Day 17: My Touristy Endeavors

Palace of Holyroodhouse

On Friday afternoon, a friend and I went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse; the name alone sounds important and exclusive. It’s basically where the queen stays when she visits Scotland, which I found out is only for one week each year… seriously?!  “Royal matters” are held at the palace, according to the free audio guide that came with our ticket purchase. Normally, I try to avoid looking like a tourist (ie wearing a cell phone like device around my neck and searching frantically for the next audio symbol), but it was free, and if you know me by now, you know I had to say yes. So there we were, along with the rest of the tourists, quietly oohing and ahhing as we rounded each new corner; first it was in a room that is still currently used for the Queen’s dinners, next at one of the old royalty’s bed chambers, and even more dramatic- the marked spot on the floor where a murder took place. A warden, dressed in full Scottish garb- kilt and high socks occupied most rooms but not every single one, and in the rooms without one, I so badly wanted to just jump over the red velvet guard ropes onto the bed, or casually pose in one of the off-limits chairs, and see if anyone would even notice. What’s the punishment for an offense like that? I’m sure it would be the most action the wardens would get in a long while. Anyway, as much as I make fun of the stiffness of it all, it really was neat to see such an important building in Scottish history. Part of our ticket included a gallery of photos of the current Queen, and after dutifully viewing each one along with the audio bits, I concluded that the Queen really is one badass woman. My favorite photo of her was from her younger years, leaning up against the side of a jeep while her husband perched on top of it, I think they were watching a horse race. Even though she’s the Queen, she’s not afraid to get a little dirty and have fun (or at least that’s the message I intend the photo is supposed to give off) and I really respect that.

Funny story- we ended up getting kicked out of the palace, no not because I jumped on one of the beds, because it was closing time- and started the long walk back home. Turns out while we had been inside it had started snowing, but not a light peaceful kind but the kind that falls horizontally into your face and no matter which way you turn somehow it’s always coming straight at you. Along the way back, we stopped at Black Medicine, a quirky coffee shop with signs like, No Internet-Camping Out . I ordered a much needed hot chocolate and this yummy looking chocolate and caramel pastry. It was quite honestly the best thing I’ve put in my mouth since I got here. I am quickly learning that the Scottish are not known for their food, but this little coffee shop was trying to put an end to that, and I fully intend on Internet-Camping Out here in the future, as long as they keep making those pastries.

Later that night, I cooked a dinner, so bland that I can’t even remember what I made two days later, and against my best intentions trudged to Papa John’s at midnight to feed my cravings. It turns out that Scottish Papa John’s is no different than American Papa John’s, but I needed to make sure by eating the better part of a family sized pizza.

A river in the Highlands

On Saturday morning, I forced my body out of bed at the crack of dawn (seven am seems like it to me) and my flatmate and I headed over to the International Student Center to catch a bus for a tour of a whisky distillery. Seemingly minutes after just sitting down, I was waking up surrounded by snow covered mountains surrounding us. We were in the Highlands of Scotland, the northern and most rural part of the country. The actual distillery tour wasn’t too exciting, but the complimentary whisky samples that we had- at eleven in the morning- certainly woke me up. Even the “mildest” brew left me doing some sort of funny body roll and a lingering burning sensation in my throat. 

In the distillery

After the tour, we walked a half mile or so to the nearby town and got a quick lunch in a café, then did some exploring of the town. A very helpful, very Scottish local directed us to a short walk along a winding river right in the town, so after I deciphered his general directions we headed over to the river. Laura was fascinated by all the snow and insisted we took multiple pictures of her in it (hat on, hat off, are you sure you got all the snow in the background?). Her joy made me realize how much fun snow really can be, and we had a snowball fight as we made our way back to the bus. The bus ride back was silent, as people pretty much immediately fell asleep, but as we got into the city back home, the bus driver decided to crank up the music, waking us all up as quickly as we had fallen asleep. He also decided it was a good idea to make a farting noise into the speaker system. I shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as he had joked about trying the whisky when he dropped us off at the distillery. Whisky tasting or not, we all made it back in one piece. I rushed home to put a load of laundry in since I had reached the ultimate laundry low- no underwear! Later that night, I met Miren at her flat, we bought a pizza for dinner- we tested out Pizza Hut tonight, and got ready to go to a party Laura was having in her flat. The party was great, not too much to say here about this!

This was right down the road from the distillery...

Today I summited Arthur’s Seat but as usual I need to wake up in a few hours for class so I will write more about this in the next blog post.

