Reverse the world

 Life starts when death ends. And vise versa. Where else you can see the life of the city if not from the hill where the cemetery stands?

Northern Necropolis is one of my favorite spots in Glasgow. It holds so many secrets to people's lives, fates, deaths. Its charm is incomparable. The desire to come back - irresistible. 

From the hill, you can see the old buildings behind the Cathedral in all their glory. Not to mention that from the other corner you can see the whole city with the smoke from the factories, windmills and gray roofs (but that is another story). It seems that the history of the whole Merchant area of the 19th century has gathered on just 37 acres in more than 3500 monuments and around it.

It is not only a beautiful place where Victorians loved to go to picnics and remember their loved ones. Your mind transforms completely once you enter it, distancing from your everyday problems and obsessive thoughts, flying with the wind in the lush threes, spooked only by black ravens or curious teens. The more time you spend at the Northern Necropolis, the more calm and balanced your thoughts become. So if you're looking for consolation and silence, drop everything you're doing, take the bus and go to Necropolis.

Some can say that this transformation happens at any cemetery, but, as a lover of places soaking wet with history, I can say that it's not exactly true. For example, you won't feel the same vibes at Kensal Green Cemetery in London because it bursts with energy of intrigues, if I may say so. The Southern Necropolis is a very different place as well, despite pretty similar gravestones and stone walls. It doesn't have the same structure and reminds more of a labyrinth, where you feel yourself trapped.

Here serenity wraps around you like a blanket, taking your soul under its wing and lulling it.

If you want some silent but eloquent company, meet the guardians - angels, Madonna and other concrete faces, watching the horizon and waiting for the eternity to come. They will tell you their stories no worse than Italian marble sculptures in museums.

These marvelous architectural structures (stone walls, steps, levels, crypts), entwined with ivy, won't remind you of any thriller you've seen. But they will definitely make you open your mouth in awe and plunge into the atmosphere of frozen time.

Don't hesitate and explore all the levels of this magnificent place. You'll be surprised with what you'll see.

In other words, if you want to know better and feel the 19th century, come to the Northern Necropolis in Glasgow. And don't forget to imagine the fast and narrow Molendinar Burn river under the Bridge of Sighs instead of running cars.