Sight Seeing

31/8/2010

St Giles Cathedral is a huge, old, gothic cathedral. Walking into the cathedral you feel like you are a puny human being! The stained glass windows on all sides are gorgeous. The intricate designs are breathtaking. We took many pictures and said a few prayers while sitting in the pews looking up at the ridiculously detailed stained glass.

Randomness…The same five stories have been playing on the news for the past four days...really UK you can’t find new stories? Also, Barack Obama is said Barrack OBaeme which is glorious to my ears I smile every time I hear it. I have also already lost a few inches from walking around so much. Glad I brought a belt.

Edinburgh Castle – Museum after museum of details about history leading back some 500 years. Memorials of the dead, prisoners of war museums, the Honorable Jewels of Scotland, and the Royal Scots & Dragoon Museums. All of this takes more than 4 hours of walking around and afterward we walked down the Royal Mile to grab a cup of tea. Needless to say Miley Cyrus playing on the speakers put me off going to that spot ever again, even though their cappuccino was delicious. I can have a scone and tea anywhere.

I know need to put my stuff in somewhat of an order so I can move all of my stuff over to my flat tomorrow morning and only make two trips. Good thing there is a lift in the building. I just thought of something. There are so many different tourists and languages in the city right now that I hope E² are able to be ridiculous and speak gibberish on command because I feel like it might be a necessity at least twice on the bus going to school…Well I’m in need of some sleep before I meet my flat mates tomorrow. I’M SO EXCITED!

            You stay classy…I know I willJ

My First Look at Edinburgh

30/8/2010

            The Full Scottish Breakfast with haggis, potato scone, grilled tomato, baked beans, scrambled eggs, pork link sausage, and mushrooms. Needless to say the mushrooms and the baked beans were left untouched but I did try everything! Haggis is surprisingly tasty. However, the bed I am sleeping on is slanted and does not give me a good night’s sleep therefore I must drink lots and lots of tea to wake up.

            There are seven levels to the National Museum of Scotland. It takes you from the beginning to the current day, with a roof top terrace where you can view the entire city. All the artifacts and display items are old, some come from as far back as thousands of years before a.d.! Going through most of the museum took us around four hours…not counting the things we missed along the way. We started walking faster around the three hour mark because of the fact that it was taking forever to get through the museum! One interesting fact of the city is that it was built on seven hills, more like mountains!

            After the museum and a spot of tea, Karen came over to the hotel and we followed her in the rental car back to the airport. Mom was so excited to get rid of the car that she got in the wrong side. She deftly maneuvered around cars, buses, roundabouts, and taxis to stay in close contact with Karen’s car. This way she wouldn’t lose her and so we didn’t get lost! After dropping off the car Karen took us to see the places where I would be studying and staying. We saw the University of Napier Campus and my flat (which by the way is ridiculously nice and only on the second floor of the building which is convenient! The bus stop is only a block away and we can see the castle from the door steps.

            We were dropped off at a flower clock garden where this clock is made up of 70,000 plants and it keeps proper time. It was really neat! Another site we saw was a monument to some cool translator of books. We walked up 289 steps to the top of the tower where the spiral staircase only allowed for one person and the steps were narrow as well. Scary? I think so. Dinner of Steak & Ale Pie and dessert over at the Elephant House where JK Rolling wrote the first two books of HP! Delicious food.

            Exploring this city is going to be a full time job. Along with my classes and internship I think I will be kept busy!

            You stay classy…

Reoccurring theme...getting lost!

Driving to New Lanark feels like driving everywhere else in Scotland. Besides for the stress of driving on the wrong side of the road it was pleasant…except for the narrow roads, multiple roundabouts, and a really large speed bump. Parking at the top of a hill we had to walk all the way down to get to the village. Where we toured a mill, saw spinning wool/thread and had a sudden urge to knit while touring. We then had the bright idea to go see some of the falls…Corra Linn to be exact. Which took 30 minutes to walk up another hill…it was actually a mountain. WE turned around to find a good picture and found that we were somewhere close to the same altitude as our car but on the other side of the village. We then remembered we had to walk back down this mountain and up that one to get to the car. This made us slightly exhausted just thinking about it so we found a bench and rested for a while.

