I'm back in Edinburgh! As I expected, bidding farewell to my parents and brother was much harder this time around. I think it's because back in August, this was an adventure; and this time around, it's just going back to my other life many, many miles away from my loved ones. And also, I don't know when I'm going to see them or the USA again.
I'm most of the way unpacked, and I'm going out with one of my flatmates in a bit. I have discovered that my adapter doesn't fit my new laptop's three-pronged plug, so it looks like I'm going to have to get a new one. Which is fine, because I could use two anyway.
Cheers, y'all.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
"Dreams stay with you, like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside..."
It's been a good week. I've watched movies I haven't watched in a while, read books, done some much-neglected embroidery, and spent time with my family. Everyone came over last night for dinner and more presents. I got a new laptop, warm clothes (two scarves, a pair of gloves, three thermal undershirts, two pairs of leggings, and untold numbers of socks), a frying pan, the Awkward Family Photos book, and enough money to replace the camera I lost at the Hermitage back in September, which I duly did today. Also a Barnes and Noble card, which I spent today. I discovered that I've lost about 8 pounds since moving to Scotland, but I've been eating nonstop all week so I don't know if that's still true. Lord, I've missed good food.
I leave tomorrow night, and I had a moment of "I don't wanna go back" last night. I checked the weather forecast for Edinburgh and it was RAIN FOREVER, which is depressing. Plus, this week went by too fast. There's a line from a Joan of Arc miniseries that I'm quite fond of, when she's about to go back to court after visiting her family, that goes, "I'm afraid to leave, even more than I was before." When I left in August, after some tears when my parents dropped me off at the airport, I was gone without a backward glance with nary a pang of homesickness until my dad came to visit in October. This time around, I know what I'm getting into: a challenging masters program at one of the best universities in the UK, a rodent-infested apartment, and a country with infamously unpredictable weather where the sun is only up for 7 hours a day this time of year. And I honestly don't know when I'll be back to the US. I have no return ticket this time. I might come back for my cousin Justin's wedding in early May, but nothing is set in stone by any means. And at around that time I'm going to need to start giving serious thought to whether I want to stay in Scotland for good; or for a few more years anyway.
On Friday I'm leaving on a 4-day trip to northwestern Scotland and the Isle of Skye, which I'm hoping will remind me and reaffirm why I wanted to move to Scotland in the first place, because I'm in a place where I need that right now. I'll also be having another go at Mull and Iona sometime in early January, before classes start back, as long as I can find somewhere to stay on Mull. This trip home has been great for recharging, but I need to make sure that I'm able to recharge in Scotland as well. I flatter myself that I've been able to keep my balance and perspective pretty well, but those last 3-4 weeks before I came home, my world narrowed completely to schoolwork and my housing problems, and I'd like to not let that happen again. I'm also going to keep in mind that I only have another two months to put up with this flat and its problems, and that the days are going to be lengthening again now that we're past the solstice. By mid- to late February, daylight hours in Edinburgh will be similar to what they are in NC at midwinter, and in mid-April they'll be similar to NC at midsummer.
My life is so different now from what it was this time last year. This time last year, I was unemployed except for whatever music gigs I could get, I didn't know of the existence of the degree I'm now pursuing, and moving to Scotland was something I did not think was viable. In 2011, I visited Scotland in winter for the first time, applied and got into graduate school, worked in a hospital for four months, and moved to a different country. If you had told me this time last year that all this would transpire, I would not have believed you. If the Mayans are to be believed, there won't be a "this time next year," so I'm going to try to make each day of 2012 count. The only real resolution I have this year is to do the things I say I'm going to do. I've had a big problem with not following through with things I've decided to do (keep a better rein on my finances, have schoolwork finished in x, y, or z timeframe, do this or that thing this weekend), and I want to do better.
I'll conclude with what has pretty much been my theme song for 2011:
I've never seen you look like this without a reason,
Another promise fallen through, another season passes by you
I never took the smile away from anybody's face,
And that's a desperate way to look for someone who is still a child
In a big country dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered
But you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert,
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
So take that look out of here, it doesn't fit you,
Because it's happened doesn't mean you've been discarded,
Pull up your head off the floor, come up screaming,
Cry out for everything you ever might have wanted
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered,
But you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert,
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive...
- "In a Big Country" by Big Country
I leave tomorrow night, and I had a moment of "I don't wanna go back" last night. I checked the weather forecast for Edinburgh and it was RAIN FOREVER, which is depressing. Plus, this week went by too fast. There's a line from a Joan of Arc miniseries that I'm quite fond of, when she's about to go back to court after visiting her family, that goes, "I'm afraid to leave, even more than I was before." When I left in August, after some tears when my parents dropped me off at the airport, I was gone without a backward glance with nary a pang of homesickness until my dad came to visit in October. This time around, I know what I'm getting into: a challenging masters program at one of the best universities in the UK, a rodent-infested apartment, and a country with infamously unpredictable weather where the sun is only up for 7 hours a day this time of year. And I honestly don't know when I'll be back to the US. I have no return ticket this time. I might come back for my cousin Justin's wedding in early May, but nothing is set in stone by any means. And at around that time I'm going to need to start giving serious thought to whether I want to stay in Scotland for good; or for a few more years anyway.
On Friday I'm leaving on a 4-day trip to northwestern Scotland and the Isle of Skye, which I'm hoping will remind me and reaffirm why I wanted to move to Scotland in the first place, because I'm in a place where I need that right now. I'll also be having another go at Mull and Iona sometime in early January, before classes start back, as long as I can find somewhere to stay on Mull. This trip home has been great for recharging, but I need to make sure that I'm able to recharge in Scotland as well. I flatter myself that I've been able to keep my balance and perspective pretty well, but those last 3-4 weeks before I came home, my world narrowed completely to schoolwork and my housing problems, and I'd like to not let that happen again. I'm also going to keep in mind that I only have another two months to put up with this flat and its problems, and that the days are going to be lengthening again now that we're past the solstice. By mid- to late February, daylight hours in Edinburgh will be similar to what they are in NC at midwinter, and in mid-April they'll be similar to NC at midsummer.
My life is so different now from what it was this time last year. This time last year, I was unemployed except for whatever music gigs I could get, I didn't know of the existence of the degree I'm now pursuing, and moving to Scotland was something I did not think was viable. In 2011, I visited Scotland in winter for the first time, applied and got into graduate school, worked in a hospital for four months, and moved to a different country. If you had told me this time last year that all this would transpire, I would not have believed you. If the Mayans are to be believed, there won't be a "this time next year," so I'm going to try to make each day of 2012 count. The only real resolution I have this year is to do the things I say I'm going to do. I've had a big problem with not following through with things I've decided to do (keep a better rein on my finances, have schoolwork finished in x, y, or z timeframe, do this or that thing this weekend), and I want to do better.
I'll conclude with what has pretty much been my theme song for 2011:
I've never seen you look like this without a reason,
Another promise fallen through, another season passes by you
I never took the smile away from anybody's face,
And that's a desperate way to look for someone who is still a child
In a big country dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered
But you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert,
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
So take that look out of here, it doesn't fit you,
Because it's happened doesn't mean you've been discarded,
Pull up your head off the floor, come up screaming,
Cry out for everything you ever might have wanted
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered,
But you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert,
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive,
In a big country, dreams stay with you,
Like a lover's voice, fires on the mountainside, stay alive...
- "In a Big Country" by Big Country
Monday, December 19, 2011
"Back in the US, back in the US, back in the USSR!"
I got home on Saturday evening.
Things I didn't realize I missed until two days ago:
Trees.
Birdsong (specifically waking up to it, as opposed to the traffic noise outside or the fractious groaning of the bathroom pipes when someone flushes the toilet).
Driving.
Wide open spaces.
All the books I left here.
Oh, it's good to be home.
Cheers, y'all.
Things I didn't realize I missed until two days ago:
Trees.
Birdsong (specifically waking up to it, as opposed to the traffic noise outside or the fractious groaning of the bathroom pipes when someone flushes the toilet).
Driving.
Wide open spaces.
All the books I left here.
Oh, it's good to be home.
Cheers, y'all.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Farewell Elsa, 2006-2011.
My UNC laptop that I've had since 2006 finally rang down the curtain and joined the choir invisible a couple of days ago. I've got a loaner from Moray House so I can finish my last two papers without having to rely on the library computers. Speaking of which, stress paper is done and turned in, pro skills paper is about a third of the way done and due Tuesday, and planning paper has a couple hundred words written and is due Thursday. I'm doing my utmost to summon the motivation to finish the pro skills paper tonight, so I can submit it tomorrow and have the rest of the week to focus on planning.
If you heard about that terrific gale that hit Scotland last Thursday, I'm fine and we never lost power. Although just about the entire city of Edinburgh, including the universities, the airport, most of the trains, the double-decker buses, and the Forth Road Bridge, was shut down by 2pm. I think the north and west of Scotland got the worst of it by far. In other weather news, it's snowed twice overnight in the last week, maybe a half-inch of accumulation both times.
Home on Saturday!
Cheers, y'all.
If you heard about that terrific gale that hit Scotland last Thursday, I'm fine and we never lost power. Although just about the entire city of Edinburgh, including the universities, the airport, most of the trains, the double-decker buses, and the Forth Road Bridge, was shut down by 2pm. I think the north and west of Scotland got the worst of it by far. In other weather news, it's snowed twice overnight in the last week, maybe a half-inch of accumulation both times.
Home on Saturday!
Cheers, y'all.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Study break.
I'm about three-fourths of the way done with this paper due tomorrow, and my focus is wavering. So I may as well do a quick update! Hey, one of my classmates wrote a 400-word blog entry about bacon today instead of the remaining 700 words for her paper, so I'm not alone.
This morning/early afternoon was so frustrating I could have wept. I'm going on a hillwalking trip to Blair Atholl on Saturday. It's probably going to be on par with Ben Vane for difficulty, but I am absolutely not backing out of this one because I'm not liking Scotland very much at the moment and I need to do something to remind me of why I wanted to come here. But I'm going to need much more hardcore boots than the ones I have for this trip, because the Perthshire hills are under about a foot of snow and ice at the moment and everyone is going to have to wear crampons. So this morning's objective was to go to the Tiso (roughly equivalent to REI in the States) on Commercial Street in Leith to see if I could rent a pair for the weekend.
I missed Commercial Street on my first pass because it's called Bernard Street at the point where it intersects with the road I was walking on to get there, and I had walked almost all the way to the Ocean Terminal before I realized my mistake. So I had to walk back, and thank goodness I found it without any more difficulty. But THEN, they needed to know what kind of crampons we were going to be using so they could give me the right kind of boots. I did not have this information, and no way to obtain this information without email, and had to leave the store empty-handed. Took the #36 bus to Holyrood, which took a good half hour, and emailed the walk organizer from the library. He has finally emailed me back (10 point crampons), but I've spent too much time on this nonsense today and I have a paper to finish, so the return trip to Tiso will have to wait until tomorrow.
In other news, I've been setting an alarm for the last few days, but I've mostly been turning it off and then going back to sleep. I even slept with the curtains open last night so the morning light could come in, and it helped a bit, but still. I don't know why getting up in the morning is so hard, but it is.
Right. Back to paper-writing.
Cheers, y'all.
This morning/early afternoon was so frustrating I could have wept. I'm going on a hillwalking trip to Blair Atholl on Saturday. It's probably going to be on par with Ben Vane for difficulty, but I am absolutely not backing out of this one because I'm not liking Scotland very much at the moment and I need to do something to remind me of why I wanted to come here. But I'm going to need much more hardcore boots than the ones I have for this trip, because the Perthshire hills are under about a foot of snow and ice at the moment and everyone is going to have to wear crampons. So this morning's objective was to go to the Tiso (roughly equivalent to REI in the States) on Commercial Street in Leith to see if I could rent a pair for the weekend.
I missed Commercial Street on my first pass because it's called Bernard Street at the point where it intersects with the road I was walking on to get there, and I had walked almost all the way to the Ocean Terminal before I realized my mistake. So I had to walk back, and thank goodness I found it without any more difficulty. But THEN, they needed to know what kind of crampons we were going to be using so they could give me the right kind of boots. I did not have this information, and no way to obtain this information without email, and had to leave the store empty-handed. Took the #36 bus to Holyrood, which took a good half hour, and emailed the walk organizer from the library. He has finally emailed me back (10 point crampons), but I've spent too much time on this nonsense today and I have a paper to finish, so the return trip to Tiso will have to wait until tomorrow.
In other news, I've been setting an alarm for the last few days, but I've mostly been turning it off and then going back to sleep. I even slept with the curtains open last night so the morning light could come in, and it helped a bit, but still. I don't know why getting up in the morning is so hard, but it is.
Right. Back to paper-writing.
Cheers, y'all.
Monday, December 5, 2011
"There at the seaside, fifth of December..."
