Cafes in Glasgow
Europe can be pretty pricey if you travel there for weeks on end, but for city breaks the continent is without rival. Even the classics are still cool. Sociable Dublin, fashionable London, bleeding-edge Berlin, bohemian Amsterdam; flights to each stay miraculously low despite the fuel price scare-stories & they all continue to evolve. That said, it’s easy to grow a little contrary, unwilling to visit a city just because everyone else does. But where can you go for an alternative European city break without losing the convenience & accessible culture that makes the capitals so popular?
Oporto
Portugal’s only major city besides Lisbon, Oporto is beautiful in a somewhat decayed fashion. Its wide river is lined with steep terraced houses, many in disrepair with paint peeling due to lack of funds. Nonetheless, as one of Europe’s oldest urban centres, with UNESCO World Heritage status, Oporto remains stubbornly magnificent. Its residents seem equally determined to stay sophisticated. They certainly managed to outparty me, with dinner at 10pm, drinks at midnight & a club til 6am – followed by work the next day! There’s certainly something to be said for siesta culture.
The ex-Colonial feel still lingers too, especially in the statelier residential areas, & the little English cricket club where I was taken to drink port, which is still manufactured in the city. Try a port-tasting tour, for the freebie tipple if not the fascinating insight into an age-old tradition. For more modern culture, there are just enough galleries to occupy a weekend. If you choose one only, go for Musee Serralves, which is set in lovely gardens & comprises several beautiful spaces, usually filled with excellent contemporary art.
Dubrovnik
Turbo-folk. That was the major musical trend sweeping Dubrovnik when we visited in 2010. However, with the current rise in wealthy Russian visitors, you may find a broader spectrum of clubnights on offer, although to the turbo-folk <em>was</em> curiously infectious. Aside from its musical quirks, Dubrovnik is, attractively, right by the sea, with excellent beaches only minutes from the city centre. The “Old City”, another UNESCO World Heritage site, is encircled by defensive stone walls which date from the 7th century AD. Impressive enough by themselves, they also offer fantastic views if you climb them – especially great if you’re into photography, with the Old City’s terracotta rooftops standing out beautifully against the rich blue Adriatic.
Glasgow
When we were kids in geography class, Glasgow was held up as the mother of all civic planning disasters, its concrete high-rise blocks incubating unrest, social alienation & dissatisfaction. So we quite surprised, as adults, to discover a lovely city, overflowing with wide green spaces & full of art galleries, museums & musical endeavours. There’s some astonishing architecture, too, from the modern Clyde Auditorium, commonly known as “The Armadillo”, (despite looking, from behind at least, much more like a gigantic chrome croissant), to more stately structures like the Victorian City Chambers. We actually stayed in Glasgow for five days, using it as a base to visit Scottish castles in the area, but by itself the city is just the right size for a long weekend of cool culture & cheerful locals.
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