After the stress of finals were over i got to await the arrival of my family for some winter-time travels. Anna got to Scotland at around 7pm on the 13th. After Verizon royally screwed up her phone plan leaving it absolutely unusable we had to communicate via smoke signal- which was made difficult by the level of darkness reached by 7pm in Edinburgh. So after her flight from Londy was delayed i had little more than a guess at what time she would be stepping off of the blue wonder that is the Edinburgh Airlink. I guessed wrong, i was late by about 20 minutes and in the freezing weather, she almost lost a finger or two. after that fiasco, we spent the night at my flat and headed out bright and early to the airport to leave for paris. As a result of the first uneventful flight (un-delayed/un-canceled) we arrived raring to tackle the french language (which i supposedly should be decent at after about 6 years of study- nope) and figure out how to get into the city, which- after a few phone calls to Anna's friend and our host for a few nights, we managed to find. We stayed with Abe for two nights and because it was his last few nights in paris before he went home, he showed us around the less touristy places as we all did some christmas shopping. My favorite find was definitely this "beautiful" tea shop called Mariage Freres. Every possible kind of tea and they all smelled amazing, it was so hard to chose! One nights he showed us this cute little wine bar and the next we went to a bar with some of the other kids from his program- both were really fun. On our third day in paris we moved to a hotel which was actually located in the Bermuda Triangle, we got lost just about every time we tried to find it. We spent one day trying to see as many of the touristy sites as we could. We spent a few hours in the Louvre and then walked over to the Eiffel Tour- this sounds like a nice little jaunt, but in actuality we were walking for around 9-10 hours. By the time we got within the vicinity of our hotel we were grumpy, hungry, and tired. So we stopped by a grocery store and got bread, cheese, wine ( which we forgot to get an opener for) and some apples. The next day we went to Sacre Coeur and St Sulpice before we wandered back to the hotel and had the same sort of dinner. The next day we checked out of the hotel and made our way back to the bus stop where we waited in a cafe for a few hours (nursing one cafe au lait each) before we decided to catch a bus out to Beauvais. Midway through the trip to the airport we hit a blizzard. As previously mentioned, i have had a lot of issues with snow and this sudden snow storm had me a bit stressed out. When we arrived at Beauvais, we checked to make sure our flight was on time- it was, but it was still about 3 hours until takeoff. First of all, Beauvais is the worst airport ever built. It has a strange system that requires people to wait in the "lobby" area of the airport- complete with automatic sliding doors to the blizzard outside- until their flight is boarding, at which time you can go through security and customs and then board the plane. After waiting in the freezing (and lacking in seating) lobby for about 2 and a half hours, our flight gets pushed back another hour and a half. So again, we sat in a very small cafe for around two hours- nursing one espresso each. Finally we board and take off. We fly into Glasgow-Prestwick just in time to catch the last train to the city center, but too late to catch a train from Glasgow to Edinburgh. We were instructed to find the bus, which we do, the next bus doesnt leave until 130 am. After sitting outside in the well-below freezing Glasgow weather, we catch the bus and arrive in Edinburgh at around 230am and get back to my flat at 3am.
At this point, i actually despise traveling, airports, and foreign countries in general. But the good this is that our parents had made it through the hell-hole that was the Amsterdam airport and after a 36 hour "layover" ended up in Edinburgh.
We met up the next day and spent the next week sightseeing around the city, christmas shopping, and eating and drinking way too much. We took a nice day trip up to St. Andrews which was covered in the snow that arrived in Southern Scotland a matter of hours after Anna and I landed from France.
It was really fun showing my family the city and great to finally get drinks with my parents- and have them pay for them :). After a nice Christmas day and dinner at a local pub/restaurant, my parents headed back to the States on Boxing Day while Anna and I departed for Dublin.
