I’m writing this blog in the Heathrow airport on my last official night abroad. It is completely unbelievable to me to think that I will be home tomorrow and this chapter of my life will officially be closed. It feels like only yesterday when I was telling Mom & Dad about my crazy idea to study abroad in Scotland.
It is cliché but the only word I can think of to describe what I am feeling right now is bittersweet. I am happy to be going home and excited to seeing my friends and family again. I’m really looking forward to having my car again and having the freedom to go wherever, whenever. And I’m excited for hot Minnesota summers, BBQ’s and finally being able to watch a Twins game this season. :) I will also be happy to not have to carry around my entire life in a suitcase anymore.
Although I cannot wait to get home, I know I am going to miss almost everything about this past semester. Scotland was more beautiful than I would have ever pictured it along with all of the places that I am so fortunate to have been able to visit. I have seen and eaten things I would have never expected to in a million lifetimes. I have been challenged to do things I never thought that I could and I have loved every second of it. This semester has been an absolute dream come true and I am sad to have to say good-bye to it.
03 June 2010
27 May 2010
Last trip of the semester
I can't believe how fast this semester has flown by! It's already time for me to start packing up my things and I feel like I've only just arrived. As one last hoorah Spencer and I took a trip to London. He was planning on going with his parents when they came to visit but they weren't able to make it so I said I would go with him again.
We left Saturday the 22nd and after a long day of trains, planes and buses, we were finally settled into our hostel around 9 that night. We walked around little bit that night and found a late dinner but didn't have much time for anything else.
Sunday was a beautiful day in London and uncharacteristically hot for this time of year so we started the day by laying in the Hyde park waiting for our tour to start. Our walking tour started at 1:00 and covered all the major sites in London. It was the same one I had done the first time I was in London so it was a bit of a refresh for me but it was a good tour so I didn't mind doing it again. After the tour we had a late lunch in St. James Park and were pretty lazy the rest of the day. The heat of the day had worn us out! We walked along the Thames and hung around the London Eye for a bit, a great spot to people watch. We figured out that we were close to the London School of Economics, a dream school of Spencer's, so we made a short visit to the campus which was right in the middle of London. We were getting hungry so we quickly headed back to the hostel and made some dinner.
Monday was our busiest day in London. We started off the day by heading down to Abbey Road, made famous by The Beatles Abbey Road album. We were hopping to get some great pictures of us walking down the iconic street but we were disappointed to find out it was a pretty busy street. I got a pretty good picture of the street but with nobody in it. It is amazing how it looks so similar after all these years!
After the National Gallery, we had lunch in Trafalgar Square. It was another hot day in London so we sat on the edge of the fountain with our feet in the water, not a bad way to cool off. Next we were off to Westminster Abby to attend a choral service. We had heard about it the day before from our tour guide and thought it would be a great way to see inside Westminster without paying the ridiculously high admission fee. The service starts every day at 5 and is pretty much put on just for the tourists, but it was still an amazing experience to be a part of. Definitely not something I ever thought I would be doing.
After the service we headed down the river to see The Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. We walked around this area for a bit and then made our way home. Before making it there we decided to make a short pit stop at King's Cross train station, one of the largest in London, to see if we could find a Platform 9 & 3/4. For those of you that don't know, platform 9 & 3/4 comes from Harry Potter. They travel through the platform to get to the train station that takes them from London to Hogwarts. The cool thing about the platform in King's Cross is that they have an half of an actual trolley stuck into the wall. I wonder what people think of it if they don't know the reason behind it!
Tuesday was our last full day in London. We woke up early that day to go and get tickets for Wicked. Starting at 10am students can go and get tickets for that nights performance for only £25. We ended up getting great seats that would have cost £60 originally. We went back to the hostel to make lunch and take a short nap. We didn't stay in the hostel too long thought, we had some shopping to do. We spent the afternoon at the famous Camden Market. It was so huge we probably only wandered around about 1/4 of it. The day went by faster than we thought so we had to rush back to our hostel to get ready for the show but we made it with just a couple minutes to spare! Wicked was of course a great show, I was so excited to be able to see it, especially in London. 
We left Saturday the 22nd and after a long day of trains, planes and buses, we were finally settled into our hostel around 9 that night. We walked around little bit that night and found a late dinner but didn't have much time for anything else.
Sunday was a beautiful day in London and uncharacteristically hot for this time of year so we started the day by laying in the Hyde park waiting for our tour to start. Our walking tour started at 1:00 and covered all the major sites in London. It was the same one I had done the first time I was in London so it was a bit of a refresh for me but it was a good tour so I didn't mind doing it again. After the tour we had a late lunch in St. James Park and were pretty lazy the rest of the day. The heat of the day had worn us out! We walked along the Thames and hung around the London Eye for a bit, a great spot to people watch. We figured out that we were close to the London School of Economics, a dream school of Spencer's, so we made a short visit to the campus which was right in the middle of London. We were getting hungry so we quickly headed back to the hostel and made some dinner.
Monday was our busiest day in London. We started off the day by heading down to Abbey Road, made famous by The Beatles Abbey Road album. We were hopping to get some great pictures of us walking down the iconic street but we were disappointed to find out it was a pretty busy street. I got a pretty good picture of the street but with nobody in it. It is amazing how it looks so similar after all these years!
Next we headed to The National Gallery of London. Admission was free.. which is great for college students, and I was able to see my first Van Gogh. They had a whole room devoted to his paintings which was amazing to see, I could have stood there for hours. The most famous Van Gogh the Gallery had was his sunflower painting. There were no pictures allowed in the Gallery though, otherwise I would have some posted.
After the National Gallery, we had lunch in Trafalgar Square. It was another hot day in London so we sat on the edge of the fountain with our feet in the water, not a bad way to cool off. Next we were off to Westminster Abby to attend a choral service. We had heard about it the day before from our tour guide and thought it would be a great way to see inside Westminster without paying the ridiculously high admission fee. The service starts every day at 5 and is pretty much put on just for the tourists, but it was still an amazing experience to be a part of. Definitely not something I ever thought I would be doing.
After the service we headed down the river to see The Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. We walked around this area for a bit and then made our way home. Before making it there we decided to make a short pit stop at King's Cross train station, one of the largest in London, to see if we could find a Platform 9 & 3/4. For those of you that don't know, platform 9 & 3/4 comes from Harry Potter. They travel through the platform to get to the train station that takes them from London to Hogwarts. The cool thing about the platform in King's Cross is that they have an half of an actual trolley stuck into the wall. I wonder what people think of it if they don't know the reason behind it!
Tuesday was our last full day in London. We woke up early that day to go and get tickets for Wicked. Starting at 10am students can go and get tickets for that nights performance for only £25. We ended up getting great seats that would have cost £60 originally. We went back to the hostel to make lunch and take a short nap. We didn't stay in the hostel too long thought, we had some shopping to do. We spent the afternoon at the famous Camden Market. It was so huge we probably only wandered around about 1/4 of it. The day went by faster than we thought so we had to rush back to our hostel to get ready for the show but we made it with just a couple minutes to spare! Wicked was of course a great show, I was so excited to be able to see it, especially in London.
Wednesday we made our way to the bus stop, then the airport, then back to Glasgow and finally back to Stirling. It was a long journey home but as always, it was worth it. The next day I had my last exam at Stirling University. I am now officially done with my junior year of college.. something I still can't wrap my head around! For now I am busy packing, which more resembles jamming everything in two suitcases and hopping it will all fit. I leave the day after tomorrow and I can't really believe it still. I will write a small good-bye post before I leave, but for now, back to packing!
05 May 2010
ROMA
We all arrived in Italy on Tuesday the 11th. Once we got in, we had a little trouble navigating the metro system since none of us speak any Italian and people in Italy rarely speak English. (this proved interesting for most of the trip) Once we finally found a map we could read we were just fine. The bus after that was another story though. The directions to the hostel weren't the greatest, so we accidentaly got off a stop too early, tried to walk the rest of the way there but got pretty lost. We decided to take the metro back to the bus stop and try again. We were all hot and tired by this point but we finally got it on the second time around.
Our hostel in Rome was like nothing any of us had stayed in before. It was on the first floor of an apartment building in Rome, instead of taking up its own big building. It was really small, only five rooms with around 20 beds. It was a great way to get to know other people in your hostel, and it also gave us a more authentic feeling of the city. We had had a long day so we didn't do much on our first evening. Just got some pasta, planned out the rest of the week and went to bed early.
Wednesday was our first full day in Rome and we took full advantage of it. Our first stop of the day was Villa Borghese, which is one of Rome's biggest park. We walked around there for most of the morning and then made our way over to the Spanish Steps. We took some pictures and made our way up the steps through all of the people. We hung out there for a bit and ate lunch on the steps. Not a bad way to start our adventure it Rome.
Next we were off to the Colosseum. Stepping out of the metro station it was literally the first thing you see. That was absolutely amazing! We walked around the grounds a a little bit, took lots of pictures and then made our way into line to go inside. Inside the Colosseum they had great artifacts from ancient Rome and an exhibition on the gladiators of the Colosseum. Both were very interesting to learn about. We made our way to the inside of the Colosseum and were all astounded. It was so massive but beautiful at the same time. I was surprised to see how deteriorated it was, it was hard to imagine what it must of looked like so long ago.
After we left the Colosseum we went and explored the Foro Romano right next to the Colosseum. It was basically just lots more ruins of the Roman Empire, but still very interesting to see. We walked out past the Foro Romano and saw the Campidoglio an the Vittoriale. They were both very impressive buildings, especially compared to the old ruins we had seen all afternoon. It had been a long day with lots of walking so we went back to our little hostel, made some dinner and went to bed.
