Edinburgh Adventures

Alright, now on to Edinburgh.  My mom says I write too much, but I don't care!  This is basically how I'm going to remember my trip, so suck it up, Ma!!!  (love you)

The bus (coach) ride SUCKED.  6 hours in seats that recline 1/2 inch.  It was reminiscent of my hellish plane ride here.  However, Alex and I decided to watch The Office on my computer in between our speed-reading of Shakespeare's Henry IV, so that made it pass a bit faster.

Our hotel was right in the middle of everything, not on the Royal Mile but on Princes Street, which is almost equally as busy and fashionable.  The hotel itself was eh, but better than our one in London because it had a hair dryer, soap and wireless internet.  

Alex and I set off to explore at about 3pm on Sunday.  We hit up Edinburgh Castle which is awesome--I really can't get enough of the castles.  We don't have those in America!  I love learning about all the horrifying things that happened in those places, I have no idea why.  After the castle we just walked around and did some shopping.  I spent so much money!  But I got a cashmere tam and matching scarf, which I love!  And I bought presents for a lot of people.

A note about Scottish people:  they are so nice!  In England, people are either indifferent or a little rude.  Not mean, exactly, they just don't really give a crap.  In Scotland, however, every single person we dealt with was fantastic.  In the souvenir shop, this guy helped us pick stuff out (he may have been flirting with us, but we didn't care) and then the other guy at the counter gave us free pens and golf balls and other little things because we seemed like "good girls"!  It was awesome.  The waitresses are very helpful, much more American-ish in that they will come to your table, take your order, bring it, come two or three times to ask you if you need anything, bring your check, and smile at you.  That doesn't happen in England, and we've eaten out quite a lot.  We ate at 3 different restaurants in 3 different areas of Edinburgh and the service was amazing!

Anyway, that night Alex and I set off in search of a hookah bar we had found online.  To our utter horror, it was closed for renovations.  So we just decided to go to a pub instead.  We walked down a close for quite some time, not liking the feel of this pub or thinking that one was too upscale, and then - lo and behold - we come to a pub called "Hogshead".  OF COURSE we had to go in, and it was definitely the right decision.  4 Homecoming Scotland 2009 Ales, 2 Guinnesses, and a whisky shot later, it was STILL the right decision.  Needless to say our adventure back to the hotel was interesting!  

The next day, we were both fairly hungover ( . . . sorry Mom)  so we stayed in bed until about 11am watching the BEST kid's show I have ever seen. It's called Den of Doom, and I can't even describe in words how awesome it is.  It's a game show similar to Guts or Double Dare or all those old Nickelodeon shows.  Google it and see what you find.

Saturday was a ton of fun.  We did a little bit of shopping, finally ate at Pret a Manger which is this environmentally friendly chain that pre-makes sandwiches and cookies and stuff, and you basically "shop" for your food and then pay and sit and eat it.  They are ALL OVER London, seriously on every street, so we decided to try it and it's really, really good.  Anyway, we went back over to the Royal Mile and did the Scottish Whisky Experience, which shows you how whisky is made and then you have a whisky tasting session.  It was awesome!  We got a little souvenir glass, and I bought two little whiskys to give as gifts.

We then had time to kill before it was time for our Haunted Graveyard Tour, so we just walked up and down the Royal Mile looking in basically every souvenir shop.  I found a book that details the history of Clan O'Hara!  I had to buy it.  Maybe I'll give it to my dad, but he doesn't read books.

Then it was the HAUNTED GRAVEYARD TOUR, by far my favorite part of the trip!  First of all, the tour guide was super hot.  Or at least I thought he was.  His name was Fred.  Then, he told us all about how Edinburgh was a horrible place to live for centuries, the sanitation was non-existent and there was poop ('jobby') and rats all over the streets, people were sick and disgusting and smelly, and everything just basically sucks, so they liked to torture people for fun.  They loved their witch trials.  He told us how they used to torture accused witches and their entire families, then they would die, and the city would apologize because they were found innocent and give them a nice Christian burial!

