Home again

Farewell, bonny Scotland! You treated me well. I'm home again in one piece, without whiskey or hair products (thank you, airport security), and excited to see my friends again!

Before I left I tried to do all the things I had wanted within two days. This included a trip to St. Andrew's, home of golf and the school where Prince William attended. Though we'd been having perfect weather for much of the trip, the last couple of days turned chilly and rainy, and the trip wasn't as good as it could have been. My friend Rachel and I had planned on taking a train, but when we arrived at the station discovered it had been canceled due to flooding. Luckily we found a bus that went there.

We'd heard it was a precious town, and you could tell it was, though the charm was slightly marred by the poor weather. We spent our first hour in a cafe sharing a pitcher of "Ocean Breeze" and choking on over-cheezy macaroni and cheese. After that we spent a little bit exploring the town. It looked like they were setting up for a street carnival, and I wished we could go. We found a museum in a little castle, which was...boring. Sorry, it just was. I think the most exciting thing I did was use the restroom. After that we explored a bit more, found the ruins of a castle by the sea, then almost got blown away by the fierce wind as we tried to get close to it. My umbrella got caught in a gust and ended up dragging me into the middle of the street, but luckily no cars were coming. Rachel ended up regretting wearing a skirt that day.

My final day in Scotland I went on a class trip back to Edinburgh to visit the Scottish Parliament, which is in the strangest, most modern-art building I've ever seen. It's nuts. The politicians also have little "thinking pods" in their offices, which are like little enclosed patios where they can go be alone.

Lucky for us, the Edinburgh festival was going on at this time, and after we got out of Parliament we spent the rest of the day exploring the famous Fringe festival, where artists, musicians, and actors all go wild and put on free shows. It was like a cooler, modern Renaissance festival. I saw a lot of midgets that day. Dancing, wearing sparkly red suits, being paraded upside-down through the streets by people in masks....very strange. They were totally into it though. There were also a lot of living statues and people with wild piercings.

Doune Castle, Amsterdam, and the Highland Games

Sorry I've been neglecting the blog. I've done a lot of crazy stuff in a very short time period and have been a little intimidated to begin writing everything. There's just so much! I also just finished my last submission for my witchcraft class. Now all I have left is a field trip to the Scottish Parliament for my International Relations course, then I'm done done done. By the way, just got back my first paper from that class. I got a 1C, which roughly translates to an A in the States. I was pretty stoked, especially when I found out this genius guy in my flat who wrote publishable material for one of his papers got the same score. Apparently Scottish teachers are really hard graders, too. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Now going back in time, I'll begin with telling y'all of my trip to Doune Castle. If you know your Monty Python, you'll recognize this as the place the obnoxious french scene in Quest for the Holy Grail was filmed. I sat in the place where "I fart in your general direction!" was said. You can't get much classier than that, folks.

But seriously, the castle was beautiful. It is probably one of the best preserved medieval castles in the United Kingdom, and even some of the old furniture and chandaliers are there. I went with my Canadian friend Kelly and though we were there for hours we didn't even get to explore the whole place. What looks like one room has tucked away passages leading to three more, and the spiral staircase is creepy as hell. I've climbed so many old spiral staircases on this trip. The one in Wallace Monument is a real monster. You get done climbing it and still want to walk in a circle.

After Doune came the Amsterdam trip. I've told some of you about it already, but for those who haven't heard I will write all the details here:

I'll begin with the end. The return trip from Amsterdam was probably the most stressful trip I've ever made. I was there with my friend Rachel, and we had to catch a plane to Scotland at 8:40 that morning. For some reason we thought it was logical to wake up at 6:30 am. Needless to say we were rushed. At the train station we both got really confused by the front desk people and almost took a train to Paris instead of the airport. By the time we finally got there our plane was already boarding. Luckily the airport staff let us cut the lines or we'd never have made it.

My experiences while in Amsterdam were a lot better than those getting out of it. I felt like I was in a parallel universe much of the time. I mean, you can walk into a coffeeshop and order off a menu of weed. Then you can sit there surrounded by perfectly respectable people and smoke it, while cops ride by on their bikes completely unconcerned. It was also bizarre to visit a country where my family comes from. I'd see little bits of myself in passing strangers. I saw my facial features, hair, and body type so many times it was mindblowing.

The modes of transportation are also interesting. The roads themselves are there mostly for bicyclists. Occasionally a car or motercycle comes through, but during rush hour they're packed with people on bikes. I've never seen a bike traffic jam until now.