Thursday was definitely my favorite day in Rome! We started off the day at the Vatican City. It was amazing finally to see such a historic place it in person. We started off in the Piazza San Pietro, or St. Peter Plaza. We took lots of pictures of the basilica before making our way to the Vatican Museums. We wandered through there for a bit and finally made our way into the Sistine Chapel! It was so breathtaking to be able to look up at such a famous ceiling. We stood there for quite awhile just looking at everything and taking it all in. After the Sistine Chapel we headed outside to eat some lunch. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed laying in the sun for a bit. 
After lunch we walked around the museum for a little bit longer, looked around some gift shops and then made our way back to the Piazza San Pietro. We got in line to get into the basilica which was a lot shorter than before so that was nice. After we were in we decided to tour the tombs. Many of the Popes are buried here, including John Paul II, along with a few other people important to the church.
We left Vatican City shortly after that and headed to the famous Trevi fountain! My favorite part of the trip by far. It is such an iconic part of Rome is something I have always wanted to see. I was so excited to be able to throw my coins into the fountain. It is believed that throwing a coin into the fountain means you will return to Rome, and three coins is good luck. Coins are supposed to be thrown over your right shoulder with your right hand. All three of us threw three coins in for luck!
Our hostel in Rome was like nothing any of us had stayed in before. It was on the first floor of an apartment building in Rome, instead of taking up its own big building. It was really small, only five rooms with around 20 beds. It was a great way to get to know other people in your hostel, and it also gave us a more authentic feeling of the city. We had had a long day so we didn't do much on our first evening. Just got some pasta, planned out the rest of the week and went to bed early.
Wednesday was our first full day in Rome and we took full advantage of it. Our first stop of the day was Villa Borghese, which is one of Rome's biggest park. We walked around there for most of the morning and then made our way over to the Spanish Steps. We took some pictures and made our way up the steps through all of the people. We hung out there for a bit and ate lunch on the steps. Not a bad way to start our adventure it Rome.
Next we were off to the Colosseum. Stepping out of the metro station it was literally the first thing you see. That was absolutely amazing! We walked around the grounds a a little bit, took lots of pictures and then made our way into line to go inside. Inside the Colosseum they had great artifacts from ancient Rome and an exhibition on the gladiators of the Colosseum. Both were very interesting to learn about. We made our way to the inside of the Colosseum and were all astounded. It was so massive but beautiful at the same time. I was surprised to see how deteriorated it was, it was hard to imagine what it must of looked like so long ago.
After we left the Colosseum we went and explored the Foro Romano right next to the Colosseum. It was basically just lots more ruins of the Roman Empire, but still very interesting to see. We walked out past the Foro Romano and saw the Campidoglio an the Vittoriale. They were both very impressive buildings, especially compared to the old ruins we had seen all afternoon. It had been a long day with lots of walking so we went back to our little hostel, made some dinner and went to bed.
Thursday was definitely my favorite day in Rome! We started off the day at the Vatican City. It was amazing finally to see such a historic place it in person. We started off in the Piazza San Pietro, or St. Peter Plaza. We took lots of pictures of the basilica before making our way to the Vatican Museums. We wandered through there for a bit and finally made our way into the Sistine Chapel! It was so breathtaking to be able to look up at such a famous ceiling. We stood there for quite awhile just looking at everything and taking it all in. After the Sistine Chapel we headed outside to eat some lunch. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed laying in the sun for a bit.
After lunch we walked around the museum for a little bit longer, looked around some gift shops and then made our way back to the Piazza San Pietro. We got in line to get into the basilica which was a lot shorter than before so that was nice. After we were in we decided to tour the tombs. Many of the Popes are buried here, including John Paul II, along with a few other people important to the church.
We left Vatican City shortly after that and headed to the famous Trevi fountain! My favorite part of the trip by far. It is such an iconic part of Rome is something I have always wanted to see. I was so excited to be able to throw my coins into the fountain. It is believed that throwing a coin into the fountain means you will return to Rome, and three coins is good luck. Coins are supposed to be thrown over your right shoulder with your right hand. All three of us threw three coins in for luck!
The fountain was very crowded so we didn't stay long. We headed back to our hostel and stopped at a little pizza place across the street. We ended up getting a meter long pizza for dinner for all of us to share. It came with different types of pizza on it, one on each section. There was just a bit of a language barrier while trying to order the different kinds of pizza, so we didn't really know what to expect. But they were all amazing of course, after all it's Italy.
Friday was our last full day in Rome and we got a lot done. We started out at the Santa Maria. This church is famous for the Mouth of Truth outside of it. It was once believed that if you tell the Mouth of Truth a lie and then stick your hand in, it will be cut off! We explored the inside of the church a little bit and then made our way on to the next one, Saint Maria in Trastevere. This church was absolutely beautiful on the inside. The detail was breathtaking! Next stop of the day was the Pantheon.
Friday was our last full day in Rome and we got a lot done. We started out at the Santa Maria. This church is famous for the Mouth of Truth outside of it. It was once believed that if you tell the Mouth of Truth a lie and then stick your hand in, it will be cut off! We explored the inside of the church a little bit and then made our way on to the next one, Saint Maria in Trastevere. This church was absolutely beautiful on the inside. The detail was breathtaking! Next stop of the day was the Pantheon.
We journeyed our way there through the winding streets of Rome and finally got there around lunch time. We ate on the steps of the fountain and then went inside. It was very crowded since it is a very popular site in Rome so we didn't stay long. Next up was the Chiesa Del Gesu, yet another church. By this point I was growing tired of all of the churches and walking but that changed when we walked inside. The ceiling was magnificent. There was so much detailing and the artwork almost looked 3D. The last thing we did that day was go back to the Vittoriale. This time we walked inside so we could get to the top of the steps on the front. It was worth it because we got great views of the city below. It was starting to rain by this point so we made the long trek back to our cute little hostel and called it a night early.
Saturday we had some time in the morning before we had to be at the airport, so we did a little shopping. It was a pretty nasty day out weather wise though, so we didn't stay out too long. We hung out in the hostel and stayed dry the rest of they day before we had to head to the airport. Our time management wasn't the best that day, and Italian public transportation is less that reliable, so we cut it very close. But we made it just in time thankfully and got back to Glasgow safe and sound.
We had a busy 5 days in Rome and we saw A LOT, but I loved it nonetheless. I was glad to get back to Stirling though after a long and tiring week of traveling. The Tuesday after we got back I had my first of two finals and I'm fairly pleased with how it went, I'm mostly just glad its over. The past few days since then have been spent putting up lots of pictures and getting ready to go back home. I finally got my flight changed from the 7th of June to the 2nd. My last final is the 27th of May so I had some wiggle room to change it and come home a few days earlier. It was quite the process but completely worth it. Thanks again for all your help Mom.
My second to last weekend in Scotland won't be spent in Scotland at all, but in London. Spencer and I are leaving tomorrow and staying until Wednesday. He had planned on going with his parents when they came to visit but they weren't able to make it over here, so I said I would go again with him. I am excited and so very fortunate to be able to go to London twice while I am here! I couldn't think of a better last trip to take.
Ireland
This semester has flown by right before my eyes and before I knew it, classes were over. For me, break started on May 5th. I had a final take home exam to finish so the next few days following were spent finishing that and preparing for our big week long adventure in Ireland and Rome.
Spencer and I left Friday the 7th and got off to a bit of a rocky start. It turns out I booked our tickets to Belfast for the following Friday. BIG OPPS on my part! After a train ride that seemed like it took FOREVER, we got to the airport to try to sort things out. It was too expensive to switch our tickets, or to buy new ones for the flight we were supposed to be on so we decided we would try to take the ferry. Luckly, it turned out to be a great idea! We took the next train south from the airport to Stranraer, Scotland and caught the ferry to Belfast. The ferry was HUGE, and looked more like a small cruise ship on the inside. It was extremely fast for a ferry also, got us there in only 2 hours. So a little later than planned and a little differently than expected, we finally made it to Belfast.
It was a beautiful afternoon so we were able to walk around a lot of the city. We saw the beautiful city hall, the opera house, the famous Crowne Bar and walked along the River Lagan. I had no idea what to expect from the city of Belfast but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it was. We caught the train down to Dublin around 8:30. It was about a 2 hour journey and was a great way to see some of the country. We made it into Dublin around 10:30 and walked right to our hostel. It had been a long and pretty stressful day so we were pretty tired to say the least. This picture below is of Belfast City Hall, right in the middle of the city. 
Saturday we woke up to a beautiful day in Dublin with not a cloud in the sky. We meandered around the city for the morning, taking our time. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral (the picture below) which was amazing and had a beautiful garden next to it. Then we walked down the River Liffey for awhile, passing the Guinness plant, the world famous icon of Ireland. We stumbled upon the Dublin Museum and decided to go in. The museum was actually pretty interesting since it was all having to do with Ireland, and the price was right too.. free! After the museum we went back to our hostel and made some lunch. After lunch we headed back out again to wander the streets of Dublin. It was great to be able to walk around and really experience a city instead of taking buses and metros everywhere.
That evening we headed to the races! Dog races that is. One of Ireland's national pastimes is dog racing, and you could really tell by the family atmosphere. There were kids running around everywhere, placing bets on their favorite dogs. It was definitely different to see such young kids at a dog track. We got there about half way in but still saw about 6 or 7 races. We bet a few Euros on the last few races but none of our dogs one. :( Oh well, it was still great to see the dogs race and be apart of the excitement. After the last race we walked back towards our hostel, but not before stopping for a pint of Guinness. It was the first pint for both of us and there was no better place to try it then Dublin. It was very different; flat, thick and to me had a coffee after taste, but still a lot better than I expected. 
