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Day 3
Breakfast: Served at the hotel from 7am-9am, with Scottish and American options available. Morning: Around 9am, we'll set off to visit the Grand Circle Foundation site, Invisible Women of Scotland. Supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, the Invisible Women of Scotland project is a charity focused on raising awareness of social issues faced by women that both limit and inhibit their ability to develop and evolve in the tourism industry. The project also aims to eradicate stereotypes, gender biases, and inequalities faced by homeless women across the country by striving to promote equality, representation, and inclusion for women from different backgrounds, age, societal class, and ethnicity. Through their training, Invisible Women of Scotland hope to empower homeless women by assisting in their personal growth and development by encouraging them to actively participate in the project themselves--fostering a sense of belonging while increasing their independence. Their training will focus on transferable skills as they prepare these women to become tour guides in Glasgow, but should they wish to do something different, they will also get support to help them access other employment opportunities. We'll arrive at the Invisible Women of Scotland's hub around 9:15am and meet with Zakia, the founder of Invisible Women of Scotland. We will learn about the project from Zakia, who will also share how Invisible Women is helping local homeless women to turn their lives around. Then around 10:15am, we'll embark on a guided tour of Glasgow with one of the women from the training program. As we'll see, Glasgow gives off an old-world feel with its commanding cathedral and Victorian buildings, while still retaining the buzzing atmosphere of a major city--it is, after all, the largest city in Scotland. While parts of Glasgow have made strides toward modernity, it still takes pride in its past, which will be on full display as we explore this morning. Glasgow also has around 6,000 homeless people--double than the second largest city in Scotland, Edinburgh. Our guide will then show us parts of Glasgow not normally be seen on a city tour--areas which hold a personal story for her and other guides. We'll cap off our tour around 11am at the University of Glasgow, where our guide will lead us around the historic and stately campus--a place she is proud to share with us and one she never imagined guiding visitors through. As we walk, keep your eyes peeled for examples of Renaissance architecture. Our tour will come to an end around noon, after which we'll walk to a nearby pub. Lunch: At about 12:30pm at a local pub, featuring hearty Scottish fare. Afternoon: After our lunch concludes around 1:30pm, we'll be joined by two local Glaswegians, Marie and Bill, for a conversation about the Controversial Topic of the deep religious divide in Glasgow today. Religious segregation has a long and bloody history in Scotland, rife with bible smuggling, royal intrigue, and--more recently--football hooligans. This religious rift is most present in Scotland's ongoing school segregation. In a country of 6 million people, the city of Glasgow contains 1.6 million. Catholics make up around 26% of this population--yet only 15% of the schools in Glasgow are Catholic, while 85% of the schools are either Protestant or non-denominational. This creates both an imbalance in school choice for Catholic families and fewer opportunities for Protestant and Catholic children to interact. This religious division is felt even more acutely when it comes to the rivalry between the supporters of the two main football clubs, the Celtics and the Rangers (known collectively as "The Old Firm"). We'll sit down in the Wintersgills Pub, a typical Glasgow pub commonly frequented by fans of the Catholic football team, the Celtics. After our conversation, our Trip Experience Leader will extend the opportunity to visit a pub popular with the rival Protestant team, the Rangers. In a private room in the back, we'll talk with two locals--Marie Doherty, a devout Catholic, and Bill Madden, a Protestant with strong anti-Catholic views--on how religious tensions have affected their lives and families. During our hour-long conversation, both Marie and Bill will speak candidly of their own deeply-held beliefs and their hopes for their city's future. As we'll find out, Scotland has a long way to go to overcome religious discrimination: The country remains one of the few in Europe where children are still segregated in schools based on religion, and violent assaults between Catholics and Protestants are sadly all too common. Marie will share with us the rifts that have occurred in her family, caused by "mixed marriages"--when a Catholic marries a Protestant. She will go into detail about how religious bigotry in general, and the violence that often goes hand in hand with the local football culture, has personally affected her and her family. She will also talk about the impact growing up in segregated schools has had on her, and how it now continues to affect her children. We come to understand