After a few hours of exploring New Lanark we headed toward the massive city of Edinburgh. Driving through hills and the moorland was spectacular. Sheep everywhere, I wish Libby could see all the sheep! Ridiculous roads, curves, tight spaces, fast cars, and 50 mpg were just a few of the things we discovered while driving. Getting lost in the city driving is not something we like doing. But we are getting good at it. Good thing I have my computer! Once we finally made it to the hotel after an hour or so of driving around lost in Edinburgh we took a sigh of relief. Relaxation and a dinner were on the menu. Walking is now the main form of transportation which is not all bad…except we always seem like we are walking uphill, never down!

After dinner we met my EPA coordinator Karen. Who solved multiple mysteries like where are we staying, what internship am I doing, what classes are we taking, when are we meeting everyone, how are we getting around, and when am I needed where. Karen was awesome and while solving the mysteries she put my mother at ease. I think I may actually be allowed to stay here when she leaves on Thursday morning! Afterward I researched my courses, my internship and skyp’d with my favorite person!

Also, there is a castle in the middle of Edinburgh, like on top of a mountain. If you look through the streets and up past the houses you can practically see it everywhere you go, which is ridiculous. I need more sleep.

You stay classy…

Glasgow to Lanark

What time is it? Alarm and wake up call didn’t happen. We woke up to buses at nine. Good thing for those buses.

Caution: Oncoming Cars in middle of road.

Twenty’s Plenty is a road sign for the speed limit.

Said a quick prayer once we got in the car and off to Lanark from Glasgow. Took the wrong rode in the first 3 minutes and knew that this drive was going to be awesome. Good thing Google let us look at the map even if we were offline. Because the way Google took us to the hotel…well lets just say “just off the road on the right” means turn right on the road where A72 dead ends into and follow this until you see the sign. We eventually found the hotel after quite a few driving mishaps and one driving adventure into the Scottish Hills.

The Clyde Tourist Information Station was not an actual building so much as a map on the side of the road. The trail next to the map turned out to be a cow pasture so we decided to get back in the car and drive away. Once we went through Lanark twice without seeing the hotel we got off the road and devised a plan of attack. We say a sign for a lookout point and turned toward it. Eventually we found ourselves on a one way road that was a little scary. There was no way to tell if a car was coming the other way over the hill and we finally reached the top of the hill to the “lookout point” we couldn’t even stop because the gate was locked. Going back down the hill was scary too. Favorite quote of the day so far was said by mother “The old people behind me need to stop being so close to me. Go find a cow to talk to!”

When we got to the hotel we decided to walk to the Loch across the town. Had we known how much walking that was we would have risked it with the car. Two mile down on the left is a Loch (lake) and we got to see it. After a really long walk we stopped at the Lanark Aviation Museum (half way) and then kept walking to the loch. Beautiful views. Long walk. Tired and exhausted from the day’s events. Sleep calls to me! We are headed to Edinburgh tomorrow!

You stay classy… 

Second Day in Glasgow

27/8/2010

Friday Observations

       Waking up when it’s supposed to be 3:30 in the morning is not pleasant, even if you have been sleeping for 12 hours. The continental breakfast was delicious though and the tea was really good. There was bacon but not in strips like ‘regular’ bacon it was cut up like ham is, in big blocks. One successful thing we did today was find a convertor so I can charge my computer! One nice thing that I forgot at home because LA would have yelled at me if I brought it along would be a vest. I know it’s not technically a coat but it would have been nice instead of wearing a big heavy winter coat :p

     We toured the city on a tour bus again today and we stayed awake! We walked around a lot, down Sauchiehall street where there is a lot of random shops and pubs. We walked around St. George Square for a while and saw the old buildings! Mother and I also walked around St. Enoch Shopping Centre. There were two stories of stores! A quick stop for tea and we were on our way back to roaming the streets. We are now ready for some dinner! We shall keep you updated on our travels. Tomorrow we are headed to Lanark to roam around.  