Sunday was a pretty lazy day. We headed to the main shopping district of the city and found some good bargains. It was also a great place for some amazing people watching. After lunch back in our hostel we walked down to Merrion Square, a popular park in Dublin. It was very beautiful of course but was also home to the Oscar Wilde Memorial, a Dublin born poet and playwright. We walked around some more, and headed to another park that was close. We hung out there for a little bit but couldn't stay too long since the park was closing. We went back to our hostel, made dinner and waited for our friend Katie, who's flight got in that night. She made it in safe, despite some more airport closures due to the volcano. That silly thing just won't quit! 
Spencer and I left Friday the 7th and got off to a bit of a rocky start. It turns out I booked our tickets to Belfast for the following Friday. BIG OPPS on my part! After a train ride that seemed like it took FOREVER, we got to the airport to try to sort things out. It was too expensive to switch our tickets, or to buy new ones for the flight we were supposed to be on so we decided we would try to take the ferry. Luckly, it turned out to be a great idea! We took the next train south from the airport to Stranraer, Scotland and caught the ferry to Belfast. The ferry was HUGE, and looked more like a small cruise ship on the inside. It was extremely fast for a ferry also, got us there in only 2 hours. So a little later than planned and a little differently than expected, we finally made it to Belfast.
It was a beautiful afternoon so we were able to walk around a lot of the city. We saw the beautiful city hall, the opera house, the famous Crowne Bar and walked along the River Lagan. I had no idea what to expect from the city of Belfast but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it was. We caught the train down to Dublin around 8:30. It was about a 2 hour journey and was a great way to see some of the country. We made it into Dublin around 10:30 and walked right to our hostel. It had been a long and pretty stressful day so we were pretty tired to say the least. This picture below is of Belfast City Hall, right in the middle of the city.
Saturday we woke up to a beautiful day in Dublin with not a cloud in the sky. We meandered around the city for the morning, taking our time. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral (the picture below) which was amazing and had a beautiful garden next to it. Then we walked down the River Liffey for awhile, passing the Guinness plant, the world famous icon of Ireland. We stumbled upon the Dublin Museum and decided to go in. The museum was actually pretty interesting since it was all having to do with Ireland, and the price was right too.. free! After the museum we went back to our hostel and made some lunch. After lunch we headed back out again to wander the streets of Dublin. It was great to be able to walk around and really experience a city instead of taking buses and metros everywhere.
That evening we headed to the races! Dog races that is. One of Ireland's national pastimes is dog racing, and you could really tell by the family atmosphere. There were kids running around everywhere, placing bets on their favorite dogs. It was definitely different to see such young kids at a dog track. We got there about half way in but still saw about 6 or 7 races. We bet a few Euros on the last few races but none of our dogs one. :( Oh well, it was still great to see the dogs race and be apart of the excitement. After the last race we walked back towards our hostel, but not before stopping for a pint of Guinness. It was the first pint for both of us and there was no better place to try it then Dublin. It was very different; flat, thick and to me had a coffee after taste, but still a lot better than I expected.
Sunday was a pretty lazy day. We headed to the main shopping district of the city and found some good bargains. It was also a great place for some amazing people watching. After lunch back in our hostel we walked down to Merrion Square, a popular park in Dublin. It was very beautiful of course but was also home to the Oscar Wilde Memorial, a Dublin born poet and playwright. We walked around some more, and headed to another park that was close. We hung out there for a little bit but couldn't stay too long since the park was closing. We went back to our hostel, made dinner and waited for our friend Katie, who's flight got in that night. She made it in safe, despite some more airport closures due to the volcano. That silly thing just won't quit!
Monday was our last day in Dublin so we did a free walking tour of the city. The weather was not the greatest but we tried to make the best of it. It was Ireland after all, and rain is to be expected. Other than the weather, the walking tour was great. We learned a lot about the city and it's long history. We saw lots of famous sites like Dublin Castle, The Temple Bar, Trinity College and The Clarance Hotel which is now owned by U2. After the tour we went back to the hostel to warm up and have some lunch.
We headed back out to shop a little. Last thing on our list in Dublin, but certainly not least was the Guinness Storehouse. The first few levels were very interesting because they showed the ingredients and the processes of making a Guinness. We were running out of time so we headed up to the Gravity Bar on the top of the storehouse to get our free pint of Guinness. The bar had great views of the city so we definitely took our time and enjoyed the view. After we all finished our pints, we headed back into the storehouse to finish the tour. The next few levels were all about the consumption and marketing of the beer and it's long long history. After the tour we all headed to a pub to have one last drink in Dublin.
I had really enjoyed my 4 short days in Ireland and I wasn't looking forward to it ending. But at least I did have a little something to look forward too.. ROMA!!
Vienna & Bratislava
It's not exactly Tuesday, but at least I'm getting this post up before I leave for the next week.
Spencer and I left for Vienna Thursday afternoon and flew into Bratislava, the capitol of Slovakia, which is only 40 miles east of Vienna. It is apparently pretty a popular thing to do because outside of the airport, everybody was getting on buses that said 'Wien' on the side. We got on one and made our way into the city. After some navigating of the metro system and the German language, we finally got to our hostel around 10pm. Were STARVING so we walked around a bit and found a great place to have a pizza.
The next day we hit the ground running. We spent the morning in the city center enjoying the beautiful weather and GORGEOUS city. We saw the Austrian Parliament building, Vienna city hall, Burg Theatre, Hofburg Palace, the stables of the Spanish Riding School, Stephansdom Cathedral and the Vienna Opera House.
The pictures above are of the Austrian Parliament building and a beautiful park and Hofburg Palace in the background.
It was a jam-packed morning but we didn't even notice. We went back to our hostel to relax for a bit and get in touch with Spencer's friend Michael, who goes to school in Vienna. We finally got ahold of him and met in back downtown that evening. We met some of his friends from school and a couple of them walked around the city with us and told us a little about all of the things we had seen that day. It was so nice to have tour guides with us to tell us about everything!
We all grabbed a beer and sat outside and just chatted, which was very nice. It was finally beginning to feel like a true laid-back vacation. After drinks Spencer and I got some dinner and went back to our hostel, we were pretty worn out from our long day.
Saturday was a pretty busy day as well. The morning started off pretty slow and relaxed but we managed to fit a lot in. That morning we planned on going to Belvedere Palace, just outside the city. We had made it all the way there and realized we had to leave to go meet Michael at his flat all the way on the other side of the city. Poor planning on our part. :( So we went back to the metro and headed all the way across town. Michael met us at the station and took us to his flat. It was interesting to see where somebody our age lives in a different country. We left his place and walked down to the Danube River for awhile, which was very beautiful. There were lots of Austrians outside enjoying themselves and the nice weather.
After the river Michael left and Spencer and I headed to Schonbrunn Palace. It was of course beautiful, but HUGE as well. It was painted an amazing color that made it stand out from any other palace or castle I had seen. We explored the massive gardens all around the palace and took lots of pictures. We went around to the back of the palace and were in awe of the rest of the complex. There were lots more gardens, fountains and huge hill behind the palace with another massive building. We climbed to the top so we could get some great photos of the palace and the city behind it and boy was it worth it! 
The top picture is me in from of Schonbrunn Palace and the one below is of the view from the top of the hill. The back of the palace with Vienna in the background.
After the palace we headed back to Belvedere to see what we had missed earlier that day. I'm very glad we decided to go back because the palace and the gardens were beautiful. We sat and relaxed here for awhile before walking around and taking lots more pictures of the grounds. I was so tired at this point so we got some dinner and returned home and went to bed! I think I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Sunday we decided to go to a museum that Michael recommended for us, the Albertina Museum. We were defiantly glad he did because it was an amazing museum. We got to see an Andy Worhal exhibit featuring his Cars series, which he was working on to commemorate the centennial of the automobile. The permanent showcase of the museum held works by Rembrandt, Monet, Renoir & Picasso. I was so in awe by all of the famous artwork that I got a chance to see! I'm so glad we chose to go to Albertina!
After the museum we were planning on doing some shopping but since it was Sunday, everything was closed. We definitely didn't anticipate this because at home, things are rarely closed on Sundays anymore. So instead of shopping we just window shopped and walked around the area near our hostel. Before we knew it we had made our way back into the center of Vienna. We stopped at a park outside the University to enjoy the weather once again. Around 7 we went back to Michael's flat to hang out there for the night, since we were leaving the next morning. We just hung out at his place for the night. He and Spencer caught up on what they had missed since high school and it was nice to finally meet one of Spencer's friends. After hanging out for awhile Spencer and I said goodbye to Michael and headed back to eat dinner at pack up our bags.
Monday morning we checked out of our hostel just in time and got some last minute shopping in before catching the train back to Bratislava. Our flight back to Scotland didn't leave until that night so we planned on spending the day in Bratislava seeing the castle. It was just over an hour train ride and it was very interesting to see the scenery change as we left Austria and neared Slovakia. Our train dropped us off just outside of town, which was definitely not where we thought we were going to be. Navigating and making our way to the castle was interesting to say the least, but once we figured out what bus to take it wasn't too bad.
We got to the old town which is the main tourist area and completely different than the rest of the city. The old town Bratislava was quaint and clean with parks and shops and the rest of Bratislava was well, not so quaint! We walked around the old town for a bit and then headed up to the castle. It was under heavy construction so we couldn't go inside but it was still very beautiful. The view of the city from the top were full of huge apartment complexes and big boxy buildings, so different from the beauty of Vienna, only 40 miles away. After the castle we wandered around the old town some more. It started to rain so we decided to shop a little bit in the shopping complex just across the river.