the huge religious divide throughout the city and the pain it has caused Marie personally. On the other side of the religious spectrum, Bill will engage us in a frank and honest discussion about his deep-rooted stance against Catholics. A proud supporter of the Glasgow Rangers, the Protestant football team, Bill will tell us how and why he took part in anti-Catholic protests at football matches, and that his involvement in these protests eventually led to a criminal record. In a city this religiously divided, it is not surprising that faith is the main deciding factor for which football team you root for. 74% of Celtic supporters are Catholic, with only 10% of fans identifying as Protestant. For Rangers fans, the figures are similarly balanced--65% of their fans are Protestant, with only 2% Catholic. At the Rangers' Ibrox Stadium, the Union Flag and Ulster banner are displayed, while at Celtic Park, the Irish tricolor flag waves. When the two teams compete, the tension is palpable. This rivalry is a long-standing one. During the late 19th century, Irish Catholic immigrants seeking refuge from economic difficulties at home settled in Glasgow's east end. Soon, they founded the Celtic football club, with a distinct Irish Catholic identity. This drove local Protestants to create their own team, the Rangers, and have since cultivated a strongly Protestant, Unionist identity, even going so far as to refuse to sign Catholic players. This position has since been overturned by the Rangers football club, but many fans continue to embrace a zealous form of football identity politics, occasionally with violent results. In 1995, 16-year-old Mark Scott, a Celtics fan, was murdered by a Rangers fan after a match. As lifelong Glaswegians, Marie and Bill can offer perspectives on this situation that only locals can. We will hear from them harsh and uncomfortable truths, including tales of violence, death, and deeply-entrenched prejudices that still linger over the city today. After our interactive conversation, you'll also have 30 minutes to ask Bill and Marie any questions you may have. While this Controversial Topic may be emotionally challenging, it's necessary to understand the real Scotland, and travelers often find it a rewarding and eye-opening experience. We'll walk to our hotel around 2:30pm; the rest of the afternoon is free for you to make your own discoveries. Perhaps you'll choose to go back to the 13th-century Glasgow Cathedral. Step inside the medieval chapel and look up to witness stained glass windows. Around 6:15pm, we'll meet up in the hotel lobby and board our private motorcoach for a 15-minute drive to the Glasgow's south side. Here, in a suburb of the city, we'll break into smaller groups of no more than 5 for what many travelers report is a highlight of their time in Scotland: A meal with a local family. Dinner: Around 6:30pm we'll be welcomed into the home of a local family. Our hosts are likely from middle-class backgrounds; many are teachers (or former teachers) and have school-aged children at home. For our Home-Hosted Dinner, we'll share a home-cooked meal that the family would typically have on a weeknight--such as meat and potatoes. Expect simple, hearty fare showcasing the traditional flavors of Scottish cuisine. This experience offers us a rare opportunity to connect with local culture on a more intimate level: In our hosts' homes, we'll see the family go about their evening routine and get an authentic look into what life is really like in Glasgow. There will be plenty of time to ask our hosts any questions we may have. Perhaps you'd like to know how they celebrate Burns Night, or how they feel about the sectarianism we learned about yesterday. Evening: We'll say goodbye to our new friends around 8:00pm and return to the hotel by private motorcoach about 15 minutes later. From there, the rest of your evening is free--you may choose to enjoy a nightcap at the hotel bar, or you may retire to your room to pack for our overland journey to Oban tomorrow. |
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5/5/21 |
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Explore Glasgow
Exclusive O.A.T. Activities: During today's discoveries, we'll first visit the Grand Circle Foundation site, Invisible Women of Scotland, to learn about its efforts to combat gender stereotypes and promote equality, representation, inclusion and diversity for women from different backgrounds, age, societal class, and ethnicity. Then, we'll delve into the Controversial Topic of bigotry and the segregation of schools in Glasgow. We'll be joined in the private area of a pub by two locals, Marie and Bill. As lifelong Glaswegians, they can offer personal perspectives that only locals can. We will hear from them harsh and uncomfortable truths, including tales of violence, death, and long-held prejudices that still linger over the city today. Read more about these two experiences below. Tonight, a local Scottish family will invite us into their home for a traditional Home-Hosted Dinner. Expect simple, hearty fare as you enjoy this unique opportunity to experience a slice of everyday Scottish life.