COP26 is finally close to wrapping up, and Glasgow has witnessed some powerful scenes over the last few weeks.

The world's eyes have been on the Scottish city for nearly a month as world leaders and thousands of delegates descended on Glasgow to tackle the climate crisis.

Roads have been shut for weeks causing major travel disruption, hundreds of thousands of activists marched through Glasgow over the course of two days demanding urgent action, and 'agreements' between world leaders were put in place.

However, there have been some unusual moments during the climate talks which have entertained the world. From Hollywood stars in Maryhill and Irn Bru tasting sessions, to sleeping world leaders, Cop26 has had its lighter moments.

Now, The Herald has ranked the top moments and funny scenes which have brought a light-hearted perspective to the crucial climate talks.

 

1. President Joe Biden 'flashed by large naked Scottish man' on way to Glasgow

President Joe Biden may have expected to see sweeping vistas, misty glens and towering, heather-clad peaks on his arrival in Scotland. 

But what he got was something altogether different. 

Assembled members of the media, the White House staff and presumably First Lady Jill Biden and the President himself were given a glimpse of a 'a large, naked, Scottish man' who stood in his window taking pictures as they drove past.

A member of the press travelling with the White House team is reported to have told British journalists: ‘At one point when we were still on smaller country roads, a large, naked  Scottish man stood  in his front window taking a picture of the motorcade with his phone.’

 

2. Hollywood heavyweight Leonardo Di Caprio spotted in Maryhill

 

The Hollywood star was snapped at The Engine Works on Lochburn Road in the city's Maryhill.

The image was shared on a story by the venue's Instagram account and shows the actor pictured alongside film producer Paul Goodenough. 

 

3. AOC on the hunt for Irn Bru branding it Kola Champagne

US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave her verdict on Irn-Bru after getting her hands on some of Scotland's other national drink.  

The New York Representative gave the orange soft drink her seal of approval  - even saying it reminded her of home. 

Apparently, Irn-Bru is similar to the taste of Kola Champagne – another “soda” popular in Latin America.

She tweeted: “I finally got a hold of some Irn-Bru.”

 

 

4. Sleepy Joe

The US president stole the headlines when he touched down in Scotland on Air Force One. His 20 vehicle long motorcade also caught the attention of Scottish residents, as they made their way from Edinburgh to Glasgow while he was attending the climate summit. 

However, the 78-year-old American leader was caught apparently drifting off during the opening COP26 speeches, and the footage tweeted out by a Washington Post journalist went viral.

It was pretty bad timing on the presidents behalf, as he appears to fall asleep over a speech which stated: "This conference is one of the most imprtant meetings in world history."

5. Glasgow Protests

Certain Glasgow protests brought the city to a standstill and caused major disruption for motorists, but no one can doubt the creativity some activists put into their demonstrations.

From Red Rebels to a protester dressed as a 10ft tree called Stumpy, Glasgow was witness to some mind-boggling activist activity. 

Activists from Extinction Rebellion were also spotted sat in a rubber dingy in the middle of St Vincent Street while the area was surrounded by officers.

The Herald:

Other activity seen activists dress up as world leaders and play children's games whilst others dressed as Squid Game guards watched on, and it also seen a massive inflatable of the Loch Ness monster in the Clyde being confiscated by police.

6. Planes in 'valet style' services between Glasgow and Prestwick Airport

 

As COP26 began last week, we revealed multiple aircraft took 20-minute journeys between Glasgow and Prestwick Airport after dropping off delegates at COP26.

Flight data seen by The Herald shows a dozen planes making a trip between Glasgow Airport and Prestwick Airport from October 31 as world leaders landed in Scotland for the climate summit in Glasgow.

The Herald:

Our analysis shows aircraft carrying delegates from countries including Cyprus, Egypt, Bolivia and Croatia landing in Glasgow Airport on Sunday, only to return to the runway mere hours later to make a 25-minute-long trip to the Ayrshire port.

 

7. US officials try Irn-Bru, Deep fried mars bars and more

America delegates attending Glasgow for COP26 sampled some Scottish cuisine to familiarise themselves with the local culture.

They posted a video of their tasting reactions and questionable pronounciation of Scotland's most famous food and drink selections on Twitter for everyones entertainment.

The officials all appeared to go into the tasting session with an open mind as they tried a list of items including Irn-Bru, cullen skink, haggis and of course the famous deep-fried mars bar.

 

8. Specsavers call out Wolf Blitzer

Veteran US news anchor, Wolf Blitzer was mocked for getting the location of COP26 "wrong".

He was covering the conference for CNN and was based in Edinburgh - 46 miles away from where the summit is taking place in Glasgow.

Posting an image of a broadcasting suite with a view of Edinburgh Castle behind him,
Mr Blitzer tweeted: “I’m now reporting from Edinburgh in Scotland where 20,000 world leaders and delegates have gathered for the COP26 Climate Summit.

Spotting an opportunity for some publicity, optical retail chain Specsavers jumped at the chance to call out Mr Blitzer out on social media. 

They tweeted: "Should've gone to Glasgow."

9.  Biden's Beast in Edinburgh

 

It's not what it sounds like. The Beast is a custom-built Cadillac 18ft limousine, which weighs between 6.5 and 8 tonnes. 

Bystanders in Edinburgh were in for a surprise as they were treated to an unexpected drop-in by President Joe Biden’s motorcade.

Locals in Calder Road witnessed a surreal moment, when Biden’s car ‘The Beast’ parked up at a petrol station to re-fill.

10.Greta chants "You can shove your climate crisis up your a**e"

This one is exactly as it says on the label. Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Glasgow with hundreds of people welcoming her at Glasgow Central Station.

She didn't waste any time getting to work as the following day she was filmed in a Govan park adapting to Scottish culture. 

The 18-year-old was caught singing "You can shove your climate crisis up your a**e"

 

Have we missed anything? Let us know what you would include on your list of bizzare Cop26 moments.

 

 

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