The people were all really kind to me while I was there. I'd heard folk in the Netherlands weren't too keen on Americans, and were kind of stand-offish. Maybe they're like that it other parts of the country, but I didn't experience anything bad at all. In fact, my credit card wasn't working because I didn't tell my bank I was going to the Netherlands, but if I had a hard time finding money to pay for something people would just give me stuff for free. A manager at a little grocery gave me some pastries and when I went to pay him back after I'd gotten my card to work he said I didn't need to. He was just happy I'd made the effort to reinburse him.

I ended up spending most of that trip just walking around the city and shopping. Yes, I did end up walking past the red light district a couple times. That city was completely surreal. Real, working prostitutes! I couldn't believe it. You're just walking down an ordinary street like any other, when you start passing buildings with red lights in the windows. In each open window there's a girl standing there looking out. They don't dance or anything. They just stand or sit, giving passing guys smoldering looks. I think one of the strangest experiences of my life was when I made eye contact with them. You can tell they have a lot of pride, and their eyes glitter at you as if they're daring you to judge them. They can also be really sweet, though. One girl gave me a friendly little smile as I passed. They're just cute, ordinary girls in a really bizarre line of work. I wanted to get pictures of them but was warned beforehand it would offend them. Therefore I only took a couple from a distance and without my flash on. This means they are pretty shitty, but I'll put them up anyway.

The Sunday after I returned to Scotland I ended up walking to the Highland Games in Bridge of Allan. They were held in the back field of a dairy farm. (So I accidentally just typed fairy instead of dairy and cracked myself up...) That was another neat experience. It was muddy and I wasn't dressed for that, but I had a great time playing with people's dogs and getting hugged by old men in kilts. I've never seen so many kilts before in one place. Here in Scotland it's not unusal to be walking to the grocery store and see a kilt or two on your way. Here there were hundreds of all different clans. Tons of bagpipes, too. It was a really great experience; I'm glad I was able to take part and get some decent photos out of it, too.





This one's for you, Andrew!

top left, flying kilts!

Windy peaks, fairy trees, and burning witches

So much has happened since my last post! I climbed a mountain, got lost in a neverending field of sheep, ended up eating wild raspberries to survive...lol. Today I made a wish in a fairy grove up on Doon hill, sat in an insanely old cemetary, and paid my respects at Maggie Wall's monument. Let me tell you the details.

Dumyat is a small mountain I've been aching to climb since I arrived. You can see it from campus, and every day I'd look at it and think, "I'm going to learn you." Well, I did. But it learned me a little, too. My legs were already sore from my second (and yes, more successful) trek to Wallace Monument. To get to Dumyat you must first travel through woods filled with tumbled down ancient walls covered in moss, then pass by an old graveyard with two walls remaining of the original church (bell tower intact). After that you begin to climb, going at first through more woods, then changing directions and ending up in sheep country. This area is grassy and hilly, also spotted with the occasional ruin, and sometimes covered in different species of wildflower. You continue to ascend through terrain like this until you reach the top, breathless and windswept.

On the way down we took a different, or wrong path, depending on how you look at it. We ended up wandering for at least an hour among the sheep and then descended into a wooded area where we discovered a nice big patch of raspberries. Though it took the edge off my hunger, I was still ready to get out of there and eat some real food. Eventually we found our way back to the main road and returned to campus. It was a nice trek, all things considered. I had fun dashing about on the peak of Dumyat, occasionally letting the wind hold me up as I leaned over the edge (I'm sure you'll love that, mom).

Today I had an assignment for my witchcraft class that requied a visit to this tiny town called Aberfoyle that has a wild history of fairy lore. In the 1600s, the town minister Rev. Robert Kirk wrote a book recording his experiences with fairy folk. Just so you know, fairies back then weren't anything like we view them today. They were human sized, and quite threatening. Villagers believed they stole human babies in the night, replacing them with changeling children who were difficult or sickly. Every day the minister would walk to Doon hill, where the fairies were rumored to live deep beneath. Shortly after his death, his body was stolen from the grave, and townsfolk were convinced the fairies had taken it as revenge and hidden him beneath the hill.

I visited his gravestone, where his body does not reside. I also spent about an hour up on Doon hill, and noticed something very interesting. The hill is in fact hollow. If you stomp your foot on it you can clearly hear the difference. There is something down there. Probably an extensive cave network, but I didn't hear anyone mention any existing there. Very curious.

Up at the top of the hill is the Fairy Tree, where people have been hanging tokens and offerings for ages. It's custom to write out a wish or blessing on a ribbon or scrap of cloth and tie it to the tree. I read some pretty cute wishes there.