Day 14: I Survived the 2 Week Mark!

Exactly two weeks ago, I was on a plane to London. I had no idea of the people I would meet here, the adventures I would go on... And it just keeps getting better!

So I left off on Tuesday night. Later that night, I went to a friend's house for a wonderful dinner! Myself, Miren, who cooked the dinner, and Laura, another friend of ours, ate along with Miren's two flatmates from Germany and Britain. It was a great girl's night in.

On Wednesday I was able to sleep in, which was definitely helpful for getting over my cold. After finally waking up (yes, it was after 12pm; no, this would not happen if I was back at school at Cornell), I went for a run in a nearby park called The Meadows. The park wasn't huge, but there were a lot of other joggers, bikers and walkers which was nice motivation for me. It's been cold here- sweater-jacket-another jacket-gloves-scarf kind of cold here, but when I went for my run I was able to shed my jacket and just ran in a short sleeve shirt! That was probably the only time my arms will see the light of day for the next few months. As you can see, I'm very optimistic about this weather...

After wolfing down a most excellent lunch- nutella, peanut butter, and apples on toasted bread, I showered and got dressed and went back out into the cold to head to a meeting. Since I had some time to kill, I stopped in a secondhand book store and picked out Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson- it's all about his travels through the United Kingdom, so I figured it would be an appropriate read. Afterwards, I went to a meeting for Cornell, Brown, and Penn students studying abroad in Scotland this semester. We were warned of the usual things, but I did learn that I should try a fried Mars bar here; I thought it was only the Americans who fried everything?

Afterwards, I did some grocery shopping, then picked up tickets for an event later on this week. That night, I was able to skype with Owen for the first time in a week or so, which was a nice surprise!

Thursday I had class in the morning- Oceanography. For my next class, Environmental Pollution, we went on a field trip! It was to the Center for Ecology and Hydrology, where we had the chance to listen to a lecture about reactive nitrogen and its impacts on the earth, and then broke out into smaller groups and visited individual labs and learned about some of the equipment out there for measuring gasses in the atmosphere. All in all, it was a nice change from the typical lecture-style class period. Interestingly, I've never had a field trip in my two and a half years at Cornell.

After the field trip, I swung by my flat to eat another one of those nutella, pb, and apple sandwiches (I've become quite addicted) and then headed to a salsa lesson along with some friends! I've salsa danced before, so I knew the basic steps that we went over but it was good practice. At one point, they asked for all boys and girls to pair up; it was just like an awkward middle school dance. But we sorted ourselves out eventually and practiced the moves as pairs. Can I just say to the boys of Edinburgh in the salsa class- move less like a robot, more like a human... They really were trying and that's why I feel bad saying this, but they had absolutely no rhythm. I was just like that when I started too though, so also to them- you will get better!

That night, I cooked a Mexican dinner for myself, Laura, and Miren! Tacos with meat, cheese, lettuce, peppers and salsa! It was probably the most effort I've put in a meal since I've gotten here, and it really was rewarding to cook for others- it makes me more motivated to learn to cook good, quality dishes. I know tacos are simple, but for me it was a step in the right direction.

Friday (today) I had Oceanography class in the morning, then took the bus back to the city center and grabbed a quick lunch. Short story- at restaurants here they ask if you are "staying in" or "taking away." In other words, for here or to go. If you say you're staying in, they charge you extra! For washing your dish I guess? I really don't understand it. But either way, when I ordered my bagel today and was asked the question, I blurted out take away to save the few extra pence. Then I quickly realized I couldn't stay and eat if I had just said I was taking it away... so I spent the next 10 minutes wandering around looking for a place to eat. My only solid option was a stairwell in an academic building. Lesson learned.

In my next blog entry, you will hear about my adventures in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but for now it's 1:30am and I have to be up in 5 hours, so I am getting to bed- cheers!

Day 11: Chillin with the Parliament

I’m beginning to get in the swing of things, which is nice. I know where to find the free bus, which grocery stores are cheap, that it’s ALWAYS colder than you think it is outside, and that I should turn on the heater in the bathroom long before I plan to take a shower. So all in all, I’m feeling settled in. I’m still figuring out what work I need to be doing for class; so far only a few chapters of reading have been assigned, in only one of my classes. If I was back at Cornell, I would have already handed in problem sets and I’d be working on the next couple. So the workload appears to be very different here. Most of your grade is based on the final exam, so I’m guessing when that comes around there will be lots more work.

