Glasgow

I admit I love when someone sends me a donation for something very specific. Like Red's generous donation, which I am one day required to use for a steak dinner, or a donation I received that is specifically to be used for four shots of tequila, which I think I will save for the end. Sometimes, however, I get a donation that isn't for anything specific. That is how I'm able to stick with my budget and still get a bed to sleep in now and again, and a long hot shower and a roof over my head on a rainy day.

That's how I used donations from my mom in Indiana in Glasgow.  I was able to spend a couple of days at the Tarton Lodge Hostel, which was once a church and masonic temple, and rumor has it, briefly lived the life of a night club.

Now it's a temporary home for budget-minded travelers like me. Being able to stop like this is really the only reason I'm able to keep the blog up-to-date as often as I can. If you enjoy this blog, it's largely due to donations like this, so thanks mom!

On my walk to the hostel, I went through Glasgow city center

There was a protest taking place with people demanding higher wages for the citizens of Scotland, but there were people yelling about just about everything imaginable. It's also where I learned a little more about this thing called ISIS. Have you heard of it? Kidding, of course you have, but one of the greatest things about backpacking is delaying knowing about things like that. I like being out of the loop.

There were so many groups downtown that I didn't really know who organized it. This man was from the Scottish Communist Party, but there were groups protesting just about everything. I walked through them like a giant eyeball, just observing, not having much of an opinion, not getting angry, not yelling. Just strolling through a crowd of frustrated people like they were trees in a park. News from the US doesn't even concern me much anymore. I have no idea what's happening with any celebrities or politicians. I still haven't panicked about Ebola. I haven't worried about anything happening in the Middle East. Not having an address or staying in one place too long has a way of making you feel disconnected to policies, countries, and borders. I'm not sure if this is a good thing, but I do know it feels good to me.