Glasgow Botanic Garden

Glasgow Botanic Garden, Glasgow, Scotland, 2017

Glasgow's west end is only a couple miles from George Square, but in some ways it's a world away.  First off, it's much less touristy than the old center of Glasgow.  Here, Glasgow University rules and students are everywhere, and therefore, so are cell phone top off shops and greasy fish and chip fast food restaurants.  

The west end is also home to the fantastic Glasgow Botanic Garden.  There are a several greenhouses you can tour, but the star of the show is Kibble Palace.  This massive greenhouse has over 23,000 square feet under glass and wrought iron, topped by a huge glass dome.

Kibble Palace with sculpture of Eve, Glasgow, Scotland, 2017

Kibble Palace, Glasgow, Scotland, 2017

 Being a botanical garden, it is, of course, filled with hundreds of species of tropical plants.  But, there are also eight sculptures throughout Kibble including Eve by Scipione Tadolini, which you can see in the picture above.  

One of my favorites was done in 1927 by George Henry Paulin.  It is called King Robert of Sicily, and is based on the Longfellow poem of the same name in which a king loses his throne to an imposter and becomes a pauper with only a monkey for counsel.  I like it because the monkey looks even more thoughtful than the former monarch. 

King Robert of Sicily, Kibble Palace, Glasgow, Scotland, 2017

 We took a bus to the west end to see the gardens, but the Hillhead subway stop is a few blocks away.  It's free to tour the gardens, but of course, they're always happy to take a donation.
 

Glasgow Botanic Garden, Glasgow, Scotland, 2017

Glasgow Botanic Garden, Glasgow, Scotland, 2017

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