The outside of the Scottish Parliament building

Yesterday I had planned to do some exploring in the morning but ended up sleeping in, leaving only a little bit of time before my classes started. I have been absolutely craving a good American sub sandwich, so I went on a hunt for one. I found a promising place- Peckham’s deli, but there were so many options that I got overwhelmed and left. I went to a smaller, cozier sandwich place instead. I got turkey, cheese and mayo on a sub roll, attempting to recreate what I love at home. The verdict? Not quite the same. They do have a subway here and I may hit that up in the near future… While at lunch, I read in the newspaper that it was supposedly the most depressing day of the entire year. I believe they used a sophisticated formula based on daylight hours, taxes, and days since the last major holiday. Who decides to do a study on that? I decided that I would try to make it just the opposite. I then took the bus to class which I had from 2 to 5pm. In my pollution class we talked about the effects of hydrofracking and how nuclear power plants work. In my soil, water and atmospheric processes class, we discussed the energy balance on Earth.

An entryway to the Parliament building

After class, I cooked dinner- rice and chicken. I will not be purchasing that kind of rice again. Later, a few friends and I met up at a bar for a pub quiz (also known as Trivia Night back at home). There were 5 rounds of questions and you got points for each correct answer. Thank god we had two people from the UK in our group; us Americans were no help at all. A lot of the questions were about British sports or entertainment. In one round, they played songs and we had to write the name and artist. I impressed my group by knowing one by Taylor Swift, my shining moment of the night. We had some greasy pub fries; they made up for my sub-par dinner fortunately.

The Queen's Palace in Scotland

Today I had class in the morning then did some exploring of the city. I had heard that the Scottish Parliament building had unique architecture, so I headed there. The building truly was like something out of this world! Once inside, I was able to sit in on a Parliament session! This was AWESOME. Though I couldn’t quite grasp what they were talking about (something about the budget?), I felt so lucky to be able to sit it on the meeting. When the person speaking said something controversial, others would try to butt in or a chatter would begin amongst the rest of the members; I was surprised how unofficial that aspect of it was. After sitting in awe for a while, I headed out. Along the way back, I walked by the Palace of Holyroodhouse- where the Queen stays when she visits! Normally, I’m not too obsessed with the Royal Family, but being so close to it all got me excited. The next free day I have, I’m going to do a tour of the palace. I headed back to class from 4:10-5pm. My friend and I took the bus back (we may have cut the line in order to get on!) which leads me to now.

Day 9: One of the Best Days Yet!

Lots of adventures yesterday- this consisted of showering, cooking, and reading. In an effort to speed up my recovery of this no-voice plague I slept for nearly 13 hours Friday night and didn’t dare venture outside in the freezing, windy bleak Scottish weather. Ok, I may be exaggerating, but going outside didn’t seem all that necessary yesterday. So after getting out of bed around 3:30pm, I showered, cooked soup, explored the World Wide Web, read a book, ate some more soup, and read a book some more. All while listening to the comforting words of Simon and Garfunkel. At night, my voice had come back a little bit so I skyped my family and made a pizza for myself. All in all, it was not too terrible of a day.

Today was excellent! I slept in until 1pm, read a book for awhile, and then decided I was feeling good enough to run outside. So I ventured out, took a random turn, and ended up in Holyrood Park, a park right behind my flat that I had heard of but hadn’t found until now! The view was so incredible, and everything was snow-covered from the flurries we got the other night. People were running, walking dogs, kids were sledding… it was magical. After a short run, I decided I had to go back to my dorm to grab my camera. I went back to take some pictures, they don’t even do it justice. But you can see for yourself! I was just so glad to have found this beautiful piece of nature so close to the city. Never actually living in a city before this, I had definitely been craving some nature and this park will for sure satisfy that! Also, I hadn't really been motivated to run before today, because of the cold and the short daylight hours. But I know I will enjoy many a run in this park. Also, there are various trails that lead to the top of these mountains, and hopefully one day this week I will be able to climb to the top and get more pictures!

