THIS week's Diary comes from Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, which is currently enjoying a remarkable renaissance.

Its old and very widespread image of a run-down industrial relic with more than a hint of neglect disguising lots of inner city problems, has been utterly transformed. New Glasgow is now a highly attractive, interesting, modern and vibrant city.

It is a beautiful and exciting place with a definite continental atmosphere, rich with marvellous architecture which houses arts and crafts along with welcoming restaurants, shops, museums and open spaces. It has more green spaces than any other comparable city in Europe - 70 public parks - and among its recent accolades are European City of Culture 1990, UK City of Architecture and Design 1999 and European Capital of Sport 2003.

As we toured the city centre on foot, which is by far the best way to explore it, we were impressed by the friendliness of the residents. On more than one occasion as we stood on a street corner, trying to determine our next direction from a map, a local person approached us and asked if we needed help. Even if the accent was a bit difficult to understand at the beginning, our ears quickly adapted.

And if the locals could not help, official city guides in red uniforms were patrolling the town - their job was to assist visitors to find and explore Glasgow's impressive sights. One of their triumphs was to recommend a splendid steak house to us!

There are ample printed guides to Glasgow's places of interest, plus a special bus which takes visitors around the city along with a commentary, but we started with a guide to Glasgow's Merchant City - the city centre.

And what better place to start than No 1 on its list of attractions - Glasgow Cathedral. Built between the 13th and 15th centuries, it is the only medieval cathedral in Scotland to have survived the ravages of the Reformation in 1560. It was not destroyed because the local people were fiercely proud of their church and fought to retain its Catholic atmosphere.

Although it is now Protestant, it retains its magnificent medieval charm and, built in dark stone on three levels, is an awe-inspiring place. It contains the tomb of St Kentigern, who died in AD 603, but the site is also the burial place of St Ninian, who died in AD 397.

One object which survived the Reformation is the 15th century Quire Screen, the only one remaining in a non-monastic church in Scotland. The huge tower dates to the 13th century, the only one to remain intact on a medieval church in Scotland, while the famous Blackadder Aisle was built by Archbishop Blackadder (aka Blacader) and completed in 1508. It was the last major building work on the cathedral.

Mention must be made of the fine collection of modern stained glass windows, most of which were installed after 1947. The Great West Window is "The Creation" by Francis Spear, installed in 1958, while a very modern clock beneath it dates from the same year.

Nearby is St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, well worth a visit - and, like all Glasgow museums and galleries, entry is free.

Behind the cathedral is a forest of monuments upon a hill top. This is the remarkable Necropolis, one of Europe's most significant cemeteries. It is full of memorials and monuments to the departed, many designed by Scotland's leading architects, but it is also a haven for wildlife and offers splendid views across the city.

We also called at St Andrew's Catholic Cathedral, which stands beside the River Clyde, and were in time to witness a bride about to enter for her wedding. It was a splendid sight with all the men in dark green tartan kilts and formal Highland dress.

We were fortunate to be invited to a civic reception in the City Chambers and, even if Glasgow is teeming with stunning architectural masterpieces, this must surely be the most remarkable. Indeed, many film and television companies use the interior of this building as a double for places like the Vatican - many viewers think they have watched events in the Vatican or even the Kremlin whereas they have been looking at Glasgow City Chambers. That is not surprising because the architect, William Young, had earlier visited Italy. Its banqueting hall is breathtaking in its splendour - it was here that Nelson Mandela received his Freedom of the City award in 1993.

We did not have time to visit all the sights, or indeed all 13 museums and 15 art galleries, although we did manage to tour GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art), with its thought-provoking exhibitions, and then took a bus out to Pollock Country Park, where we admired the staggering Burrell Collection.

This is a display of more than 9,000 items collected by Sir William Burrell and given to the City of Glasgow in 1944 by Sir William and his wife, Constance. How one man could assemble such a varied amount of world quality artefacts, paintings and antiques is truly amazing.

There is much, much more to Glasgow, including the work and influence of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. There is the Italian centre, the university, the Royal Concert Hall, cruises on the River Clyde, the surrounding countryside with its castles and lochs and, for those who like shopping, this is the top centre outside London with more than 1,370 high quality shops. And there is yet more. Quite truly, Glasgow is breathtaking.

More information can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre in George Square (0141 204 4400) and a virtual tour is available on the city's web sites - www.glasgow.gov.uk or www.seeglasgow.com

Today is Friday, May 13. In the minds of many, this is the unluckiest day of the year, being an unwelcome combination of three bad luck omens.

Number 13 is widely considered to be an unlucky number, May is an unlucky month and Friday is the unluckiest day of the week. Put all three together and you get a massive dose of ill fortune, so lots of people would have us believe.

It is not surprising that some daren't get out of bed today, others will not venture out of doors to go to work or do the shopping and few will begin a new venture.

It is quite surprising that some of the old superstitions about Friday remain with us. One of the most persistent is that it is unlucky to get married on a Friday; it is also unlucky to cut the hair or nails of children on a Friday and, in some seaside villages along the North-East coast, it was believed that if you turned a bed on a Friday, it heralded the overturning of a ship at sea. Furthermore, some sea-faring folk would never call a doctor to a sick child on a Friday, unless it was a very real emergency.

In other areas, it is still considered unwise to move house on a Friday, hence the saying: "Friday flit, short sit", while women thought those who washed their clothes on a Friday were very slovenly. The old saying was "wash on Friday, wash in need; wash on Saturday, a slut indeed!"

Sneezing on a Friday was also considered unlucky, but for those at work today, it is interesting to remember it is POETS day. The letters mean Push Off Early, Tomorrow's Saturday.

While most of us still regard number 13 as unlucky, probably because Christ's Last Supper comprised a table of 13 people, it is difficult to know why May is regarded as an unlucky month. Nonetheless, it has long been considered unlucky to marry at any time in May, or to begin any new enterprise, while some women would never wash their blankets this month. There is a saying that one should never cast a clout until May is out, but this refers to May blossom, the flowers of the hawthorn, rather than the month. It is said, however, that it is unlucky to have bunches of May blossom inside the house, especially in the bedroom.

One very persistent rural myth is that kittens born in May will never be healthy and will always be incapable of catching rats and mice, and there is a similar belief that children born in May will be constantly ill.

Interestingly, I was born in May and, as a child, always managed to catch whatever childish ailment was going around, but since the age of 14, I've never ailed a thing, apart from the occasional cold. Perhaps it is May children who are always sickly, not May-born adults