Then, Greyfriars Kirkyard.  First of all, it's dark.  We are in a graveyard which we later found out has hundreds of thousands of bodies buried in it, though there's only 400 headstones!  The graveyard used to be in a valley, but now it's a big hill -- literally, a hill of dead bodies.  AWESOME!  So we are creeped out to the max.  Then my man Fred made my crush on him expand tenfold because he told us that J.K. Rowling used to sit in Greyfriars and write, and there's a castle-like school visible from where she used to sit called Harriet's which was the inspiration for Hogwarts!  THEN -- it gets better!  -- there's a headstone that says THOMAS RIDDLE!!!!!!!  That is the only disappointment I have about Scotland, that I didn't go to see that grave.  But it was dark, and I wasn't about to leave the tour to go look at it, and afterward I was too shy to ask Fred to take us over there (haha).  

So he takes us to this creepy tomb where there used to be the world's first documented concentration camp (the one end of the graveyard used to be a prison).  The man that oversaw the prison was an awful, awful, awful person named MacKenzie, and apparently his poltergeist haunts the the kirkyard and is super active in this particular tomb.  So there's like 25 people crammed in this freaking SCARY ASS TOMB and Fred is freaking the hell out of us.  Then some girl in the corner kept moving around, and after we got out of there Fred asked her what was wrong, and she said she kept hearing something scratching the wall behind her.  Fred said, "Oh yeah, that's the side I always feel something tugging on my coat pockets."

So after all this we went back to the Creepy Wee Shop (haha!) and looked through the book where all the injuries from the poltergeist are documented.  Most of the pictures were taken right there in the shop so they are pretty legit.  Fred and his friends kept talking about wanting to go get Jack Daniels, which I thought was really weird.  I mean, you're in SCOTLAND, the land of WHISKY, and you want to drink janky Tennessee stuff?

On the way out, we witnessed some girl stumbling out of Bobby's Bar and she slammed into a parked car and fell on the ground.  We laughed really hard, felt bad, tried to stop, but couldn't.  We went back to the hotel and called it a night.

The next morning we set off for Hadrian's Wall, which was cool.  An old Roman fort!  We were just crawling around it like it was no big deal.  Awesome awesome awesome!

In case you can't tell, I LOVE SCOTLAND!  Ireland might take its place as my favorite country soon, but right now I'm all about Scotland.

School-ish update

Hello loyal followers.  I've been super busy with school so I didn't really get a chance to blog about Lincoln or Cambridge, which is where I went last weekend.

Neither day was particularly eventful.  Lincoln we went to for a British Studies field trip so everyone had to go.  It was cool--the cathedral is amazing, and so is the castle.  We also saw Roman ruins, which is just crazy to think about.  I think they were built in like 45 A.D.  I walked on them!

Cambridge was a really cool little town, but mostly Alex and I just shopped at this AMAZING street fair that was going on!  They had the funniest T-shirts and handmade scarves and stuff.  We also bought a Cambridge t-shirt so we can seem really smart when we get back to the US of A.

School is difficult and somewhat annoying.  My first big paper is due tomorrow and it's probably the worst thing I've ever written, but whatever.  I have another whopper due on Thursday as well.

Anyway -- I'll get to work on my blog about Scotland!  CHEERS!

Londinium, Day 2, and Day 3 at Hampton Court Palace

Day 2

SO!  On to Day 2 of my London adventure.  Though Alex and I were beyond exhausted, we knew we only had a limited amount of time so we were out of our hotel by 9:30 to see the sights.  Our first stop was the British Museum, which has some really awesome stuff.  However, it gets a bit redundant after awhile, looking at a bunch of old rocks.  The Reading Room and Main Atrium, though, was a sight in itself!  Absolutely stunning.  

We left there and stopped at a souvenir shop and bought a few things.  Then it was off to the Tower of London!  We bought an all-day pass for the Underground which was an AMAZING decision, it saved us so much time, money and walking!