My final activity of note was visiting the rumored execution site of alledged witch, Maggie Wall. I'm not really sure what to think of this. You sit on a bus for an hour and end up in (surprise!) a field of sheep, where a large collection of stones stand marker of the place this woman was supposedly burned. No one is even sure anymore if Maggie even existed. Yet the monument has stood since the 1600s. Apparently after the execution, locals began to feel guilty and erected the monument in her honor. The church ordered it be torn down several times over the centuries, but the people of that town continue to rebuild it.

Interesting stuff. I love Scotland.

...continued

Its been several days since my last posting so I figure I'd better give y'all an update. I'm starting to realize keeping up with blogs is quite difficult with everything that goes on during international travel.

I think I'll start with talking a bit more about my journey through the Highlands of Scotland and Loch Ness. The Highlands literally are a photographer's dream. I saw so much breathtaking scenery there, and got quite frustrated at times when a particularly beautiful area was on the opposite side of the bus and I was unable to snap a picture as we passed. That's another frustrating thing. Taking pictures through a glass while moving is not the best way to get a great photo, besides the fact that I've only been using my little point and shoot camera. I've finally admitted defeat with my SLR. No matter how hard I try I cannot get the damn thing to focus, and the depth of field is always way too shallow no matter what aperture I have it set on. Sorry if this all sound like Greek to some of you, the gist is that I need a new camera.

But I have been able to get some half way decent shots with my new point and shoot. I'll put a couple of them up. Now let me tell you the thing that scared me most about Loch Ness.

So y'all know the whole story about the mythical Loch Ness monster. There have been reported sightings for hundreds of years, the first was by a missionary who is now a saint, though regretfully I cannot remember his name. I used to be completely fascinated by the possibility of a huge, foreign aquatic creature residing in the depths of the loch. Since then I've lost some interest, but all the goosebumps and excitement came back on a boat ride I took across the loch when I visited. I was on The Royal Scot, and despite the cold spent most of my time on deck looking out at the shore and watching the choppy grey waters. The captain came on the intercom periodically to give some information about the loch, and at one point he said something that completely terrified me.

The loch is one of the deepest in Scotland, and by volume contains the most water in the UK. I believe it is over 1000 ft. deep in some parts. In these areas reside enormous fish. Not Nessie, but just as frightening. Some that have been caught have been 9 ft. long! These fish are carnivores, and feed on smaller creatures in the deep. However, when the pickings get slim, they have been known to rise to the surface and feed on what they find up there. This includes humans. How messed up is that? These aren't sharks, just huge, flesh eating fish. Thinking of them lurking somewhere down there gave me the shivers. Yet of course I went frolicking in the water immediately after I got off the boat...just in the shallow area, though.

On our way back from Loch Ness we passed some fantastic views. The clouds cleared enough for me to get a glimpse of the top of Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain. It's actually not that tall, only 4409 ft, but the weather is so unpredictable mountaineers often use it as a training ground for Everest.

I was also able to get off the bus to take a walk through an old highland forest. I'm starting to run out of favorable adjectives to describe the things I've seen here, but believe me when I say it was stunning. The air was thick with moisture and everything was light green and smelled fresh. The smells in Scotland are an experience of their own. There are some areas here on campus where I just have to stop in my tracks and inhale. I've encountered the most addictive and pleasant smell here, and it's unfortunate I can't find a way to preserve it. I feel a bit like the madman in Perfume, though not as homicidal.

Tomorrow if I get a chance I'll take a video of the area around the loch here. I ran around it today and saw a huge array of wildlife. I felt a bit like Snow White surrounded by little woodland creatures and a castle. I'm still trying to find a way to put up videos on here. For some reason it's not letting me do it the normal way. If not then I'll be happy to show anyone in person when I get back.

Well, I'd better get some sleep before tomorrow. Essays, jogging, and a second, hopefully more successful trek to Wallace monument await. Oh, that reminds me! So in Scotland there is a fabulous law that makes this heaven for backpackers, explorers, and nosy people. This law is called "Right to Roam", and it means you can wander anywhere. Seriously, anywhere. We girls decided to trek up to Wallace monument, and instead of following the directions, we took the law seriously and roamed through woods, fields, and people's yards. We had an incident at one point when our path was blocked by an old stone wall that we had to crawl over, then drop a good distance into a road on the other side. I managed to get a picture of our token Canadian venturing over before something bit the hell out of my foot in the grass I was standing in.

View of Wallace monument

The girls and me in front of the Glencoe mountain range

The Scotch mist!

