The amount of snow that Glasgow received this past December did not stop us from heading up there to do further Bubble Tea research. Our flight was better than most flights that we have been taking lately. There was hardly any turbulence, and the skies were clear which allowed us to have a wide view of the United Kingdom as we flew from Stansted into Glasgow.
When we arrived, we stepped out of the plane and we thought we were back in Canada! The air was a bone chilling -7 degrees, but with the wind it felt five degrees lower than that. There was a thin layer of ice on the ground and piles of snow to the side. We skated our way back to the terminal, where we picked up our luggage and headed outside to catch a bus that would take us straight into town.
Although our hotel was not far, we decided to jump in a taxi because of the dangerous conditions for walking on ice, added to our labour of towing our suitcases. But, just like us, half of Glasgow decided it was best to take taxis than to walk in the freezing city streets. Which left us with two choices, wait for a taxi for two hours, or walk and drag your luggage through the ice, snow and mud.
But we made it.... we had to make one stop, our toes were beginning to freeze because we didn't have the right footwear. When we removed our shoes, my toes were the worst... they were so red they almost started to look blue. After rubbing them to generate heat, we got our shoes back on and started to make our way outside.
Except... we had no idea where we were going! And this is the moment we realized we loved Glasgow... out of nowhere, a young woman approached us and asked us if we needed any help. Since we did, she explained to us how to get to our destination, walked outside with us and guided us perfectly! It was freezing, and she didn't have to go outside and yet she did! She was the second person to spot us with a map, looking lost, that offered help that night. The friendliness of the Galswegieans stuck throughout our trip. Taxi drivers, restaurant waiters, hostesses, hotel staff, people on the street, shopkeepers... everywhere we looked there were friendly faces. Even with the weather being as harsh as it was, they had a smile on and they were eager to chat and help you.
Thank you Glasgow for making our visit so pleasant. Our research was very successful during our trip. We can't wait to go back and start trading with you our delicious Bubble Tea drinks, powders, syrups and ideas.