I was terribly productive today. I got up at 9:15 to go to the Citizens Advice Bureau to get some guidance about my housing situation. The very nice older English lady I spoke to said to notify the leasing agents/landlord about the problem once more, this time in writing and with a date by which I want the problem to be resolved. If it doesn't happen, then the next step is to say, "I want to move out, how can we make this happen in a mutually beneficial manner? I.e., can you release me from my lease/get someone else to take over my lease/let me find someone else to take it over?" I'm not hopeful about the latter two, because there's a bedroom in this flat that's been empty almost the whole time I've been here, and I'm not comfortable with the amount of lying I'd have to do to get someone to move into this shithole. Pulling a runner should be an absolute last resort, because besides forfeiting my deposit and being liable for the rest of the rent that would be owed on my lease (which I figured would be the case), I would also get a default on my credit rating. Maybe not too big a deal if I go back to the US after I finish my degree, but it could cause me serious problems if I want to stay. She also told me to get the pest control guys to show me where they think the mice are coming in the next time they come, and try to do a DIY fix with some duct tape. And if they can't show me where the mice are coming from...perhaps consider another pest control company. Although these guys are the ones the leasing agency does business with, and the landlord foots the bill, so it would be on my dime if I went elsewhere.
ANYWAY. There is snow at the top of Arthur's Seat, and I admired the view from the library for the rest of the day, except for the bit when I went to a little Italian cafe for lunch (an avocado, spinach, and goat cheese ciabatta, with a brownie and ice cream for dessert). I reached the halfway point of Game of Thrones while I ate. The data analysis for the stress paper is finished, and I'm slightly less than halfway done with the write-up which is due Thursday.
I'm feeling a bit better than I did over the weekend. I think the key is to stay busy/productive, and also be in the sun as much as possible. I'm going to start setting an alarm for 9:15 or so, so I'm not sleeping through too much daylight (sunrise is at about 8:30 now) and try to make a point of sitting outside in direct sunlight for at least 20 minutes every day.
Head down, writing papers! The goal is 1000 words a day from here on out until they're all done. Ready, set, go!
Cheers, y'all.
ANYWAY. There is snow at the top of Arthur's Seat, and I admired the view from the library for the rest of the day, except for the bit when I went to a little Italian cafe for lunch (an avocado, spinach, and goat cheese ciabatta, with a brownie and ice cream for dessert). I reached the halfway point of Game of Thrones while I ate. The data analysis for the stress paper is finished, and I'm slightly less than halfway done with the write-up which is due Thursday.
I'm feeling a bit better than I did over the weekend. I think the key is to stay busy/productive, and also be in the sun as much as possible. I'm going to start setting an alarm for 9:15 or so, so I'm not sleeping through too much daylight (sunrise is at about 8:30 now) and try to make a point of sitting outside in direct sunlight for at least 20 minutes every day.
Head down, writing papers! The goal is 1000 words a day from here on out until they're all done. Ready, set, go!
Cheers, y'all.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Ohai seasonal depression! So nice of you to show up at the most inconvenient time!
My updates have been sporadic lately. We're up to nearly 17 hours of darkness each day, and my motivation has been dwindling with the daylight. All the motivation that I still have is being channeled into writing papers, and I just hope I can keep it together until they're all done.
I've been having difficulty getting up in the morning for weeks, but for the last week or so I've also been having trouble falling asleep, due to my hypervigilance over the mice. (At this point I have given up all hope of the problem getting resolved and am looking for a new apartment. I still need to investigate the legalities of breaking the lease, but it's happening one way or another.) And for the past couple of days I've been going back and forth between wanting to throw things, wanting to yell at someone, and wanting to cry. My flatmate Tomas thinks I've completely lost my mind and basically told me so last night, which made me feel ever so much better.
I just want to finish these papers and go home, where there is sunshine and people who love me.
Cheers, y'all.
I've been having difficulty getting up in the morning for weeks, but for the last week or so I've also been having trouble falling asleep, due to my hypervigilance over the mice. (At this point I have given up all hope of the problem getting resolved and am looking for a new apartment. I still need to investigate the legalities of breaking the lease, but it's happening one way or another.) And for the past couple of days I've been going back and forth between wanting to throw things, wanting to yell at someone, and wanting to cry. My flatmate Tomas thinks I've completely lost my mind and basically told me so last night, which made me feel ever so much better.
I just want to finish these papers and go home, where there is sunshine and people who love me.
Cheers, y'all.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Papers and more mousecapades.
Lectures are over, and I'm in paper-writing mode. The due dates are December 8, 13, and 15. The skeleton of my December 8 paper is written and ready to be fleshed out as soon as the data is analyzed. Tomorrow's project is to assemble the literature I'm going to use for the December 15 paper, and have an outline done no later than the end of the day Tuesday so I can send it to the tutor for comments before he goes off the grid on Friday. The December 13 paper is really my lowest priority at the moment, because it's the shortest and worth the smallest percentage of my grade. I touched on this a few entries ago, but it bears repeating: My goal is to have everything done by the 11th or 12th, so I can go to Mull and Iona for a few days before flying back to the US on the 17th for Christmas.
I never thought I'd say this, but I really am ready to go home for a bit. It's so dark (sunset today: 3:49pm), and so cold here right now. The temperature has not actually gotten below freezing yet, but the cold here is very damp and cuts through everything. On top of that, it's been very windy for the last several days. It let up a bit today, but it's supposed to resume tomorrow and keep blowing until midweek at least.
And then there's the mice. Oh, things got very very bad earlier this week with the mice. I began the shittiest Thanksgiving of my young life in my Kazakh flatmate Madina's room, after sighting one under my wardrobe once again. She had just finished telling me how mouse-proof her room is when I saw one come under her door. We got it to leave again, but I didn't get a wink of sleep that night. That afternoon, we went to the property management office and made our displeasure known in no uncertain terms. I missed a pickup American football game with my classmates, helped Madina chase another mouse (or maybe it was the same one) out of her room with the hoover, and ultimately spent Thursday night in a hostel on the Royal Mile, because I could not bear the thought of going back to my flat. The pest control guys came on Friday, their third visit in as many weeks. They put down three different kinds of poison in every closet, under every cabinet, in the ceiling, and under some of the floorboards, and I'm daring to be hopeful. But I don't know if I'll be able to make it to March 8, when my lease runs out and I can move elsewhere. Another project for this week is getting some legal advice about that.
So on the whole, I'm pretty anxious for these three weeks to go by quickly, so I can spend some time in a place where there is sun and warmth and no mice.
Cheers, y'all.
I never thought I'd say this, but I really am ready to go home for a bit. It's so dark (sunset today: 3:49pm), and so cold here right now. The temperature has not actually gotten below freezing yet, but the cold here is very damp and cuts through everything. On top of that, it's been very windy for the last several days. It let up a bit today, but it's supposed to resume tomorrow and keep blowing until midweek at least.
And then there's the mice. Oh, things got very very bad earlier this week with the mice. I began the shittiest Thanksgiving of my young life in my Kazakh flatmate Madina's room, after sighting one under my wardrobe once again. She had just finished telling me how mouse-proof her room is when I saw one come under her door. We got it to leave again, but I didn't get a wink of sleep that night. That afternoon, we went to the property management office and made our displeasure known in no uncertain terms. I missed a pickup American football game with my classmates, helped Madina chase another mouse (or maybe it was the same one) out of her room with the hoover, and ultimately spent Thursday night in a hostel on the Royal Mile, because I could not bear the thought of going back to my flat. The pest control guys came on Friday, their third visit in as many weeks. They put down three different kinds of poison in every closet, under every cabinet, in the ceiling, and under some of the floorboards, and I'm daring to be hopeful. But I don't know if I'll be able to make it to March 8, when my lease runs out and I can move elsewhere. Another project for this week is getting some legal advice about that.
So on the whole, I'm pretty anxious for these three weeks to go by quickly, so I can spend some time in a place where there is sun and warmth and no mice.
Cheers, y'all.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sick.
Turns out I made the right decision to back out on the Killin trip, because I woke up this morning with a splitting headache and the inability to keep any food down. Unfortunately, this also scuppered my plans to take the train to Stirling for the day. I'll try again later this week, because I do need to get out of Edinburgh for a bit.
This is the last week of formal lectures!
Cheers, y'all.
This is the last week of formal lectures!
Cheers, y'all.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Milestones.
Yesterday marked the longest I have ever been outside the US and away from my family: 90 days. I'll be going back for Christmas in exactly four weeks, which feels unreal.
After a lot of agonizing, I backed out on the hillwalking trip to Killin. I asked about the routes at the sign-up earlier this week, and each one looks to encompass two Munros in 6-8 hours, a timetable which MUST be adhered to because of the limited daylight hours this time of year. (Incidentally, sunset in Edinburgh today: 3:59pm). Considering that Ben Vane alone took me somewhere between eight and nine hours back in September, I am not at all confident in my abilities to summit two Munros in that amount of time. And failure to meet that challenge would mean me, and probably several other people, getting stranded on a mountainside after dark in the southern highlands of Scotland in November. They did say that if the weather was terrible, the walks would probably be shortened to one Munro each, or maybe even just a hike around Loch Tay; so I've been hoping for terrible weather all week, but tomorrow's forecast is light rain (par for the course in that part of the country, in other words). I'm trying to repeat to myself that it's not chickening out, it's simply being aware of my capabilities and limits...but I'm still a bit disappointed not to be going.
In other news, I took a basic first-aid course today (through the hillwalking club, as it happens). It covered the recovery position, CPR, abdominal thrusts, and a quick overview of what to do for shock, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hypothermia. I remembered a lot of it from a course I took through the Red Cross when I was about 12, for babysitting purposes.
Oy. About every month, I experience an overwhelming need to get the hell out of Edinburgh for a while. The result of that last month was my trip to Tiree, and the month before that I was just getting back from a trip around the highlands and islands. I was planning to climb Arthur's Seat tomorrow to make up for not going to Killin, but I think I might hop a train to Stirling instead...
Cheers, y'all.
After a lot of agonizing, I backed out on the hillwalking trip to Killin. I asked about the routes at the sign-up earlier this week, and each one looks to encompass two Munros in 6-8 hours, a timetable which MUST be adhered to because of the limited daylight hours this time of year. (Incidentally, sunset in Edinburgh today: 3:59pm). Considering that Ben Vane alone took me somewhere between eight and nine hours back in September, I am not at all confident in my abilities to summit two Munros in that amount of time. And failure to meet that challenge would mean me, and probably several other people, getting stranded on a mountainside after dark in the southern highlands of Scotland in November. They did say that if the weather was terrible, the walks would probably be shortened to one Munro each, or maybe even just a hike around Loch Tay; so I've been hoping for terrible weather all week, but tomorrow's forecast is light rain (par for the course in that part of the country, in other words). I'm trying to repeat to myself that it's not chickening out, it's simply being aware of my capabilities and limits...but I'm still a bit disappointed not to be going.
In other news, I took a basic first-aid course today (through the hillwalking club, as it happens). It covered the recovery position, CPR, abdominal thrusts, and a quick overview of what to do for shock, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hypothermia. I remembered a lot of it from a course I took through the Red Cross when I was about 12, for babysitting purposes.
Oy. About every month, I experience an overwhelming need to get the hell out of Edinburgh for a while. The result of that last month was my trip to Tiree, and the month before that I was just getting back from a trip around the highlands and islands. I was planning to climb Arthur's Seat tomorrow to make up for not going to Killin, but I think I might hop a train to Stirling instead...
Cheers, y'all.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Taking charge!
I lay awake for quite a while last night, worrying about the three papers I have due within the next month, and about my finances, which I have just plain not been keeping track of. And in the last 24 hours, I have made some decisions:
I am going to have the stress paper and literature search paper done or nearly done by the end of this month, so that I'll have two full weeks to devote solely to the paper for my third class, which is the longest paper I have to write and which is worth 100% of my grade for that class (so I CANNOT SCREW IT UP).
If I somehow manage to finish all my papers with time to spare, then I'll take a quick trip to Mull, Iona, and Staffa before leaving for the States on December 17. That'll be my motivating carrot to finish my papers in good time.
Starting next Monday, I am going to withdraw 50 pounds from my bank account every Monday, and that will be my money to spend that week on groceries, going out, phone minutes, bus fare, and everything. Leftover money can be rolled over from week to week, but when it's gone, it's gone - I can't spend any more money until the following Monday. (This of course does not apply to my rent, which is paid by direct debit anyway.) If I can adhere to this, I'll be able to live on the funds currently at my disposal, without getting a job, until next summer.
And, GO!
Cheers, y'all.
I am going to have the stress paper and literature search paper done or nearly done by the end of this month, so that I'll have two full weeks to devote solely to the paper for my third class, which is the longest paper I have to write and which is worth 100% of my grade for that class (so I CANNOT SCREW IT UP).
If I somehow manage to finish all my papers with time to spare, then I'll take a quick trip to Mull, Iona, and Staffa before leaving for the States on December 17. That'll be my motivating carrot to finish my papers in good time.