Dublin was really interesting, very similar culturally to England and Scotland- but with its own unique and strong heritage. We stayed at a hostel that specialized in tours of the surrounding country. We got a "free" tour for booking more than two nights that took us to the small town of Kilkenny. Really quaint but nice. We then took a day to tour around the city- taking advantage of a free walking tour. Then we walked all the way out to Kilmainham Gol Prison and the Guinness Storehouse. Both we pretty interesting. The prison is most famous for holding political prisoners from the Irish revolution against the British- most famously the uprising of 1916. The Guinness Storehouse was mainly a ploy to drink a Guinness in "the highest bar in Dublin"- the Gravity Bar. The next day we took a tour out to the Cliffs of Moher- unfortunately the winter weather made it impossible for us to see more than 20 feet in front of us and completely fogged in the Cliffs. The next day we walked around the Temple Bar area and then caught a shuttle to the airport. After arriving in Edinburgh, we had approximately 10 hours before we departed for the States. I packed for hours and finally got everything zipped into a bag or donated to my flatmates.
In the morning we treked to the airlink stop, which to our astonishment had been moved to make way for the famous Hogmanay celebrations (essentially New Years Eve) in the city. After spending 20 hours traveling, i made it home and off to a New Years Eve party to see all of my friends.
My time abroad was so much fun, and a great learning experience. I met so many people that i really enjoyed and made my time in Edinburgh a time to remember, i am going to miss everyone terribly, but as i sit in the San Jose airport on my way down to school, i can only look ahead to the rest of my junior year. I am very excited to move into a house with my best friends and for lacrosse season to start ( i need something to get me back in shape!).
Thanks everyone who read this blog, it was fun to write this all down- even if there really isnt anyone reading this :)
and one more time,
CHEERS!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The End of the Semester
Today was my last exam of the semester as well as my last scholarly endeavor for a little over a month. I turned in a take home final for my British Society class last week, turned in a 10 page paper for Science and Society yesterday, and sat for my first/last Scottish exam this afternoon. The take home final consisted of two short essays and was probably the easiest thing i have done all term. The paper for Science and Society was actually quite interesting, but slightly existential and philosophical so it was hard to keep a grasp on. But this ecology exam had every ability to actually kill me. I taught myself more in the course of two straight days of revision than i did all semester thanks to online lectures from the biology department at Yale, so if i pass i owe it all to the Bulldogs. I made a 35 page study guide and at one point didnt move from my desk for 6 straight hours...gross. Ecology was made all the more stressful by the fact that one exam (3 short essays) determine 60% of my term grade. In reflection, i think i did rather well, so it probably (hopefully! cross your fingers!) saved my grade. But i'll have to wait until february (approximately) to find out how i did.
Now that im done with finals, it should be all parties and celebrations, right? No. i think im probably the only person on campus who is already done (exams stretch until the 17th- or even until january for students whose exams were canceled on monday due to snow). Tonight im having dinner with my flatmates because it's Celine's last night here- she goes home to norway tomorrow.
I'll probably spend my extra free time cleaning and preparing my room for Anna's visit; she gets here on the 13th. I'll probably bake tomorrow too- i need to use that left over can of pumpkin puree from thanksgiving.
Once Anna gets here we will almost immediately leave again: Paris until the 18th (because i got snowed out last weekend, anna agreed to switch our plans around so i can try again). Which, unfortunately, means i will miss most of the IFSA kids celebrating the end of exams and also their group flight home. Fortunately Barbara will be in town until the 20th so i will get to see her before she leaves. The parents will arrive here on the 17th and will stay through christmas and return home on the 26th. The next day, Anna and i will travel to the homeland (Ireland) and then head back to the states, her to Santa Clara, i to the good old WA just in time for New Years celebrations :)
I then will have a week or so before i head back to Redlands, move into the new house, and start classes.
The next month will be a whirlwind of fun and family and friends, but i cant believe its already time to think about going home. It feels like we all just got here; its pretty surreal that i have been living in Scotland 3 months (it will be closer to 4 by the time i leave).
One last thing before i stop boring whoever still reads these: i am officially disenchanted with snow- mostly because it screwed up my travel plans, but more recently because it turns into ice- its actually impossible to get anywhere without slipping. Ive now fallen in two of the most populated areas of the city- on one of the main streets just after a class ended and yesterday outside of the library in the middle of exams. Awesome, thanks snow.
Welp, as always,
CHEERS!
