Finally figured out how to allow you to see photos!
https://picasaweb.google.com/100003400901805538894/September232011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMCG0f7I1obxlwE&feat=directlink
Cheers!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Lessons Learned
After almost two weeks in this country, here is the knowledge I can impart upon future visitors.
#1 - If you going to visit Edinburgh, NEVER, EVER, EVER take a train out of Haymarket station. Especially if you live very close to Waverley station or want to be anywhere near the actual center of the city. Though things may appear close on the map, it may actually be a good 45 min. to an hour walk from your accommodations and you will miss your train.
#2 - Whilst you are searching for said station, or really any landmark, and are lost, frantic, and profusely sweating due to the 25 quid you are about to waste if you don't catch your train which is leaving in 7 min., DO NOT ask some rando worker driving a service van at 6:53 in the morning for directions. He will "take a piss on you" as the infinitely more credible banker informed me when I had to again ask for directions after the service van guy's directions led me back to where I started. Next step - find and annihilate service van guy.
#3 - When you finally find the train station and approach the ticket office, do not take it personally when the ticket guy takes one look at you, says "oh great, this is going to be a story," and shrugs off your disastrous morning without giving you the free ticket on the next train you know you deserve. They handle frantic, poor tourists all the time who have missed their train for any number of reasons. This was the pep talk I had to give myself as I tried to calm down with music and coffee on the train ride I had purchased yet again down to Newcastle.
#4 - Absolutely do not leave Edinburgh without climbing Arthur's Seat. It's the extinct volcano looming above the city that will offer amazing views and an exhilarating walk. Do not, however, go without an umbrella or raincoat - you will get rained on anywhere from four to seven times. It's Edinburgh. Also, do not go with a rock climbing enthusiast who prefers to take the "hard" way, where you literally climb on your hands and knees up the rocks, if you intend to take a pleasant Sunday stroll. The "easy" way is to follow Holyrood road around the base to the eastern side and walk up the grassy slope. My friend Dan and I went around to approach the summit from the western side - enough said.
#5 - Do not stay down on Holyrood near the Scottish Parliament building (ugliest building known to man that went 10x over budget) or the Queen's Palace. You risk being assaulted by a drunk/high/insane person who will talk at you in an indecipherable Scottish accent, attempt to kick your friend in the groin and block your entrance into your building, all the while managing to not drop a noodle of the pasta dinner he is devouring. The police will have to take statements, disrupting your night by at least 30 min., and they will never find out who the person was unless by some stroke of luck you happen to be right in front of a CCTV camera. American lawyers, get ready for this one. They have cameras all over the city that they can just play back in court and convict someone because of the facial identification technology. Evidence what?
#6 - Do not be surprised if you are totally restricted from entering a building (in this case, the law library) for the ENTIRE WEEKEND as a security measure for the Princess' swearing-in ceremony as the new Chancellor of the University on Monday. Princess Beatrice (Fergie's daughter - remember those hideous hats she and her sister were sporting at the royal wedding?!) is our new Chancellor apparently. What connection she has to Edinburgh I have no idea, but nevertheless, there are tents all over the law school and I have to get my readings for next Tuesday by 5:00 today, otherwise I will be out of luck.
#7 - Make sure to revel in all of the glorious contrasts between your "normal" and life in Edinburgh/the UK at large. You just may end up drinking four cups of tea per day, saying cheers to everyone instead of thanks, watching cricket (weirdest sport I've ever encountered - aside from curling), and taking class in a room that appears as though it has not been renovated since the 1950s and requires entering from only one specific door, climbing two flights of stairs, going outside on a balcony to another entrance and climbing another set of stairs to get to it (who says law schools have to have modern facilities and easily accessible, large classrooms?).
More to come, thanks for reading friend! Hope all is well with you!
Cheers, Beth
#1 - If you going to visit Edinburgh, NEVER, EVER, EVER take a train out of Haymarket station. Especially if you live very close to Waverley station or want to be anywhere near the actual center of the city. Though things may appear close on the map, it may actually be a good 45 min. to an hour walk from your accommodations and you will miss your train.
#2 - Whilst you are searching for said station, or really any landmark, and are lost, frantic, and profusely sweating due to the 25 quid you are about to waste if you don't catch your train which is leaving in 7 min., DO NOT ask some rando worker driving a service van at 6:53 in the morning for directions. He will "take a piss on you" as the infinitely more credible banker informed me when I had to again ask for directions after the service van guy's directions led me back to where I started. Next step - find and annihilate service van guy.
#3 - When you finally find the train station and approach the ticket office, do not take it personally when the ticket guy takes one look at you, says "oh great, this is going to be a story," and shrugs off your disastrous morning without giving you the free ticket on the next train you know you deserve. They handle frantic, poor tourists all the time who have missed their train for any number of reasons. This was the pep talk I had to give myself as I tried to calm down with music and coffee on the train ride I had purchased yet again down to Newcastle.