Starting next Monday, I am going to withdraw 50 pounds from my bank account every Monday, and that will be my money to spend that week on groceries, going out, phone minutes, bus fare, and everything. Leftover money can be rolled over from week to week, but when it's gone, it's gone - I can't spend any more money until the following Monday. (This of course does not apply to my rent, which is paid by direct debit anyway.) If I can adhere to this, I'll be able to live on the funds currently at my disposal, without getting a job, until next summer.
And, GO!
Cheers, y'all.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Hypersomnia.
Sunset is creeping ever earlier (tonight: 4:07pm), and it's been cloudy the last few days. Last night I felt like going to sleep at 8pm, and when I did go to sleep, I slept for almost 12 hours. This happened to me when I visited Scotland back in January as well, when there were similar light conditions.
I've been diligently taking my vitamin D, so my mood is in pretty good shape for the moment, but I'm worried that my sleep cycle is going to get thrown seriously out of whack, just as I'm starting to write term papers. I'm hoping I can keep the hypersomnia at bay if I put some sleep hygiene practices in place, so I'm going to start setting an alarm for 9am. I haven't been setting alarms thus far because there's been no need - I have a 2pm class on Tuesdays, and that's my earliest commitment all week - but I think it'll be good to start doing so.
Cheers, y'all.
I've been diligently taking my vitamin D, so my mood is in pretty good shape for the moment, but I'm worried that my sleep cycle is going to get thrown seriously out of whack, just as I'm starting to write term papers. I'm hoping I can keep the hypersomnia at bay if I put some sleep hygiene practices in place, so I'm going to start setting an alarm for 9am. I haven't been setting alarms thus far because there's been no need - I have a 2pm class on Tuesdays, and that's my earliest commitment all week - but I think it'll be good to start doing so.
Cheers, y'all.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
School and social update.
The exterminator came this morning, thank goodness, so hopefully the mouse nonsense is at an end for the time being.
The research methods exam was last Thursday, and I feel like I did pretty well. The entire class, as well as most of the Strength and Conditioning class, went to Malone's afterward and had a huge one. Talk about bonding exercises, and suddenly I have a social life again! House party at an S&C guy's house tonight, and we psych folks are maybe going to make group dinners a weekly thing. And I'm going on another hillwalking trip, this time to Killin, on the 20th, and there's a ceilidh for all the Moray House grad students on the 25th...my cup runneth over!
Cheers, y'all.
The research methods exam was last Thursday, and I feel like I did pretty well. The entire class, as well as most of the Strength and Conditioning class, went to Malone's afterward and had a huge one. Talk about bonding exercises, and suddenly I have a social life again! House party at an S&C guy's house tonight, and we psych folks are maybe going to make group dinners a weekly thing. And I'm going on another hillwalking trip, this time to Killin, on the 20th, and there's a ceilidh for all the Moray House grad students on the 25th...my cup runneth over!
Cheers, y'all.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mousecapades.
Oh God. Ohgodohgodohgod. I was sitting at my computer desk in my room at about 11:00 last night, wearing my baggy black tracksuit bottoms, when I felt *something* brush my toes. I figured it was just my ipod USB cable which was hanging down off the desk, and ignored it. A minute or two later, I felt something scratchy and pinchy at the waistband of my tracksuit bottoms, on the left side. I reached to itch it, but it wouldn't stop, and IT MOVED. I stood up, and a mouse shot down my trouser leg and hid under the wardrobe.
NOT COOL. NOT COOL AT ALL.
Oh, and where are my mousetraps? In the wardrobe. FML.
I slept on the sofa last night. I'm back in my room now, and I don't know whether the little bugger is still here or not. I just know that this is ridiculous.
Cheers, y'all.
NOT COOL. NOT COOL AT ALL.
Oh, and where are my mousetraps? In the wardrobe. FML.
I slept on the sofa last night. I'm back in my room now, and I don't know whether the little bugger is still here or not. I just know that this is ridiculous.
Cheers, y'all.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Guy Fawkes Day
Remember, remember, the fifth of November! My American friends and I observed this day in a tongue-in-cheek way in years past, but I found out tonight that it is srs bsns here. And I kind of found that out by accident.
I spent the afternoon in the library, starting to get things together for one of my term papers, then hung out around Holyrood for a bit. The moon (a day or two past the first quarter) was rising behind Arthur's Seat and shining on the decorative pools in front of Parliament, and it was really pretty. I started to make my way home, then realized it was only 6:30. So on a whim, I decided to climb Calton Hill. I had never been up Calton Hill before, though I've walked past it plenty of times. It's a funny little hill, littered with outlandishly anachronistic monuments, including the National Monument (which thinks it's the Parthenon in Greece), the Dugald Stewart Monument (a Georgian rotunda), and the Governor's House (which looks like a castle tower and does not actually house a governor). There's also a random obelisk and a great wee pillar with a cross on top...basically it's a hill with a severe identity crisis. But anyway, several hundred other people in Edinburgh had the same idea as me, because I was in good company on my climb, and when I got to the top I found out why.
FIREWORKS. EVERYWHERE. There were at least eight displays going on simultaneously, all across the city and across the water in Fife. There were also several people on the hill with sparklers, and a group releasing Chinese lanterns to float out over the city on the breeze. But the real show everyone had come to see was the big fireworks display one of the stadiums was putting on, which was a letdown from where I was standing because there were trees in the way. Oh yes, trees. I think about 70% of the trees that exist in Edinburgh are on Calton Hill. It was also clear enough to see stars, for quite possibly the first time since I moved here. I saw the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and a planet or two.
Between the stars and the trees, I'd call this evening a success.
Cheers, y'all.
I spent the afternoon in the library, starting to get things together for one of my term papers, then hung out around Holyrood for a bit. The moon (a day or two past the first quarter) was rising behind Arthur's Seat and shining on the decorative pools in front of Parliament, and it was really pretty. I started to make my way home, then realized it was only 6:30. So on a whim, I decided to climb Calton Hill. I had never been up Calton Hill before, though I've walked past it plenty of times. It's a funny little hill, littered with outlandishly anachronistic monuments, including the National Monument (which thinks it's the Parthenon in Greece), the Dugald Stewart Monument (a Georgian rotunda), and the Governor's House (which looks like a castle tower and does not actually house a governor). There's also a random obelisk and a great wee pillar with a cross on top...basically it's a hill with a severe identity crisis. But anyway, several hundred other people in Edinburgh had the same idea as me, because I was in good company on my climb, and when I got to the top I found out why.
FIREWORKS. EVERYWHERE. There were at least eight displays going on simultaneously, all across the city and across the water in Fife. There were also several people on the hill with sparklers, and a group releasing Chinese lanterns to float out over the city on the breeze. But the real show everyone had come to see was the big fireworks display one of the stadiums was putting on, which was a letdown from where I was standing because there were trees in the way. Oh yes, trees. I think about 70% of the trees that exist in Edinburgh are on Calton Hill. It was also clear enough to see stars, for quite possibly the first time since I moved here. I saw the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and a planet or two.
Between the stars and the trees, I'd call this evening a success.
Cheers, y'all.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Marks.
I finally got my mark for my first paper. I got a 54, which is a C. This is chastening for a couple of different reasons. First off, it's far too close to the pass/fail cutoff for my comfort. I wasn't expecting a brilliant mark, but I was expecting to pass a bit more comfortably than I did. Second, the comments I received were essentially the comments I would have given myself if I were grading myself very harshly. This is comforting in the sense that there weren't any big surprises in the comments section...but also alarming, because I've realized that any areas for improvement that I think exist, the graders will think exist too. For example, I waited longer than I should have to find an article to write about for this assignment, and ended up with one which...well, I wanted to throw it out and start over, but by then the due date was two days away, so I had to made it work as best I could and hoped for the best. And the grader totally picked up on that. So in the future, I really need to be at the top of my game, and if I think something needs fixing, FIX IT. And leave enough time to fix it. I am a terrible procrastinator, so this is going to be a challenge, but it's one I need to rise to.
Cheers, y'all.
Cheers, y'all.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
August 31, 2011: The Isle of Skye
All photos are mine and from previous trips, except where noted. Thanks to Andrea and Mila for kindly sharing their pics with me!
***
We left Plockton this morning, and headed to the nearby village of Stromeferry for a jaunt out on Loch Carron in a local fisherman's boat. Neil the Fisherman fishes for shellfish and the occasional crab to sell locally. Loch Carron is in fact a fjord, hence the salt-water critters. In fact, up until earlier this year, there were two dolphins who lived in the loch near Stromeferry, and who would often come and swim with Neil's boat, but they've buggered off, much to my disappointment. We rode around the loch and ate the scallops which Neil pulled out of the loch for us - some of them raw, some of them quickly fried up with butter and garlic. He also pulled up an absolutely gorgeous blue lobster to show us, which he'd actually caught some time ago and couldn't decide what to do with.
After the boat ride, we drove a few miles down to the Kyle of Lochalsh and crossed the bridge over to the Isle of Skye.
Skye is absolutely full of folklore, and Danny told us the first of many stories here. It concerns this tower, which can be seen after you drive off the bridge:
Once upon a time, a princess named Mary lived in this tower. Mary lived alone, and passed the time by trying to get sailors going by on the Kyle of Lochalsh to stop and talk to her. None of them did. Having a lot of time on her hands, Mary strung a chain from her tower across to the mainland one day, and whenever a boat came, she winched up the chain and forced the sailors to pay a toll to get by. So the sailors had to stop and talk to her now, but they didn't like it. Mary soon found a way to make them like it: by collecting the tolls topless. After that, the newly christened Saucy Mary became the most popular woman on Skye. She's buried on top of a very tall mountain nearby:
Then we drove up to Sligachan, the gateway to the Cuillin Hills. After dipping our faces in the faerie stream to make them eternally youthful, we walked a little way into the hills to hear the tale of Cúchulainn and Scáthach, which is my favorite story associated with Skye. Scáthach was a giantess and a warrior woman who lived on the Isle of Skye. She protected the people of Skye, but harried them, too. Being the only giant around, she got lonely and bored, and when lonely and bored, got drunk and carried off the islanders' sheep and a hairy coos for dinner. Eventually the people of Skye got fed up with Scáthach and called over to Ireland for another giant, Cúchulainn, to come and kill her for them. Cúchulainn duly accepted and came to Skye, ostensibly to be trained in the martial arts by Scáthach. Train him she did, and the weeks and months passed. Eventually Cúchulainn had to make good on his agreement with the people of Skye. Walking with Scáthach one day, he fell slightly behind her and drew his sword. She turned and drew hers, and they fought for a week. After a week, Scáthach got distracted when some of the people on Skye, fearing that Cúchulainn might lose and that they would face Scáthach's wrath for bringing him here, led her horses and chariot to the edge of a cliff and tried to push them over. This distracted Scáthach just long enough for Cúchulainn to disarm and pin her, but then he looked into her eyes, and couldn't kill her. Scáthach in turn disarmed him and pinned him, demanding why he didn't kill her when he had the chance. Cúchulainn's response: "How could I destroy the one thing I have grown to love?" Cúchulainn and Scáthach lived quite happily for several months afterward, before Cúchulainn was called back to Ireland.
The Cuillin Hills:
The background image on this blog is also of the Cuillin Hills.
After lunch in Portree, the largest settlement on Skye, we drove up to the Trotternish Peninsula and the most amazing scenery on the island. First up was the Old Man of Storr:
The story behind this odd rock formation is this: Once upon a time, a human man rescued a brownie (pronounced "broo-nee," kind of the Scottish equivalent of a leprechaun) from under a pile of rocks. The brownie was so grateful to the man, that he spent the next couple of years showing up every few months and helping the man around his farm and whatnot, and even played at his wedding. After the wedding, the brownie had to leave for the faerie world for a few years. When he got back, he found that his human friend's wife had died a few months after the wedding, and the human friend himself died of a broken heart shortly after that. To memorialize his friend, the brownie decided to carve a statue of him looking out over his lands, with his wife sitting nearby, into the cliff. Brownies are long-lived, but they aren't immortal, and he only got so far before dying himself. The Old Man of Storr is the result. Of course, then the Vikings came along and went, "Hee hee, it looks like a boner." There's a stream that flows not too far away from the Old Man of Storr, and drinking from this stream is supposed to increase your libido.
Unfortunately, no one could pay much attention to this story at the time, because we were too busy swatting away midges. You wouldn't think the little black specks would be too bothersome, but if you stand still for too long and they're able to accumulate around you, HOO BOY.
We stopped briefly at Kilt Rock, where there is an awesome waterfall, and occasionally mermaids...
...and finally wended our way up to the Quiraing. We ended the day by hiking up through the Quiraing, which I had never done before, and which was GORGEOUS. It had been kind of hazy all day, and the sun finally came out while we walked.
I'm the one at the front, blinking:
Behold, the heather! It was absolutely everywhere on this trip. Also, some scale for the landscape:
The sun came out as we passed this wee loch:
In all, it was about a 2-2.5 mile walk. I was one of the people who chose the wrong fork and had to backtrack. You can see it two photos up - we're the ones significantly higher up on the hillside than everyone else. Whoops.
