A week of mixed traditions: Thanksgiving and Rugby!

Ok so quick blog before i head off to italy in the morning (AHH!)

This last week was great. Thanksgiving went off with no hitches - amazing! We had 23 people at my flat for a great feast. There were many great contributions by American friends, we had everything: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, glazed carrots, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and apple crumble! Even had a special italian exception of tiramisu thanks to my flatmate Claudia who really wanted to contribute = ) I made the beans, carrots, and apple crumble - seemed to be big hits! I just can't believe we actually pulled off such a feast, we were worried about having enough food, but it ended up being a perfect amount! Even had enough for leftover lunch the next day - perfect! As i told my fam though, i have gained a new appreciation for how much work goes into planning thanksgiving!

Not that Thanksgiving wasnt enough to make the week special, also had the big rugby game on saturday! It was awesome - Scotland vs. Australia - and i cannot even tell you how crazy it was on game day! Walking to the stadium was INSANE, and on the way back people were completely filling the streets (much to the anger of all drivers) and I have never seen so many kilt and rugby jersey wearing men! We got decked out ourselves(scottish flag face paint, and i even wore my scottish flag as a cape lol), even though we had some aussies in our crowd (my flatmate amy who got us the tickets and her friend morgan) so we kept getting dirty looks cast our way at the game when they did the australian cheer hahaa. The game itself was really good, except for the fact that scotland lost! It was weird though, a lot of similarities to american football, yet sooo extremely different. There's only two 40 min halves, for instance, and they never stop the clock - so the game went by super fast! It was definitely fun to watch and I had some british friends who were trying to help me understand what was going on... though i must admit i didnt retain much!

So sorry this was short blog, but wanted to get it in before my italy trip - after which i'll have tons more to tell i'm sure! Well, wish me luck on my travels, tentative itinerary is as follows:
Mon (nov 27) - fly into Milan, stay the night in hostel
Tues - early train to Cinque Terre area, explore, stay the night
Weds - possible more exploring in Cinque Terre, then on to Tuscany, possible stop in Pisa before heading to Florence
Thurs on... - Florence will be our home base, so we're stayin here and makin day trips out into the tuscan countryside - hopefully to Chianti and Sienna for sure, see some vineyards and castles!
We're hoping to meet up wtih some of our girlfriends from northwestern who are studying in padova and bologna, they may meet up with us in florence otherwise we might make a stop in bologna before heading back to milan monday night, flyin back to edinburgh next tuesday! I still can't believe i'm leaving tomorrow, it's very surreal since everything was kind of last minute - and considering if i were doin this trip from the states i would have been planning for weeks! Definitely going to be a different trip than im used to, but i'm excited for some good adventures!

Lots of love, and hope everyone had a great turkey day!!!!

~R

A visit from an old friend and a trip to the Scottish Borders

Well, as can be assumed - i havent become that much of a slacker over here - i finished my 3 essays last week and proceeded to enjoy some much needed downtime! Though not too much... had to start on the 4th and last for Irish lit. But writing now from retrospect I am happy to say that is now out of the way as well and i am officially done with all essays for this semester! YAY

But let's backtrack, cause this last week has been pretty amazing:

Officially bought plane tickets, i'm off to Italy next Monday! I wanted to go somewhere during exam period since i only have one exam this semester (2 english courses don't sit exams till end of the year... yikes) and it's on the last day possible, dec 15th. SO, that leaves me lots of time, and who wants to be studying for one test when they could be traveling?! Plus, I have yet to make it out of Scotland - not regretting that at all, have seen so much of BEAUTIFUL Scotland - but I do want to take advantage of my location and all... So my friend Julie (friend from NU who just happens to be studying here this semester as well) and I were talking and she's never been to Italy, so we compromised on a trip starting in Milan, traveling down the upper west coast seaside villages, and then making our way into tuscany to hit up florence and the countryside. I'm so excited! I can't believe i'm leaving in a week! Definitely the most spur of the moment trip i've ever planned, our goal is to be relaxed and generally play things by ear - no strict schedule, just exploring and having fun, goin with the flow! I'm pumped, can't wait to tell you all how it goes = )