Spencer and I left for Vienna Thursday afternoon and flew into Bratislava, the capitol of Slovakia, which is only 40 miles east of Vienna. It is apparently pretty a popular thing to do because outside of the airport, everybody was getting on buses that said 'Wien' on the side. We got on one and made our way into the city. After some navigating of the metro system and the German language, we finally got to our hostel around 10pm. Were STARVING so we walked around a bit and found a great place to have a pizza.
The next day we hit the ground running. We spent the morning in the city center enjoying the beautiful weather and GORGEOUS city. We saw the Austrian Parliament building, Vienna city hall, Burg Theatre, Hofburg Palace, the stables of the Spanish Riding School, Stephansdom Cathedral and the Vienna Opera House.
The pictures above are of the Austrian Parliament building and a beautiful park and Hofburg Palace in the background.
It was a jam-packed morning but we didn't even notice. We went back to our hostel to relax for a bit and get in touch with Spencer's friend Michael, who goes to school in Vienna. We finally got ahold of him and met in back downtown that evening. We met some of his friends from school and a couple of them walked around the city with us and told us a little about all of the things we had seen that day. It was so nice to have tour guides with us to tell us about everything!
We all grabbed a beer and sat outside and just chatted, which was very nice. It was finally beginning to feel like a true laid-back vacation. After drinks Spencer and I got some dinner and went back to our hostel, we were pretty worn out from our long day.
Saturday was a pretty busy day as well. The morning started off pretty slow and relaxed but we managed to fit a lot in. That morning we planned on going to Belvedere Palace, just outside the city. We had made it all the way there and realized we had to leave to go meet Michael at his flat all the way on the other side of the city. Poor planning on our part. :( So we went back to the metro and headed all the way across town. Michael met us at the station and took us to his flat. It was interesting to see where somebody our age lives in a different country. We left his place and walked down to the Danube River for awhile, which was very beautiful. There were lots of Austrians outside enjoying themselves and the nice weather.
After the river Michael left and Spencer and I headed to Schonbrunn Palace. It was of course beautiful, but HUGE as well. It was painted an amazing color that made it stand out from any other palace or castle I had seen. We explored the massive gardens all around the palace and took lots of pictures. We went around to the back of the palace and were in awe of the rest of the complex. There were lots more gardens, fountains and huge hill behind the palace with another massive building. We climbed to the top so we could get some great photos of the palace and the city behind it and boy was it worth it!
The top picture is me in from of Schonbrunn Palace and the one below is of the view from the top of the hill. The back of the palace with Vienna in the background. After the palace we headed back to Belvedere to see what we had missed earlier that day. I'm very glad we decided to go back because the palace and the gardens were beautiful. We sat and relaxed here for awhile before walking around and taking lots more pictures of the grounds. I was so tired at this point so we got some dinner and returned home and went to bed! I think I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Sunday we decided to go to a museum that Michael recommended for us, the Albertina Museum. We were defiantly glad he did because it was an amazing museum. We got to see an Andy Worhal exhibit featuring his Cars series, which he was working on to commemorate the centennial of the automobile. The permanent showcase of the museum held works by Rembrandt, Monet, Renoir & Picasso. I was so in awe by all of the famous artwork that I got a chance to see! I'm so glad we chose to go to Albertina!
After the museum we were planning on doing some shopping but since it was Sunday, everything was closed. We definitely didn't anticipate this because at home, things are rarely closed on Sundays anymore. So instead of shopping we just window shopped and walked around the area near our hostel. Before we knew it we had made our way back into the center of Vienna. We stopped at a park outside the University to enjoy the weather once again. Around 7 we went back to Michael's flat to hang out there for the night, since we were leaving the next morning. We just hung out at his place for the night. He and Spencer caught up on what they had missed since high school and it was nice to finally meet one of Spencer's friends. After hanging out for awhile Spencer and I said goodbye to Michael and headed back to eat dinner at pack up our bags.
Monday morning we checked out of our hostel just in time and got some last minute shopping in before catching the train back to Bratislava. Our flight back to Scotland didn't leave until that night so we planned on spending the day in Bratislava seeing the castle. It was just over an hour train ride and it was very interesting to see the scenery change as we left Austria and neared Slovakia. Our train dropped us off just outside of town, which was definitely not where we thought we were going to be. Navigating and making our way to the castle was interesting to say the least, but once we figured out what bus to take it wasn't too bad.
We got to the old town which is the main tourist area and completely different than the rest of the city. The old town Bratislava was quaint and clean with parks and shops and the rest of Bratislava was well, not so quaint! We walked around the old town for a bit and then headed up to the castle. It was under heavy construction so we couldn't go inside but it was still very beautiful. The view of the city from the top were full of huge apartment complexes and big boxy buildings, so different from the beauty of Vienna, only 40 miles away. After the castle we wandered around the old town some more. It started to rain so we decided to shop a little bit in the shopping complex just across the river.
The top picture is of the Bratislava castle and the one below is of the streets of old town Bratislava. 
By then it was time to make our way back to the train station to change buses and then finally on to the airport. It was such an amazing weekend and I am so lucky to have been able to experience two completely different cities in just a few short days. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be in Slovakia, but I still loved every minute of it!
By then it was time to make our way back to the train station to change buses and then finally on to the airport. It was such an amazing weekend and I am so lucky to have been able to experience two completely different cities in just a few short days. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be in Slovakia, but I still loved every minute of it!
The past few days since I have been back have been very busy. I have been working on a final essay and preparing for a big trip that I leave for tomorrow! eek This past week was the last week of class and finals don't start until May 18th, perfect for international students who want to travel. So tomorrow morning Spencer and I leave for Ireland, stopping in Belfast first and then onto Dublin for 3 days. Katie is meeting us in Dublin on Sunday. Then Tuesday we will all leave for Rome. I'm very excited for this big trip, two places that I have wanted to go my whole life, but so different from each other. I'll have a very big post when I get back, probably more than one. Until then... cheers everyone!
28 April 2010
Instead of Ireland...
As disappointing as it was to not be able to spend the weekend in Ireland, we ended up making the most out of it. Friday I had to go to Edinburgh to pick up something I had left at the hotel. It was a beautiful day out so Spencer and I decided to make a day out of it and go to the Edinburgh Zoo. The zoo is known for their penguins, the most of any zoo in the UK. They even hold a penguin parade everyday where the penguins waddle their way through the park everyday at 2pm! We got to the zoo late so we weren't able to see the parade, but just watching all of them was very entertaining, I could have stood there all day! 
The rest of the weekend was very relaxing, I mostly just took it easy and recovered from all of the essay writing the week before. Wednesday night I did go to another Ceilidh, this time put on by the University Mountaineering Club. It was much smaller than the one hosted by the international society but still lots of fun. I recognized some of the dances from the first one so I really felt like I was getting the hang of it, as much as you can understand Ceilidh I suppose.
Last week I also took time to do something I have never done before but always wanted to.. feed the birds!! Airthrey Loch on campus is home to TONS of swans and I had been wanting to feed them all semester. Spencer and I grabbed a few slices of bread and headed to a spot where a lot of them like to hang out. They all swarmed us immediately! There were so many and they were all so beautiful, I almost forgot about how annoying they are when they wake me up every morning!
This past weekend I took another trip to St. Andrews with Spencer, Katie and her flatmate Richard. None of them had been there before and there were still a few things I wanted to see there too, so we decided to take a day to see the sights. We started with the golf course. It was cool too see it again and the progress they are making on setting up for The British Open in July. We watched a group on the 18th green and then watched a group tee off at the 1st before making our way to try to get a picture on the famous Swilacian bridge on the 18th hole. It was a risky move because people were out playing the course but we decided it was worth it for the once in a lifetime picture. We waited till there was nobody playing the hole and made a run for it, Katie first and then me. The pictures turned out great, it was totally worth it!
We had worked up an appetite from our little adventure so we grabed some lunch. With full stomachs we headed to St. Andrews University, explored a little but mostly just relaxed in the grass after our big lunch. Next we headed to St. Andrews Cathedral. The cathedral is in ruins and has been since the Reformation. The ruins are now used as a cemetery which was very interesting to explore. There is also a tower on the grounds that you can climb up to see beautiful view of the city of St. Andrews and the ocean. After climbing back down the tower and exploring a bit more we made our way to the castle. We didn't go in because we didn't have enough time but we took some pictures from the outside and explored the beach that it looks over as well. We made our way back to the city center, got some ice cream and headed back to the Old Course to see the beach. We spent some time down there just walking around and hanging out. After about an hour we made our way back to the bus station and headed back to Stirling. St. Andrews is such a beautiful little town with so much history, I am so fortunate to be able to go twice within just a few weeks.
The past few days have been relatively calm. Classes are keeping me busy and all the homework that I have been getting lately too. I've also been busy getting ready for the weekend which I'm very excited about. Tomorrow Spencer and I are going to Vienna, Austria. We have to fly into Bratislava, the capitol of Slovakia first, and then make our way to Vienna from there. The cities are only 40 miles apart but it will be an interesting adventure. Spencer has a friend who is currently studying there which I am very thankful for because neither of us speak German. It is also always nice to have a tour guide. We get back to Stirling on Monday night so I will have an update and pictures up on Tuesday hopefully.
Until then.. take care all, & GO TWINS!
18 April 2010
Mum & Pop Visit Scotland
I know this post is just a tad overdue but this past week I have been going crazy trying to finish all of my essays and preparing for a trip to Dublin, which turns out didn't actually happen. More on that later though.