After everyone finally arrived at the bus, we drove to our home for the evening in Flodigarry. We had haggis, neeps, and tatties for dinner, and then the South Africans, Andrea, Laura, and I sat up late and drank an entire bottle of Glenlivet whisky.
Cheers, y'all.
***
We left Plockton this morning, and headed to the nearby village of Stromeferry for a jaunt out on Loch Carron in a local fisherman's boat. Neil the Fisherman fishes for shellfish and the occasional crab to sell locally. Loch Carron is in fact a fjord, hence the salt-water critters. In fact, up until earlier this year, there were two dolphins who lived in the loch near Stromeferry, and who would often come and swim with Neil's boat, but they've buggered off, much to my disappointment. We rode around the loch and ate the scallops which Neil pulled out of the loch for us - some of them raw, some of them quickly fried up with butter and garlic. He also pulled up an absolutely gorgeous blue lobster to show us, which he'd actually caught some time ago and couldn't decide what to do with.
After the boat ride, we drove a few miles down to the Kyle of Lochalsh and crossed the bridge over to the Isle of Skye.
Skye is absolutely full of folklore, and Danny told us the first of many stories here. It concerns this tower, which can be seen after you drive off the bridge:
Then we drove up to Sligachan, the gateway to the Cuillin Hills. After dipping our faces in the faerie stream to make them eternally youthful, we walked a little way into the hills to hear the tale of Cúchulainn and Scáthach, which is my favorite story associated with Skye. Scáthach was a giantess and a warrior woman who lived on the Isle of Skye. She protected the people of Skye, but harried them, too. Being the only giant around, she got lonely and bored, and when lonely and bored, got drunk and carried off the islanders' sheep and a hairy coos for dinner. Eventually the people of Skye got fed up with Scáthach and called over to Ireland for another giant, Cúchulainn, to come and kill her for them. Cúchulainn duly accepted and came to Skye, ostensibly to be trained in the martial arts by Scáthach. Train him she did, and the weeks and months passed. Eventually Cúchulainn had to make good on his agreement with the people of Skye. Walking with Scáthach one day, he fell slightly behind her and drew his sword. She turned and drew hers, and they fought for a week. After a week, Scáthach got distracted when some of the people on Skye, fearing that Cúchulainn might lose and that they would face Scáthach's wrath for bringing him here, led her horses and chariot to the edge of a cliff and tried to push them over. This distracted Scáthach just long enough for Cúchulainn to disarm and pin her, but then he looked into her eyes, and couldn't kill her. Scáthach in turn disarmed him and pinned him, demanding why he didn't kill her when he had the chance. Cúchulainn's response: "How could I destroy the one thing I have grown to love?" Cúchulainn and Scáthach lived quite happily for several months afterward, before Cúchulainn was called back to Ireland.
The Cuillin Hills:
After lunch in Portree, the largest settlement on Skye, we drove up to the Trotternish Peninsula and the most amazing scenery on the island. First up was the Old Man of Storr:
 | ||||
| Photo by Mila Tikhonova |
Unfortunately, no one could pay much attention to this story at the time, because we were too busy swatting away midges. You wouldn't think the little black specks would be too bothersome, but if you stand still for too long and they're able to accumulate around you, HOO BOY.
We stopped briefly at Kilt Rock, where there is an awesome waterfall, and occasionally mermaids...
...and finally wended our way up to the Quiraing. We ended the day by hiking up through the Quiraing, which I had never done before, and which was GORGEOUS. It had been kind of hazy all day, and the sun finally came out while we walked.
 |
| Photo by Andrea Henkel |
 | ||
| Photo by Andrea Henkel |
 |
| Photo by Mila Tikhonova |
 |
| Photo by Mila Tikhonova |
After everyone finally arrived at the bus, we drove to our home for the evening in Flodigarry. We had haggis, neeps, and tatties for dinner, and then the South Africans, Andrea, Laura, and I sat up late and drank an entire bottle of Glenlivet whisky.
Cheers, y'all.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Busybusybusy
My life is about to get incredibly busy. It's November now, which means we're quickly closing in on the end of the term.
Tomorrow: Marks for the first assignment are supposed to be posted. So after tomorrow, I'll have some benchmark for how severely I need to get myself in gear! The prof said there were no fails, so that's comforting at least. Also tomorrow, I'm going to Glasgow to see My Morning Jacket, and more importantly their sound engineer, my cousin Ryan.
Thursday: Research Methods final exam! I've been doing a lot of studying, mostly against my will, because it's what the conversation inevitably turns to whenever a lot of my classmates and I are together. But I really shouldn't be complaining, but because I'm feeling pretty well-prepared for it as a result. Tomorrow I'll re-read the assigned papers, and then I should be set.
Friday: Meeting with my Stress and Coping group to discuss the final project for that class, which we just got briefed on tonight. Basically it's a similar setup to the final project in my undergrad research methods class - do some original research and write up a formal APA-style paper about it - but instead of having the better part of a semester to do it, we have five and a half weeks.
Saturday: Be unashamedly lazy.
Sunday: See Saturday. Also, back to Glasgow for the TORI AMOS CONCERT!!!
Next week: Start assembling the literature for my final paper for Planning, and also get cracking on the Stress project.
Tomorrow, I swear I will write more about my adventures from two months ago.
Cheers, y'all.
Tomorrow: Marks for the first assignment are supposed to be posted. So after tomorrow, I'll have some benchmark for how severely I need to get myself in gear! The prof said there were no fails, so that's comforting at least. Also tomorrow, I'm going to Glasgow to see My Morning Jacket, and more importantly their sound engineer, my cousin Ryan.
Thursday: Research Methods final exam! I've been doing a lot of studying, mostly against my will, because it's what the conversation inevitably turns to whenever a lot of my classmates and I are together. But I really shouldn't be complaining, but because I'm feeling pretty well-prepared for it as a result. Tomorrow I'll re-read the assigned papers, and then I should be set.
Friday: Meeting with my Stress and Coping group to discuss the final project for that class, which we just got briefed on tonight. Basically it's a similar setup to the final project in my undergrad research methods class - do some original research and write up a formal APA-style paper about it - but instead of having the better part of a semester to do it, we have five and a half weeks.
Saturday: Be unashamedly lazy.
Sunday: See Saturday. Also, back to Glasgow for the TORI AMOS CONCERT!!!
Next week: Start assembling the literature for my final paper for Planning, and also get cracking on the Stress project.
Tomorrow, I swear I will write more about my adventures from two months ago.
Cheers, y'all.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
August 30, 2011: The Western Highlands
At long last, my adventures with Wild in Scotland from two months ago! The accompanying photos are all mine, taken on previous trips to Scotland.
***
There were 15 of us on the tour:
Team America: Yours truly.
Team Canada: Derwyn and Kathy, a couple celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary.
Team Russia: Mila and Elena.
Team Australia: A couple named Danny and Tina, and also a girl named Laura who was traveling alone.
Team Germany: Andrea.
Team South Africa: Three couples, whose names I am extremely ashamed to say I've forgotten.
Our driver was Danny (not to be confused with Australian Danny), with whom I have now done three WIS tours. He swears he's not sick of me yet. :)
We boarded the 16-passenger mini-bus (more of a large van, really) on High Street in Edinburgh, and immediately began driving west. Our first stop was Bannockburn, site of a battle which took place in 1314, in which the Scots under Robert the Bruce decisively defeated the English forces under Edward II.
The monument on the battlefield:
Robert the Bruce:
Stirling Castle, seen from Bannockburn:
After hearing a bit about Scottish history, we continued on to Doune Castle. This should look familiar to any Monty Python fans out there:
"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!!!"
We continued northwest through the Trossachs, stopping along the way to say hi to some hairy coos:
Meet Heather! She has a boyfriend named Hamish, and they have an absolutely adorable baby named Honey. We fed them veggies.
Then we turned north and drove up into some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. I love the western highlands of Scotland. I don't possess the vocabulary to describe to how much I love them. More recently on the train ride from Oban to Glasgow a couple of weeks ago, I was hugging myself most of the way because I just wanted to take it all in my arms. That glorious.
Buachaille Etive Mòr:
This area also has some pretty tragic history associated with it, most notably the massacre of 38 members of the MacDonald Clan by the Campbell Clan, under the orders of the British (yes, British - England and Scotland were united under one monarch by this point in history) government in 1692.
A quick note about Highland Hospitality: Scottish Weather is even more unpredictable and contrary in the highlands, so Highland Hospitality was (and continues to be - I had firsthand experience of this on Tiree) a very real way of life. If anyone knocked on your door during bad weather, you let them in, fed them, and gave them a place to sleep until they were able to move on, which might not be for weeks. Even if your worst enemy claimed Highland Hospitality, you couldn't touch them. Most of the outrage over the Glencoe Massacre stemmed from the fact that those doing the massacring had claimed Highland Hospitality with the MacDonalds.
Anyway, as tragic as Glencoe is, it sure it pretty:
We spent most of the ride into the highlands arguing about what to have for dinner. Chicken fajitas eventually won out, and we stopped in Fort William for a food run before continuing on to Spean Bridge. This part of the country is where the commandos trained during World War II, and there's a memorial to them there. There are also spectacular views of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British isles (4,409 feet), to be seen from the memorial.
Ben Nevis and a few other bens:
Our final stop of the day was Eilean Donan Castle, featured in Highlander, a Bond movie, and several other films. The original castle was destroyed in the 1700s, and what you see today is a replica rebuilt between 1919 and 1932. Someone had the bright idea to give it huge windows and a permanent bridge to the mainland (as it's on an island in Loch Duich), so it would never actually pass as a functional castle. We managed to crash a Japanese wedding while we were there. There is actually not a great view of the castle in this photo, but I'm quite fond of it because of the mystical haze rising in the background. Tee hee.
After a rather full day of sight-seeing, we continued on to a little village called Plockton, which was our home for the night. The roads became single-track at some point, and there was one very memorable moment when we came face-to-face with an entire herd of hairy coos blocking the road. That's one photo I'm quite disappointed to have lost.
We had chicken fajitas for dinner, and then several of us went to the local pub for some live music. It was a small place, and extremely crowded, but friendly. The bunkhouse where we staying was cramped, with barely enough room to turn around in the dorms, but hey, it's a good exercise in team-building!
***
I'm going to do my damndest to blog about one day, each day, for the next ten days, because it's past time I documented this adventure and I'm going to despise myself later if I don't.
Cheers, y'all!
***
There were 15 of us on the tour:
Team America: Yours truly.
Team Canada: Derwyn and Kathy, a couple celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary.
Team Russia: Mila and Elena.
Team Australia: A couple named Danny and Tina, and also a girl named Laura who was traveling alone.
Team Germany: Andrea.
Team South Africa: Three couples, whose names I am extremely ashamed to say I've forgotten.
Our driver was Danny (not to be confused with Australian Danny), with whom I have now done three WIS tours. He swears he's not sick of me yet. :)
We boarded the 16-passenger mini-bus (more of a large van, really) on High Street in Edinburgh, and immediately began driving west. Our first stop was Bannockburn, site of a battle which took place in 1314, in which the Scots under Robert the Bruce decisively defeated the English forces under Edward II.
The monument on the battlefield:
Robert the Bruce:
Stirling Castle, seen from Bannockburn:
After hearing a bit about Scottish history, we continued on to Doune Castle. This should look familiar to any Monty Python fans out there:
We continued northwest through the Trossachs, stopping along the way to say hi to some hairy coos:
Then we turned north and drove up into some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. I love the western highlands of Scotland. I don't possess the vocabulary to describe to how much I love them. More recently on the train ride from Oban to Glasgow a couple of weeks ago, I was hugging myself most of the way because I just wanted to take it all in my arms. That glorious.
Buachaille Etive Mòr:
This area also has some pretty tragic history associated with it, most notably the massacre of 38 members of the MacDonald Clan by the Campbell Clan, under the orders of the British (yes, British - England and Scotland were united under one monarch by this point in history) government in 1692.
A quick note about Highland Hospitality: Scottish Weather is even more unpredictable and contrary in the highlands, so Highland Hospitality was (and continues to be - I had firsthand experience of this on Tiree) a very real way of life. If anyone knocked on your door during bad weather, you let them in, fed them, and gave them a place to sleep until they were able to move on, which might not be for weeks. Even if your worst enemy claimed Highland Hospitality, you couldn't touch them. Most of the outrage over the Glencoe Massacre stemmed from the fact that those doing the massacring had claimed Highland Hospitality with the MacDonalds.
Anyway, as tragic as Glencoe is, it sure it pretty:
We spent most of the ride into the highlands arguing about what to have for dinner. Chicken fajitas eventually won out, and we stopped in Fort William for a food run before continuing on to Spean Bridge. This part of the country is where the commandos trained during World War II, and there's a memorial to them there. There are also spectacular views of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British isles (4,409 feet), to be seen from the memorial.