Loch Ness Trip

I set many goals for this trip, some bigger than others, some ridiculous, some not. I have reached my ridiculous one! Ladies and gents, I have gone swimming in Loch Ness. I promised myself that at some point during my time here I would visit that infamous lake. However, I wasn't satisfied with simply looking at it. I had to touch it, feel the chilly brown waters, and get a damn good photo while I was there. I can't yet speak for the photo. I don't have time here to extensively edit much, so the photos aren't outstanding or anything. But at least I can give you some visual evidence of my adventures. More to come later!


















freezing cold but glad i did it

Edinburgh Revelation

I keep promising myself I won't write anything tonight. I had some wine with my dinner and ended up a little more drunk than I'd planned to be. Therefore I elected to stay indoors tonight instead of going out to dance. I'm full of food and Australian wine, and I don't need to be dancing around at the moment.

Yesterday a lot of us took the train to Edinburgh. It's a gorgeous city; like I said, not very similiar to others I have seen. The streets are mostly brick or cobblestone, and let me tell you, they do not stop for pedestrians in Scotland. I found that out several days ago when this guy Will almost got plowed down while crossing the street to get to the train station. It's also a little confusing with the traffic coming from the opposite direction as you're trained to expect.

So yes, we went to Edinburgh, and it was in this city that I found out that I am capable of many things I would not have formally expected. For one, I spent much of the day wandering. I have never truly done this before. I have always had a good idea of where I am, always had a mental map in my mind. Not this time, but it worked out great. My new friend Rachel and I found out we are very good and wandering aimlessly. We still seem to find the places we want to visit, like the coffeehouse where J.K. Rowling first started writing Harry Potter. We went inside, and I was initially surprised. Its name is The Elephant House, and it's a pretty trendy place. I couldn't imagine how she had found inspiration for her books in there. Then I looked out the window. Perfect view of Edinburgh castle.

After the coffeehouse we climbed to the top of the Scottish history museum, took some pictures, then managed to find some other people in our group, one of whom had a her 21st birthday that day. Consequentally I found myself in three pubs in a row. I was getting tired, and had spent most of my budget for the day on souvenirs, so after the third pub I found myself getting restless. One of my main goals for this journey was to prove to myself that I'm not a child anymore. I want to be able to walk city streets alone, to navigate train, airplane, and bus stations, and to feel completely sure of myself and my ability to make the right decisions.

I excused myself from the rest of our group, and after asking directions to the train station from one of the bartenders, set off on my own. I'm happy to say that in Scotland it doesn't get dark until very late, so even though it was 9pm I could see fine. I wasn't in the best part of town, but there were still a good deal of people on the streets, and I'm lucky to look a lot like the locals. I stopped for a little bit on the Royal Mile to talk with a man selling (obviously fake) Rolex watches. After hearing my accent, he pegged me as Canadian, and when I told him I was American we had a nice rant about our shared dislike of the Bush administration. He gave me a slightly revised set of directions, which I followed to great success straight to the main entrance of the train station.

On the ride back I made friends with a woman named Jana, who was taking a poetry seminar at Stirling University and had her 14 year-old son, Andrew, with her. They were both very nice and we decided to get off at the town of Bridge of Allan instead of Stirling, so we could walk to campus instead of paying for a cab. We all had a good time strolling through the sleepy little town, and stopped occasionally to take nighttime pictures of a distant castle and the grazing cows. At one point I stopped for a few minutes to watch the full moon hover above Wallace monument. That whole evening was such a powerful experience. Not once did I feel in danger or lost.

Scotland is truly a wonderful place. I hope to return someday, perhaps when I'm quite old and can have a little farm with a rose garden :)











Airthrey Castle, on our campus

Life in Stirling

Let me start by saying I am still in love with Scotland. Every time I look out a window or walk outside I see green hills, wildlife, and the occasional castle. The locals continue to surprise me with their friendliness.

One thing I have been experiencing a lot of is pubbing. Meadowpark pub is a ten minute walk from campus, and the bartenders all love a guy in our group named Will, so we've gotten some delicious free shots (which tasted like sour apple). The Scots there seem to enjoy our company, and were astounded and impressed when our classmate Sadie nearly beat one of them in a chugging contest. I've never seen anyone, male or female, drink that quickly. Hats off to her!

I've been being fairly moderate in my alcohol consumption. I know my limits by now and have been able to stop when I know I'm near them. Pubbing however is a perfect way to bond with the students here, and hanging out with them has been a blast. Don't worry though, not all our social interaction is limited to drinking. I ate breakfast with a few people in the town of Bridge of Allan this morning, and we are all looking forward to the side trips we've planned. These include trips to Glasgow, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and Loch Ness, just to name a few. There is also talk of a few of us flying to Amsterdam and staying the weekend in a hostel.