The week flew by, a bit of a blur when i think back on it - lot's of trying to fit in researching the essay and never really getting much done... and before i knew it it was Friday! And for those of you who didn't know, which is probably just about everyone since it was a very last minute thing, one of my BEST friends from childhood - when we lived in Bismarck, ND - Genevieve Cashman came to visit! She's studying in Granada, Spain, this semester and her boyfriend Mark is actually studying in Leicester, England. So she came up to visit him and then the two of them took the train up to Edinburgh for the weekend! I hadn't seen Genny in years, but we pretty much have one of those friendships where we can go all that time and then get together and it's like no time has passed - we just have so many fun memories from when i lived in ND and when i went back to visit (which was a lot), we had a blast talking about old times, it was awesome!! We took them out to tea and then i walked them around Edinburgh for a bit, saw the castle, found mark a kilt at a vintage store, showed them my classy student flat... Then later we went out to dinner and one of my favorite pubs, doctor's. It was a great night, but unfortunately in the morning i had to leave them to go on a trip i had signed up for at the beginning of the semester through Arcadia. It all turned out great though, cause mark wanted to see st andrews (golf fan) so they spent the day there while i headed to the Borders with the American gang.

Scottish Borders
1st Stop - Dryburgh Abbey:
The burial place of Sir Walter Scott (AND Earl Haig, whom i felt deeply sorry for since Scott obviously takes all the limelight - it's like "Earl Haig who? Where's Sir Walter Scott?" poor guy) Anywho, pretty awesome old abbey, now in ruins after batterment during the reformation - but still beatiful and super cool seeing the tomb of Sir Walter Scott. My friend Mary and I enjoyed being dorky english majors together and taking pictures by it...
After the Abbey we were fed tea and scones at the local hotel, i swear i am on scone overload... but wait, there is no such thing as scone overload, just hideously clogged arteries. But really, pints and scones, scotland really does the body good ; )

2nd Stop - Scott's View:
This was more of a small pitstop (aka pulling over on the side of the road) than actual site, just an amazing lookout over the countryside that is called "Scott's View" because scott lived near here and this countryside inspired much of his writing. the three hills in the background are said to cover king arthur's company buried underneath (btw, on a nerdy note, it is definitely awesome seeing all the influences of the legends of the past that are still prevalent in scottish culture while im learning about the actual origins in my celtic lit class!)

3rd Stop - Melrose Abbey:
2nd Abbey of the day, a bit more intact than Dryburgh, but still just ruins. Amazingly beautiful though, and the view from the top of the roof was gorgeous! Also exciting, it is said to be the location of Robert the Bruce's heart, which was supposed to be taken to the Holy Sepulchre after his death, but the knights transporting it were killed on the way by the Moors. According to legend, the Moors were so impressed by the Scottish knights' bravery that they let the survivers take the heart back to Scotland - and Melrose Abbey was were it found its final resting place.

4th Stop - Rosslyn Chapel:
Walking up to the chapel one is rather unimpressed, due to the fact that it is covered in huge scaffolding supporting a roof to cover the chapel (part of a massive restoration project attempting to dry out the crumbling sandstone which has absorbed too much moisture over the centuries). BUT, once within, your jaw drops in complete awe of the ornate beauty inside the chapel. Its architectural structuring is incredibly impressive in itself, not to mention the staggering amount of detailed carvings that cover every inch. It is impossible to comprehend the overpowering effort that must have been put into the creation of this chapel, and my pictures in no way capture the feeling of seeing it with your own eyes in whole. Definitely a sight worth seeing. So much meaning and depth hidden within these walls its staggering. They say the treasure of the knights templar lays underneath... (and just a note, no matter how much you hate DaVinci code, it was good for the chapel's funds for restoration and research - 30,000 people visited last year alone) -- ok so i took a lot of pics of all the details, see my webshots if you're interested, i couldn't choose which to put up amongst them...