Now that im done with finals, it should be all parties and celebrations, right? No. i think im probably the only person on campus who is already done (exams stretch until the 17th- or even until january for students whose exams were canceled on monday due to snow). Tonight im having dinner with my flatmates because it's Celine's last night here- she goes home to norway tomorrow.
I'll probably spend my extra free time cleaning and preparing my room for Anna's visit; she gets here on the 13th. I'll probably bake tomorrow too- i need to use that left over can of pumpkin puree from thanksgiving.
Once Anna gets here we will almost immediately leave again: Paris until the 18th (because i got snowed out last weekend, anna agreed to switch our plans around so i can try again). Which, unfortunately, means i will miss most of the IFSA kids celebrating the end of exams and also their group flight home. Fortunately Barbara will be in town until the 20th so i will get to see her before she leaves. The parents will arrive here on the 17th and will stay through christmas and return home on the 26th. The next day, Anna and i will travel to the homeland (Ireland) and then head back to the states, her to Santa Clara, i to the good old WA just in time for New Years celebrations :)
I then will have a week or so before i head back to Redlands, move into the new house, and start classes.
The next month will be a whirlwind of fun and family and friends, but i cant believe its already time to think about going home. It feels like we all just got here; its pretty surreal that i have been living in Scotland 3 months (it will be closer to 4 by the time i leave).
One last thing before i stop boring whoever still reads these: i am officially disenchanted with snow- mostly because it screwed up my travel plans, but more recently because it turns into ice- its actually impossible to get anywhere without slipping. Ive now fallen in two of the most populated areas of the city- on one of the main streets just after a class ended and yesterday outside of the library in the middle of exams. Awesome, thanks snow.
Welp, as always,
CHEERS!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Pictures: Thanksgiving, London, Edinburgh Christmas
The Frozen North- Traveling Nightmares
Classes officially ended last Friday signifying the start of exams, but also signifying the start of traveling! Last weekend i took a trip to London and met up with Rachel and Lauren who are studying in Milan. It was great! We saw just about everything touristy- Big Ben, Parliament, Abbey Road, Covent Garden, Tate Modern, St Pauls. It was great to hang out with Rachel and Lauren and trounce around Londy. The fun started to fade at about 430 am on Monday morning when i recieved a text from EasyJet saying my flight had been canceled due to inclement weather. Perfect. I was already in the cab on the way to the train station (that would take us to Gatwick), so i figured i would just show up and get put on the next flight. And that is exactly what happened, except the next flight wasnt for approximately 15 hours (it was currently 630 am and the next flight to edinburgh wasnt until 730 pm). And here began my day inside Gatwick. After attempting to find a train from london to edinburgh, which would have cost around 150 quid, i bought a book and some breakfast bars and found a place to nap. Somehow, with much help from The Lost Symbol and a few more naps, i made it to 5pm. At that point i headed upstairs to check on the status of my flight, just as the women at the ticket counter had told me too ( i was becoming a regular guest by now). Just as they are telling me that they are still unsure, a large group of people come clamoring over saying that our flight was canceled. Again, perfect. Thankfully, i had heard through a number of people that the Glasgow airport was open, so i asked about flights going to glasgow. There was one flight left that evening with two seats left. The girl in front of me in line got the first and i got the second (aka the last). As we were getting booked, another woman was informing everyone else in line that they had booked 30 hotel rooms and would pay for food for up to two days. A flight, a bus, a train, and 6 hours later i made it back to Edinburgh. And to think, i used to like snow.
Fastforward to today, friday. After another four days of snow, airports are still backed up and Edinburgh is still a major struggle, but i attempted to get to Paris this morning. I even got as far as getting on the plane (after waking up at 5am to leave for the airport at 6am) and sitting on it for two hours waiting for the de-icing crew before that flight was canceled. Long story short, they ran out of de-icing fluid...really.
Now i am working on booking flights for when my sister gets here and this process is proving just as difficult as each of my recent experiences with airlines. Some malfunction with the ryanair website is keeping us from booking anything, and of course the call center closes at 5pm and the only other help line to call charges a pound a minute.