Ben Nevis and a few other bens:
Our final stop of the day was Eilean Donan Castle, featured in Highlander, a Bond movie, and several other films. The original castle was destroyed in the 1700s, and what you see today is a replica rebuilt between 1919 and 1932. Someone had the bright idea to give it huge windows and a permanent bridge to the mainland (as it's on an island in Loch Duich), so it would never actually pass as a functional castle. We managed to crash a Japanese wedding while we were there. There is actually not a great view of the castle in this photo, but I'm quite fond of it because of the mystical haze rising in the background. Tee hee.
After a rather full day of sight-seeing, we continued on to a little village called Plockton, which was our home for the night. The roads became single-track at some point, and there was one very memorable moment when we came face-to-face with an entire herd of hairy coos blocking the road. That's one photo I'm quite disappointed to have lost.
We had chicken fajitas for dinner, and then several of us went to the local pub for some live music. It was a small place, and extremely crowded, but friendly. The bunkhouse where we staying was cramped, with barely enough room to turn around in the dorms, but hey, it's a good exercise in team-building!
***
I'm going to do my damndest to blog about one day, each day, for the next ten days, because it's past time I documented this adventure and I'm going to despise myself later if I don't.
Cheers, y'all!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Big Brother is watching you.
I woke up with a sore throat and the beginnings of post-nasal drip this morning. I might have the guy who coughed unceasingly through class on Tuesday to thank for that.
Still nothing in the trap. I'm just going to assume that the mouse has gone on its merry way, because it takes very little to trigger that cheapo trap. A mouse sniffing the thing would probably do it.
Yesterday I did my first "attendance check-in," required for all Tier 4 visa students. It's meant to prove that I'm actually attending class, and not just gallivanting around Scotland. There will be another in February and a third in June or July. It all feels very Big Brother to me, but the Home Office has been on the news a lot lately trying to battle people who come into the country under false pretenses. If I get in a writing kind of mood someday, an essay on what it's like to be a legal immigrant in the UK might be in order.
I also got my CV looked over at the career services office. Basically, they approved, but said I should tailor it to each opening I apply for, which is good advice. Today's mission: applying for jobs!
Still nothing in the trap. I'm just going to assume that the mouse has gone on its merry way, because it takes very little to trigger that cheapo trap. A mouse sniffing the thing would probably do it.
Yesterday I did my first "attendance check-in," required for all Tier 4 visa students. It's meant to prove that I'm actually attending class, and not just gallivanting around Scotland. There will be another in February and a third in June or July. It all feels very Big Brother to me, but the Home Office has been on the news a lot lately trying to battle people who come into the country under false pretenses. If I get in a writing kind of mood someday, an essay on what it's like to be a legal immigrant in the UK might be in order.
I also got my CV looked over at the career services office. Basically, they approved, but said I should tailor it to each opening I apply for, which is good advice. Today's mission: applying for jobs!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Basically, I'm living in Tyler Durden's house.
I've been living in this flat for about 7 weeks, and the honeymoon period is well and truly over. Haven't caught the mouse yet, or at least I hadn't when I checked the trap this morning. I can't bring myself to go into the kitchen even though I'm ravenously hungry, because I don't know what I'll see. The bathroom pipes groan fractiously whenever someone takes a shower, flushes the toilet, or runs the faucet in the sink for longer than 3 seconds. The TV satellite has achieved sentience and shows however many channels it feels like showing - anywhere from none at all to the 100+ we're supposed to get. At the moment, it's getting 6. I have bug bites all over my legs, and I don't know where they're coming from. I don't think they're bedbug bites because they're not red and livid enough to be, but I'm only ever barelegged while in bed, so it seems like a logical explanation, unless there's a very determined mosquito in my room (also possible). The downstairs kitchen floor is just filthy and has been since the day I moved in - the kind of filthy that we'd have to move the appliances out of the way to clean properly. In my mind, this is the renting agency's job, and they clearly haven't done it in ages, if ever.
My lease is up in the first week of March, and I've already decided to move out. Gotta stick it out until then, though.
Cheers, y'all.
My lease is up in the first week of March, and I've already decided to move out. Gotta stick it out until then, though.
Cheers, y'all.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Eeek!
I had my first mouse sighting last night. I heard soon after I moved in that there was a mouse that lived in the upstairs kitchen, but didn't want to believe it. Last night, it invited itself down to the downstairs kitchen. I saw it scurry across the floor while I was watching TV in the living room. I went to the B&Q (similar to Home Depot in the US) on Easter Road and bought some traps today. They're the kind where the mouse wanders in and it snaps shut, and then you throw the whole thing away. I've set one in the kitchen, so we'll see how it works.
In other news, Research Methods I is technically over, although the final exam isn't until November 3. I had my first Professional Skills class yesterday. I had high hopes for this one because the syllabus looks like it'll have some real, nitty-gritty practical application, but the lecturer has no idea what he's talking about and has admitted to that fact. Plus, we're actually going to be taught by a few different people, so I'm not optimistic about continuity here.
Two missions tomorrow: Going to the Academic Registry for my census point, and getting my CV looked at.
Cheers, y'all.
In other news, Research Methods I is technically over, although the final exam isn't until November 3. I had my first Professional Skills class yesterday. I had high hopes for this one because the syllabus looks like it'll have some real, nitty-gritty practical application, but the lecturer has no idea what he's talking about and has admitted to that fact. Plus, we're actually going to be taught by a few different people, so I'm not optimistic about continuity here.
Two missions tomorrow: Going to the Academic Registry for my census point, and getting my CV looked at.
Cheers, y'all.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Bored, lonely, and unmotivated.
It's been almost a week since my last update, but there hasn't been much to tell. I'm lonely without my Aussie flatmates here. I'm bored with nothing to do on non-lecture days. I've been very unmotivated to do schoolwork this week - it's Sunday night and I'm just now getting down to it. I can't even blame my malaise on the weather, because the weather has actually been reasonable for the last few days.
I walked around Salisbury Crags yesterday afternoon, doing an irregular loop of the Radical Road and Volunteer's Walk. It was a part of Holyrood Park that I had never explored before, and it was beautiful. I could almost have been on the Isle of Skye. And parts of it were out of sight of any signs of the city, so I could almost have been 500 years in the past, walking across the moor between the highest part of the crags and Arthur's Seat.
I went to a ceilidh organized by the Hillwalking Club last night. It was fun and I got to socialize more than I had all week, but the band wasn't as good as the one at the postgrad ceilidh, and I felt like I was the only person who had come alone, which just kind of exacerbated the loneliness. I did get to dance about half of the dances, though.
I've updated my CV, and this week's big project is to get it looked over at Career Services, and then start looking for a part-time job. I'm hoping that having a job will help to alleviate the loneliness and the boredom, and also force me to focus and manage my time more. I also have go to the Academic Registry this week for my first "census point," to prove to the immigration police that I'm actually attending class and not just flouncing around Scotland.
Daylight savings ends for the UK next week, which will put the sunset time in Edinburgh at about 4:45pm, and getting ever earlier as we get closer to the solstice. I must start taking my vitamin D more regularly.
Cheers, y'all.
I walked around Salisbury Crags yesterday afternoon, doing an irregular loop of the Radical Road and Volunteer's Walk. It was a part of Holyrood Park that I had never explored before, and it was beautiful. I could almost have been on the Isle of Skye. And parts of it were out of sight of any signs of the city, so I could almost have been 500 years in the past, walking across the moor between the highest part of the crags and Arthur's Seat.
I went to a ceilidh organized by the Hillwalking Club last night. It was fun and I got to socialize more than I had all week, but the band wasn't as good as the one at the postgrad ceilidh, and I felt like I was the only person who had come alone, which just kind of exacerbated the loneliness. I did get to dance about half of the dances, though.
I've updated my CV, and this week's big project is to get it looked over at Career Services, and then start looking for a part-time job. I'm hoping that having a job will help to alleviate the loneliness and the boredom, and also force me to focus and manage my time more. I also have go to the Academic Registry this week for my first "census point," to prove to the immigration police that I'm actually attending class and not just flouncing around Scotland.
Daylight savings ends for the UK next week, which will put the sunset time in Edinburgh at about 4:45pm, and getting ever earlier as we get closer to the solstice. I must start taking my vitamin D more regularly.
Cheers, y'all.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Tuition and Tiree
I paid my tuition today. All 12,200 pounds of it. I am now officially committed.
And now, my trip to Tiree last week! I was a good little journal-writer while I was gone, so I'm just going to transcribe it all here, with some minor edits. Enjoy!
***
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
After an early-morning train ride to Glasgow and a short ride in a tiny plane, I arrived on the Isle of Tiree. The airport is tiny - basically just a large-ish room with a little conveyor belt to one side for the luggage (and it doesn't even convey anything - the baggage handlers just shove it through from the outside). And there's absolutely nothing around it - just fields, the ocean, and a little "Rural Centre" and cafe up the road. I had my phone out and was about to call Tiree's Ring N Ride service when a random guy named Ivan offered me a lift. He had a big fluffy white dog in the backseat which panted the whole time.
I'm at the Millhouse Hostel, in Cornaig, on the north side of the island. It was completely deserted when I got there, but the owner, Judith, had left me a note saying where my room was and to make myself at home. I accordingly stashed my stuff in the 6-bed dorm where I'm staying for the next 3 nights (3 beds including mine appear to be occupied), and set off in search of a phone signal and food.
I found a phone signal just a little down the road from the hostel. Food was a more arduous quest. There appear to be no grocery stores or restaurants in Cornaig, although I walked around a bit looking for one. This included a foray possibly onto some cattle farmer's property, at which point I discovered that there is nothing more disconcerting than having about ten cows all staring at you strangely.
Stymied by the lack of eating facilities in Cornaig, I resolved to walk the 2 miles east to Balephetrish and try my luck there. It's a full 5 miles to Scarinish, the main town on Tiree (and also the ferry port), and I wondered whether most of the island's facilities might be there. Tiree is 12 miles long and 3 miles wide and there are villages all over, but for all I know, everyone drives to Scarinish to go shopping. I had to make way for quite a lot of cars on the one-track roads, and got stared at by many more cows and a few sheep along the way.
I was maybe a mile down the road to Balephetrish when I came to a T-intersection with a road running off to the right (south), and a sign by it directing me to a cafe. I decided that rather than take my chances on a place that might have food, I'd go where there was definitely food.
This was a mistake, because the cafe advertised is in fact the Cobbled Cow, which is the cafe attached to the Rural Centre, which is next to the airport. So I ended up walking nearly the entire width of the island to get here. FML. But perhaps not such a mistake, because it's a very nice cafe, and serves breakfast all day. I just had a full Scottish breakfast, and there are also some very yummy-looking cakes...
***
Friday, October 14, 2011
I did have a piece of the Cobbled Cow's raspberry sponge cake, and it was quite tasty. Just as I got up to leave at the end of my meal, who should turn up but Ivan, the guy who gave me a lift from the airport. He asked incredulously whether I had walked there and how I was getting back, and suggested that if I couldn't get ahold of the Ring N Ride, that I "have a hitch."
This is how I came to be standing on the side of the road from Crossapol to Balephetrish with my thumb out on a Wednesday afternoon. A father with two kids and a dog (all holidaying from Fife) picked me up and dropped me off at my hostel without incident. Add hitchhiking to my list of firsts!
Besides me, there were seven other people staying at the hostel when I arrived: a Swiss guy named Thomas, a German girl named Ulrike, and a family of five from Aberdeenshire - Neil, Tessa, and their kids Andrew (age 16), Ian (14), and Graham (11). We all congregated together over dinner and chatted a lot. The Scottish family were there taking windsurfing lessons, Ulrike goes to Tiree regularly to surf, and Thomas, like me, was there just because.
Yesterday, I rented a bike and rode to the Co-Op in Scarinish, which is in fact one of only two grocery stores on Tiree. The other is an independent place in Crossapol. Scarinish is 5 miles from Cornaig. The first two miles were relatively easy going, but then the wind strengthened and blew at me at me the rest of the way. I had to walk the bike quite a bit, because I just couldn't pedal against it. And then when I had completed my food shopping and was ready to ride back, the wind swung around blew at me all the way home. Plus there was another reason for my difficulties - the bike seat was slowly and steadily sinking. But I got my groceries and all was well, except for my saddle-soreness.
In the afternoon, I studied a bit at the hostel, and also read a book called Your Royal Hostage by Antonia Fraser. I'm about halfway through it now - we'll see if I can finish it before I leave tomorrow. At a little before 4pm, I walked the 45 minutes to Ballavulin to watch the Tiree Wave Classic. The competition itself was over for the day, but there were still windsurfers out on the water, as well as surfers and body-boarders. Everyone from the hostel with the exception of Thomas eventually showed up as well. The sun had been out for most of the afternoon, and we got a proper sunset.
Everyone left this morning except for me and Ulrike. We had a bit of a lazy morning, because it was incredibly rainy and windy outside. Tiree is quite flat, which means that weather tends to blow over quickly. But this also means that gale-force winds can kick up. The sun came out at about 11:00, and I left at about noon for the Cobbled Cow again (with a stop-off at a little souvenir shop called Beachcomber Crafts), which is where I am now. I had a bowl of vegetable soup and a haggis roll, both of which were amazing.
