May 21, Scottish Parliament
Monday, Edinburgh in the morning and afternoon
Our first official appointment was Monday morning at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). We all dressed in our formal business attire and piled into a mini-coach that took us from Glasgow to Edinburgh in just over an hour. The librarians and information specialists there presented to us one at a time and shared with us their department's role at SPICe. The departments, including eServices, Enquiries, Information Management, and Research, are in the middle of a great reorganization. The recession in Europe has reached as far as the SPICe's personnel budget and the people left are having to streamline services and take on more responsibilities as individuals. The principal librarian who spoke with us said that although she was guaranteed a position, she would not find out her official title and responsibilities until the week after our meeting. We all felt very honored that the professionals at the Scottish Parliament took the time to meet with us during what must be a stressful and uncertain time.
The Parliament building itself was very cool to see and explore. It was designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles and was completed in 2004. It was intended to mimic the rustic landscape outside the building, with natural materials and not even one 90-degree corner. Parts of the ceiling look like the underside of waxy leaves and at the same time, like the hull of a ship from a fish's view.
We had time after our appointment at the Parliament to explore Edinburgh a bit more and find lunch. Parliament is situated at the lower end of a road called the Royal Mile. At the top of the Royal Mile sits the Edinburgh Castle, an extremely impressive site that can be seen from all over the city. The cliff that it sits on is actually the plug of an ancient volcano.
Still Monday, Glasgow in the evening
On the way to the People's Palace the day before, my roommate and I spotted a place we wanted to come back to and explore: the Necropolis. This graveyard is situated on a small hill near the Glasgow Cathedral. The roman numerals at the entrance to the graveyard read 1833.