Moral of the story: I hate snow, i hate airports/airlines, and i think im getting an ulcer.
Fastforward to today, friday. After another four days of snow, airports are still backed up and Edinburgh is still a major struggle, but i attempted to get to Paris this morning. I even got as far as getting on the plane (after waking up at 5am to leave for the airport at 6am) and sitting on it for two hours waiting for the de-icing crew before that flight was canceled. Long story short, they ran out of de-icing fluid...really.
Now i am working on booking flights for when my sister gets here and this process is proving just as difficult as each of my recent experiences with airlines. Some malfunction with the ryanair website is keeping us from booking anything, and of course the call center closes at 5pm and the only other help line to call charges a pound a minute.
Moral of the story: I hate snow, i hate airports/airlines, and i think im getting an ulcer.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Its Christmas time in the city
Technically i can say this because there is no Thanksgiving here in Scotland; meaning that Christmas tunes have been played sporadically over the last month or so. But you can definitely tell that winter is upon us here. The temperature has dropped drastically, it rains a lot more frequently (there is also SNOW on the forecast for later this week!), people are beginning to revise (review) for finals and write final papers, but most importantly- the Edinburgh Christmas festival is being set up over in Princes Street Gardens. As of now, i can see a ferris wheel, other rides (swings!!), lights being strung all around town, and a few trees being put up. Within the next few days everything will be finished (skating rink included) and the Lighting Ceremony will take place- November 25th i believe. And i am also planning on doing a charity run around Princes Street Gardens with a few friends, the 10 quid entry fee includes a santa suit to run in and keep :) Obviously im really looking forward to this, and dont worry- there WILL be photographic evidence. I guess Thanksgiving is this week too, IFSA is throwing us American's a Scottish Thanksgiving at a local restaurant on Wednesday. Although, there is no turkey on the menu...hmm, but ill survive. I am just excited to see everyone from the program and fill the void of family with some friends. Also, my friends Suzy and Barbara are going to help me attempt to cook a thanksgiving dinner on Thursday- i never thought i would be tackling my first thanksgiving dinner this early in life.
Aside from the holiday festivities, my classes are now almost over. The last week of classes is this week. I cant believe that its almost over! i feel like im just getting the hang of all of them. The term is a full two weeks shorter here than at Redlands. But we do get an entire week for revision rather than the three-day weekend UR gives us. My revision week isnt exactly going to serve that purpose as i have my first final (take home for British Scociety) from December 1st-2nd. Luckily that was scheduled exactly when it was because i have a trip to london this weekend and i get back on roughly a day and a half to prepare myself for the final and then leave again on the 3rd for Paris. I am so excited for Paris, ive wanted to see it since i started taking french in 7th grade (but i definitely did not trust my french skills-or serious lack thereof- enough to study abroad there). I am going to stay with a girl that goes to school with my best friend from high school. Immediately following my return from Paris, i have my final paper due in Science and Society and then the next day i sit for my Ecology exam. So, by 430 pm on the 9th i will be done with the "Study" part of Study Abroad. It is going to be a whirlwind, but im ready.
This weekend i had the pleasure of hosting one of my best friends from Redlands here in Edinburgh. We toured campus a little bit and then went to my favorite Scottish restaurant, Deacon Brodie's, and i introduced her to Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. She said they were good but probably could never eat haggis again once she found out what was in it- i guess sheep's intestines freak some people out? That evening we went out to my favorite little club, the Hive, and danced the night away. The next morning we woke up early and toured the Palace at Hollyrood. I have been before but it is a really cool place. I'll put up pictures once i can borrow a camera cord. After that we went to another one of my favorite restaurants near my flat- The City Restaurant, toasties and soup was a nice warm break from the rain that pelted us ALL weekend. After lunch we experienced the Scotch Whisky Experience where we learned about the different sorts of whisky made in Scotland. We also got to sample some at the end of the tour, and i have to say-not really my thing. Then i took rachel to the Greyfriar's Cemetery where there is a headstone that any Harry Potter fan would enjoy- Tom Riddle. It just made us a little more excited to see the new movie next weekend in London. For dinner last night we went to an Indian place that i had never been to before, it was delicious. Then we went to a local pub for a bit. This morning we toured the castle before rachel had to catch a bus to the airport. It was a quick visit but i am very glad i could hone my tour giving skills before the parents get here in a month :)
Well, i should probably continue to write my Ecology lab report that is due tomorrow, i will be so excited when it is done!
