Yes some of you may think this is bizarre, but having arrived back from Edinburgh the previous evening, we were up early and out by 5.45 to drive to Oxford.  Worries about road works, mis-communication of times for trains, could have allowed at least an extra 45 minutes in bed.  There was no traffic on the road, and I have never seen Oxford so devoid of traffic and people.

Caught the 7:34 Virgin train from Oxford to New Street.  Train quite crowded, until the NEC when the entire dogs show visitors debarked.  Changed trains at Birmingham New Street for the Glasgow train.  Arrived in Glasgow, and walked to the hotel, very close and a smart Radisson SAS.

Our first visit was to a National Trust Tenement House, this had remained fairly unchanged until the NT had been donated the house.  The NT had restored the lighting back to gas.  The guides were very chatty, Rosemary though started out saying how terrible the view of the M8 and tower blocks was and how it must have changed, the guide jumped in saying, that until the M8 had been built, there was no view other than the tenement block house across the fairly narrow street.  R bought some PCs, and a porridge spurtle (that being an object they had failed to identify on a table of handle-me objects for children).  What a spurtle has to do with stirring porridge I have no idea.  Websters definition of a spurtle is \Spur”tle\, v. t. [Freq. of spurt.] To spurt or shoot in a scattering manner. [Obs.] –Drayton.

Quick late lunch at a Weatherspoons for a pint and a five bean chilli each.  Not too bad, but the pub reeked of damp.

Had a wander around Glasgow, and found the Café Gandolfi, where we wanted to eat tonight. We managed to book a table for 9.30.  It was then back to the hotel to get ready and then out again.  First to the Bar Gandolfi, above the restaurant, where we drank beer and some wine, Steve lashed out and had a rather large martini, for which “Olive” magazine said they were famous.

Downstairs we were ushered to a table in the restaurant, with our remaining drinks following us down.

Steve had gravadlax to start with, followed by sea bass on lemon-crushed potatoes.  Rosemary ate a tomato and red pepper soup, followed by smoked venison with red current jelly and dauphinoise potatoes.  R did not expect raw and thinly sliced venison, not sure where she has lived most of her life.

Two of the distinguishing features of this restaurant were the furniture and the stained glass.  All the tables and chairs were made of thick pieces of wood, with interesting knots and odd inlays of contrasting wood.  All the chairs were different, with large and subtle style differences.  Not sure if the designer, Tim Stead was interpreting a design statement by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  John Clark designed the stained glass.

Left the restaurant some time past eleven and walked back to the hotel.