European Trip III

Scotland Trip

Day 7 - May 20th
After getting up and having breakfast (I had ordered a more generic meal, but did end up trying the haggis that Tiffany had ordered - it really wasn't too bad), we went on a 'hop on, hop off' bus tour through Edinburgh, stopping to see Edinburgh castle on the way. The castle itself had a few displays, including a war museum and the Scottish crown jewels (which were not destroyed during the Cromwell period and are thus older than England's). After taking a break at our bed and breakfast, we headed over to Old Town for a 'literary pub crawl', which consisted of a tour by two actors who argued over the highbrow/lowbrow origins of Scottish literature. Technically, we shouldn't have been able to go, but the private school group didn't mind us (and two other Californians) tagging along. Afterwards, we got some pizza and borrowed the B&B's copy of Jurassic Park before going to bed.

Day 8 - May 21st
We got up early for our day tour to Loch Ness. Naturally, the trip there was half the fun, and we saw many beautiful sights on the way there, including mountains (though the top of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain, was obscured by clouds), rivers, lakes (or lochs), and many, many cattle (including highland cattle) and sheep. We also went past an area where they were filming for the next Harry Potter movie... if I remember correctly, we got a view of 'Hagrid's house'. After the long drive, we got out at Urquhart Castle, which was on Loch Ness. After taking a few pictures and wandering around the ruin, we got back on the tour bus and headed back to Edinburgh. The trip back was a bit less interesting; instead of taking the scenic route, we took the freeway, which was faster but less, well, scenic (though there was still a bit to see). After getting to Edinburgh that evening, we went back to the same pizza place and watched another video (the first Harry Potter, which I hadn't watched before).

Day 9 - May 22nd
Our last full day in Scotland was fairly relaxed. We started off going to the Museum of Scotland, which was interesting; they had a few rooms dedicated to early modern Scotland and a Dolly (the cloned sheep) display, in addition to a few other galleries (though we steered clear of the 'Natural History' wing). We spent much of the afternoon at the Royal Mile (the street between Edinburgh and Holyrood castles); we were able to write our postcards at a small restaurant (despite being pestered by a persistent pigeon) and wander around the area. We returned to the museum for a short time before going to Cafe Royal (known for its ceramic tiles featuring famous inventors) and having a bite to eat. Finally, we packed and went to bed.

London, at Last
If I tried to give a full day-by-day explanation of what I've been doing, I don't think I'd ever catch up. Instead, here are some of the highlights.

May 23rd
We settled into our flat in South Kensington (about a 20-30 mile walk to the school) and found out that we had a third roommate. As is probably natural for London, the accomodations are a bit 'cozy'; the room is nice enough, but not a place one would spend a lot of time in (the school is a nicer place to relax and get reading done). After putting our luggage away, we went to dinner with Kimberly (aka roommate #3) and a few other people from the program.

May 25th
Students in the program got together for a bus tour through the major sights in London (with a brief stop at Buckingham Palace), which was a good way to get a feel for the layout of the city. Afterwards, the students and faculty went to a neighborhood pub for a sort of 'meet and greet'.

May 26th
Classes began, though the schedule is a bit mixed-up to compensate for various activities of the first week.

May 27th
The class (in two groups) had a morning tour of Parliament.

May 29th
Tiffany and I got cheap tickets to see Les Miserables at the Palace theatre. Though I had seen the show before when it was in Philadelphia, I think I enjoyed it more this time around.

May 30th
Along with a few people from school, I went on a tour around Canterbury. The town was lovely and low-key, and the cathedral itself was stunning, incorporating a mix of different styles in various parts of the cathedral (including a pair of 'modern' stained glass windows). We got back to London just in time to watch the Globe's production of Richard III (featuring the Women's Company).

June 1st
Tiffany and I walked most of the way from the school to the Tower of London (we took the tube for the last few stops) and met up with Amanda (a classmate) for the Jack the Ripper Walk, led by an authority in the field. It was interesting, but there were many other people in the tour, which made it harder to listen and see the various places at points.

June 4th
We took a walk through the Inns of Court with a stop at the court (where we stepped in to see some deliberations presided over by Lord Woolf [Lord Chief Justice]). After the tour, we had lunch in Middle Temple (the Inn that one of our professors went to) before parting ways.

June 6th
After sleeping in a bit, Tiffany and I went over to the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are displayed (along with some other exhibits, including on focused on armory and the Bloody Tower, which had its rooms decorated to recreate the time Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned there. We had also planned to see part of the British Museum, but I was feeling sick and had to go back to the room for some rest.

And, of course, I've been trying to get a feeling for the city itself, and have been able to wander around a few areas (Leicester Square is a fun place to go with friends, and I've enjoyed wandering around the parks here). Naturally, there's also that 'study' thing that I have to do, though I'm guessing that it's less interesting to read about than sightseeing.