Happy Thanksgiving- eat some turkey for me!
Aside from the holiday festivities, my classes are now almost over. The last week of classes is this week. I cant believe that its almost over! i feel like im just getting the hang of all of them. The term is a full two weeks shorter here than at Redlands. But we do get an entire week for revision rather than the three-day weekend UR gives us. My revision week isnt exactly going to serve that purpose as i have my first final (take home for British Scociety) from December 1st-2nd. Luckily that was scheduled exactly when it was because i have a trip to london this weekend and i get back on roughly a day and a half to prepare myself for the final and then leave again on the 3rd for Paris. I am so excited for Paris, ive wanted to see it since i started taking french in 7th grade (but i definitely did not trust my french skills-or serious lack thereof- enough to study abroad there). I am going to stay with a girl that goes to school with my best friend from high school. Immediately following my return from Paris, i have my final paper due in Science and Society and then the next day i sit for my Ecology exam. So, by 430 pm on the 9th i will be done with the "Study" part of Study Abroad. It is going to be a whirlwind, but im ready.
This weekend i had the pleasure of hosting one of my best friends from Redlands here in Edinburgh. We toured campus a little bit and then went to my favorite Scottish restaurant, Deacon Brodie's, and i introduced her to Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. She said they were good but probably could never eat haggis again once she found out what was in it- i guess sheep's intestines freak some people out? That evening we went out to my favorite little club, the Hive, and danced the night away. The next morning we woke up early and toured the Palace at Hollyrood. I have been before but it is a really cool place. I'll put up pictures once i can borrow a camera cord. After that we went to another one of my favorite restaurants near my flat- The City Restaurant, toasties and soup was a nice warm break from the rain that pelted us ALL weekend. After lunch we experienced the Scotch Whisky Experience where we learned about the different sorts of whisky made in Scotland. We also got to sample some at the end of the tour, and i have to say-not really my thing. Then i took rachel to the Greyfriar's Cemetery where there is a headstone that any Harry Potter fan would enjoy- Tom Riddle. It just made us a little more excited to see the new movie next weekend in London. For dinner last night we went to an Indian place that i had never been to before, it was delicious. Then we went to a local pub for a bit. This morning we toured the castle before rachel had to catch a bus to the airport. It was a quick visit but i am very glad i could hone my tour giving skills before the parents get here in a month :)
Well, i should probably continue to write my Ecology lab report that is due tomorrow, i will be so excited when it is done!
Happy Thanksgiving- eat some turkey for me!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
A Month in the Life
Its been a month since my last post and instead of traveling, i have been living the life of a typical Edinburgh student. Going to class, spending late nights reading and studying, going out at night, and soaking up all that is Edinburgh. I am currently half way through week 7 of 10 and i have turned in two papers and taken one exam. I have two papers left before finals start and luckily all of my finals will be done by December 9th even though finals can be scheduled up until the 17th. This will probably equate to a lot of stress in the first week of December, but it will also give me more time to travel with my sister when she gets here on the 13th.
It has been starting to get dark pretty early since daylight savings time. My evening class is now a walk in the dark both ways- how depressing. The daylight hours have dropped to around 9 and its started to get rather rainy. I guess this is what ive been missing during Tacoma winters these past two years and i cant say im not glad to reside normally in southern california.
I have been trying to culturally educate myself here outside of classes. Suzy, Barb, and I went to see Spam-A-Lot at one of the local theaters, which was great. I think i am finally starting to understand British humor. We also got really cheap tickets to go see this streetdance performance, Blaze. It was actually pretty cool.
The one bit of traveling i have done is a quick over-night visit to St Andrew to help celebrate a friend's birthday- the big 21. Its obviously not a big deal over here, as kids can drink at 18, so we wanted to make a big deal of it. And i believe we did. Quesadillas, margaritas, and guacamole. I also got to go to coffee with a friend from pre-school that is attending St Andrew for all four years and see her flat. It's such a cute little town and i did not see the golf course, so im planning a return trip before i leave.
