Monday, January 28, 2013

Edinburgh Round 2


Incomplete Parthenon
I woke up bright and early Sunday morning, packed a lunch and some snacks, and threw on a ton of layers because I was off to Edinburgh! This trip was organized by Gary from Student Tours Scotland as one of the weekend coach trips. STS has one pretty much every weekend and most only cost £15, occasionally they cost £20 if there are some entrance fees that need to be included. The coach tours go all over the country and this was just one of the 3 (possibly 4) trips Becca and I plan on going on. Anyway, Becca and I met up and walked into city center where the bus was picking us up. We boarded and headed to Edinburgh at 9am. When we got to the Capital city we first went up this pretty big hill that overlooks the rest of the city and has several monuments on it. One of which is a not completed project that was supposed to be a reconstruction of the Parthenon but was never finished. Glaswegians call this "The Edinburgh Folly". While up on the hill it started to rain pretty badly and was getting windy. It also didn't help that it has rained recently in Edinburgh so the grass was super muddy. Meaning that we had to watch our step to prevent falling. Becca decided to not take this to heart (well she probably did but is just a klutz) and fell. It was really funny and she had a very muddy and cold butt.


What are friends for if not taking pictures of your muddy behind?



After the hill we made our way to Edinburgh castle where Gary has arranged free entry tickets (they're normally £16,50 which is more than we paid for the whole trip). When we got up to the Castle we took some group shots and Gary handed out the tickets. He gave us two hours to explore the castle and eat lunch. If we wanted to we could meet up with him after that to go to some places and hear stories or we could venture on our own as long as we were back to the bus on time. Then we were set free into the castle. It is a very pretty castle and has a surprising number of museums within it's walls. It also has absolutely beautiful views of the city since it is situated on a very large hill. Becca and I really just meandered through, taking pictures at random. We explored the National War Museum for a little while as well as the National War Memorial. The Crown Jewels of Scotland are also housed at the castle and they are beautiful. We couldn't take any pictures of them though. After that we sat in one of the cafes that are within the castle walls and ate our packed lunches. We then ventures to meet up with Gary. 

Castle Gate




Cemetery for Soldier's dogs

 We then ventured into the Grassmarket which was right off the street that inspired Diagon Alley (which we saw on our previous trip to Edinburgh). We were told a story of a woman named Maggie Dickson. Apparently she had left Edinburgh for a time, had gotten pregnant out of wedlock with a random man, and attempted to conceal the pregnancy which was a felony at the time. She was sentenced to be hanged. The event was a large spectacle and was held in the Grassmarket square. May people showed up including her friends and some local medical students who were fighting for her body. After being hanged her friends got her body and loaded her into a wagon to take her to be properly buried. On the way, however, Maggie woke up. Obviously this startled many people and she was taken back to court. The judge ruled that she had served her punishment, which was to be hanged, and she was set free. The law was then changed so that people would be sentenced to be hanged until death. In honor of Maggie Dickson, there is a bar named for her in the Grassmarket square. After this story we were able to split off again or follow Gary into a very rarely tourist visited area of Edinburgh. This sounded very compelling so Becca and I stuck with him. 

So off we went to Dean Industrial Village. We started off by taking a very pretty walk along the river in order to get to the village. Then once we got there we sort of just wandered down the little street and looked at the really cute houses. It was worth the walk to see this beautiful part of the city. We were also told a story about how Glasgow used to have villages like Dean but they were destroyed after the unification in order to disperse the population and lower Glasgow's power in the voting arena. It really is a shame too because the architecture in the area was so cute and quintessential little village. After we managed to get back into the main part of the city we had about a half an hour to wander until the bus left. Becca and I wanted to get some postcards of the city so we went to like 5 shops to find ones we liked and then went to the bus. We got a little history lesson on the way back which I loved (weird fascination with the Jacobite revolution) and were then left to sleep until getting back to Glasgow. We then walked the awful half an hour back to our apartments and collapsed. 

All in all it was a wonderful day and we saw some beautiful sights. The weather could have been better but then again it is Scotland. The rain and wind weren't too bad though since we had over prepared with the layers. I would recommend to anyone going to Edinburgh to venture into the side streets of the Royal Mile and the new area of the city because there are treasures waiting to be discovered everywhere. It is a gorgeous city with so much beautiful architecture and history.  



 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Robert Burns Day!