***
Thus end my journal entries. The strong southerly wind blew me all the way back to Cornaig - hardly had to pedal. I took a little break, and then biked back to Ballavulin to watch some more watersports. By the time I got there, it was clear that the weather was about to turn, to I only hung out for about 20-25 minutes before biking back. Once again, I managed to get the wind behind me, which was fortunate because it started raining again as I was biking back, and I was wet through by the time I got back to Cornaig. Other guests had arrived for the evening - four 20- and 30-something Scots, once again from Aberdeenshire, and a family of 3 of indeterminate nationality, all visiting Tiree for the windsurfing. Ulrike and I played a round of Scrabble with two of the Scots after dinner.
Ulrike and I both left on Saturday, and rode the ferry and the train together as far as Glasgow. The ferry journey from Tiree to Oban (calling at the Isle of Coll on the way) is nearly four hours long, and I passed the time by looking at the scenery, eating in the ferry cafe, and napping. We had about an hour in Oban before catching the train to Glasgow, so I grabbed a takeaway dinner of scampi and chips for the train.
The train ride from Oban to Glasgow is one of the most scenic in in Britain - second only to the other branch of the West Highland Line, from Mallaig to Glasgow. Indeed, it's made the top of people's most scenic in the entire world lists. It goes through the southern part of the Western Highlands and the prettiest parts of Argyll, taking three hours. It was cloudy and misty most of the way, which just made everything look more mystical and enchanting.
Ulrike and I parted ways in Glasgow, and I took the train to Edinburgh on my own, getting in at about 8:30pm, having left Tiree at about 11:00 that morning.
And now, my trip to Tiree last week! I was a good little journal-writer while I was gone, so I'm just going to transcribe it all here, with some minor edits. Enjoy!
***
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
After an early-morning train ride to Glasgow and a short ride in a tiny plane, I arrived on the Isle of Tiree. The airport is tiny - basically just a large-ish room with a little conveyor belt to one side for the luggage (and it doesn't even convey anything - the baggage handlers just shove it through from the outside). And there's absolutely nothing around it - just fields, the ocean, and a little "Rural Centre" and cafe up the road. I had my phone out and was about to call Tiree's Ring N Ride service when a random guy named Ivan offered me a lift. He had a big fluffy white dog in the backseat which panted the whole time.
I'm at the Millhouse Hostel, in Cornaig, on the north side of the island. It was completely deserted when I got there, but the owner, Judith, had left me a note saying where my room was and to make myself at home. I accordingly stashed my stuff in the 6-bed dorm where I'm staying for the next 3 nights (3 beds including mine appear to be occupied), and set off in search of a phone signal and food.
I found a phone signal just a little down the road from the hostel. Food was a more arduous quest. There appear to be no grocery stores or restaurants in Cornaig, although I walked around a bit looking for one. This included a foray possibly onto some cattle farmer's property, at which point I discovered that there is nothing more disconcerting than having about ten cows all staring at you strangely.
Stymied by the lack of eating facilities in Cornaig, I resolved to walk the 2 miles east to Balephetrish and try my luck there. It's a full 5 miles to Scarinish, the main town on Tiree (and also the ferry port), and I wondered whether most of the island's facilities might be there. Tiree is 12 miles long and 3 miles wide and there are villages all over, but for all I know, everyone drives to Scarinish to go shopping. I had to make way for quite a lot of cars on the one-track roads, and got stared at by many more cows and a few sheep along the way.
I was maybe a mile down the road to Balephetrish when I came to a T-intersection with a road running off to the right (south), and a sign by it directing me to a cafe. I decided that rather than take my chances on a place that might have food, I'd go where there was definitely food.
This was a mistake, because the cafe advertised is in fact the Cobbled Cow, which is the cafe attached to the Rural Centre, which is next to the airport. So I ended up walking nearly the entire width of the island to get here. FML. But perhaps not such a mistake, because it's a very nice cafe, and serves breakfast all day. I just had a full Scottish breakfast, and there are also some very yummy-looking cakes...
***
Friday, October 14, 2011
I did have a piece of the Cobbled Cow's raspberry sponge cake, and it was quite tasty. Just as I got up to leave at the end of my meal, who should turn up but Ivan, the guy who gave me a lift from the airport. He asked incredulously whether I had walked there and how I was getting back, and suggested that if I couldn't get ahold of the Ring N Ride, that I "have a hitch."
This is how I came to be standing on the side of the road from Crossapol to Balephetrish with my thumb out on a Wednesday afternoon. A father with two kids and a dog (all holidaying from Fife) picked me up and dropped me off at my hostel without incident. Add hitchhiking to my list of firsts!
Besides me, there were seven other people staying at the hostel when I arrived: a Swiss guy named Thomas, a German girl named Ulrike, and a family of five from Aberdeenshire - Neil, Tessa, and their kids Andrew (age 16), Ian (14), and Graham (11). We all congregated together over dinner and chatted a lot. The Scottish family were there taking windsurfing lessons, Ulrike goes to Tiree regularly to surf, and Thomas, like me, was there just because.
Yesterday, I rented a bike and rode to the Co-Op in Scarinish, which is in fact one of only two grocery stores on Tiree. The other is an independent place in Crossapol. Scarinish is 5 miles from Cornaig. The first two miles were relatively easy going, but then the wind strengthened and blew at me at me the rest of the way. I had to walk the bike quite a bit, because I just couldn't pedal against it. And then when I had completed my food shopping and was ready to ride back, the wind swung around blew at me all the way home. Plus there was another reason for my difficulties - the bike seat was slowly and steadily sinking. But I got my groceries and all was well, except for my saddle-soreness.
In the afternoon, I studied a bit at the hostel, and also read a book called Your Royal Hostage by Antonia Fraser. I'm about halfway through it now - we'll see if I can finish it before I leave tomorrow. At a little before 4pm, I walked the 45 minutes to Ballavulin to watch the Tiree Wave Classic. The competition itself was over for the day, but there were still windsurfers out on the water, as well as surfers and body-boarders. Everyone from the hostel with the exception of Thomas eventually showed up as well. The sun had been out for most of the afternoon, and we got a proper sunset.
Everyone left this morning except for me and Ulrike. We had a bit of a lazy morning, because it was incredibly rainy and windy outside. Tiree is quite flat, which means that weather tends to blow over quickly. But this also means that gale-force winds can kick up. The sun came out at about 11:00, and I left at about noon for the Cobbled Cow again (with a stop-off at a little souvenir shop called Beachcomber Crafts), which is where I am now. I had a bowl of vegetable soup and a haggis roll, both of which were amazing.
***
Thus end my journal entries. The strong southerly wind blew me all the way back to Cornaig - hardly had to pedal. I took a little break, and then biked back to Ballavulin to watch some more watersports. By the time I got there, it was clear that the weather was about to turn, to I only hung out for about 20-25 minutes before biking back. Once again, I managed to get the wind behind me, which was fortunate because it started raining again as I was biking back, and I was wet through by the time I got back to Cornaig. Other guests had arrived for the evening - four 20- and 30-something Scots, once again from Aberdeenshire, and a family of 3 of indeterminate nationality, all visiting Tiree for the windsurfing. Ulrike and I played a round of Scrabble with two of the Scots after dinner.
Ulrike and I both left on Saturday, and rode the ferry and the train together as far as Glasgow. The ferry journey from Tiree to Oban (calling at the Isle of Coll on the way) is nearly four hours long, and I passed the time by looking at the scenery, eating in the ferry cafe, and napping. We had about an hour in Oban before catching the train to Glasgow, so I grabbed a takeaway dinner of scampi and chips for the train.
The train ride from Oban to Glasgow is one of the most scenic in in Britain - second only to the other branch of the West Highland Line, from Mallaig to Glasgow. Indeed, it's made the top of people's most scenic in the entire world lists. It goes through the southern part of the Western Highlands and the prettiest parts of Argyll, taking three hours. It was cloudy and misty most of the way, which just made everything look more mystical and enchanting.
Ulrike and I parted ways in Glasgow, and I took the train to Edinburgh on my own, getting in at about 8:30pm, having left Tiree at about 11:00 that morning.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Week 4: Srs bsns.
I've just turned in my first to-be-graded assignment of the year! It's for my stress class, and it's a 1000-word critical appraisal of a journal article of my choosing. It's only worth 20% of my total grade and is meant to get everyone back in writing shape for the Serious Business term papers start coming due in December...but I'm still antsy about it!
While I'm on the subject, I should mention that they grade things differently here than they do in the States.
70-100 = A
60-69 = B
50-59 = C
40-49 = D
<40 = F
Now, before anyone goes "So anything passing in the States is an A in Britain HOW EASY IS THAT," I have been advised that I will never, ever receive a mark above an 80. Ever. Why they don't just make 80 the highest possible mark, rather than 100, has not been satisfactorily explained to me. But anyway, the thing to is to add 20 points to whatever mark I get here, in order to approximate what it would be in the US. As in the US, a D is only sorta-kinda-but-not-really passing. In fact, it's defined as "passing at a Postgrad Diploma level, but not a Masters level."
SO. We'll soon see if my academic writing is still up to snuff!
Cheers, y'all.
While I'm on the subject, I should mention that they grade things differently here than they do in the States.
70-100 = A
60-69 = B
50-59 = C
40-49 = D
<40 = F
Now, before anyone goes "So anything passing in the States is an A in Britain HOW EASY IS THAT," I have been advised that I will never, ever receive a mark above an 80. Ever. Why they don't just make 80 the highest possible mark, rather than 100, has not been satisfactorily explained to me. But anyway, the thing to is to add 20 points to whatever mark I get here, in order to approximate what it would be in the US. As in the US, a D is only sorta-kinda-but-not-really passing. In fact, it's defined as "passing at a Postgrad Diploma level, but not a Masters level."
SO. We'll soon see if my academic writing is still up to snuff!
Cheers, y'all.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
"Hori, horo, my bonny wee girl"
So, there's a big car rally on Mull this week and all the accommodation is full, so that plan is out and I'm looking at going to Tiree instead. It's the westernmost of the Inner Hebrides and a 4-hour ferry ride from Oban, and it's got tons of sandy beaches and the most sunshine in Scotland. And it's got its own love song!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
There is so much world and I must see it ALL!!!!
Weather forecast: Rain. Rain rain rain. Rain forever and unceasing.
Oh God, I have to get out of this city. Making plans to visit some of the Inner Hebs next week - Mull and Iona, and possibly Staffa. Hang the cost (which actually isn't that much, outside of the train ticket to and from Oban). There is SO MUCH of Scotland I have yet to see, and the weather is only going to get shittier this side of April, so the time is NOW.
Other trips I want to do:
Tiree. Supposed to be the sunniest place in Scotland. Yes please.
Islay and Jura. The whisky isles. But I have to figure out how the eff to get to Kennacraig first, because there's no train and I'm finding conflicting info on buses. Maybe save this one until spring.
Shetland. This place is closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to London. Thinking of giving a big middle finger to sanity and doing this one in winter. Hee.
Outside of Scotland:
Wales. I absolutely want to make it to Wales, because I actually have ancestors there. But there only seem to be two companies who run backpacker tours there, and I have moral objections to how one does business, and the other one just doesn't look that fun. So it looks like I'll be doing it solo, unless I find an obliging friend. I have a window in late November and early December between the end of lectures and when my term papers start coming due, which I think may be an opportune time for this one.
Norway. I'd like to make this one happen sometime next summer, if I can get time away from dissertation-writing. We'll see.
The southern part of Ireland, around Cork and Kerry. This is the bit I missed out on when I did my big trip through Europe two years ago, so I'd like to go back and do it.
Long shots: Ukraine and Russia.
THERE IS SO MUCH WORLD OUT THERE AND I MUST SEE IT ALLLLL!!!!
Cheers, y'all.
Oh God, I have to get out of this city. Making plans to visit some of the Inner Hebs next week - Mull and Iona, and possibly Staffa. Hang the cost (which actually isn't that much, outside of the train ticket to and from Oban). There is SO MUCH of Scotland I have yet to see, and the weather is only going to get shittier this side of April, so the time is NOW.
Other trips I want to do:
Tiree. Supposed to be the sunniest place in Scotland. Yes please.
Islay and Jura. The whisky isles. But I have to figure out how the eff to get to Kennacraig first, because there's no train and I'm finding conflicting info on buses. Maybe save this one until spring.
Shetland. This place is closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to London. Thinking of giving a big middle finger to sanity and doing this one in winter. Hee.
Outside of Scotland:
Wales. I absolutely want to make it to Wales, because I actually have ancestors there. But there only seem to be two companies who run backpacker tours there, and I have moral objections to how one does business, and the other one just doesn't look that fun. So it looks like I'll be doing it solo, unless I find an obliging friend. I have a window in late November and early December between the end of lectures and when my term papers start coming due, which I think may be an opportune time for this one.
Norway. I'd like to make this one happen sometime next summer, if I can get time away from dissertation-writing. We'll see.
The southern part of Ireland, around Cork and Kerry. This is the bit I missed out on when I did my big trip through Europe two years ago, so I'd like to go back and do it.
