Paradise is calling

What a great day in Glasgow. After a morning run and breakfast I was asked the question by Jean's aunt, 'Do you want to go to Celtic Park?' I'm not sure if I replied verbally, but I do know that my head was nodding back and forth like some demented bobblehead toy. So the decision was made and we set off across Glasgow.

Arriving at the stadium I took a moment to soak in the majesty of where I was before we wandered closer and I popped my head in the door to ask if they had a museum. The answer was no unfortunately, but they did have a stadium tour and the next one was starting in five minutes, result! Almost throwing my money at the guide in excitement we headed up the lift and embarked on the tour around Paradise. This included stops in the boardroom to see some of the trophies Celtic have won and listen to the history behind each, spending time in the home dressing room, going down through the players tunnel to pitchside, sitting in the home team dugout and enjoying the view from the VIP seats, including Rod Stewart's.

After savouring the atmosphere we adjourned to the players lounge for refreshments and to gather strength before my assault on the Celtic Superstore. I had to show incredible restraint here, as we still have two weeks of travel to go, but I did buy a couple of Celtic shirts and some Celtic chocolate. I could have filled a truck with all the Celtic goodness available, including a dog collar emblazoned with the immortal line 'You'll never walk alone', which dogs also find very comforting.

After a full and memorable two hours we jumped in the car and headed back into town for dinner with all the rellies and their adorable Scottish kiddies. A full on Glasgow accent coming from a five year old is pure gold.Read more