This review update is for the lunch my boyfriend and I just had there…read more I purchased an itison deal for two burgers and two pints. My boyfriend took the day off and so we decided to head to the art school for lunch. When we arrived we had a nice choice of where to sit. I noticed right away, another couple had the same itison voucher. We chose our seats and I took the voucher up to the bar and ordered for us. My boyfriend had the char su pulled pork burger and I went for the hanger steak sandwich. Both came with fries and we also got a cider each with our deal. The pulled pork burger, the wee bite I had was fresh tasting with a nice Asian style slaw on top. My boyfriend quite enjoyed it, but the star of the show was that steak sandwich. The steak was tender and perfectly cooked, with sautéed mushrooms, onions and melted cheese all on a ciabatta roll. It also came with a wee pot of peppercorn sauce that was very moreish. The fries were perfectly cooked and seasoned. We honestly couldn't be happier with our meals and are very much looking forward to trying out more items off their menu, which has an Asian flare to it. Also, they have a breakfast/brunch menu which also looks fab and their drinks are very affordable.

I love that anyone can walk in off the street to eat here and it's not strictly for students. It's…read more£3.10 for a pint of Heverlee, and if you're feeling particularly cheap, £1.50 for cans of Tennents. £4 for a Drygate. Heverlee it was then! They have a varied food menu of burgers, pizzas, salads, light bites, and a street food section, and apart from the options which include steak most dishes are less than £6. Vegetarian and vegan options are clearly marked, and some could be adapted on request. We had the 2 pizzas for £8 deal, and they will swap dairy cheese topping for a dairyfree 'cheese' at no extra cost. The pizza bases were a bit crispier than I would like, but otherwise were delicious. I could really taste the 'cheese'! There are some tables under the windows with chairs with backs, but most of the seating area is made up of long benches, meaning sitting with no chair back and the space is a bit tight - thankfully I had tights on under my skirt so I wasn't flashing people as I swung my legs over the benches to sit upright with my legs under the table! This got more and more uncomfortable for me as time went by and I would definitely go for a table at the windows next time. When I visited their - incredibly bland - toilets I spotted posters for their Saturday brunch, which sounds a great deal! They do 2 dishes for £6 or brunch and a cocktail for £5; I will be back for soon for brunching!

I've lived in Glasgow for 14 years now and I'm ashamed to admit I've never paid much attention to…read morethe Mackintosh connections that exist in Glasgow. I didn't even know where the GSA was situated until recently. Yesterday I decided to remedy this with a little day of Mackintosh culture. I opted for the Mackintosh at the GSA walking tour, costing £10 and lasting for an hour. The tour starts at the gift shop in the Reid building with a little bit of background regarding he GSA and its how it became located where it is. We learned about Mackintosh's involvement and the different inspiration that lead to the design of the building. We then went outside to view some of the finer details of his artwork. Obviously the building is undergoing renovation due to the fire, so there were fences and scaffolding up but that didn't take away from the beauty of the building at all. The guide took us to the east facade, and with references from Mackintosh's work could point out the different architectural inspiration that was used in this building. We also stood at the north facade and observed the fantastic ironwork that adored the windows and doors. After this, we went inside the Reid building properly and made our way to the first floor, to the Mackintosh furniture exhibit. This was furniture that has been donated from private collectors or found in old buildings or collected from Mackintosh's own home. It was an informative and interesting 60 minutes and I'd be tempted to do one of the other tours on offer to learn more.

Rennie Mackintosh's art has undergone a resurgence in popularity the last decade or two, and this…read morebuilding -- designed in multiple stages by him for the GSA -- is a practical extension of his art and design work. The building tour gives a top-to-bottom (with a lot of stairs) review of the building and its history. Our guide was a recent student who had her own engaging perspective on things and clear love for the place. It was a lot of fun, and an enjoyable hour; knowing the fee goes straight to the maintenance of the art school is helpful, as is the quite good gift shop the tour starts and ends at. The one down side I'll note is that photography inside the building is forbidden. Which is a darned shame, and a bit difficult to understand. I can't speak for the dance/party/clubbing aspect of the site (not what I was there for or when I was there), but it's definitely worth a visit when in Glasgow if you've any interest in Mackintosh. Not spectacular, but solid.

