Friday 16 June 2017

HIGH TEA WITH GLASGOW IN THE SKY


I'm not big on rollercoasters as anyone who witnessed my recent trip to Blackpool will tell you.
 So the idea of eating my lunch a hundred feet up in the air, hovering above the pigeons and other wild life in Glasgow's George Square, was not one I relished.
However, I'm a great believer in trying anything once (don't quote that back to me) so when Murray Thomson the lovely manager at The Blythswood Square  hotel invited me to be his guest at this once in a lifetime attraction I jumped at the chance. At least at that point my feet were on the ground.
As I waited to go up on the twenty two seater dining attraction I had two things on my mind.
One was sheer anxiety, and the second was that I needed the loo. Luckily they have portaloos in George Square so a few seconds later that was one less thing to worry about.
 If you do need to go up in the air I'm afraid you'll have to wait till you descend- or face the consequences!
Having been strapped into my seat just like a sturdy fairground ride we made our slow and steady ascent.
It's almost like a cruise ship pulling away from the dock in that you don't immediately realise you are moving. Before you know it you are dangling above the Robert Burns monument and at eye level with the Statue of Liberty on the city chambers.
There are foot rests for your feet so you don't feel like you're defying gravity but you can swivel round your chair should you wish to be a daredevil.
My seat was sandwiched between two other brace diners so I didn't have the uncomfortable corner seat which holds no protection on one side.
I expected it to be cold up there, but it wasn't particularly. It began to spit at one point but there is a Perspex roof above too.
It was however slightly breezy and we were advised to tuck our napkins into our seatbelts. I  had been so concerned about not dropping anything below me ( there is no safety net) that I hadn't even noticed my napkin was still under my plate.
 If you drop your phone or fork it will fall the full way but there is an exclusion zone so no one will be hit by it!
With phone in one hand (yes, the selfie generation has taken over) and fork in the other I persevered with my meal.
 Murray looked the picture of calm and his coiffed hair stayed in place while my hair was doing as many summersaults as my tummy.
The other diners tucked in as if this was just a leisurely Sunday brunch. I didn't speak to many of them, and the wind factor made it slightly difficult to shout across the table.
During my flight, Blythswood Square chefs were taking over and my food of tender scallops and buttered asparagus followed by medallions of yummy lamb and mash with strips of cabbage and peas was delicious and my gastronomic dessert finished things off nicely.
Normally I would go into much more detail on the food front but I have to say, on this occasion, I didn't analyse it as much as I normally would. I scoffed it down and it was delicious.
The service too was impeccable but your time in the air is limited so before I could even thank everyone properly it was time to go back down to earth - thankfully not with a thud.
Glasgow In The Sky is in the city until Tuesday and is hosting a whole host of meals from breakfast through dinner and cocktails at night with a variety of restaurants including Cafe Gandolfi, Nardinis, Chaophraya and the Blythswood.
Prices start around £50 to £150.



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