I think the Tower of London is my favorite place in London.  Just looking at it and thinking of all the history, the torture, royalty that lived there, mystery, and the fact that it's still in use today -- the first part of it was built in 1078!  The Crown Jewels were utterly breathtaking.  You would not believe them unless you see them, which you have to -- you're not allowed to take pictures!  And the story about Edward IV's sons being imprisoned in the Tower and then just disappearing, only later they found the bones of a 12- and 10-yr old boy under the stairs of the White Tower!  Just because they were a threat to Richard III's claim on the throne.  Anne Boleyn was beheaded there, and Queen Elizabeth I was even imprisoned there for a while.  Funny enough, some important prisoners had entire apartments where they lived in luxury with their wives, children and servants.  Others just rotted in cells.  NICE!

After that it was back on the Tube to Waterloo for the London Eye.  That was insane!  It's basically a huge Ferris wheel and you get FANTASTIC views of the entire city.  If you've been to London before it's not a must-see, but if it's your first time I would definitely recommend it because you get a scope of how huge the city is.

Our next adventure was to Kensington Gardens, which I insisted on due to my lifelong infatuation with Peter Pan. For those that don't know, in the book, Peter's mother took him to Kensington Gardens when he was a baby.  His pram rolled away down the hill and he was lost, so the fairies took him to Neverland.  There's a statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens that  I needed to take a picture with.  It was awesome.

At this point we were exhausted and hungry, so we went back to the hotel and ate at this really cool buffet place in the hotel lobby, then proceeded to go back to London Pub because it was just a really fun place!  While we were there, on our third Carlsberg, Eminem's "Lose Yourself" video came on with footage of 8 Mile and the Ambassador Bridge, and Alex and I were both indescribably happy.  I've never been so excited to see 8 Mile!  

Day 3

Day 3 took us to Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII's "summer home" and later the retreat of William III and Mary II.  This place was un-freaking-believable.  You never really think about how people lived back then beyond the fancy "costumes" and court jesters, but just touring the kitchens made my mind go insane.  Alex took a picture of me standing in a fireplace that was bigger than my bedroom -- no lie.  We did an audio tour which was awesome, so we learned all these cool facts about the people that lived there, and there were play-actors around dressed as Henry VIII, Kateryn Parr, and members of court (it was "Henry and Kateryn's Wedding Day", and we had to bow when we saw him, and Alex and I had to hold a door open for him and we freaked out and thought we were going to be beheaded . . . haha).

All in all it was a FANTASTIC trip.  I can't wait to go back!  We are heading down there in November to see Phantom of the Opera in London's West End and do some souvenir shopping and hit up the Hookah Lounge again.  This weekend it's a trip to Lincoln and Cambridge so . . . stay tuned!

London Calling, Day 1

London. I never really thought I would go there. I mean, I always wanted to, I always said that I wanted to go to London before I died, but until I decided to go to England about 9 months ago I truly did not think I would ever go.

Well, I WENT!

It was nothing short of amazing. My legs are aching, my feet hate me, and I'm so tired I could collapse right here and sleep for 4 days, but it was so worth it!

Day 1

We woke up bright and early and left Harlaxton at 8:30am. The bus ride was LONG, about 3 and a half hours, but it was okay because we were just so excited! We went on a short bus tour of the city just to get us oriented with our surroundings. The bus driver dropped us off at our hotel, which left a little to be desired, but it was fine for sleeping -- which was all I needed!

Alex and I set off right away for the walking tour our school recommended. London is a great town to walk in. There is ALWAYS something to look at, and maps are fairly easy to decipher. Anyway, we headed through Russell Square to Piccadilly Circus, which is basically like the Times Square of London. It's crazy--we didn't stop there or anything, just looked around and snapped pictures. Then we headed to Leicester Square, which is a touristy place with a lot of clubs and stuff. Again, we just looked around and marveled. Trafalgar Square was next, with the National Gallery and Nelson's Column. We took a picture with someone painted to look like a statue! Alex gave him 50p :)

Then it was off toward the Big Kahunas, Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey. When I saw Big Ben from the street, I got chills! I just kept thinking of Peter Pan, when they land on the clock as they are flying by.

Parliament is insanely intimidating, but awesome! Just seeing it up close, you marvel at the intricacy. I can't even believe it's a building, let alone that people work there.

Westminster Abbey is awesome. I wish we would have gone inside, but there wouldn't have been enough time. I'm just a bit disappointed that I didn't see all the famous dead people there. You all know I'm not much a church person, but I really wanted to see Isaac Newton and kings and queens! I love celebrities, even dead ones!