Last weekend was halloween or should i say, halloweekend. Just as in the US, the Scots go out at least three nights. I only made it out for two because i am a baby when it comes to getting enough sleep on school nights. But i still had a lot of fun dressing up and hanging out with my flatmates one night and a bunch of kids from the program on the other night.
This week has been pretty stressful already, dealing with class registration for the spring and also a pretty large housing dilemma has sprung up which is resulting in quite a few angry phone calls back to the states. I will be so relieved when all of this gets sorted out.
Well, this evening, Barbara has friends in town so we are going to walk around and show them the sights and then go on a ghost tour in the underground vaults. I have already done this tour when i was here two years ago, but im sure i will still be scared.
haha this update probably has not been nearly as fun as the past ones, but hopefully things will liven up soon. Rachel Haag will be making her Scottish debut on the weekend of the 19th and the following weekend we are going to London together and then the following weekend we are meeting up again in Paris. Im not sure if i will survive this much Rachel; wild things are bound to happen around this one.
Until next time :)
It has been starting to get dark pretty early since daylight savings time. My evening class is now a walk in the dark both ways- how depressing. The daylight hours have dropped to around 9 and its started to get rather rainy. I guess this is what ive been missing during Tacoma winters these past two years and i cant say im not glad to reside normally in southern california.
I have been trying to culturally educate myself here outside of classes. Suzy, Barb, and I went to see Spam-A-Lot at one of the local theaters, which was great. I think i am finally starting to understand British humor. We also got really cheap tickets to go see this streetdance performance, Blaze. It was actually pretty cool.
The one bit of traveling i have done is a quick over-night visit to St Andrew to help celebrate a friend's birthday- the big 21. Its obviously not a big deal over here, as kids can drink at 18, so we wanted to make a big deal of it. And i believe we did. Quesadillas, margaritas, and guacamole. I also got to go to coffee with a friend from pre-school that is attending St Andrew for all four years and see her flat. It's such a cute little town and i did not see the golf course, so im planning a return trip before i leave.
Last weekend was halloween or should i say, halloweekend. Just as in the US, the Scots go out at least three nights. I only made it out for two because i am a baby when it comes to getting enough sleep on school nights. But i still had a lot of fun dressing up and hanging out with my flatmates one night and a bunch of kids from the program on the other night.
This week has been pretty stressful already, dealing with class registration for the spring and also a pretty large housing dilemma has sprung up which is resulting in quite a few angry phone calls back to the states. I will be so relieved when all of this gets sorted out.
Well, this evening, Barbara has friends in town so we are going to walk around and show them the sights and then go on a ghost tour in the underground vaults. I have already done this tour when i was here two years ago, but im sure i will still be scared.
haha this update probably has not been nearly as fun as the past ones, but hopefully things will liven up soon. Rachel Haag will be making her Scottish debut on the weekend of the 19th and the following weekend we are going to London together and then the following weekend we are meeting up again in Paris. Im not sure if i will survive this much Rachel; wild things are bound to happen around this one.
