A tour of The Glasgow School of Art is a must on anyone’s list of things to do while visiting Glasgow, Scotland. The gorgeous Arts and Crafts style GSA that was built between 1899-1909 was designed by a young Scottish architect by the name of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

The hour long tour of inside the school was given by a young energetic student by the name of Laura. She took our small tour group through the halls, stairways and basements of the GSA. Beautiful Mackintosh designs were everywhere but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos. Tour guide Laura, a life-long resident of Glasgow was one of the few people I’ve encountered in Scotland that actually knew where the state of Idaho was located. In fact, she’d actually visited Rupert, a small farming town in Eastern Idaho while her sister was living there as a foreign exchange student. The tour’s highlight for most of us was the the beautiful library filled with original Charles Rennie Mackintosh furniture that you didn’t dare touch or — god forbid — sit on. The final room of the tour was filled with furniture in various designs, it was a feast for the eyes and a good way to end the tour.