#4 - Absolutely do not leave Edinburgh without climbing Arthur's Seat. It's the extinct volcano looming above the city that will offer amazing views and an exhilarating walk. Do not, however, go without an umbrella or raincoat - you will get rained on anywhere from four to seven times. It's Edinburgh. Also, do not go with a rock climbing enthusiast who prefers to take the "hard" way, where you literally climb on your hands and knees up the rocks, if you intend to take a pleasant Sunday stroll. The "easy" way is to follow Holyrood road around the base to the eastern side and walk up the grassy slope. My friend Dan and I went around to approach the summit from the western side - enough said.
#5 - Do not stay down on Holyrood near the Scottish Parliament building (ugliest building known to man that went 10x over budget) or the Queen's Palace. You risk being assaulted by a drunk/high/insane person who will talk at you in an indecipherable Scottish accent, attempt to kick your friend in the groin and block your entrance into your building, all the while managing to not drop a noodle of the pasta dinner he is devouring. The police will have to take statements, disrupting your night by at least 30 min., and they will never find out who the person was unless by some stroke of luck you happen to be right in front of a CCTV camera. American lawyers, get ready for this one. They have cameras all over the city that they can just play back in court and convict someone because of the facial identification technology. Evidence what?
#6 - Do not be surprised if you are totally restricted from entering a building (in this case, the law library) for the ENTIRE WEEKEND as a security measure for the Princess' swearing-in ceremony as the new Chancellor of the University on Monday. Princess Beatrice (Fergie's daughter - remember those hideous hats she and her sister were sporting at the royal wedding?!) is our new Chancellor apparently. What connection she has to Edinburgh I have no idea, but nevertheless, there are tents all over the law school and I have to get my readings for next Tuesday by 5:00 today, otherwise I will be out of luck.
#7 - Make sure to revel in all of the glorious contrasts between your "normal" and life in Edinburgh/the UK at large. You just may end up drinking four cups of tea per day, saying cheers to everyone instead of thanks, watching cricket (weirdest sport I've ever encountered - aside from curling), and taking class in a room that appears as though it has not been renovated since the 1950s and requires entering from only one specific door, climbing two flights of stairs, going outside on a balcony to another entrance and climbing another set of stairs to get to it (who says law schools have to have modern facilities and easily accessible, large classrooms?).
More to come, thanks for reading friend! Hope all is well with you!
Cheers, Beth
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
First Encounters
Hello Friends!
Or perhaps I should say "Hi'ya!" This is the way almost every Scottish person has greeted me since I arrived in Edinburgh, to which I of course awkwardly do a "uh, hi" and ask some question that leaves them staring at me blankly like I'm from outer space. For example, my new Indian roommate and I were searching for the postgraduate office building and the map was fairly unhelpful. So we tried the door of the building where it appeared to be located - locked. So we proceeded to the next door which had a placard stating it is the Career Office, but we figured we would just ask someone in there for directions. First, the entryway was dilapidated and, judging by the state of the walls, it was either in the process of being renovated or had just been cleared of an infestation of rabid raccoons. So we said a tentative hello, nobody answered, but in peering into the first room, there sat three very unpleasant-looking men who most certainly could not have helped anyone with their career. I asked politely where the postgraduate office was, one sneered, "I think it's in the library...that 12 story tall building just down the way." Okay, aside from the not-so-subtle dig at us for not being able to find this apparently looming tower that nobody with half a brain can miss, his advice was total crap since that wasn't even the right building. Fail. I'm going to blame that unfortunate interaction on the Scottish propensity for drinking any night of the week. They all looked really hungover, particularly the one guy who did not even lift his head off the table when I asked my question. Add in the fact that there is even more incentive for them to drink mid-week right now with the international rugby cup going on (don't worry if you didn't realize this monumental event was happening - I had no clue until I arrived here and every sidewalk blackboard outside a pub is advertising their showing of the next rugby match) and therein lies the most logical explanation.
Everyone else has been really nice. Tonight the same roommate and I went to a free dinner for international students, and I tried my first haggis (lamb liver in the form of like a pate mixed with a grain of some sort). It sounds so disgusting, but I LOVED IT! I don't know what that says about my tastebuds, seeing as I don't like normal stuff like onions, but I thought it has a good flavor and not a gross texture. Little did I know this meal was to be followed by a ceilidh (those traditional Scottish/Irish partner dances they do at weddings - pronounced "kaylee"), so thankfully the haggis portion was small. Talk about a workout! Not to mention I felt like I was going to catch an elbow in the teeth at any second since there were a thousand people stuffed into a small space swinging and twirling. My dance partner from Northern Ireland was not very adept at his role, so we just sort of stomped back and forth with his hands on my shoulders as the overly anxious undergrad in a kilt was shouting into the microphone to do. Then, he would twirl me on the shouting man's command...let's just say the song seemed interminable and they made us do it twice. I got so dizzy I was certain I was going to get disoriented and think backward was forward, thereby crushing the pocket person of a girl behind me. However, it was really fun in the end. Especially when we got to do the one where you prance around in a circle with 6 people, and then do the skip toward each other, stomp stomp. Yeah, I was sweating profusely...of course.