Mom & Dad arrived in Edinburgh Saturday the 3rd around 11. I picked them up at the train station and took them the rest of the way to Stirling. They got checked into their hotel & were obviously pretty tired from the night of traveling, so we agreed to meet up later that night. I went back to their hotel around 6 that evening and then took them on a walk around the town of Stirling. It was interesting to see the town again through somebody else's eyes. We met up with Katie and her family, who was visiting during break also, and we all headed out to dinner. I know both families enjoyed meeting each other since they had heard so much about Katie and I and how much we had been traveling together.
Sunday was Easter so we went to church in the morning. I was surprised that everything was about the same as at home but it was interesting to attend a mass in a different country. After we grabbed some lunch and headed to the University so I could show Mom & Dad what I've been calling home for the past 2 months. We were planning on going to the William Wallace Monument that day because it is so close to campus but the weather wasn't cooperating very well. Mom & Dad decided that they could handle the traditional Scottish weather so we headed up to the monument. It was still raining off and on but when we got all the way to the top the sun decided to come out! We took some great pictures of the University and Stirling way down below. It was great to finally get to the top of this huge monument that I had been staring at from my window all semester long.
After the William Wallace Monument we walked to the Bridge of Allan, a cute little town very close to the University. We got some ice cream and relaxed in the park, the day had already been filled with lots of walking any the rents were a little jet-lagged. We walked back to the University, Mom & Dad got on the bus and headed back to their hotel to rest from the long day. We met up later for a small dinner and some drinks and caught up on everything that we had both missed for 2 months.
Tuesday morning we headed to Glasgow. The weather was again acting typically Scottish so we decided to take a sightseeing bus around town to stay dry, rather than walking everywhere. It was actually a great way to see this city and hear about its history from a live tour guide. There were a few places that I wanted to check out but most of them were closed because it was Easter Monday, a bank holiday that they celebrate here. One museum that was open was the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. It was HUGE! We spent a few hours wandering around in there and only scratched the surface. I'm not a huge museum fan but this one was interesting, it had typical Glaswegian art and artifacts, as well as from around the world. My favorite part was the French wing that held the Monet and the Renoir. After grabbing lunch at the museum we walked around the grounds of Glasgow University, which reminded me a lot of Hogwarts, and then hopped back on our bus. We finished our day with a little shopping on Buchanan Street, famous for its shopping. We headed back to Stirling, ate some dinner and called it an early night.
Tuesday was another rainy day in Scotland, but we made the best of it. We headed up to Stirling Castle and explored. This was one thing that I had done earlier in the semester but it was interesting to see it again through my parents eyes. One thing we did do with my parents was visit the weavers studio. There were two women working on a HUGE tapestry, one in a set of seven. There are already 4 of them done and it takes over a year to finish just one. Once completed they will hang in the royal chambers of the castle. Mom and I found it so interesting to watch them weave so intricately. After the castle all we wanted was a hot meal to warm ourselves up from the cold rain. We ate at an amazing little Italian place in town, did a little bit of shopping and then hopped on the train to Edinburgh. Our highland tour left from Edinburgh early the next morning so we had stay the night.
Once settled at our hotel we walked around the city a little bit since the weather had cleared up a bit. Dad and I decided to climb to the top of the Scott's monument, which had great views of the city of Edinburgh. We had some drinks and an amazing dinner at a cute little pub by our hotel, where I finally got Mom and Dad to try Haggis, which they actually said they liked! :) After dinner we called it an early night, we had a big day the next day.
Wednesday started out Scottish highlands tour. Our tour bus was pretty small, a large van basically with a driver/tour guide and only eleven people total. The small group was really nice, much better then a huge coach tour with lots of people. We left Edinburgh at about 8:30 Wednesday morning and headed north. It took some time to get out of the city but once we did it was smooth sailing from there. We passed Linlithgow Palace where Mary Queen of Scots was born, then Stirling, where you could see the castle and the Wallace Monument perfectly. Our first stop was on the border of the highlands at the Trossachs woollen mill. This stop is home to Hamish the highland cow, an institution in Scotland. He is also thought to be the most photographed cow in the world. After some pictures and gift shop shopping we got back on the bus and headed to Glencoe. The scenery on the way was breathtaking! You could see the landscape changing right before your very eyes as we moved north from the midlands to the highlands. You could notice the increase in sheep too!
After a stop for lunch just outside of Glencoe we kept chugging along up to Fort William and the Glenfinnian Monument. The Glenfinnian Monument honors "Bonnie Prince Charlie" and the site where he started the Jacobite rebellion. This site was also home to another famous monument in Scotland, The Glenfinnian Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter movies. This is the bridge that the Hogwarts Express travels over on its way to Hogwarts. After a short stop there we headed north once again. On the way we caught views of Ben Nevis, the tallest point in the UK, which I hope to climb before I leave.
Our next stop was the Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness! We drove past the world famous Loch for sometime before reaching the castle and heard all about the legend of the Loch Ness monster, keeping our eyes peeled the whole time of course. The castle was really interesting because it was not rebuilt of re-furbished in anyway. It was left just as they found it. It was cool to explore the ruins of a castle for once instead of one that had been fixed up. After about an hour of exploring it was time to get back on the bus and head to our last stop for the day, Inverness, the self proclaimed capitol of the highlands. We were dropped off at the B&B where we would be staying that night, got all settled in and then had dinner and a great restaurant along the river. After dinner we all crashed, it had been a long day of driving and sightseeing.
Thursday was going to be another big day. We left our B&B at about 9:30 and headed straight to Culoden Battlefields. This was not exactly my favorite part of the tour but still pretty interesting. Next stop was Clava Carins. They were ancient burial grounds which are scattered all around Scotland. Apparently they were built to coincide with certain solar and lunar events, even though they were built thousands of years ago, amazing. Next was a very long journey south to St. Andrews. We stopped along the way and had some lunch in the very cute little town of Pitlochery. We ate at a cute little pub and fit in as much shopping as we could before getting back on the bus.
We finally arrived at St. Andrews around 3:00 in the afternoon, our bus driver drove us around the town, showing us the main sights including the Old Course, The Cathedral, and St. Andrews University. He then dropped us off and we were able to explore the town ourselves, we of course picked the golf courses. We took lots of pictures of the Old Course, the 18th green and 1st tee were the highlights, as well as the Swilcan Bridge. We watched a few golfers who were playing the legendary course and then walked out to the beach. It was so windy, No wonder it's such a hard course! After seeing the golf courses we walked around the campus of St. Andrews University the oldest university in Scotland. It was very very old but incredibly beautiful, as everything seems to be here. After just two short hours in St. Andrews we had to get back on our bus and head back to Edinburgh. It was about an hour and a half back to Edinburgh and we arrived around 7:00 that evening. We were all whipped out from a busy too days, but definitely enjoyed ourselves on a great tour of the highlands.
Friday we spent the day in Edinburgh, mostly walking the streets of Old Towne and shopping. We did visit John Knox House on the Royal Mile which was pretty uneventful. We also walked up to the Edinburgh castle to see the great views of the city below. We decided not to go inside because of the crowds and also my parents were pretty "castled out" from the past week. We were all pretty worn out from the crazy week of traveling. So we just took it easy the last day. Friday night we had dinner with the Wanzer family again. It was great to catch up with them and hear all about what they did with their week in Scotland. After dinner we said our goodbyes and Katie and I got on the train back to Stirling.
I'm so glad that my parents were able to come visit me during my short time here. It was great to be able to share this experience with them, especially since it is something so important to me. Thanks for everything Mom & Dad!
The week after break sure was a busy one with essays due in all three of my classes. I got them all finished and was ready to spend a long weekend in Dublin with Spencer and Katie when we got some disappointing news. A volcano in Iceland erupted on Wednesday the 14th which sent volcanic ash into the atmosphere. Because of this our plane to Dublin was cancelled, along with all other planes across Europe! No flights have flown from northern and eastern Europe for the whole weekend. So far flights are cancelled through this Wednesday but they could very easily be grounded for longer. The good news is that we will still have time to go to Dublin again after classes are finished and we can schedule a flight with the same airline for free.
I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be cleared up by next Thursday when Spencer and I are planning on traveling to Vienna, Austria for the weekend.
Sorry about the length of this post but its an update from a jam-packed weekend of traveling. I didn't put any pictures in this one because it's so long but I will put the album up of all the pictures soon. Hope everyone is having a good week. Until next time.. Cheers!
Mom & Dad arrived in Edinburgh Saturday the 3rd around 11. I picked them up at the train station and took them the rest of the way to Stirling. They got checked into their hotel & were obviously pretty tired from the night of traveling, so we agreed to meet up later that night. I went back to their hotel around 6 that evening and then took them on a walk around the town of Stirling. It was interesting to see the town again through somebody else's eyes. We met up with Katie and her family, who was visiting during break also, and we all headed out to dinner. I know both families enjoyed meeting each other since they had heard so much about Katie and I and how much we had been traveling together.
Sunday was Easter so we went to church in the morning. I was surprised that everything was about the same as at home but it was interesting to attend a mass in a different country. After we grabbed some lunch and headed to the University so I could show Mom & Dad what I've been calling home for the past 2 months. We were planning on going to the William Wallace Monument that day because it is so close to campus but the weather wasn't cooperating very well. Mom & Dad decided that they could handle the traditional Scottish weather so we headed up to the monument. It was still raining off and on but when we got all the way to the top the sun decided to come out! We took some great pictures of the University and Stirling way down below. It was great to finally get to the top of this huge monument that I had been staring at from my window all semester long.