Here in Scotland, January 25 is somewhat a national holiday. People party, eat a lot of food, and dance, all in celebration of Robert Burns, the most beloved of Scottish poets. In celebration of Robert Burns Day, the University was hosting a Burns Supper and a ceilidh. Tickets were kind of steep however, and Becca's flatmates wanted to host a party so we opted for that instead. It was a potluck sort of event so everyone brought some food and chipped in for the drinks. Being the awesome people that we are Becca and I originally decided that we wanted to do a dessert and maybe something else since there was supposed to be over 30 people coming. Jennie, Becca's flatmate and the woman taking the reigns for the festivities, told us that a salad would be good so we went with it. We got all the fixin's for the salad and wanted to make some brownies. But apparently brownie mix isn't a thing here and we didn't really want to have to buy all the stuff to make them from scratch so instead we found these mousse/cake things in the freezer section of a grocery store that only had to be thawed. They looked pretty delicious so we each got a flavor (mine was super chocolatey and Becca's was black forest). The party commenced and there was a lot of delicious food. Someone had decided to bring haggis and since neither Becca nor I had tried it yet, Jennie forced it upon us. Imagine you are walking into a barn and take a big breath and smell that horsey/cow smell. Now imagine what that tastes like and you've tried haggis. AKA it's pretty gross. All in all the party was fun. We got to talk more to some girls in the Principia program as well as meeting some people. Except for the haggis the food was pretty good. AND our cakes were a hit. My chocolatey goodness was heavenly. All in all I think we did Robert Burns proud, even if he did die on my birthday......

The beloved Robert Burns
An example of Burns' poetry. There is a hint of Scots if you're having difficulty reading it



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Negatives and Headphones

Yesterday was the second day of my Black and White Photography class. And it was very exciting. First of all we were supposed to have taken a whole roll of film before class, which I did. This was because during class we were going to remove the film and develop the negative. For those of you who may never have used film a lot because you're younger or something, the negative is the actual film that was in the camera and you have to use specific chemicals in order for the picture to show up on it. From there you can enlarge the image to make the actual prints. We started off class by winding up our film and going over the steps to put it on the dowels and into the canister the chemicals go in. Our instructor had to show us all the steps before we started because the entire process of taking the film out of the little canister you load into the camera has to be done in complete darkness. So what we had to do was open the canister using a bottle opener type thing, cut the end into a straight line, put it correctly onto one of the special dowels, wind it up completely, and place it in the chemical canister. And we were in groups of three so sharing the small table and materials required a lot of teamwork.
The dowel used, the film winds into the grooves

After all of us successfully got our film into the canister and closed it we started the developing process. The whole thing takes about an hour to do all the different steps with the chemical but its a 3 hour class once a week so we have plenty of time. We successfully did all the chemical processes, hung our film to dry, then cut it and slid it into a protective envelope. Next week we're going to get to actually develop pictures. I can't wait!



That night Becca and I ventured to this thing called a Headphone Disco. It was recommended by one of Becca's flatmates and was being held in the Queen Margaret Student Union. We decided to be adventurous and checked it out. And let me tell you, it was a blast!! The idea behind a headphone disco is that everyone wears headphones that the DJ broadcasts the music into. This way there isn't as much noise pollution for those living near the clubs. We were a little confused at first because we didn't realize there were two stations being broadcast so we'd see some people rocking out and had no idea why because the song we heard was nothing like what they seemed to be hearing. We finally found the switch that changed the channels in the headphones and liked having the option of songs. We did however really enjoy one of the DJs in particular. He just played a lot of amazing songs. We were there for almost 3 hours and were not bored once. We didn't know all of the songs but it didn't really matter because no one could hear us if we were singing the wrong words. That's another great part about these clubs, you can shout whatever you want and sing as badly as you want and no one can really hear you do it. It was such a great experience and I highly recommend that everyone try it at least once.



Sunday, January 20, 2013

Boring Week

I haven't updated recently and I apologize for that but I just really haven't done much this week. Classes are going really well so far and this week my class at the Glasgow School of Art started. It's a black and white photography class and I'm super excited about it. They provided film cameras for us and we're also going to learn about developing and creating our own project. On Wednesday I went on another of the walking tours put on by Student Tours Scotland. It was only a pound and we went up to Sighthill park which is not one of the nicest ares of Glasgow because the city has sort of neglected it. But there is a really cool stone circle in the city that is still used on equinoxes and such. We also stopped by Sighthill Cemetery which has also fallen into some disrepair. A lot of the headstones were broken and there was litter and graffiti. But hopefully this area will look a lot better after the Commonwealth Games in 2014. But the renovation projects that are proposed plan to demolish the stone circle (which is affectionately called Sighthenge). If you feel passionately about keeping history around, you can help by signing this petition.
Sighthill Stone Circle