Day 7: Cheers to Giant Anteaters and Fish and Chips

It's already been a week here, and wow it seems like I have done a lot. Yesterday I had class in the morning for an hour and then after that I decided to see some sights in the main part of the city (my classes are about a 40 minute walk from the main city which is where I live). I first went to the National Library of Scotland; you need to register to get into the main part so I decided I would come back when I need to study. Next I went to an area called the Grassmarket. It’s named the Grassmarket because long ago, vendors used to sell grass and hay and the like. The area had mostly shops, which got boring so I ended up wandering around and taking pictures. I also found this really neat path that led around the base of the castle here. Well, since I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going I got rather lost; I was on a set of streets below where I wanted to be. After some random turns, I finally found myself on a street I knew of, and was so relieved to be back in a familiar place that I just went into the first café I saw for lunch. Let’s just say that it wasn’t the best lunch I’ve had here. And in the tiny place the only other customers were what seemed like a group of Scottish mafia type men. Needless to say, I got out of there as fast as possible. I headed over to the National Museum of Scotland; this place was huge- 7 floors! I only had two hours to spend there, but I will for sure be going back sometime soon. In the animal section, they had a scale that told you what animal weighed the same as you- apparently I weigh as much as a giant anteater. Good to know. I also thoroughly enjoyed this video playing that was basically a bunch of consolidated interviews with people living in Scotland. One of the questions asked was “What is your favorite Scottish phrase?” and I had to put my ear right up to the speaker and I still couldn’t understand a word they were saying! They basically have their own mini language.

After the museum, I headed over to the bus stop to take to class but still had some time to kill before it came so I wandered up a new street and it led to this prep school academy; it must have been right when school let out because there were little Scottish kids everywhere in their plaid uniforms heading home from school. They were adorable! Then I had class, and at night went to a friend’s apartment for dinner. Her flatmates also invited a few people over, and at one point there were 4 languages being spoken in one room: English, Dutch, French and Spanish! It makes me wish I could speak another language fluently (my mediocre Spanish doesn’t quite make the cut). We all shared weird phrases we have in our languages; everyone thought it was funny that in America we say “Shoot me a text.” I never even thought about how odd some of our phrases are. Later that night, we went out to a club.

This morning, I had no voice when I woke up! Probably from it being so cold here all the time, not sleeping enough, going out, I’m not quite sure. I’m drinking hot water and going to gargle with salt water, but if anyone knows of good home remedies, PLEASE let me know. It’s so frustrating to hang out with people when you can barely talk to them!

I had class from 11 to 12 today and then after that met up with a friend and we went on a free tour of the city. Our tour guide sort of looked like a smaller Hagrid from Harry Potter (for those of you who don’t know, imagine a pirate of sorts). The tour covered a good deal of Scottish history, and their battles with England. Our guide loved to point out all the gory, creepy, or nasty details. For example, people used to dispose of their human waste in the streets by throwing it out their windows, even when they lived very high up in buildings. Before they threw it down, they would scream something to let people know to get out of the way. But those who late at night were coming back from the bar weren’t always paying attention. They would hear someone scream something from above, look up, and then oftentimes get hit in the face with the waste, hence the term “shitfaced” that we here in America use to mean very drunk. We also heard some dramatic stories about a rock owned by Scotland that was taken by the British, stolen back, and so on. All in all, it was a really informative tour.

A funny postcard I saw

Then tonight, a group of us went to a restaurant to get fish and chips! (Fish and French fries for us Americans.) I normally don’t like fish, but the kind I got was greasy and fried; it didn’t have that fishy taste or smell really. It was so good! Though I’m sure not the healthiest thing… The French fries were the same as at home. Everyone got a laugh out of trying to understand me; I eventually wrote down what I wanted to say on a napkin. When we left the restaurant, it had been snowing for a few hours and had built up on the streets. Here in the UK they don’t believe in plowing or shoveling I’ve been told, so everything was super slushy. One of my friends had never seen it snowing before so we had a good time playing in it. We hung out and watched a movie, and then I headed home to try to cure myself of this no voice plague. I stocked up on orange juice, apples, and soup; we’ll see if it works!

Day 4: Why hello there squirrel

First off, I have to comment on the weather. Morning: grey with rain/sleet. Mid-day: heavy snow flurries. Early afternoon: bright sun. Night: bitter cold. It's worse than Ithaca here!

I had a few hour gap in between classes at the science/engineering campus and since I hadn't really explored that area before today, I figured it was the perfect chance to explore around. First stop: cutting through a fence unto a golf course. Next, I took a residential road a mile or two out where I eventually came upon a neat path that wound through the forest. It was there that I saw my first Scottish squirrel! It doesn't look any different, I wonder if these guys have accents... Eventually the path led into a shopping center, which I was a little disappointed about. I can't wait to get into the hills and far away from all this commercialization. Some things are universal in both American and Scottish cultures- an obsession with buying things, or at least an obsession with having the means to buy things.  Anyway, I walked through the mall and had a pretty good time attempting to decipher the accents of people passing by. Sometimes I can't even tell if they're speaking in English at first!