After the William Wallace Monument we walked to the Bridge of Allan, a cute little town very close to the University. We got some ice cream and relaxed in the park, the day had already been filled with lots of walking any the rents were a little jet-lagged. We walked back to the University, Mom & Dad got on the bus and headed back to their hotel to rest from the long day. We met up later for a small dinner and some drinks and caught up on everything that we had both missed for 2 months.
Tuesday morning we headed to Glasgow. The weather was again acting typically Scottish so we decided to take a sightseeing bus around town to stay dry, rather than walking everywhere. It was actually a great way to see this city and hear about its history from a live tour guide. There were a few places that I wanted to check out but most of them were closed because it was Easter Monday, a bank holiday that they celebrate here. One museum that was open was the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. It was HUGE! We spent a few hours wandering around in there and only scratched the surface. I'm not a huge museum fan but this one was interesting, it had typical Glaswegian art and artifacts, as well as from around the world. My favorite part was the French wing that held the Monet and the Renoir. After grabbing lunch at the museum we walked around the grounds of Glasgow University, which reminded me a lot of Hogwarts, and then hopped back on our bus. We finished our day with a little shopping on Buchanan Street, famous for its shopping. We headed back to Stirling, ate some dinner and called it an early night.
Tuesday was another rainy day in Scotland, but we made the best of it. We headed up to Stirling Castle and explored. This was one thing that I had done earlier in the semester but it was interesting to see it again through my parents eyes. One thing we did do with my parents was visit the weavers studio. There were two women working on a HUGE tapestry, one in a set of seven. There are already 4 of them done and it takes over a year to finish just one. Once completed they will hang in the royal chambers of the castle. Mom and I found it so interesting to watch them weave so intricately. After the castle all we wanted was a hot meal to warm ourselves up from the cold rain. We ate at an amazing little Italian place in town, did a little bit of shopping and then hopped on the train to Edinburgh. Our highland tour left from Edinburgh early the next morning so we had stay the night.
Once settled at our hotel we walked around the city a little bit since the weather had cleared up a bit. Dad and I decided to climb to the top of the Scott's monument, which had great views of the city of Edinburgh. We had some drinks and an amazing dinner at a cute little pub by our hotel, where I finally got Mom and Dad to try Haggis, which they actually said they liked! :) After dinner we called it an early night, we had a big day the next day.
Wednesday started out Scottish highlands tour. Our tour bus was pretty small, a large van basically with a driver/tour guide and only eleven people total. The small group was really nice, much better then a huge coach tour with lots of people. We left Edinburgh at about 8:30 Wednesday morning and headed north. It took some time to get out of the city but once we did it was smooth sailing from there. We passed Linlithgow Palace where Mary Queen of Scots was born, then Stirling, where you could see the castle and the Wallace Monument perfectly. Our first stop was on the border of the highlands at the Trossachs woollen mill. This stop is home to Hamish the highland cow, an institution in Scotland. He is also thought to be the most photographed cow in the world. After some pictures and gift shop shopping we got back on the bus and headed to Glencoe. The scenery on the way was breathtaking! You could see the landscape changing right before your very eyes as we moved north from the midlands to the highlands. You could notice the increase in sheep too!
After a stop for lunch just outside of Glencoe we kept chugging along up to Fort William and the Glenfinnian Monument. The Glenfinnian Monument honors "Bonnie Prince Charlie" and the site where he started the Jacobite rebellion. This site was also home to another famous monument in Scotland, The Glenfinnian Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter movies. This is the bridge that the Hogwarts Express travels over on its way to Hogwarts. After a short stop there we headed north once again. On the way we caught views of Ben Nevis, the tallest point in the UK, which I hope to climb before I leave.
Our next stop was the Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness! We drove past the world famous Loch for sometime before reaching the castle and heard all about the legend of the Loch Ness monster, keeping our eyes peeled the whole time of course. The castle was really interesting because it was not rebuilt of re-furbished in anyway. It was left just as they found it. It was cool to explore the ruins of a castle for once instead of one that had been fixed up. After about an hour of exploring it was time to get back on the bus and head to our last stop for the day, Inverness, the self proclaimed capitol of the highlands. We were dropped off at the B&B where we would be staying that night, got all settled in and then had dinner and a great restaurant along the river. After dinner we all crashed, it had been a long day of driving and sightseeing.
Thursday was going to be another big day. We left our B&B at about 9:30 and headed straight to Culoden Battlefields. This was not exactly my favorite part of the tour but still pretty interesting. Next stop was Clava Carins. They were ancient burial grounds which are scattered all around Scotland. Apparently they were built to coincide with certain solar and lunar events, even though they were built thousands of years ago, amazing. Next was a very long journey south to St. Andrews. We stopped along the way and had some lunch in the very cute little town of Pitlochery. We ate at a cute little pub and fit in as much shopping as we could before getting back on the bus.
We finally arrived at St. Andrews around 3:00 in the afternoon, our bus driver drove us around the town, showing us the main sights including the Old Course, The Cathedral, and St. Andrews University. He then dropped us off and we were able to explore the town ourselves, we of course picked the golf courses. We took lots of pictures of the Old Course, the 18th green and 1st tee were the highlights, as well as the Swilcan Bridge. We watched a few golfers who were playing the legendary course and then walked out to the beach. It was so windy, No wonder it's such a hard course! After seeing the golf courses we walked around the campus of St. Andrews University the oldest university in Scotland. It was very very old but incredibly beautiful, as everything seems to be here. After just two short hours in St. Andrews we had to get back on our bus and head back to Edinburgh. It was about an hour and a half back to Edinburgh and we arrived around 7:00 that evening. We were all whipped out from a busy too days, but definitely enjoyed ourselves on a great tour of the highlands.
Friday we spent the day in Edinburgh, mostly walking the streets of Old Towne and shopping. We did visit John Knox House on the Royal Mile which was pretty uneventful. We also walked up to the Edinburgh castle to see the great views of the city below. We decided not to go inside because of the crowds and also my parents were pretty "castled out" from the past week. We were all pretty worn out from the crazy week of traveling. So we just took it easy the last day. Friday night we had dinner with the Wanzer family again. It was great to catch up with them and hear all about what they did with their week in Scotland. After dinner we said our goodbyes and Katie and I got on the train back to Stirling.
I'm so glad that my parents were able to come visit me during my short time here. It was great to be able to share this experience with them, especially since it is something so important to me. Thanks for everything Mom & Dad!
The week after break sure was a busy one with essays due in all three of my classes. I got them all finished and was ready to spend a long weekend in Dublin with Spencer and Katie when we got some disappointing news. A volcano in Iceland erupted on Wednesday the 14th which sent volcanic ash into the atmosphere. Because of this our plane to Dublin was cancelled, along with all other planes across Europe! No flights have flown from northern and eastern Europe for the whole weekend. So far flights are cancelled through this Wednesday but they could very easily be grounded for longer. The good news is that we will still have time to go to Dublin again after classes are finished and we can schedule a flight with the same airline for free.
I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be cleared up by next Thursday when Spencer and I are planning on traveling to Vienna, Austria for the weekend.
Sorry about the length of this post but its an update from a jam-packed weekend of traveling. I didn't put any pictures in this one because it's so long but I will put the album up of all the pictures soon. Hope everyone is having a good week. Until next time.. Cheers!
29 March 2010
Paris
Okay folks... here it is & I'm sorry it took so long.
We crossed the river Seine, went for drinks at a cute little French piano bistro. The drinks and music was great and the view wasn't bad either! The last stop of the day was back to the Eiffel Tower to see it all light up up close. This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. It's even more beautiful at night and there was almost nobody around compared to the middle of the day. 
We arrived in Paris Friday around 6:30pm, by the time we took the bus into the center of Paris it was almost 8:30. Stepping off the bus was a bit of a culture shock! Neither Katie and I spoke any French so we could tell right away that navigating this huge city was going to be a challenge. Luckily we had our friend Sylvain to help us! We met Sylvain at Stirling, he studied there fall semester and moved back to Paris, his hometown, at the end of February for an internship. Without Sly we would have been totally lost, so thanks again Sly!
Once we met up with him he got us some metro cards for the weekend and took us to the heart of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe. The picture below was the view that we got coming out of the metro station. (Sly made sure to get that particular exit for us) It was completely breathtaking to see our first Parisian monument and all light up too.
After gawking for a bit we walked down the Champs Elysees and got some famous French macaroons. They were delicious. Next it was off to Concorde Square where we were able to get a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower for the first time. It was absolutely magical, we stopped and stared for quite awhile! But we couldn't stop too long because we still had lots more to see, next stop- The Louvre. Seeing this all light up was also beautiful and I still can't believe how big it was!
After The Lourve we walked along the river Seine. We walked past the Pont Neuf bridge and finally made it to the last stop of the night, Notre Dame cathedral. It was so late that it wasn't light up anymore but it was still incredibly beautiful. To get to our hostel we took the public bikes that they have in Paris, which are very handy late at night when the metro isn't running anymore. We got to our hostel and crashed! We had seen a lot already and had even more to see the next day.
Saturday morning we had met Sly at the National Opera. Navigating the metro system by ourselves was a little interesting with a language barrier but we got it eventually. It was of course another beautiful building and seeing Paris for the first time during the day was amazing. We shopped a little in the morning and then made our way to go see the main attraction... the Eiffel Tower! Seeing it up close and in day light was incredible, just how I always imagined it.