Sighthill Cemetary


On Thursdays the International Society here at the University has weekly pub nights so we decided to check it out. Mainly because free food was advertised. We went, we stayed for a while, didn't see free food, didn't feel like drinking, so we left and went to the grocery store to get some stuff we needed. It was super crowded and Becca's roommate said she got food, so I guess we just didn't wait it out long enough. On Fridays I don't have classes but Becca does so after she got done we went out to get our phone situation fixed. She needed to get one and I needed to have them look at the SIM card in mine because it wasn't registering. We got it all worked out so now we have working phones and feel a lot better. On Saturday, we decided to spend some time in the library doing homework and just getting acquainted to the building. It is huge. So much bigger than CNU's library. I mean it actually has fun books and not just stuff for papers. We were not actually that productive but we did have some fun. We also made dinner together again and hung out with some of her flat mates and talked about random things. They also gave us some very welcoming travel advice. Finally, today Becca and I wandered to Kelvingrove Park to take some pictures for Black and White Photography. We're supposed to take a full roll of films worth of pictures (that's 36 if you didn't know) by Tuesday and as of right now I have only taken like 15 so I have a lot to do in the next day and a half.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Long Sunday

Today there was another walking tour with the same guy, Gary. It also happened to be freezing today. And raining. I'm pretty sure it didn't get above 36 degrees and it was at least sprinkling the whole time. I woke up around 9, but didn't get out of bed until almost 11 since the tour started at 1 and it takes about a half an hour to walk to the meeting point. The tour was supposed to be 3 hours long but Gary cut it a little short because of the weather, so it was a little over two. We started off the tour by heading over to the Glasgow Cathedral, which is beautiful. And right next to the Cathedral is the Necropolis. Before we headed into the city of the dead, however, Gary shared a couple of stories about St. Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow. He is very beloved, having a museum named in his honor, and the seal of Glasgow depict four of the miracles he performed that raised him to sainthood. In the Necropolis Gary shared some ghost stories as a bit of a preview to a ghost tour he does at the end of February. We had a few more stops including parts of the University of Strathclyde's campus. The University is situated right in Merchant's Square which is one of the older parts of the city. We were told a few stories about the campus and the surrounding area. We ended the tour at the Ramshorn Theater, which used to be an old church. It is now owned by Strathclyde and is used as a theater, obviously. It is also said to be the site of one of St. Mungo's miracles (not one of the ones on the seal). Gary had told Becca and I on Saturday that today's tour would pass by two more of the TARDISes, which was a very important factor. We had passed by one on the way into the Necropolis but didn't go by the other one before Gary ended the tour (since it was cut short) but he did point us in the right direction after the tour was over so we have now found 4 of the 6 TARDISes in Glasgow. The other two are supposidly almost impossible to find. Challenge Accepted!!!




After the tour we had planned to meet up with some of Becca's flatmates to see Les Miserables. I had absolutely no idea what it was about beyond The French Revolution and being a musical but it sounded like fun so I tagged along. We saw it at Cineworld, which the one on Glasgow is supposed to be the tallest movie theater in the world. I enjoyed the movie. I am a heckler so I was whispering snide remarks to Becca the entire time. She had already seen it so it was OK. It had some eye candy which I am all about as well as some really beautiful songs. Plus I just wish my life was a musical so I do always enjoy them. Since it was almost 3 hours long, it did mean that I didn't get back to my flat until 9pm. Making today very long. Overall it was a very long and busy weekend but I really did enjoy getting to see so many parts of Glasgow and meeting some new people.



Saturday, January 12, 2013

Glasgow Walking Tour

Even though today is Saturday I woke up bright and early (at 9:50) to get ready to go on this free walking tour of Glasgow that one of my new friends had found. I was super excited to actually have a tour guide who knew what they were doing and where they were going so I could get some better bearings on the city. Us girls had planned to meet up at 11 so we could find our way there and get some lunch and coffee before the tour started. It's been pretty chilly here lately so I had packed on the layers and the coffee was greatly welcomed. We found our our tour starting spot, which was at Glasgow Caledonain University, a pretty self contained school near the heart of the city. The tour was done through a company called Student Tours Scotland (click here for their Facebook page). The tour was meant to go from 1-3 and was a general introduction to the city. We walked around the city center and our guide Gary showed us some of the best places to shop and eat. He also told us some great stories about the history of the city. He was super upbeat and cheerful and he really seemed to absolutely love the city. During the tour we spotted the TARDIS again and Becca and I had a mini heart attack. Upon seeing the freak out, Gary told us that the tour tomorrow (also free) is going to pass by two more. So obviously we have to go now. Gary does weekly tours on Wednesdays, has pub nights every Monday, and they do day trips on the weekends for very reasonable prices (usually between 15-20 pounds). This looks like something that will come in handy throughout the semester as an easy way to see the country and get tips from a local. Gary was also generous enough tot ell us that if we are doing any traveling on our own, get in touch with him and he can hook us up with people he knows all over the country. It was a great, if very cold, morning/afternoon, but now I think I'm gonna cuddle up in my bed with some tea and watch a movie. I'll post about the tour tomorrow as well which is going to go into the necropolis. I'm beyond excited.