Tomorrow I don't have class, so I'll be spending a few hours photographing a Tai Chi event going on around campus. A couple of days ago I passed this middle-aged Scot sitting on a hill with camera equipment, looking bewildered. We greeted each other and he told me he'd come to photograph this event which he is heading, brought all his nice photography equipment, but forgot his camera at home. I mentioned that I was a photographer and was going to offer to let him borrow mine, but as soon as he heard I was one he hired me on the spot to take the pictures for him. I get to use his cameras and everything. It made me so happy to have such trust put in me.

This trip has really made me proud of myself. I was really nervous about flying before, now I have no worries booking flights and navigating foreign airports. The bus system is also slowly being demystified for me. I haven't allowed myself to give up when I'm feeling upset, and things are turning out well. I hope to return to the states as a more independent and adventurous individual.

This statue confused us. The center can't be rotated and it's very misleading. Note that it was nearly 10pm when this photo was taken. In the summer, the sun doesn't set until at least 10:30, and rises before 5am. We never realize how late we're staying up, since it always looks to be about 6pm outside.

Welcome to Scotland

Wow...I honestly don't know where to begin. Might as well start where it makes the most sense: at the beginning.

I've flown quite a bit. Always with a family member, never alone. This was my first attempt at flying on my own, and of course I had to choose a flight half way around the world. It wasn't bad at all though. The airports at Houston and Newark were pretty easy to navigate, and customs in Edinburgh took less than 20 minutes. I was lucky to meet a fellow Stirling student on the plane to Scotland, whose name is Phil. He reminds me of Kurt, actually. Seems there are quite a few clones of his in the world.

From Edinburgh I rode a double decker bus to the train station, then took a train to Stirling, where I then took a cab to the school. Let me tell you about Edinburgh. It is not like a city at all, at least not in the sense I'm used to. Instead of skyscrapers and high rise condos, this place was filled with row upon row of charming old buildings, many like little cottages. Stone walls, slate roofs, and beautiful little gardens out front. Roses thrive here. As I rode the train through the countryside between towns I could look out the window and see wild strawberry plants and grazing cows, sheep, and ponies. Occasionally in the distance I'd glimpse an old castle or chateau. On the horizon is the constant presence of the Highland mountains. The grass is a deep green, and wildflowers are abundant. I've seen whole fields turned yellow by them.

The people have been a pleasant surprise to me. I was expecting folk like I'd encountered in other parts of Europe; people who were blunt, impatient with foreigners, and unconcerned about being friendly. That is not the story here. I have been smiled at, greeted in the street, and offered assistance whenever I needed it. So many times I have seen people going about their business with little smiles on their faces, even people with stressful jobs, like security guards and bus drivers. Speaking of, the bus drivers here are a whole different breed from the ones I'm used to. They are friendly and helpful, and don't make you feel rushed. I guess the ones in Austin are just too used to dealing with crazy people, so they're bitter.

I am currently residing in a student flat in one of the residence halls of Stirling campus. It's old, but comfortable. I share two toilets, two showers, and a kitchen with about 4 other students. They are all pretty cool, and two of them are our student advisers. I was woken up this morning by the calls of these birds that hang around campus. I haven't figured out what they are yet. They look a little like puffins. There were also two ducks outside my window when I looked out. This area is filled with wildlife. Our school has its own loch, so there are lots of ducks, seagulls, and other water loving creatures. Big bunnies are also very frequent. I still haven't explored the whole campus, including the castle.

I'm so glad I chose to come to this country.

So far the images I have taken were with my new canon point-and-shoot. They aren't as rich as the photos I take with my SLR, but they'll do. I'll try to get some with that in the future. FYI, all the photos you will see now are my own. Up until the last post they have been a mix of google images and pictures I took. Enjoy!

P.S. I am eating porridge right now :)

Quick snapshot of Will, one of the Stirling staff members. Don't you love that 3 piece suit?

Interior of a nearby cathedral

Exterior of cathedral

Last Day

Well, it's my last day in the states. What do I do? Party at NASA.

Nah not really. I did pull up in the parking lot sipping a beer with my aunt, but left it in the car when I went into the Space Center. My aunt and uncle both work with NASA. My uncle is a flight controller and my aunt keeps an eye on the astronaut's families while they're in space. Tonight was a celebration for the crew of STS-124. Ever since the Columbia tragedy in 2003 NASA has held this event to welcome astronauts home and celebrate their safe landing.

It was great to see these brave and exceptionally talented people, and they entertained all of us with stories of pranks they'd played on each other in space. One astronaut had smuggled in a fake rat and constantly hid it in places where female members of the crew would unexpectedly find it. You couldn't help but laugh watching their 'home videos' from the flight. They're a bunch of kids, ridiculously intelligent kids.