After grabbing some lunch we made our way towards the Moulin Rouge. (a must stop for Katie) We did a little shopping but there wasn't much to see there so we headed up to Sacré-Cœur Basilica or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which was close by. It is a beautiful white domed church with a view of the city to match. We stayed here for quite a bit also because the views were just so amazing! Sly finally pulled us away and we headed back to our hostel for a power nap. We had been so busy all day that it was much needed. We went out to dinner that night at a great little Chinese place that Sly found us and then headed down towards Notre Dame again. Seeing it all light up was awesome and you could really appreciate how beautiful it was.
We crossed the river Seine, went for drinks at a cute little French piano bistro. The drinks and music was great and the view wasn't bad either! The last stop of the day was back to the Eiffel Tower to see it all light up up close. This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. It's even more beautiful at night and there was almost nobody around compared to the middle of the day.
After sitting in the park for quite awhile we headed back. We had still had one more day in Paris and it was going to be another busy one. Sunday we took a train to Versailles Palace and did a free walking tour of the gardens and grounds. The guided tour was really nice because they taught us a lot about the history of the Palace and all the the different monarchs who lived their and made it the way it is. After the tour we were able to head into the palace for free! (thanks to a nice student discount) It was VERY crowded and we were very sick of walking by this point but we saw the main attractions in the castle like the King's and Queen's bed chambers and the famous Hall of Mirrors, which separates the two. The pictures below are of the outside gates of the Palace; the fountain of Apollo, the most famous of all the fountains; and the backside of the palace, taken from the gardens.
The weather on Sunday wasn't the greatest, typical Persian weather I guess, so we just decided to catch the train back to Paris and head to the airport. Even though the weather didn't exactly cooperate with us on Sunday we were not ready to leave Paris. It really is as beautiful as everybody says and I hope to be back someday.
24 March 2010
Ciao Italia!
This past weekend I had the chance to visit the island of Sicily, just off mainland Italy. My friend Katie has good family friends there so we stayed with them while we were there. After a very long day of traveling on Thursday we finally made it to Taormina, which is just north of Catania, the second largest city in Sicily. Taormina is a very popular tourist town and is the place to be in the summer because it is right on the Mediterranean Sea and has beautiful views.
Thursday night Ricardo, the oldest son of the family we stayed with, took us to a small bakery to try some pizza and pastries and then drove us around the town to see a few of good lookout spots. It was late at night but the lights of the city were still beautiful!
Friday was a pretty lazy day, we sat out on the terrace most of the morning and soaked up the sun, something we haven’t seen too much of in Scotland lately! After an wonderful lunch made by Riccardo’s mother the three of us headed down to walk along the beach. It was very relaxing and a good way to experience the culture of Sicily. After that we headed back to the house to relax until dinner time. Italians eat dinner very late at night, usually around 9 or 10 at night. After dinner we went out to a pub with Riccardo and a friend of his in the next town over. We had a few drinks there and Katie and I tried our first Italian wine... which was of course very good! We went back home and the Italians taught us how to play some card games with a Sicilian deck of cards, which is different than a regular deck. They were so much fun Katie and I both made sure to get a deck before we left.
Saturday was pretty relaxing too. We slept in and then had lunch around 2:00 then soaked up the sun for a little bit more. After that we went to a local hotel to work out for a little bit and swim. It felt good to get some exercise after eating so much pasta! Saturday night the family ordered traditional Italian pizzas for dinner. There were about 6 different kinds and I had to try them all. There was an all vegetable one, a traditional margarita pizza which is SO much better than what we have back home, a 4 cheese and prosciutto pizza with blu cheese dressing, one had French fries and sausage, another had hard boiled eggs, peas and ham and the last one I would describe as having a salad on top of it. They were all very good, some more than others though. I think my favorite one was the four cheese with ham! With dinner we had the local beer and watched an Italian football (soccer) game, it almost felt like I was back home again! After dinner we went out to a pub right on the water. It was a beautiful night so we walked around a little bit too. When we went back home it was the Americans turn to teach the Italians some drinking games. Playing with a Sicilian deck of cards made things a lot harder but it was still lots of fun.
Sunday was another day with lots and lots of food. In Sicily, Sunday lunch is a very big deal. The whole family gets together to eat a ton and drink lots of wine. The meal consisted of about 10-15 appetizers brought out one after the other. They included everything from warm ricotta cheese; a seafood platter with octopus, squid and clams; a plate of mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil; anchovies flavored with lemon and salt' fried cheese (my favorite); roasted artichokes and many others. I’m proud to say I tried them all, even the seafood which is usually not my favorite. After the appetizers comes the pasta course. The noodles in the pasta were handmade and hand rolled fresh pasta and the whole dish was absolutely amazing! Just when you think the meal is over, they bring out the meat course. I tried a few different things but by this time I was stuffed. And no Italian meal would be complete without Tiramisu! I was so full by this point but it was just so good I had to finish it, there’s always room for dessert right?
After we finished dinner we headed home so the boys could watch a football match on TV. Katie and I decided to skip the game and walk up the hillside instead. It was a long long way up but the views were perfect! At the top of this hill sits a church built right into the hill which was just as beautiful. We could also see Mt. Etna from the top, the volcano on Sicily. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip for sure. By the time we got back down the game was over so Riccardo took Katie and I shopping on some of Taorima's main shopping streets. The shops in Taormina were pretty high end, lots of famous designers, because after all it's Italy! We just bought a few little souvenirs and also got some real Italian gelato. We headed home and had another fabulous dinner and just relaxed for the rest of the night. We even found an NCAA basketball game on TV, it was in Italian most of the time, but Katie and I were still excited to watch it!
Monday was our last full day in Sicily so we did a lot. In the morning we got up around 9:00 and headed to the beach. Sicilians think that this time of year is very very cold and there aren't many tourists in the city either so needless to say we were the only ones on the beach! The water was pretty cold but the sun still felt so nice. After we soaked up some sun we went back to have some lunch. For our last lunch in Sicily, Riccardo's Mom made octopus salad and black ink spaghetti with squid. I was determined to try both of them and neither were that bad, considering I'm not a huge fan of seafood. The spaghetti was interesting, but really didn't have too much flavor. The octopus salad was pretty good, after you got over the sight of the octopus tentacles and the little suction cups! It was definitely the most interesting meal of the trip but still very good.
In the afternoon we finally went to explore the Greek/Roman theatre in Taormina. The theatre is built into the side of the hills and has AMAZING views of the rest of the city and Mt. Etna. After exploring for about an hour and getting lots of good pictures, we headed an hour south to Catania to do some more shopping. We went to the local shopping center, the mall basically, and shopped for a couple hours. We headed back home to Taormina to have our last dinner in Sicily, which was a fabulous salad with tuna fish, mozzarella, cucumbers and tomatoes. We were pretty worn out from our busy day so we had another relaxing night watching a movie and packing up or stuff.
On Tuesday morning, needless to say we did not want to leave! The whole weekend was absolutely perfect and it was nice to be in a home again and eat real home cooked meals, especially Italian. It's definitely going to be hard staying in a hostel after this trip! Staying with a family also gave us a chance to experience the real Italian culture and cuisine. They were so generous to have us in their home for the weekend and show us around their beautiful city. I definitely hope to be back someday!
This blog is long enough so I decided not to put pictures in it. There is a link to a photo album on the right side of the page. Just click on the Sicily one and it should take you right to it!
Until next time... CIAO CIAO!!
Thursday night Ricardo, the oldest son of the family we stayed with, took us to a small bakery to try some pizza and pastries and then drove us around the town to see a few of good lookout spots. It was late at night but the lights of the city were still beautiful!
Friday was a pretty lazy day, we sat out on the terrace most of the morning and soaked up the sun, something we haven’t seen too much of in Scotland lately! After an wonderful lunch made by Riccardo’s mother the three of us headed down to walk along the beach. It was very relaxing and a good way to experience the culture of Sicily. After that we headed back to the house to relax until dinner time. Italians eat dinner very late at night, usually around 9 or 10 at night. After dinner we went out to a pub with Riccardo and a friend of his in the next town over. We had a few drinks there and Katie and I tried our first Italian wine... which was of course very good! We went back home and the Italians taught us how to play some card games with a Sicilian deck of cards, which is different than a regular deck. They were so much fun Katie and I both made sure to get a deck before we left.
Saturday was pretty relaxing too. We slept in and then had lunch around 2:00 then soaked up the sun for a little bit more. After that we went to a local hotel to work out for a little bit and swim. It felt good to get some exercise after eating so much pasta! Saturday night the family ordered traditional Italian pizzas for dinner. There were about 6 different kinds and I had to try them all. There was an all vegetable one, a traditional margarita pizza which is SO much better than what we have back home, a 4 cheese and prosciutto pizza with blu cheese dressing, one had French fries and sausage, another had hard boiled eggs, peas and ham and the last one I would describe as having a salad on top of it. They were all very good, some more than others though. I think my favorite one was the four cheese with ham! With dinner we had the local beer and watched an Italian football (soccer) game, it almost felt like I was back home again! After dinner we went out to a pub right on the water. It was a beautiful night so we walked around a little bit too. When we went back home it was the Americans turn to teach the Italians some drinking games. Playing with a Sicilian deck of cards made things a lot harder but it was still lots of fun.
Sunday was another day with lots and lots of food. In Sicily, Sunday lunch is a very big deal. The whole family gets together to eat a ton and drink lots of wine. The meal consisted of about 10-15 appetizers brought out one after the other. They included everything from warm ricotta cheese; a seafood platter with octopus, squid and clams; a plate of mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil; anchovies flavored with lemon and salt' fried cheese (my favorite); roasted artichokes and many others. I’m proud to say I tried them all, even the seafood which is usually not my favorite. After the appetizers comes the pasta course. The noodles in the pasta were handmade and hand rolled fresh pasta and the whole dish was absolutely amazing! Just when you think the meal is over, they bring out the meat course. I tried a few different things but by this time I was stuffed. And no Italian meal would be complete without Tiramisu! I was so full by this point but it was just so good I had to finish it, there’s always room for dessert right?
