, ever. 

Can't have fossils without the skeleton of the classic raptor. There were smaller fossils in a display around it. 

Look at how large these butterflies are compared to a pygmy finch. 

Look at all these bugs compared to a pygmy shrew.

World's largest crab. 3.69 meters. 

World's smallest crab. 

Big turtle and large sea shell 

 I decided to exit the museum from the other side and it was good that I did. This is behind the outside of the building. This is where the cars park behind me. 

 Another angle

Glasgow university was really close by, just across the river. So I decided to go take a walk since I didn't have time to go to the other museum. (little did I know, there was a museum in the university anyways. 

I passed by this earlier on the way to Kelvingrove. Kelvingrove is pretty much on the right of this picture. That bridge takes you to it. 

 Crossing the bridge in the picture, you come along this path. 

 I thought this house looked cool.

 There are a ton of daffodils all around in the grass. 

I came buy a guy feeding birds. It was cool because he had little finches coming to eat from his hand. I wanted to take a picture but I felt that I should ask for his permission but didn't want to disturb him... I scared the birds when walking by anyways... But they came back shortly after. 

So I didn't approach the front of the tower because there wasn't much room to get a good full shot of it because that side is by a hill and there was only a bit of road for cars to drive through and a little parking space. So I just went around to enter the University. 

I didn't come across any main lobbies or anything. I couldn't find it. Inside was somewhat cramped full of hall ways and there were a couple of classes in progress so I didn't want to wander and be told I wasn't supposed to be somewhere... Though I totally fit in with the crowd of international college students wandering around. 

 I found my way to a courtyard in the middle of the University. Those arches the picture take me to another courtyard. 

 The other courtyard. I believe that is a church inside. I walked in and there was something going on behind the door leading in. I didn't open it cause there were a lot of people in there mingling. 

 This is between the two courtyards connecting them. Behind me is an open door with a staircase leading to the Hunterian museum. A very medieval feel going up the stairs. It was dimly lit and I couldn't get any good angle to get a wide shot so I gave up. 

There was a Roman exhibit at the entrance with pillars, stone slabs with faded writing. I didn't feel compelled to take a picture though now I regret not being able to show everyone. It's OK. There are far more interesting things to see. 

Like this for instance, still in the main room along the sides of the wall bordering the Roman exhibit. Look closely, there are stuffed animals with deformities. Click the picture to see what I mean. 

There are 3 more displays along this wall with different things, including human organs and bones. In a small room behind the wall was just small single things in their own display. But well deserved of the space... 

A uterus with a fetus inside. Next to this was a sliced eyeball. 

 Anyway, next to the deformed animal display was the organs and bones. 

 Adjacent from the small room was this! The main collection. Hunterian is a man who collected all of these things including those organs and pretty much everything you see here. I can only imagine how amazing it was too discover all this as an archeologist.

 A Plesiosaur! 

 Display of weapons: arrow heads, knives, spear heads.

 Coin with Cleopatra's portrait, supposedly approved by Cleopatra herself. 

 This guy! 

 I never saw this on real life before up close 

 An exquisite bug collection

 Fossils

There was much more including gemstones, crystals, coral, artifacts from Egypt and Africa, coins, porcelain plates and pots, and even a second floor that I didn't get to see cause I was booted out since they closed at 5.

 I left and went back from where I went in and came back for this picture of the front of the building. 

 A block across the street from the front of the building I was just at are these rows of buildings, maybe the dormitories? The library is just left out of the picture, which looks like a modern library. Solid colors, sleek looking building, uninteresting to me. 

I decided to go home since it was getting dark and it started to rain. I was also starved. 

It may not look it but it was fairly dark and rainy. I just liked the buildings. The picture is over exposed though... The people fringing on the tree is a result of it. 

It started to rain pretty hard while I was looking for a place to eat. I was on the verge of getting soaked and ran into a fish and chips shop and ate there. Good big pieces of fish and chunky blocks of potato. It was good. There were very small bones in the fish, but they were so soft, it didn't bother me swallowing them. 

I chatted with the owner and a couple of people who went in about places I should go. The Transport museum/Riverside museum, where I am going next and the borough collection of old Scottish artifacts. I was also told to go see some cities, Oban, which Stephen also suggested, Edinburgh, York, and Skye. I'm going to Edinburgh for sure and I'll consider the others as well. 

That's pretty much it for the day. I didn't realize how museums take up so much time haha and I was still "rushing" through. Hope you guys enjoyed reading about it.

Thanks for reading and your support.