First Day in Scotland!

26/8/2010

Second leg of the trip.

            Multiple things should and could be wrong here but no one seems to think there is anything wrong with where we are. WE transferred flights and are now sitting on the underneath of Amsterdam airport…we came from a flight but we still had to go through security again. Where they took the things we bought in Detroit away from us…such as food and beverages. We are also waiting for a bus to take us to a terminal where our plane is. At least I’m pretty sure we are going to a terminal…we might just be taken straight to the plane. Which in my book is weird.

            The guy behind me on the first plane deliberately bumped my seat because obvi if I sit back in my seat he should be annoyed by that and bump my seat. GRRR lol. Also, I have a song stuck in my head. And I can’t reach the internet to listen to it to get it out. Good thing I have listened to it like 50 times in the past 3 days so that I know all of the words.

            “Whelst obviously we have a rapist in LINCOLN PARK and he’s trying to snatch errebody up so you should hide your kids, hide your wife….” Garsh

Boarding now. Gotta go.

One last thing. Family of silly bandz : picture this, mom and two kids sprawled out on three seats. Mom got really comfy. I know because at one point her legs were on top of one of the kids faces. I’m not a mom or anything but I do know one thing…you should not lay on top of your kids. You could smother them….right?

(Settled in hotel ready for bed)

       I wrote down some thoughts throughout the day and I will now elaborate on them here.

Foreign Language OVERBOARD on the flight.

The highlight of my plane ride from Amsterdam to Glasgow was the sniffling lady sitting next to me. Which by the way is not acceptable, find a tissue! I sat next to that for an hour, it was awesome. Needless to say my “Where’s Waldo” book helped me stay somewhat sane. Thank you KC for going to Border’s with me and helping me make the decision to buy it!

    Customs was nice. I forgot my Acceptance letter from Edinburgh, but he still let me through!

Finding our car was another story all together. We thought we had to get a shuttle to the car rental place. Who knew that it was across the way? We did not. But twenty minutes later we did! We finally got our car and the key looked strange. We had to have someone show us how to start the car. The directions to the hotel were spot on. I think. Somehow we got half way across the city center and saw a sign for the street we needed. We followed that and finally found it. Mom wasn’t even honked at once whilst driving!

When we got to the hotel…after a couple frustrated minutes of misplaced reservations we got our room and could sit down. The lift says “mind the doors” so mother said “the lift is not my mother I don’t have to mind it” and walks out of the lift. Good one.

    Glasgow is a big, noisy, old city. I wish there was a Walmart. I know where things are in Walmart, for the most part, and in Glasgow I have no clue. I am a lost foreigner.

After putting our things in the room we decided we were going to tour the city on a bus. It was very interesting and we didn’t even get lost because we never left the bus. We have points that we want to visit tomorrow and there are a lot of good picture opportunities. There were a lot of interesting people that we say, but we just couldn’t seem to keep our eyes open!

     We went to a pub for dinner on the way home. Mom was hit on while placing our order by a drunk guy. The bartender kept yelling something but I couldn’t understand what she was saying. The table next to us was loud. There were 2 girls around 20-25 and then someone they knew…an old dude like 50 or 60 was with them. He was buying them booze and taking shots with them. I’m concerned with where this country is taking them! Be better.

      A couple things I learned today. I learned how to speak Scottish today. 1) take a breath 2) start talking 3)when you are done talking it is time for another breath 4) rinse and repeat. What you need to do to blend in is keep your head down, hold hands with someone, and lollygag. Also, speed up your brain so that you can catch all the words people say. Another lesson was: If at first you don’t succeed try, try again…if that doesn’t work call the front desk. 1) shower 2) hose/hairdryer 3)money.

You stay classy.