Long shots: Ukraine and Russia.
THERE IS SO MUCH WORLD OUT THERE AND I MUST SEE IT ALLLLL!!!!
Cheers, y'all.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Flatmates
It occurred to me today that I have yet to give a proper rundown of the people I've been living with for nearly the last month. This is a six-bedroom flat, and is capable of housing ten people when fully occupied. There were nine when I moved in, including myself:
Andrew: A Scottish guy with whom I shared the "downstairs" part of the flat for exactly two days, as he moved out immediately after I moved in. He seemed like a very nice, cheerful sort.
Medina: A Kazakh girl who just finished her PhD in finance at the University of Edinburgh. She also moved out (back to Kazakhstan) about a week after I moved in, so I only ever had about one proper conversation with her. She also seemed pleasant enough, if a bit preoccupied with her schoolwork and preparations to move back home, but then I think I would be too.
Mandy and Roy: The flatmates I've gotten the closest to by far since moving in. They're a pair of siblings from Darwin, Australia, and have been living here all summer while on holiday (although Roy has also been working). I got on like a house on fire with both of them, but unfortunately they've both also moved out - Mandy last Saturday, and Roy today. As I type this, they're both in London waiting to catch a flight back to Australia via Hong Kong.
Thomas and Nadia: I privately call these two Team Slovakia. They're a young professional couple (both late 20's, I'd estimate) who I'm on reasonably warm terms with; Thomas more so than Nadia. They tend to cook and eat their food in the downstairs kitchen, so I see them on a fairly regular basis. Thomas apparently thought I was English for the first two weeks I lived here, which I'll take as a compliment. And I guess to be fair, for the same span of time, I didn't realize Nadia actually lived here.
Chris and Sabina: The other young professional couple. I think they're in their early 30's. I had high hopes for them, since Sabina has pink hair and many earrings, but they keep pretty well to themselves - I think I've exchanged about 20 words with her since moving in, and fewer with him. Chris is English and Sabina is some variety of Eastern European - possibly Polish.
So at the moment, it's me, Thomas, Nadia, Chris, and Sabina. Now that Mandy and Roy have moved out, I think I am going to be very lonely. Here's hoping some more cool people move in soon...
Cheers, y'all.
Andrew: A Scottish guy with whom I shared the "downstairs" part of the flat for exactly two days, as he moved out immediately after I moved in. He seemed like a very nice, cheerful sort.
Medina: A Kazakh girl who just finished her PhD in finance at the University of Edinburgh. She also moved out (back to Kazakhstan) about a week after I moved in, so I only ever had about one proper conversation with her. She also seemed pleasant enough, if a bit preoccupied with her schoolwork and preparations to move back home, but then I think I would be too.
Mandy and Roy: The flatmates I've gotten the closest to by far since moving in. They're a pair of siblings from Darwin, Australia, and have been living here all summer while on holiday (although Roy has also been working). I got on like a house on fire with both of them, but unfortunately they've both also moved out - Mandy last Saturday, and Roy today. As I type this, they're both in London waiting to catch a flight back to Australia via Hong Kong.
Thomas and Nadia: I privately call these two Team Slovakia. They're a young professional couple (both late 20's, I'd estimate) who I'm on reasonably warm terms with; Thomas more so than Nadia. They tend to cook and eat their food in the downstairs kitchen, so I see them on a fairly regular basis. Thomas apparently thought I was English for the first two weeks I lived here, which I'll take as a compliment. And I guess to be fair, for the same span of time, I didn't realize Nadia actually lived here.
Chris and Sabina: The other young professional couple. I think they're in their early 30's. I had high hopes for them, since Sabina has pink hair and many earrings, but they keep pretty well to themselves - I think I've exchanged about 20 words with her since moving in, and fewer with him. Chris is English and Sabina is some variety of Eastern European - possibly Polish.
So at the moment, it's me, Thomas, Nadia, Chris, and Sabina. Now that Mandy and Roy have moved out, I think I am going to be very lonely. Here's hoping some more cool people move in soon...
Cheers, y'all.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Visit from Dad
My dad came to Edinburgh to visit me this weekend! I was hoping the weather would hold out, since the last half of last week was absolutely gorgeous and incredibly warm, but Scotland being what it is, it turned cloudy and rainy on Saturday. Oh well.
I met my dad at the airport bus drop-off in front of Waverley, and took him back to my flat. There are a couple of spare rooms at the moment, so I put him in one of those (ssh, don't tell my landlord). Then we did my version of the Grand Walking Tour of Edinburgh: down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, with a detour onto St. John Street to see my school; a brief rest on the grounds in front of the Scottish Parliament, in the shadow of Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat (which make up Holyrood Park); then back up to the castle via Cowgate and Grassmarket, which run parallel to the Royal Mile and offer a stunning view of Castle Rock from the south. We bought a high E string for my guitar at a little music shop in the Grassmarket, then climbed the steps back up to the castle and cut through Princes Street Gardens to get to Princes Street, and got the bus back to my flat. In between Holyrood Park and walking back via Cowgate, we had lunch at a pub near the bottom of the mile - fish and chips for him, scampi and chips for me. After relaxing at my flat for a bit, we ventured out for dinner. The first place we tried was all booked up for the evening, so we wound up at a restaurant called The Dogs. It was essentially British food (very meat and potato-y), but done up in a classy way.
Yesterday it rained for much of the day. We spent most of the morning chilling out at my flat, and then set out to explore the northern part of the city, which I hadn't really done yet. First we took a bus to the Ocean Terminal, which is a very large mall which reminded me of Southpointe in Durham. But until Southpointe has a stranglehold on its very own yacht, it won't be on par with the Ocean Terminal. Yes, that place controls admission to the Royal Yacht Britannia. I was bemused. After a few more buses, we eventually wound up in West Granton, which has the benefit of being right on the Firth of Forth, but which is otherwise a very unsightly part of town. I got the impression that there are a lot of economic problems there. A lot of stores were run down and shut up, and not just because it was Sunday. Maybe my impression would have been different if the sun were out, but I don't think so. After walking around for ages trying to find somewhere to eat lunch, we eventually wound up at a Morrison's with a cafe in it. After tripping the emergency exit alarm, we hastily made our way to the nearest bus stop and got a bus back to my flat, but not before stopping off at Tesco to get some stuff he insists I need (and which I kind of do - like ziplock bags, for instance). We had dinner at a sushi place across from The Dogs, which had the most amazing salmon I have ever tasted. Scotland does seafood AMAZINGLY well. After a quick stop in to the Black Bull for a post-dinner pint, we went back to my flat and to bed.
Got up at 5:30 this morning to see my dad off to the airport. It was a really good visit, and the first time I've seen anyone in my family for six weeks. And now I'm feeling kind of lonely. Mandy left for London on Saturday morning, and Roy will be moving out on Wednesday. The rest of my flatmates are two young professional couples who I don't see very much of, so until someone else moves in, I can't turn to them for a social life. There's a Hillwalking Club trip to Cannich next weekend which I'm thinking about going on, primarily for the social opportunity - it's a weekend trip rather than a day trip, so there'll be more opportunities to socialize. But then I think back to my experience with Ben Vane and wonder if I want to put myself through that again, not to mention my fellow walkers - I have a very real and I think reasonable fear that I'll be a hazard to myself and to them.
But I'm starting to get friendly with some of my classmates, and I have class this evening, so there's hope from that quarter!
Cheers, y'all.
I met my dad at the airport bus drop-off in front of Waverley, and took him back to my flat. There are a couple of spare rooms at the moment, so I put him in one of those (ssh, don't tell my landlord). Then we did my version of the Grand Walking Tour of Edinburgh: down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, with a detour onto St. John Street to see my school; a brief rest on the grounds in front of the Scottish Parliament, in the shadow of Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat (which make up Holyrood Park); then back up to the castle via Cowgate and Grassmarket, which run parallel to the Royal Mile and offer a stunning view of Castle Rock from the south. We bought a high E string for my guitar at a little music shop in the Grassmarket, then climbed the steps back up to the castle and cut through Princes Street Gardens to get to Princes Street, and got the bus back to my flat. In between Holyrood Park and walking back via Cowgate, we had lunch at a pub near the bottom of the mile - fish and chips for him, scampi and chips for me. After relaxing at my flat for a bit, we ventured out for dinner. The first place we tried was all booked up for the evening, so we wound up at a restaurant called The Dogs. It was essentially British food (very meat and potato-y), but done up in a classy way.
Yesterday it rained for much of the day. We spent most of the morning chilling out at my flat, and then set out to explore the northern part of the city, which I hadn't really done yet. First we took a bus to the Ocean Terminal, which is a very large mall which reminded me of Southpointe in Durham. But until Southpointe has a stranglehold on its very own yacht, it won't be on par with the Ocean Terminal. Yes, that place controls admission to the Royal Yacht Britannia. I was bemused. After a few more buses, we eventually wound up in West Granton, which has the benefit of being right on the Firth of Forth, but which is otherwise a very unsightly part of town. I got the impression that there are a lot of economic problems there. A lot of stores were run down and shut up, and not just because it was Sunday. Maybe my impression would have been different if the sun were out, but I don't think so. After walking around for ages trying to find somewhere to eat lunch, we eventually wound up at a Morrison's with a cafe in it. After tripping the emergency exit alarm, we hastily made our way to the nearest bus stop and got a bus back to my flat, but not before stopping off at Tesco to get some stuff he insists I need (and which I kind of do - like ziplock bags, for instance). We had dinner at a sushi place across from The Dogs, which had the most amazing salmon I have ever tasted. Scotland does seafood AMAZINGLY well. After a quick stop in to the Black Bull for a post-dinner pint, we went back to my flat and to bed.
Got up at 5:30 this morning to see my dad off to the airport. It was a really good visit, and the first time I've seen anyone in my family for six weeks. And now I'm feeling kind of lonely. Mandy left for London on Saturday morning, and Roy will be moving out on Wednesday. The rest of my flatmates are two young professional couples who I don't see very much of, so until someone else moves in, I can't turn to them for a social life. There's a Hillwalking Club trip to Cannich next weekend which I'm thinking about going on, primarily for the social opportunity - it's a weekend trip rather than a day trip, so there'll be more opportunities to socialize. But then I think back to my experience with Ben Vane and wonder if I want to put myself through that again, not to mention my fellow walkers - I have a very real and I think reasonable fear that I'll be a hazard to myself and to them.
But I'm starting to get friendly with some of my classmates, and I have class this evening, so there's hope from that quarter!
Cheers, y'all.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Week 2: Or, the kid gloves are coming off.
I never thought I'd consider 70 degrees Fahrenheit hot, but there it is. And it's supposed to be equally warm and sunny for the rest of the week!
Second week of class, and the kid gloves are coming off. I've got 70-odd pages of reading to do this week, in addition to two brief assignments. I went to the library and studied today (even though it was really hard because it was so freaking warm in there), and finished basically everything for two of my classes. Unfortunately the majority of this stuff is for the third. Urk.
I've discovered that even though I'm only technically getting graded on the final exam/paper for each of my classes, that doesn't mean that there's no homework. And while not doing the homework won't technically count against my grade, it'll mean showing up to class unprepared and all the teacherly scorn that that entails. Also, the more legwork I do now, the less I'll have to do when it's time to write my dissertation next summer.
Meanwhile, my bank account here is finally up and running, and it's going to be time to think about finding a part-time job soon. Realistically, I don't think I'll be able to work for more than 12 hours per week. I've got enough in the bank that I won't *have* to work for at least several months if I'm careful, but it'd be nice to have some money coming in as a safety net.
Cheers, y'all.
Second week of class, and the kid gloves are coming off. I've got 70-odd pages of reading to do this week, in addition to two brief assignments. I went to the library and studied today (even though it was really hard because it was so freaking warm in there), and finished basically everything for two of my classes. Unfortunately the majority of this stuff is for the third. Urk.
I've discovered that even though I'm only technically getting graded on the final exam/paper for each of my classes, that doesn't mean that there's no homework. And while not doing the homework won't technically count against my grade, it'll mean showing up to class unprepared and all the teacherly scorn that that entails. Also, the more legwork I do now, the less I'll have to do when it's time to write my dissertation next summer.
Meanwhile, my bank account here is finally up and running, and it's going to be time to think about finding a part-time job soon. Realistically, I don't think I'll be able to work for more than 12 hours per week. I've got enough in the bank that I won't *have* to work for at least several months if I'm careful, but it'd be nice to have some money coming in as a safety net.
Cheers, y'all.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Laddies and lassies, I hae bagged ae Munro!
...Or for the non-Scots speakers out there, today I climbed a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet in height, namely Ben Vane.
Ten of us from the Edinburgh University Hillwalking Club accomplished this mighty feat, while several others climbed other hills in this area near Arrochar, in Argyll near Loch Lomond. I can say without exaggerating that this was the physically hardest thing I have ever done. It was very tough mentally, as well.