Today was a lovely day and still I thought I will check out some illustrative art from young…read moreprospective students at the Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show. The entrance to the exhibition is located of Westport Street and the illustrated gallery can be found on the 4th floor in a very modern building just opposite from Edinburgh castle with very amazing views. One of the students is no other than our own Ollie from "Wings", who is a very talented young man bringing his fantasies to life, presented in a combination of colourful fiction and science. You need a certain class of talent to draw various human and other forms with such a detailed eye, otherwise what you paint is missing shape and essence. He uses bright and eccentric colours indicating fun and play, and his arty signature is a little dog called "Wings" (well, we might hope so ;-) ) You can also admire his art work in the Princess Mall shopping centre at Waverly Station. There his talent and illustrative work is displayed on a massive wall for everybody to see when passing by. It's literally a very large print with many little characters in it, all waiting in a queue to get into the Mall for a bit of shopping. Remember to look out for it next time you are there. Tomorrow is the last day of the Art Degree Exhibition, so you better hurry. There is a lot to see!

ECA is a bit like other Edinburgh University buildings in that during the school year, students are…read moretortured (and by tortured I mean taught and by taught I mean made to sit exams) there, while during the Fringe, it becomes a venue. The Edinburgh College of Art, surprise surprise, offers art courses. I've met a few photography students from there (all amazing photographers), and their fashion students are, I think, in some way, affiliated with Godiva in the Grassmarket. Every year, the students will take over the many many buildings with a week (or so) long degree exhibition. This exhibition is massive. All the different students have their own sections, so there's the photography part, the fashion part, textiles, animation, etc. It borders on impossible to do it in a day. During the festival, I saw a great show where people in amazing make-up danced and did acro on stilts. It was jaw-dropping. Also, the building itself is pretty amazing. I mean, I'm not a fan of the outside, but then inside is full of columns and huge open spaces. If you haven't made the degree show ever, keep it in mind for next year. And keep your ears open for news on fringe shows going on in the college.

Stow College is a great old Glasgow college, that is renowned for its excellent facilities and…read morereputation for providing excellent education. Stow was the first in Scotland to offer Sound Engineering as a course of study and is the college of choice for many budding young musicians and sound engineers in Glasgow. In addition to its great facilities, top of the range equipment and state of the art technology, the toilets are pretty clean too - which is always nice eh? The canteen offers plenty of good grub throughout the day, including a full breakfast for only £2. The only negative thing I can think of is about the grumpy old man that works in the convenience shop, but I doubt it would be the same without him.

Glasgow legends Belle and Sebastien are famed for their association with Stowe, and for such a…read moresmall college, it punches well above its weight. Located round the back of the art school, it won't attract tourists, and the large, functional building expresses much of the place's practical intentions, but little of the creativity within. It is a splendid spot for further and adult education, with lots of vocational courses and media-associated subjects. Many of the courses have a strong practical component, and feel more like project work than traditional, lecture based education: a real positive, modern attitude in their practice.

My friend gave me a guided tour and all I can say about this University is I really wished I had…read moregone here (and could afford it). It's so amazing, and pretty, and people are friendly, and they have all these cool events advertised (like a cheese party!!!). Teviot row house is also the oldest student union building in the world (My friend told me) and it looks great! they have a sports bar, library bar, and other various bars for different functions and settings.

Home to some of the ugliest buildings on earth (can I get a round of applause for Appleton Tower's…read moresheer foulness please?) the University of Edinburgh was the place of my 'further education'. Superficially the Uni does well in the league tables (23rd in the world I think) but the real student experience is pretty patchy. The main library is probably the best example of this. Spanning over six floors this building houses millions of books and resources but for some reason there never seemed to be any of the ones I wanted! At the beginning of every year at least one of my courses was complaining that their books hadn't been put on short loan and that keen students had already checked out the course work for the year. There was also a constant issue of people hogging computers, leaving their books and coats on the table and then heading off to Bristo Square for a leisurely lunch. Annoying! Nonetheless I did enjoy my studies at Edinburgh a lot. The uni attracts some brilliant lecturers especially in the History and Politics departments (my degree). Dr Day, Dr Cogliano and Dr Bates were my favourite historians although I would have to say that the international relations and politics of human rights courses were very impressive. In recent years the University has come out quite badly in 'student satisfaction' surveys primarily because of the time it took to get coursework marked and returned. As I left I could see that there were real efforts being made to reverse these patterns but as far as most of us were concerned it was a bit too little too late. Despite this I would still say that Edinburgh is a great University and I miss it a lot!