Flight went well. Apparently, other countries don't trust each other's security checks. I had to go through security with my carry-on in Iceland, then again in Manchester after I had already been checked in Minneapolis. Upon landing at Edinburgh, an ill-fated stop in the bathroom on my way to customs led to me being ABSOLUTE LAST IN LINE behind one thousand asian students who had landed at the same time I did and over an hour wait in the "queue." So, thirteen and a half hours after leaving the States, I met my friend in the arrivals gate and had a lovely short evening chatting with her and her husband before I crashed for twelve hours straight! My jet lag is pretty much over, although I couldn't tell whether that's what prompted my nap today or the gale force winds that almost knocked me off my feet all day as I was walking around campus. High winds projected for tomorrow and then back to normal (rain and chilliness with brief glimpses of blue sky) apparently.
Will write again soon! Cheers everyone, Dooley :)
Or perhaps I should say "Hi'ya!" This is the way almost every Scottish person has greeted me since I arrived in Edinburgh, to which I of course awkwardly do a "uh, hi" and ask some question that leaves them staring at me blankly like I'm from outer space. For example, my new Indian roommate and I were searching for the postgraduate office building and the map was fairly unhelpful. So we tried the door of the building where it appeared to be located - locked. So we proceeded to the next door which had a placard stating it is the Career Office, but we figured we would just ask someone in there for directions. First, the entryway was dilapidated and, judging by the state of the walls, it was either in the process of being renovated or had just been cleared of an infestation of rabid raccoons. So we said a tentative hello, nobody answered, but in peering into the first room, there sat three very unpleasant-looking men who most certainly could not have helped anyone with their career. I asked politely where the postgraduate office was, one sneered, "I think it's in the library...that 12 story tall building just down the way." Okay, aside from the not-so-subtle dig at us for not being able to find this apparently looming tower that nobody with half a brain can miss, his advice was total crap since that wasn't even the right building. Fail. I'm going to blame that unfortunate interaction on the Scottish propensity for drinking any night of the week. They all looked really hungover, particularly the one guy who did not even lift his head off the table when I asked my question. Add in the fact that there is even more incentive for them to drink mid-week right now with the international rugby cup going on (don't worry if you didn't realize this monumental event was happening - I had no clue until I arrived here and every sidewalk blackboard outside a pub is advertising their showing of the next rugby match) and therein lies the most logical explanation.
Everyone else has been really nice. Tonight the same roommate and I went to a free dinner for international students, and I tried my first haggis (lamb liver in the form of like a pate mixed with a grain of some sort). It sounds so disgusting, but I LOVED IT! I don't know what that says about my tastebuds, seeing as I don't like normal stuff like onions, but I thought it has a good flavor and not a gross texture. Little did I know this meal was to be followed by a ceilidh (those traditional Scottish/Irish partner dances they do at weddings - pronounced "kaylee"), so thankfully the haggis portion was small. Talk about a workout! Not to mention I felt like I was going to catch an elbow in the teeth at any second since there were a thousand people stuffed into a small space swinging and twirling. My dance partner from Northern Ireland was not very adept at his role, so we just sort of stomped back and forth with his hands on my shoulders as the overly anxious undergrad in a kilt was shouting into the microphone to do. Then, he would twirl me on the shouting man's command...let's just say the song seemed interminable and they made us do it twice. I got so dizzy I was certain I was going to get disoriented and think backward was forward, thereby crushing the pocket person of a girl behind me. However, it was really fun in the end. Especially when we got to do the one where you prance around in a circle with 6 people, and then do the skip toward each other, stomp stomp. Yeah, I was sweating profusely...of course.
Flight went well. Apparently, other countries don't trust each other's security checks. I had to go through security with my carry-on in Iceland, then again in Manchester after I had already been checked in Minneapolis. Upon landing at Edinburgh, an ill-fated stop in the bathroom on my way to customs led to me being ABSOLUTE LAST IN LINE behind one thousand asian students who had landed at the same time I did and over an hour wait in the "queue." So, thirteen and a half hours after leaving the States, I met my friend in the arrivals gate and had a lovely short evening chatting with her and her husband before I crashed for twelve hours straight! My jet lag is pretty much over, although I couldn't tell whether that's what prompted my nap today or the gale force winds that almost knocked me off my feet all day as I was walking around campus. High winds projected for tomorrow and then back to normal (rain and chilliness with brief glimpses of blue sky) apparently.
Will write again soon! Cheers everyone, Dooley :)
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