Good news… I didn’t get lost today! 😄
Either I’m finally getting used to Glasgow, or the city has decided to be a little kinder to me.
|
|
After Day 2’s unplanned sightseeing tour of the city, thanks to my poor sense of direction and the lack of mobile internet, I was quietly celebrating my navigation victory.
Little did I know another surprise was waiting for me; this time, not on the streets.
|
|
|
|---|
It all started after I bought a few essentials. When the cashier handed me my change, I looked at the notes twice.
“This doesn’t look like the pounds I’m used to seeing.”
There was neither the famous “Mama Charlie”, as many affectionately called the late Queen Elizabeth II, nor King Charles III on the crisp note I had just received.
For a moment, I wondered if I had been given the wrong currency.
Thankfully, I hadn’t.
I soon learnt that the notes were Scottish banknotes. They are worth the same as the familiar Bank of England notes, but are issued by Scottish banks and feature completely different designs.
Truly, Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, but it has proudly preserved many of its own traditions and identity.
Just when I thought the lesson was over, my very good friend, Owolabi Aleshinloye, offered another piece of advice.
“Try to spend them while you’re still in Scotland. You may find it harder to use them in other parts of the UK.”
Whether that is always true or not, I wasn’t about to test the theory.
So, I have suddenly found myself in a race against time to “dispose” of my Scottish notes before the next leg of my stay in the UK.
The only problem? I’m travelling on a tight budget, so I don’t have the luxury of spending money just for the sake of spending it! Every pound has already been mentally allocated.
While I figure out how to deal with my Scottish notes (don’t think I have hundreds of them, though 😄), one thing I’ve discovered in these first three days is that this Commonwealth Games experience is extending far beyond the competition venues.
And that’s one of the joys of travel. Sometimes, the stories that stay with you are not the ones inside the stadium but the little experiences that happen along the way.
READ ALSO: Commonwealth Games: Nigerian sprinters, weightlifters lead Day Five medal hunt in Glasgow
I’m happy that my #Glasgow2026 adventure is already proving to be about much more than sport.
Now, back to the reason I came here: the Commonwealth Games.
Follow PREMIUM TIMES for all the juicy stories, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes moments from Glasgow 2026. 🇳🇬📝
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