That was the last stop, it was dark by the time we left the chapel, and let me tell you - though it was an incredible sight - i was happy to leave in the end cause the place was FREEZING and on that note, it's definitely gotten quite a bit colder in Edinburgh... it starts...

We got back to Edinburgh just in time, Gen and Mark were just gettin back from St. Andrews, and it was almost time for dinner! We went to this Italian place on the Royal Mile which i've always wanted to go to but havent gotten the chance, so, opportunity! Mary came with and we had the most delicious meal, topped off with the famous Godfather desert - some sort of heavenly combination of ice cream, brownies, toffee, chocolate bits, and whipped cream... wow need i say more? oh and we couldn't resist getting a little tiramisu too - i mean we did have 4 people sharing... haha Needless to say, we were so stuffed after (and it had been a 3 hr meal), that we ended up just goin back to my flat and having wine and chatting in the comfy quite of my common area. Then Gen and I couldn't resist a traditional viewing of the movie Labrynth (those of you who know me well know my obsession with David Bowie as the spandex pants wearing goblin king...well how do you think i first discovered this wonder? yes, the amazing Genny Cashman showed me the light) I think we were a bit obnoxious with our quoting and singing along, but Mark is a good boyfriend and put up with us - as he had been the whole weekend, what a patient guy - i definitely gave my stamp of approval haha. But though the power of David Bowie was strong, we were all exhausted so we had to call it a night half way through. Said an all to quickly arriving goodbye - they left Sunday morn to get on a bus and spend the day in Liverpool. It's still a bit surreal for me that i got to see Gen, leave it to us to finally reunite in Europe! It was so great to see her though, what a great weekend!

Oh and Sunday... well i'm sure you can guess what Sunday consisted of... frantic essay writing. Mary and I had a study party at starbucks - she is also a great procrastinator like myself. But you all don't want to hear about that boring rubbish, it is finished and done and turned in. And now i am enjoying my last week of class! This week is gonna fly by, what with thanksgiving and all! We're planning a big feast with our whole flat and other friends have been invited - hopefully we'll have enough food/space! They're also having the big Christmas lighting ceremony in Princes Street Gardens on Thursday - it is the official start of the Christmas season in Edinburgh! They set up a huge ferris wheel by the Scott memorial and make a big ice rink in the gardens! I can't wait to check those out and see all the lights aroudn the city! I think we might go the ceremony and then have dinner after. Should be good times = ) I'll be sure to take lots of pics, like always...

~R

countdown to home for xmas: 28 days!

Scottish extravaganza: a weekend of outdoor frollicking and fun at Firbush Point

Quick summary of last week's happenings:

Halloween turned out to be a fun night. Had a little party at our flat before going out to a club called Frankenstein's (fitting huh?) and later to meet friends at a different club where i fell in love with a "chicken" hat which was later determined to have been a turkey... don't ask. All in all fun halloween, though i must say i missed madison festivities - nothin beats state street on halloween! However, close tie in comparison with the Samhain festival, the celtic pagan celebration (fall version of the more widely known beltane festival) where local embracers of paganism gather to mark the end of the summer season and harvest. There was an awesome parade on the royal mile (just up the road from my flat) that we saw part of. Crazy costumes, these guys reminded me of the monsters in the village!

Then Thursday was my friend Liz's bday. We all are crazy stressed out right now with essays though, so we are postponing the actual party - but we did make a fun dinner. We made homemade macaroni and cheese from liz's rachel ray's cookbook (30 min meals katie ; ) ) and then i even went all out and made an apple crumble! It was delicious if i may say so.

The week pretty much flew by, with me not getting nearly enough work done on my welsh essay (what i had aimed to get done so this week i could focus on my 2 english essays), especially since i was gone all weekend! But it all worked out - i managed to get some work done over the weekend afterall by only being antisocial a couple hrs at the end of each night. The weekend was pretty much AMAZING. We went away to Firbush Point - the university run outdoor centre - which is in the Southern Highlands on Loch Tay. The trip was organized by Arcadia, my study abroad program, which was great cause i got to see a lot of my american friends, like Julie, who i dont see that much during the crazy weeks with school and mountaineering keeping me busy.