After we finished dinner we headed home so the boys could watch a football match on TV. Katie and I decided to skip the game and walk up the hillside instead. It was a long long way up but the views were perfect! At the top of this hill sits a church built right into the hill which was just as beautiful. We could also see Mt. Etna from the top, the volcano on Sicily. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip for sure. By the time we got back down the game was over so Riccardo took Katie and I shopping on some of Taorima's main shopping streets. The shops in Taormina were pretty high end, lots of famous designers, because after all it's Italy! We just bought a few little souvenirs and also got some real Italian gelato. We headed home and had another fabulous dinner and just relaxed for the rest of the night. We even found an NCAA basketball game on TV, it was in Italian most of the time, but Katie and I were still excited to watch it!
Monday was our last full day in Sicily so we did a lot. In the morning we got up around 9:00 and headed to the beach. Sicilians think that this time of year is very very cold and there aren't many tourists in the city either so needless to say we were the only ones on the beach! The water was pretty cold but the sun still felt so nice. After we soaked up some sun we went back to have some lunch. For our last lunch in Sicily, Riccardo's Mom made octopus salad and black ink spaghetti with squid. I was determined to try both of them and neither were that bad, considering I'm not a huge fan of seafood. The spaghetti was interesting, but really didn't have too much flavor. The octopus salad was pretty good, after you got over the sight of the octopus tentacles and the little suction cups! It was definitely the most interesting meal of the trip but still very good.
In the afternoon we finally went to explore the Greek/Roman theatre in Taormina. The theatre is built into the side of the hills and has AMAZING views of the rest of the city and Mt. Etna. After exploring for about an hour and getting lots of good pictures, we headed an hour south to Catania to do some more shopping. We went to the local shopping center, the mall basically, and shopped for a couple hours. We headed back home to Taormina to have our last dinner in Sicily, which was a fabulous salad with tuna fish, mozzarella, cucumbers and tomatoes. We were pretty worn out from our busy day so we had another relaxing night watching a movie and packing up or stuff.
On Tuesday morning, needless to say we did not want to leave! The whole weekend was absolutely perfect and it was nice to be in a home again and eat real home cooked meals, especially Italian. It's definitely going to be hard staying in a hostel after this trip! Staying with a family also gave us a chance to experience the real Italian culture and cuisine. They were so generous to have us in their home for the weekend and show us around their beautiful city. I definitely hope to be back someday!
This blog is long enough so I decided not to put pictures in it. There is a link to a photo album on the right side of the page. Just click on the Sicily one and it should take you right to it!
Until next time... CIAO CIAO!!
Ceilidh
So I didn't get to post to this before I left for Italy so instead of one HUGE update I’ll split it in two.
Last Tuesday the International Society hosted a Ceilidh, which is a traditional Scottish dance. It was held at The Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling. The music was provided by a traditional Scottish band who also taught us several different types of dances. Most of the dances involved lots of partner switching, turns, under the bridge moves, running in circles and lots of others. Some were pretty confusing and others were fairly simple. Nobody was very good at these dances because we were all new at it but everybody had a good time. There are some pictures below of the dancing. The bottom one is of my friend Spencer and I.. & yes he’s wearing a kilt!
15 March 2010
LONDON
Hello all... I have lots to update on from a busy weekend in London!
Friday was a LONG day of traveling and after 2 hours by train, hour by plane, another hour by train, then a short London underground trip and a 20 minute walk Katie and I finally made it to our hostel around 1:30am.
Saturday we got started bright and early with a free walking tour. The tour was operated by a company who leads free tours around most of the major cities in Europe, so they really knew their stuff. The tour guide was great and pretty entertaining. They made all of the historical bits really interesting. The tour hit most of the main things in London. We started at Wellington Arch walked through Green Park and headed toward Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards. It was pretty crowded so I didn't get to see very much but it was still exciting to be there! After Buckingham we paid a visit to St. James Palace, where Prince Charles lives along with William and Harry stay when they are in London! After visiting the royal palaces we walked to Trafalgar's Square, considered to be the heart of London. There was a lot of construction going on and it was very crowded so we didn't spend too much time there. After that we headed towards Westminster Abby and Parliament. Along the way we passed the Horse Guards Parade which will be home to the sand Volleyball tournament of the 2012 London Olympic games. So at least I can say I saw one Olympic venue while in London. :) The highlight of the tour was definitely the end when we was Westminster, Big Ben and Parliament. These things are all so iconic to London and it was so amazing to finally be able to see the real thing!
The pictures below are of Buckingham Palace, me with Parliament, Big Ben and the River Thames & lastly, Westminster Abby
After the tour we grabbed some lunch, bought a map and started walking some more. We planned on going to The Tower of London that afternoon but the underground line that we needed to get there was under construction for the weekend so we just wandered a bit and ended up walking along the River Thames for quite awhile. We made it all the way to see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and almost all the way to London Bridge, something I couldn't leave London without seeing!
By this time we were just about beat, so we grabbed a tube on the underground (we were pros at navigating the underground by the end of the weekend) and made our way back to where we started. After some dinner and relaxing for a bit we got our tickets for The London Eye, the large Ferris wheel located right on the river. This was by far my FAVORITE part from our weekend in London. We went around 7:30 at night so the whole city was light up and the views were spectacular throughout the whole 30 minute ride. The picture below was taken on the London Eye while on the way down. By now we were both exhausted so we jumped on our first double-decker bus, and made our way back to our hostel. After seeing so much of London in one day we were beat!
Sunday we took it easy and headed up to world famous Camden Market for the day. I couldn't believe how big it was, and how much they had to offer. We walked around the market for about 4 hours and probably didn't even see half of it. The shopping was great though, you could find just about anything you wanted to there. The food was also great, Katie and I decided that we couldn't leave London without having the traditional "Fish & Chips," which was amazing. After shopping for awhile we went and relaxed in Regent's Park for an hour or two. Around 5pm is was already time to leave and head back to Stirling.
London was an amazing city and I'm so glad I got the chance to visit it. I already can't wait to go back to see the rest of it!
The rest of the week will be busy also. Tuesday the International Society is hosting a Ceilidh. Which is a traditional Scottish dance. I hear nobody is particularly good at this dance, but it's more about giving it a shot and having a good time. Wednesday is St. Patty's day which I hear they do celebrate pretty big here even though it's Scotland, so I'm looking forward to that too. Finally on Thursday Katie and I are headed to Sicily, Italy. Katie has very close family friends there so we will be going and staying with them until Tuesday. I have no idea what to expect but I'm very excited! I will try my best to update before I leave on Thursday. Until then, take care all!
07 March 2010
Classes & Castles
Sorry I haven't been updating as much as I should have be. I'm new to this blogging thing and will try to get better at updating more frequently. I have been busy in the last two weeks so I have lots to update.
The Castle holds tons of history and had incredibly beautiful architecture. The king and queens chambers and the throne room are currently being restored so we weren't able to see that. We did get to explore the Scottish War History Museum, The Great Hall and The Royal Chapel. The views from inside the castle were amazing. Here are just a few pictures I took. 
For the most part I have been getting used to the new classes, new school and enjoying getting back into a routine again. I've had two official weeks of class and am enjoying all three of them, a welcomed change from the six I take a semester at home. The three classes I am taking while I'm here are Services Marketing, Sustainable Tourism and History of Tourism. I take them all for the whole semester, which is only 12 weeks. They set their schedules a little differently then back at home. Each class has a lecture once, sometimes twice a week and then an additional seminar or group discussion session once a week. Most seminars have more than one session meeting a week but because you only have to go to one, you can basically choose your own schedule. It has been really nice to choose when I want to go to class and which days I want off.
Last week the international society here on campus had it's first official event, an international dinner. Each person brought a dish from their home country to share with everyone. My friends Katie, Spencer and I represented the US with some Mac & Cheese with hot dogs mixed in! Some of the other American dishes included sloppy joe's, apple pie and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. There was a great turn out so there was LOTS of food to try. My favorites were an orange noodle dish from Korea and hard boiled eggs stuffed with mushrooms and onions from Lithuania. I also got a chance to try Haggis, the national dish of Scotland. To my surprise it was actually pretty good!
Last weekend was mostly uneventful. It gets pretty quiet around here on the weekends and nobody goes out much. Saturday my friend Katie and I went to Glasgow for the day. It was a short 45 minute train ride. We got there and the weather was pretty gross, rainy and cloudy, so we just did some shopping and went home later that afternoon. We plan on going back soon when it's better weather to see the sights.
The most exciting part about the past couple weeks was definitely yesterday when we took a trip up to the Stirling Castle. The Stirling Castle is one of the most famous in Scotland and rivals even the Edinburgh Castle. The picture below shows the castle sitting up on the hill, taken while walking up to it.
The Castle holds tons of history and had incredibly beautiful architecture. The king and queens chambers and the throne room are currently being restored so we weren't able to see that. We did get to explore the Scottish War History Museum, The Great Hall and The Royal Chapel. The views from inside the castle were amazing. Here are just a few pictures I took.
As for this upcoming week, I don't have much planned until the weekend when my friend Katie and I will be heading to London. I'm very excited about the trip as I've wanted to go there since I can remember. So expect another large update next week. That's all for now!
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