Friday, January 11, 2013

Ceilidh Fun

Today I didn't have any classes. Actually I don't have classes any Friday, which is awesome. But Becca did have class and we needed to talk to one of the ladies that works in the international office to make sure we were enrolled correctly in our classes in the system. So I got to wake up early anyway. It really wasn't that bad, caffeine in tea makes it a lot better. We got that all squared away and I came back and slept for like another hour anyway. Then I Skyped with my parents for a little while which was really nice. I know I still wouldn't be seeing them if I was at my home university but somehow being across an ocean makes me miss them all more. I think it's the fact that I can't come home for a weekend just because. My parents kept telling me to make sure I was experiencing things and making friends since these could be ones that last a lifetime. I do find it difficult to make friends sometimes, especially if I miss the first unofficial "get to know you" thing. I have a tendency to just keep to myself and get caught up with other tings and forget to get out and do things.

After my chat with my parents I was determined to not stay in all day so I messaged Becca that we were going out. We're not the most exciting of people so we just walked down to the city center which has most of the shopping areas. We restrained ourselves a great deal and managed to not buy any miscellaneous items that we we're in love with (the clothes at Primark were calling our names). Becca did need a laundry bag to so she could haul all of her clothes to the laundry room and a reusable water bottle so we stopped into TKMaxx which we think is just really funny. It's exactly like TJMaxx except for that one letter. Becca got what she needed and I found the same dish brush that I use back at school.....it made me a little homesick.


On the way back we found our way to The Glasgow School of Art which is where we'll have Black and White Photography. I'm still not 100% positive about which building it is (we know the name but didn't see it) but everyone here is super friendly and I'm sure we'll find someone to help.

After we got back from shopping we had a couple of hours until the Ceilidh party started. Ceilidh is a type of dance typical to Scotland and is reminiscent of line dancing. The International Society organized the whole thing and had a traditional Ceilidh band there to tell us exactly what to do. Becca and I usually partnered with each other but there were some occasional ones where we needed a group of three or one of the partners traveled around. We danced to almost every dance and it was loads of fun. It was super energetic and no one cared that we had no idea what we were doing since almost no one did. It was just a blast and the band that was there said they has Ceilidhs on Wednesdays so we decided we were definitely going to try it again.

Becca and I after the Ceilidh. We know, we're lookin' a hot mess
While at the party we met up with some other girls we had met earlier in the week and they told us about this free walking tour that is being put on tomorrow. It sounded too good to pass up and we said we'd join them. So tomorrow we're meeting up for lunch then getting an actual tour of the city which I hope will be very helpful. 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

WE FOUND IT!!!!!

The day started off with me going to my Archaeology lecture at 12. At the same time Becca was headed off to a Principia Consortium lunch, that I obviously couldn't go to because of class. It made me mildly upset. Class was good though and I really think I'm going to enjoy this class. Anyway, after class I had decided that I was going to do laundry. I was getting pretty low on options and I had made it over a week. The only thing is that the laundry is in the basement of one of the other apartments down the street and I was not to sure on its location. I stuffed all my clothes into my fancy laundry bag that waterproof on both sides (it's meant for baby stuff and can be found on this website). I ventured down the road and found the apartment. I was given a key to it with my own keys and knew which one it was but it decided it wanted to be difficult. It took me a good 2 minuted to finally get the door open. I found the laundry room and did all that nonsense. Another weird thing is that the washers cost £2.20 and they don't give change. Unfortunately I didn't have the change for 20p so I had to use £2.50 instead......bummer. I managed to do my laundry without anymore hitches.

Earlier in the week Becca and I had discovered that there have been several TARDIS sightings around Glasgow and naturally we got over excited and became determined to find the real one. Someone had told us that there was one near the Botanical gardens which aren't to far away from the school. So our plan for the day became to find the TARDIS. A construction worker fixing the heat and hot water in Becca's flat also told her that one of them sells coffee so obviously we need that one. Anyway we set out towards the Botanical gardens which is probably only 7 minutes away. AND THEN THERE IT WAS!!!!! A beautiful blue police box was sitting in the fence that runs around the gardens. 




On closer inspection, however, it was revealed that this was not the TARDIS because of the red panel. Alas, the search continues. We still took a bunch of pictures though.


After geeking out for a while we ventured into the gardens. It was a bit chilly outside and it's the dead of winter so not a lot was blooming. We went into one of the greenhouses and wandered for a bit. At the end of our round we found a room filled with carnivorous plants. I was beyond excited. The room had an abundance of pitcher plants and sundew and I started explaining how each worked to Becca. I was slightly upset that we had gone around half of the room and hadn't seen a Venus fly trap, when all of a sudden we found a cluster of them. I squealed quite loudly then became determined to get one to close. At which I squealed again. Then a nice gentleman came in and said they were closing. All of the other buildings were closed as well so we just wandered around a bit before heading back to get warmed up. All in all it was a very exciting day for me. I got to see a several things that I've dreamed of seeing for quite a while.