We walked down Birdcage Walk past St. James Park, which is gorgeous. This took us right up to Buckingham Palace! Alex and I were trying to figure out what the queen was probably doing. We decided that she was either napping, brushing her hair or taking a dump. The guards are cool, but you can't get near them, which is really depressing. Oh, and they move. It's a total myth that they are perfectly still! Then we ate dinner at this really cool, really old pub called the Red Lion or something, it was near the War Building.

After that, we decided it was time to go in search of hookah, which lead us on the most adventurous and crazy leg of our trip. The closest hookah bar we could find to our hotel was near Liverpool Street, so we hopped on the Underground and got off at that stop. We found ourselves in the financial district of London, where everyone looked super important with their suits and briefcases and Blackberries. Using Alex's iPhone, we managed to walk through a NOT VERY GOOD area of London, in which we saw maybe 2 people and were walking down roads that had no buildings on them. We turned down a street and saw that it was just brick walls covered with graffiti, and there were people spray-painting them! We could not stop laughing at ourselves. By this point we had walked at least a mile. Then, suddenly, we emerged on a trendy, young, hip street called Brick Lane, where we found the Hookah Lounge. This place was hilarious. You can't smoke inside in London, so they had tables set up outside basically right on the street, and the guy brings out this hookah with tissue stuffed into the part where the ball usually goes. Alex laughed so hard she was crying. Then this guy sits down next to me and lights up a joint. I mean, right next to me - - I was on a bench thing. More laughter ensued. This guy did not speak one word the entire time he was sitting there. THEN, some guy asks me and Alex if we know where a specific bar is! We got mistaken for locals!

By the time our bowl was finished, we were exhausted. It was still light outside, so we walked back to Liverpool Street and hailed a taxi. When we got back to the hotel, we got ready and went to this little pub, where we drank Carlsberg sitting by a fireplace while cricket was on TV.

All in all it was a great first day in London! Days 2 and 3 will be documented shortly.

And we're off . . .

Well I've had all of my classes. Let me tell you, this is gonna be a tough semester. But I'll be fine. I'll be VERY busy so hopefully I won't have time to miss people too much :) Just kidding. I miss everyone a lot, but it's getting a bit better. I just want this whole thing to go by FAST and have a lot of fun so I can get back and be with everyone!

British Studies is crazy. Everyone in the whole school is in the lecture session from 8:30-9:30 in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays, and it's held in this amazing room called the Long Gallery, so all I want to do is stare at the ceiling because it's so pretty. Then I have a little break, and my British Studies seminar is at 11:00-12:00pm. That's just a section where we have individualized instruction from a professor. Mine seems pretty cool. He has the quintessential British accent (at least, the one Americans think is quintessential) - deep voiced, very articulate, like he's from a Jane Austen movie.

Renaissance and Reformation European History is on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 4:10-5:00. That will be a little different, it's taught by an American professor. It's a small class - only 7 people! I thought I left LTU! Haha. But everyone else in the class is a History major, so we'll see how that goes. It seems interesting enough.

British Politics I had this morning, Tuesday and Thursday from 10:15-11:30. I don't know how I feel about that class yet. The professor is actually the Dean of Students, and one girl here has a huge crush on him -- she says he looks like a combination of Jude Law and Viggo Mortensen. But the class seems hard! And for something I'm not interested in, that's not a good sign. Oh well.

Alex got here finally which is AWESOME. It is so much easier with her here - we know the same people back home at LTU, we both have boyfriends so we're not like the other girls trying to pick up dudes, we both would prefer to stay in on schoolnights and do homework in the Bistro with a beer than go out to Grantham and get shitfaced every night, but I will definitely do my share of partying like I always do. Just not every night. :) And the other kids I know, none of them are going on the school trips because they say they are too expensive. They are traveling independently almost everywhere. Well, Alex and I are like, ummm, no. I'm going on the school trips. We don't trust ourselves AT ALL. Plus I think you lose the money you paid.

Anyway, I have to go read. Tonight is the trip briefing for London, which is where we are going this weekend. I'm super excited!