Friday night we arrived and just relaxed and were filled in on the logistics of the weekend. Then Saturday morning we headed off for a huge walk up some nearby munroes. We started off on a pretty tame walk - they had to make sure to cater to all levels of hikers - but then at the end we were able to split off and those of us who wanted to got to go up the higher summit, Ben Lawers - which is the 5th highest munro in scotland apparently. It was a great climb up, and when we reached the top it was sooo crazy windy you wouldnt even believe it! Our guide Dennis said it was probably over 40 mph wind conditions. We were practically getting blown over! Well we would have been if not for practically crawling at the top and clutching on to the rocks hahah. It was such a rush though, we were all just screaming (in exhiliration) when we reached the top - it was truly an unforgettable experience = ) After reaching the summit of Ben Lawers we went back down and then up the summit of the lower Ben Glas, which was also extremely windy but not as steep of a walk to easier in that regard. The walk back down was hilarious cause we just kept stopping to mess around in the wind. It was so strong you could literally put all your weight leaning forward or back and the wind would fully support you! Julie joked that the lesson of the day was wind is the cheapest form of entertainment ; )

Saturday night we were all sufficiently knackered from the walk (yes note my british lingo, you know you all love it) and were rewarded with a fun-filled night of scottish heritage. They made us a huge traditional supper - the meat eaters had haggis stuffed chicken breasts, which i was thankfully spared from with a yummy veggie bake, of course paired with tatties and trifle for desert! YUM. Then they had a piper who played for us and a guy who recited some of Burns' poetry. The night was topped off with a great little ceidlidh (scottish dancing) and we even got a kilt demonstration and the traditional scottish sword dance performed for us (robin you'll probably be the only one who knows what that is) for the rest of you, just know it was highly impressive!

Sunday was another early start to jam in as much activity as possible. They gave us a choice of activities, and i decided to go kayaking in the morning and road biking to the local village in the afternoon. Kayaking was great - i think climbing really is building up my arm strength cause my arms were suprisingly unsore considering id never really kayaked before. We had to get all decked out in wetsuits and special waterproofs, note sexy pictures of me and julie haha. Then road biking was equally fun - nice ride through the BEAUTIFUL countryside before reaching the village where we made our way to the remains of Finlarig Castle, an old castle where the parliament used to reside and you can still see the pit where they used to behead people! Sorry, my camera died so i didnt get as many pics as i would have liked = (

Overall, exhausting but completely exhilirating weekend! It was so great, like always, to get outdoors and away from the city for a bit - especially at this time cause the leaves are just changing colors here and you really can smell fall in the air and it's just an amazing time to be out enjoying nature!

One last highlight: Sunday was, obviously, the 5th of November. Which is the infamous Guy Fawkes Day in Britain. There are tons of fireworks and bonfires to celebrate the failure of Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up parliament. On the drive back from Firbush we could see all the fireworks going off in the towns we drove through. I was too tired to go out and see the Edinburgh display after getting back to the flat Sunday night, but i heard stories and have seen pics - apparently some overly avid celebraters managed to set fire to Arthur's Seat!

Now my crazy week has officially begun. Weekend fun is over and it's time to get down to work. I successfully finished my Welsh essay, now am gettin into my feminist fiction essay, and then medieval dream poetry is last in line. Monday night there will be some very enthusiastic celebrating I assure you! (even though i do have my irish essay still, but not due till that next monday - plenty of time to take a well deserved break) For now my breaks consist of this blogging, consuming caffiene, and sleeping (along with the occasional facebook that is always a good source for some healthy procrastination).

Anyways, i'll looking forward to writing my next blog since it will mean the end of essays... until then, rest assured that my lack of communication only signifies my dutiful studies, not lack of dedication to keeping in contact with all of you ; )

~R