We started on a tarmac trail near Inveruglas, which joined up with a gravel trail which took us to the base of the mountain. The weather was reasonably good when we started, and the views of the surrounding mountains and back toward Loch Lomond were lovely. The first part of the trek up the mountain was over some rather boggy ground, which then gave way to a rocky pseudo-footpath which was quite steep in places, and occasionally required scrambling (using one's hands).
We were a little over halfway up when I started to have doubts about whether I could do this. I very foolishly did not eat breakfast before I left this morning, thinking I'd be able to eat on the bus (only to discover that there was no food allowed). So I set off on this climb with only a few handfuls of cereal and mixed nuts in my stomach. I was able to eat a few more nuts, as well as some candy that got passed around, but at around the halfway point the energy in my legs dwindled and they began to hurt. A lot. This pain traveled up to my arse and lower back as we got higher. In addition to all this, Ben Vane has a lot of false summits - from one's perspective as one climbs the mountain, it looks like the next rocky point is the top. But no. Always no. This played such havoc with my mental state that the mantra I tried to keep up, "I can do this, I can do this," soon gave way to sporadic bouts of mild hysteria - "I *sob* can't *sob* do *sob* this!!!"
I really don't know how I made it to the top. After a while I just able to compartmentalize the pain, and put one foot in front of the other until, somewhere between four and five hours after we set off, I got to the summit. The summit was a letdown on a few different counts. First of all, Scottish Weather being what it is, the clouds rolled in as soon as we got there and it started to mist. So we couldn't even see anything from the summit. Second of all, I only spent about fifteen minutes up there, because I had fallen pretty far to the back and we were on a bit of a timetable. Third of all, I wasn't able to eat my packed lunch. Not because of the time constraint, but because as soon as I got something down, I felt like throwing up. I guess my body, responding to the strenuous demands I was putting on it with shockingly little food, turned off my hunger mechanism. It's now almost 10pm, and all I have eaten today is a few handfuls of cereal, maybe a third of a small bag of mixed nuts, a few pieces of candy, three bites of sandwich, one potato crisp, and one small piece of chocolate. And a whole lot of water.
Going back down the mountain was almost as hard as going up. I had to complete all those steep rocky bits over again in reverse, and the misting that began at the summit soon turned into genuine rain. Luckily it didn't rain the whole way down, but when I finally got to the marshy part near the bottom again, I discovered that it had rained enough to turn the marsh into soup. My waterproof hiking boots certainly proved their worth today - I went ankle-deep (or in some cases deeper) in mud many, many times, but my feet stayed bone-dry. And during all this, I was still dealing with the pain continuing to travel up my back, and legs with hardly any energy left. More "I *sob* can't *sob* do *sob* this" moments happened, but the knowledge that keeping on going was the only way to get off this mountain, short of falling and injuring myself badly enough to get helicoptered off (God forbid), gave me the motivation to finish. The descent took about three hours, plus another 45 minutes on the gravel and tarmac trails on legs with almost nothing left. I was the last person from the Inveruglas detachment to get back to the bus, by a margin of at least 30 minutes, probably more. The hike leader, Claire, stayed within sight of me and even carried my backpack for the last stretch.
I am sore and will be even more sore tomorrow. I'm questioning whether I want to go on more hillwalking trips, because the one I went on today was the second-easiest of the walks on offer, and will be fairly typical of the "Easy" ones on future trips. But I am mega-proud of myself for bagging a Munro.
Ten of us from the Edinburgh University Hillwalking Club accomplished this mighty feat, while several others climbed other hills in this area near Arrochar, in Argyll near Loch Lomond. I can say without exaggerating that this was the physically hardest thing I have ever done. It was very tough mentally, as well.
We started on a tarmac trail near Inveruglas, which joined up with a gravel trail which took us to the base of the mountain. The weather was reasonably good when we started, and the views of the surrounding mountains and back toward Loch Lomond were lovely. The first part of the trek up the mountain was over some rather boggy ground, which then gave way to a rocky pseudo-footpath which was quite steep in places, and occasionally required scrambling (using one's hands).
We were a little over halfway up when I started to have doubts about whether I could do this. I very foolishly did not eat breakfast before I left this morning, thinking I'd be able to eat on the bus (only to discover that there was no food allowed). So I set off on this climb with only a few handfuls of cereal and mixed nuts in my stomach. I was able to eat a few more nuts, as well as some candy that got passed around, but at around the halfway point the energy in my legs dwindled and they began to hurt. A lot. This pain traveled up to my arse and lower back as we got higher. In addition to all this, Ben Vane has a lot of false summits - from one's perspective as one climbs the mountain, it looks like the next rocky point is the top. But no. Always no. This played such havoc with my mental state that the mantra I tried to keep up, "I can do this, I can do this," soon gave way to sporadic bouts of mild hysteria - "I *sob* can't *sob* do *sob* this!!!"
I really don't know how I made it to the top. After a while I just able to compartmentalize the pain, and put one foot in front of the other until, somewhere between four and five hours after we set off, I got to the summit. The summit was a letdown on a few different counts. First of all, Scottish Weather being what it is, the clouds rolled in as soon as we got there and it started to mist. So we couldn't even see anything from the summit. Second of all, I only spent about fifteen minutes up there, because I had fallen pretty far to the back and we were on a bit of a timetable. Third of all, I wasn't able to eat my packed lunch. Not because of the time constraint, but because as soon as I got something down, I felt like throwing up. I guess my body, responding to the strenuous demands I was putting on it with shockingly little food, turned off my hunger mechanism. It's now almost 10pm, and all I have eaten today is a few handfuls of cereal, maybe a third of a small bag of mixed nuts, a few pieces of candy, three bites of sandwich, one potato crisp, and one small piece of chocolate. And a whole lot of water.
Going back down the mountain was almost as hard as going up. I had to complete all those steep rocky bits over again in reverse, and the misting that began at the summit soon turned into genuine rain. Luckily it didn't rain the whole way down, but when I finally got to the marshy part near the bottom again, I discovered that it had rained enough to turn the marsh into soup. My waterproof hiking boots certainly proved their worth today - I went ankle-deep (or in some cases deeper) in mud many, many times, but my feet stayed bone-dry. And during all this, I was still dealing with the pain continuing to travel up my back, and legs with hardly any energy left. More "I *sob* can't *sob* do *sob* this" moments happened, but the knowledge that keeping on going was the only way to get off this mountain, short of falling and injuring myself badly enough to get helicoptered off (God forbid), gave me the motivation to finish. The descent took about three hours, plus another 45 minutes on the gravel and tarmac trails on legs with almost nothing left. I was the last person from the Inveruglas detachment to get back to the bus, by a margin of at least 30 minutes, probably more. The hike leader, Claire, stayed within sight of me and even carried my backpack for the last stretch.
I am sore and will be even more sore tomorrow. I'm questioning whether I want to go on more hillwalking trips, because the one I went on today was the second-easiest of the walks on offer, and will be fairly typical of the "Easy" ones on future trips. But I am mega-proud of myself for bagging a Munro.
 |
| wikipedia.org |
Thursday, September 22, 2011
August 28, 2011: Scottish Borders
This is now many weeks in the past, but I'm going to recount it as accurately as I can. None of the pictures are mine, for obvious reasons. I found them on various places on the internet and I've done my best to credit them all appropriately. Now, onward!
On the morning of the 28th of August, I left Edinburgh from the Rabbie's office on High Street with eight other people plus the driver, Emily. We were Americans, Germans, South Africans, and an Aussie, if I'm remembering correctly. It was a sunny and extremely windy day as we wended our way south to Walter Scott country.
The Scottish Borders (that is, the southern part of Scotland, bordering England) are often overlooked, quite unfairly. The Borders are mountainous, but differ in quality from the highlands in the more northerly part of the country. They're less rugged and more wide-open and rolling. They're also more forested than other areas of Scotland. For those reasons, they reminded me a bit of the Appalachian foothills in North Carolina.
Our first stop of the day was Scott's View, a scenic point near Earlston overlooking the three peaks of the Eildon Hills and the Tweed Valley, with the Cheviot Hills of England visible to the south.
I was lucky enough to arrive in Scotland right at the height of the heather blooming, so the hills were almost completely purple.
After spending some time at Scott's View (so called because it was supposedly the favorite viewpoint of Sir Walter Scott), we descended from the hillside into Earlston, and walked through a forested area to the Wallace Monument. This is a different, less well-known monument than the famous one near Stirling, and features an unaccountably Roman-looking William Wallace:
After that, we made our way to Melrose, following a picturesque route along the River Tweed.
Melrose Abbey is a ruined abbey, famous for being the resting place of Robert the Bruce's heart (the rest of him is buried in Dunfermline). We all wandered around the abbey ruins, and around the town of Melrose itself, for an hour or so. This was also our lunch stop. I sat in a little cafe and had my first Orkney ice cream in two years. Oh, how I missed it...
This is the part where the weather turned on us. In the single most impressive reversal of Scottish Weather that I have personally witnessed, it was sunny when I began climbing one of the abbey towers, and had clouded over and begun to rain by the time I got to the top about two minutes later.
After Melrose Abbey, we went to our final major point of interest for the day, Rosslyn Chapel. Made famous by The Da Vinci Code, it's got some very interesting architecture on the inside: Celtic and Masonic symbols galore. Included in the entrance fee was a talk by a lady whose exact relationship to the Chapel I cannot recall, but she had a lot to say about the supposed Masonic secrets Rosslyn Chapel is supposed to contain. No one is allowed to see under the floorboards, and theories abound as to what's down there: the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, Elvis Presley, etc. This picture is deceptive because it's actually quite a small church:
It was very cold, rainy, and windy by this point, so I was glad to get back on the minibus and head back to Edinburgh. All in all, it was an enjoyable trip, if not as active as the Wild in Scotland trips I've been on, and it covered ground I hadn't seen before, which was the main attraction. I'm glad I went.
This has not been nearly as detailed as I would have liked, but my journal notes about this day are scanty and I've lost a lot of the fine detail. Photos of the Wild in Scotland trip are making their way onto Facebook, so I'm going to post about that trip soon.
Cheers, y'all.
On the morning of the 28th of August, I left Edinburgh from the Rabbie's office on High Street with eight other people plus the driver, Emily. We were Americans, Germans, South Africans, and an Aussie, if I'm remembering correctly. It was a sunny and extremely windy day as we wended our way south to Walter Scott country.
The Scottish Borders (that is, the southern part of Scotland, bordering England) are often overlooked, quite unfairly. The Borders are mountainous, but differ in quality from the highlands in the more northerly part of the country. They're less rugged and more wide-open and rolling. They're also more forested than other areas of Scotland. For those reasons, they reminded me a bit of the Appalachian foothills in North Carolina.
Our first stop of the day was Scott's View, a scenic point near Earlston overlooking the three peaks of the Eildon Hills and the Tweed Valley, with the Cheviot Hills of England visible to the south.
 |
| goscotlandtours.com |
I was lucky enough to arrive in Scotland right at the height of the heather blooming, so the hills were almost completely purple.
After spending some time at Scott's View (so called because it was supposedly the favorite viewpoint of Sir Walter Scott), we descended from the hillside into Earlston, and walked through a forested area to the Wallace Monument. This is a different, less well-known monument than the famous one near Stirling, and features an unaccountably Roman-looking William Wallace:
 |
| myfinepix.com |
After that, we made our way to Melrose, following a picturesque route along the River Tweed.
 |
| bordercabs.co.uk |
Melrose Abbey is a ruined abbey, famous for being the resting place of Robert the Bruce's heart (the rest of him is buried in Dunfermline). We all wandered around the abbey ruins, and around the town of Melrose itself, for an hour or so. This was also our lunch stop. I sat in a little cafe and had my first Orkney ice cream in two years. Oh, how I missed it...
 |
| undiscoveredscotland.co.uk |
This is the part where the weather turned on us. In the single most impressive reversal of Scottish Weather that I have personally witnessed, it was sunny when I began climbing one of the abbey towers, and had clouded over and begun to rain by the time I got to the top about two minutes later.
After Melrose Abbey, we went to our final major point of interest for the day, Rosslyn Chapel. Made famous by The Da Vinci Code, it's got some very interesting architecture on the inside: Celtic and Masonic symbols galore. Included in the entrance fee was a talk by a lady whose exact relationship to the Chapel I cannot recall, but she had a lot to say about the supposed Masonic secrets Rosslyn Chapel is supposed to contain. No one is allowed to see under the floorboards, and theories abound as to what's down there: the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, Elvis Presley, etc. This picture is deceptive because it's actually quite a small church:
 |
| annerobertson.com |
It was very cold, rainy, and windy by this point, so I was glad to get back on the minibus and head back to Edinburgh. All in all, it was an enjoyable trip, if not as active as the Wild in Scotland trips I've been on, and it covered ground I hadn't seen before, which was the main attraction. I'm glad I went.
This has not been nearly as detailed as I would have liked, but my journal notes about this day are scanty and I've lost a lot of the fine detail. Photos of the Wild in Scotland trip are making their way onto Facebook, so I'm going to post about that trip soon.
Cheers, y'all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)