After that I headed back to campus for my class. My friend and I took the free student bus back afterwards which broke down on the way home! The driver was very relaxed about it though (aka he didn't tell anyone what the hell was going on) and eventually a replacement bus was sent which we took back, no problem. Once back at my flat, I cooked my THIRD dinner so far here- I boiled rice and cooked chicken to go with it. Not too shabby :) Next I took a shower, and the reason I'm boring you with that information is because this is the first time our shower has worked since I got here!

Later tonight I met up with friends and we went to a bar that had a comedy night. Most of it was funny, but there were definitely some culture gaps or just differences in phrasing that we didn't quite understand. And there was a skit about lice, that one I wasn't quite sure if anyone understood...Hopefully as my time goes on here I catch on to all their cool British phrases :) And with that, cheers!

Day 3: Castles, Cooking, and Classes

Well, it's only day 3 here but it feels as if I've been here for a week already!

The flight over here had its ups and downs. I barely slept during the 6 hour flight, but the airline served a great meal, complete with wine and metal (silver?) utensils including two forks! I don't even use two forks at home. You could definitely tell it wasn't an American airline company. All we get is oversalted peanuts and if we're lucky a sodium-laden meal. At the airport in London, I was able to meet up with a friend from Cornell and we had the same flight to the Edinburgh, Scotland airport. Students from the University of Edinburgh met us at the airport and helped us figure out how to get a taxi to our apartments.

When I got to my apartment (or flat, as they call it here), I was greeted by a short girl wearing a Hello Kitty onesie pajama get-up. Flatmate #1! My other flatmates are from England, Connecticut, and Italy. It's an awesome mix. Later that night, I went to a free dinner, my first meal here, and of all things it turned out to be haggis. For those of you who haven't heard of this traditional Scottish dish, it is made of sheep innards (heart, liver and lungs) with spices and a few other things added. Before I got here, I wasn't sure if I ever would have the guts to try it (no pun intended) but that night it was the only thing to eat and I was starving so I gave it a go. I'm going to be honest here, it wasn't all that bad. Actually, I kind of liked it. (Please don't judge me...) The best way I can describe it is with a taste similar to spicy taco meat and a texture similar to mashed potatoes. I'm still here now, so I guess it's safe to eat? Now black pudding, made with blood, I'm not so sure about.

The next day, I went exploring with a friend. We both bought some things we needed (a towel, I couldn't go much longer without one) and then walked along one of the popular streets here-Princes Street, and later the Royal Mile. The city is absolutely gorgeous- everything is so much older and historic here than cities in the United States. I wonder if people have more pride in their hometowns because the history is so easily visible.

That night, I cooked my first dinner here for myself; well I'm not sure if you can call it cooking as I just microwaved some ravioli noodles. Tonight was a step up though: I baked macaroni and cheese with chicken.  Today I had two classes. The first was Environmental Pollution, which is a third year class. Apparently we get to go on field trips to power plants and other similar places, so it seems more interactive than most classes at Cornell, which I'm excited about. My other class is Soil, Water, and Atmospheric Processes which is a second year course. Both professors have Scottish accents, which I could mostly understand until they got excited or started mumbling.

I have to share this: at the grocery store tonight, while looking at juices, I noticed two kinds of orange juice: with bits and without bits. They call pulp bits here! I thought that was awesome. So overall I'm having a great time; I'm still adjusting and settling in but after Day 3 I feel like I've learned lots so far. Cheers!

The Day Before Day 0: Day Negative 1?

Since this is my first real blog, I'm not quite sure what to say in the first post, but I might as well start with the basic information. I will be studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh this semester and figured the best way to let people know what I'm up to while in Scotland is through a blog!

Packing actually went smoother than I thought-hopefully I haven't forgotten anything major... it's always a pain in the arse (what they say in Scotland apparently) to repack! I've got a 65 liter hiking backpack as my checked bag and then a small suitcase for carry on. It's crazy to think that for a normal school semester I have nearly a full carload of things, yet for this semester everything can fit in two bags. It really makes me wonder about all the excess that I normally have with me at school. 

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Well, tomorrow is the big day; my flight leaves 24 hours from now! Hopefully the customs officials let me into the country and my next blog post will be from Scotland!