Plane Ride 25/8/10

Traveling in Scotland.

25/8/2010

  I am on a plane right now. There are many people to watch I can’t decide who to watch first. Maybe I will just close my eyes for a little bit. I am excited about what Scotland has in store for me. Even though the Scots don’t speak another language I’m sure I will have a difficult time with their accent for a couple weeks. KC has told me that I must return with an accent. In an attempt to blend in with the locals I might just pick up a few words that will disguise me as a Scot instead of a Yank. I know it won’t be difficult to pick up an accent because just a few days down south and I have a slight accent for a couple weeks. We shall see what this will do to me. The last person I talked to on the phone in America until December 20 was TF.

  I just wrote an email to KB, and once I find internet access of any kind I will post this and send her the wonderful 23 pt email. Apparently internet is scarce over in the UK…it better not be that scarce I need Skype access at least 3 times a week. The little kids on the other side of the aisle are climbing over their parents and running around the plane like hooligans. They remind me of my PIC because one of them have silly bandz out the wazzo and he probably has at least 2 packs of 24 on each arm. It is currently 03:21(am) where I am going. I should sleep so that sightseeing tomorrow won’t be crazy. Hopefully tonight will not be my first all nighter of the semester because I haven’t even started classes yet!

  I think music will be one of my many friends on this study abroad trip. Especially music that reminds me of home for example: TF’s and KJF’s CD or Gaston’s lovely music selection of Coldplay and Cage the Elephant. Although I don’t approve how not many songs he has of Cake. I think he needs a couple, or Hollywood Undead. Hopefully my flat mates will be awesome and I will not miss America as much as I anticipate.

  Randomness: 1) why are airplane bathrooms soooo small. 2) why can’t people aim! 3) should kids under 5 really be given a seat in front of them? 4) why can’t I have my window open? Does the airline not want me to know we are lost in the darkness? Cuz I really can’t see anything I just like seeing the moon. 5) *Everywhere I go…* 6) Why are silly bandz all that right now? 7) the man in the bathroom has literally been in there since I started this paragraph…which means 2.5 songs. Which is a LONG time. 8) I hope someone reads my blog.

            Points to see when abroad: 1. Loch Ness Monster 2. London 3. Oktoberfest 4. Paris? 5….Any suggestions?

I’m Katy. You stay classy…

Days Away

I am days away from the biggest change in my life. I need to start packing and researching about Scotland. I have said "Goodbye" to Albion for the semester. I know I have forgotten to say bye to most of the people that are important to me but it was difficult to find everyone. I would love to hug everyone last one of you but I know that it would take forever and I would never make my flight! I apologize if I didn't see you when I was in Albion this past weekend but I know that I will see you again next semester. Hopefully, I will get to hear awesome crazy stories of adventures in Albion throughout the semester. I know I will keep you well informed of my adventures in Edinburgh and abroad! I leave Wednesday night and start my adventure Thursday morning. I hope to post a new entry every two or three days. I know nothing right now about either my internship or my classes or anything of general importance. I will figure this all out during my two weeks of orientation! I cannot wait to be in the UK! See you there!

Herro!

I'm heading to Scotland! I will be staying in Edinburgh, Scotland and doing both an internship at a local business and taking two classes at the local university. I am anxious to leave yet ridiculously scared to see what Scotland has in store for me. When in Scotland I hope to get a better understanding of International Business and to envelop myself into their culture. I leave the States August 25 and I will be traveling with my mother for the first week sightseeing across the UK. I will try to write down all of my adventures in Scotland but I feel some will be overlooked because I will be out doing things and exploring the city all the time. I'm excited to meet my flat mates and see where I will be living for three months. I need to start packing! I spent the summer in Albion for summer school and working, yesterday I moved home so that I can start packing because next Wednesday I leave! My return date is December 22. When I know my flat address I will post it here so maybe you will send me letters! I'll be gone for just a semester, I'll be back before you know it. I can't wait to tell you all about my experiences in Scotland.