Weather in Glasgow

 And what is the Glaswegians’ reaction? As usual, gentlemen roam the streets in shorts and t-shirts, ladies in pumps without socks and miniskirts. I keep thinking to myself: Is this some kind of cultural necessity, do they want to show off or are they just really not cold at all?

A really entertaining thing to do is to go to the city centre on Friday or Saturday night. On Sauchiehall Street you see tens and hundreds of adolescent girls in the rain dressed in a shoulder dress fighting with guys who carry fish and chips and do not understand why the girls would not go home with them. It is certainly pointless to have a jacket; you go to a club and do not wear it there anyway, right? One would suppose they have to be ill all the time. But believe me or not, I have never seen a Scottish person blowing his nose or coughing. It is really curious taking in account the undeniable fact than even prison diet contains more vitamin C than the one of an average Glaswegian. However, what does not come to light immediately comes to light later. In East End Glasgow, the life expectancy is 64 years which is less than in Iraq or North Korea.

Notwithstanding, it is necessary to recognize that the local people are more cold-resistant than most Czechs. The usual temperature in the flats is around 15-17 °C. The question is, though: Is this a sufficient temperature for the locals as a result of their general cold-resilience or is it a matter of economics? There is still plenty of gas in Scotland and it is not too expensive. Nonetheless, the average age of Glaswegian windows is 60 years, virtually none of them are double-glazed and the insulation is horrendous. The same applies to doors (not the double-glazing, sure). So what was first? The chicken or the egg? Glaswegian cold-resilience or an unwillingness to waste money?

What else to say about the weather? Snow! The snow is a real experience for the southern Scots. It scarcely remains on the ground for more than one day. If that happens, however, apocalypse comes. The traffic is collapsing as nobody is prepared for such a situation. Yet, it is fair to say that it is even worse in England. Still, it is possible to hear a student say ‘I could not come to the lecture yesterday, it was snowing! Do you suppose I will walk on a pavement covered in snow?’ Interesting. In winter, they only wear t-shirts but they are afraid of snow. Put simply, a different country, different customs.