Take a peek at this map to get an idea of what our morning was like. Yes, we walked all over the city, it feels like, although it was only 3.73 miles (so says Google Earth). In the process we visited the University, to pre-register & to sign some financial papers. After that we walked up a bit past the main buildings of the uni, to see which buses drop off at the stop there. And then? Well, then we walked down to the main Strathclyde Police Station … to be told that we didn’t have to.
You see, if you’re a foreign national, you’re generally required to register with the local police upon your arrival. You’re supposed to tell them where you live, let them copy your passport … and to give them £34 per person, just because. Well, being good little law-abiding citizens we figured we’d go for a visit, within the first two weeks, as is required. Except that it isn’t. It isn’t required any longer unless the stamp in your passport says it’s required, and since we coughed up £200 for our visas, we don’t have to give the local police any money. Nor do we have to tell them where we live.
In the process of wandering the city, we’ve determined that we don’t much care for Sauchiehall Street (pronounced “socky hall”). And we’ve also determined that the city is full of many oddities, not the least of which are their descriptive signs, or what we believe to be a bootscraper, just embedded into the concrete outside of a doorway.
With that image begins our catalog of oddities, and our new question to the universe: What In The World? To be added shortly will be some street signs (when I see them I ask myself, “no harpsichord strings?”), and various other strangenesses. It’s a different world over here, folks. But it’s entertaining.
– D & T
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Yep, that’s a bootscraper alright.
Just a wee stroll, then;0)
India
Bookscraper’s are very common outside Victorian houses and practical too! You will learn to appreciate how appropriate it is once you have experienced your winter in Scotland!
I have added you to my list of favourite websites, on my blog.
Everyone is right about the bootscrapers — honest. Useful for when dog-walkers forget to bring their plastic scoops and bags with them, too, and when you forget and manage to step in it. For the first couple of months in the U.K., all I managed to use bootscrapers for was tripping over. Then it rained a lot and I had a close encounter with a bio hazard and Eureka — those bootscrapers became indispensable.
I can understand the boot scraper, I have one right outside my door for scraping off chicken poop 🙂 As for the sign… well at least they don’t beat around the bush and get right to the point! lol
You did wander a bit didn’t you? And that does look like a boot scraper to me. There is one imbedded in the front step just up the block and I often wished that it was on my front step. Mud and snow on kid boots would all be happily scraped away!