Next up on my agenda for the day was a visit to Glasgow’s iconic Riverside Museum, situated at the confluence of the River Kelvin and the River Clyde. This is a strikingly modern and imaginative structure, designed by the renown international architect Dame Zaha Hadid (1950–2016). From the front facade the roofline traces an undulating series of peaks and valleys, like the readout of a medical instrument. But then I realized this pattern is but a cutaway section of an extruded like shape that itself bends and flows, creating a beguilingly complex and vast interior volume. Looking at an aerial photo of the structure now my thought is this is meant to somewhat mimic the apical structure of a ship’s wake traveling at speed through water. The building is a true work of art in its own right, and an exemplary expression of this late architect’s genius.

Families with young children in tow were streaming towards the entrance, where an old salt in a crisp white sailor uniform stood singing sea chanty’s and playing the accordion. Stepping inside I was immediately engulfed within an airy interior space crammed with all manner of examples of buses, cars, motorcycles, subway cars and locomotive engines, covering a span of time from the early years of the last century up through perhaps mid last century. A head-spinning collection, and I can only imagine its effect on the young children beholding this temple to mechanical conveyances. There was even an early spar-winged glider perched on the edge of an upper balcony.

Upon entering, a reproduction of a 1920’s era cobblestone street curved away to the left, complete with various shopfronts and period vehicles parked out front. A cafe space followed on from this, whereupon another gallery presented at a bend in this topologically complex shed, with a large windowed wall facing the riverfront.

A narrow curving staircase led to an upper level, which served to provide some respite from the somewhat claustrophobic press of the gathered vehicles below. This level had the further advantage of providing a perfect vantage point from which to survey the massed collection from above. This also served to highlight a further appreciation of the sculptural richness of the structure itself, the undulations of the ceiling coming to the forefront from this vantage.

Finally exiting the building before proceeding on my riverfront walk I apprehended a wildly distorted reflection of the riverfront scene and myself in the mirror like surface of one of the exterior walls. Fun to pause for a moment and snap some pictures there!

The Tall Ship Glenlee, an old steel-hulled square-rigged barque docked adjacent to the building, was available for tours, but I decided to skip this in favor of continuing along my way on my riverfront walk…