Until next time :)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Oktoberfest and Inverness
I haven't done an update in awhile, i could say that i have been busy but, besides the weekends, i generally just sit around trying to do reading and watching a lot of british television shows (if you are my parents, please disregard that last part). I think that was probably signifying the end of the "honeymoon"phase of the study abroad experience; generally people get really homesick but i did not, i just got really lazy. I was also fighting a mean german cold i must have acquired at some point between chugging steins and getting unwelcome kisses from bald, fat, and drunk italian men at Oktoberfest. Although the sexual harassment does not sound like a good time, Oktoberfest was amazing. It was everything i could have hoped and dreamed; beer, beer, food, and more beer. I was joined in my german shenanigans by Suzy and Barbara. We skipped our friday classes (again, disregard that part mom and dad), and hopped a flight to Memmigen West (located about an hour and a half and 20 quid from Munich). Once we landed we boarded a bus that took us to the city- you could start the weekend out with a beer for 2 euro, and of course we did. We arrived in the city with absolutely no clue where our hotel was, although we did have an address- the street names and numbers meant nothing to us. We asked our kind bus driver how to get to it and he pointed us in the direction of the train station and told us to take the U2 (the underground), seemed easy enough. No. Apparently there are multiple levels of this train station and living up to the "Stupid American" stereotype that was far too complex for us. So we had to ask. Upon finding the stop we boarded our train- turns out we were about 25 minutes from the city center and those minutes seemed to only multiply when we sat down next to three Portuguese men who stared at us and tried to initiate conversation in another language. They probably meant no harm but because of the language barrier and the awkward staring, we were creeped out. We arrived at the hotel and then went in search of food, offering us another experience with the language barrier. The only thing remotely near our hotel was a mall with a food court and even there the only thing we could order (even by pointing and gesturing) was pizza. For the evening we ventured back to the city center and wandered around- purchasing souvenirs and food for breakfast (including champagne and orange juice). After being hit on in about four more languages, we headed back to the hotel. Waking up at 530 am was made slightly easier with the help of chocolate chip muffins, mimosas, and powdered cappuccinos- breakfast of champions. We then treked back to the city center and to the Hofbrauhaus tent. After standing outside, squished like sardines for an hour, we were finally let into the tent. There we met some American Marines stationed in Italy and hung out with them for awhile. They were not really our style so we decided to wander around. Amazingly, after barely escaping the women's bathrooms with my life, i ran into a friend of my sisters from Santa Clara who directed me to "the Santa Clara section" where i found a bunch more SCU people that i'd met through my sister. There were even some tears shed from the sight of "Anna Callaghan's sister!!". It was great to see some familiar faces, i even ran into a few Redlands kids too. It was nuts to run into people i knew that far from home. After a hard 10 hours in the tent, i couldnt feel my legs, Barbara couldnt speak, and we were all deathly hungry. We bought some crepes and Suz and i went for a ride on the swings and then we boarded the underground for our hotel. After showers and recapping the day, we passed out for approximately 12 hours. The next day we reversed our trek into Munich and boarded our flight back to Edinburgh.
This weekend the IFSA-Butler program treated us all to a sightseeing trip up to the Scottish Highlands where we saw waterfalls, the Jacobite Express aka the Hogwarts Express :), the site of the Battle of Culloden (the defeat of the Jacobites by the Government Army and the ultimate end of the clan system), a sheepdog farm- probably the cutest place ive ever been, the Glenfiddich Whiskey Distillery, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and the mountains of Glencoe. It was a whirlwind and it wasnt until i got home and looked on a map that i saw how much of the highlands we'd seen. I also experienced my first hostel, first sweet toffee pudding, kopparberg pear cider, and sheep feeding. Its great to spend time with all of the people from the program and get out of the city for a little bit, the fresh air is a nice change.
Now its back to the grind, for real this time. I have an Ecology write up due on friday- 600 words and worth 20% of my grade, joy.
We might go up to St. Andrews to hang out with some other girls from the program on Thursday, only if my write up is done though :)
Cheers, here are some pictures from the Highlands trip.
This weekend the IFSA-Butler program treated us all to a sightseeing trip up to the Scottish Highlands where we saw waterfalls, the Jacobite Express aka the Hogwarts Express :), the site of the Battle of Culloden (the defeat of the Jacobites by the Government Army and the ultimate end of the clan system), a sheepdog farm- probably the cutest place ive ever been, the Glenfiddich Whiskey Distillery, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and the mountains of Glencoe. It was a whirlwind and it wasnt until i got home and looked on a map that i saw how much of the highlands we'd seen. I also experienced my first hostel, first sweet toffee pudding, kopparberg pear cider, and sheep feeding. Its great to spend time with all of the people from the program and get out of the city for a little bit, the fresh air is a nice change.
Now its back to the grind, for real this time. I have an Ecology write up due on friday- 600 words and worth 20% of my grade, joy.
We might go up to St. Andrews to hang out with some other girls from the program on Thursday, only if my write up is done though :)
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