#i just went to the National Museum of Scotland and spent several hours wandering the prehistoric galleries in awe

[kevystel]

what are some of your favorite things about being alive

history all around us – buildings, art, the ground beneath our feet. every day we touch and pass through objects and spaces that people touched and passed through hundreds, even thousands of years ago. it's magical

[thestarfishdancer]

Another few days in Scotland, and though it doesn’t feel like home, I don’t exactly feel like a visitor, either. This is a nice change, as is having all my things in the same hotel for several days on end. I do like to travel to lots of places, but there’s definitely something to be said for not living from a suitcase.

The past few days have been a combination of laid back and eventful in turn. After my Highlands tour on Thursday, I’d made plans to climb Arthur’s Seat with Yvonne and Peyton from my goEUgo redline tour. I puttered about in the morning, then made my way to Holyrood Park to meet them after stopping to buy a Ridacard (electronic bus card with my picture on it and everything) for a week. It was windy and rainy, so we made the call not to climb that day, and instead went for coffee, since the teahouse we’d hoped to go to was full. Peyton and Yvonne indulged me, and we went to the Elephant and Bagels coffee shop where I ate many a bagel while writing in a little corner back in my uni days. I had, alas, just eaten lunch (haggis, neeps and tatties!), so no bagel for me, though I may go back and grab one for old times’ sake in the coming few days.

Stuffed and on display, Dolly the Sheep, the first successful clone.

After that, we did a bit of wandering around Victoria Street for a bit, so I could look for Christmas present ideas, then we stopped into the Scottish National Museum. We thought we had an hour, but it closed at 5 pm not 5:30 as thought, so not much was explored this time. It was neat to see the fashion exhibit on the first floor, and there is the stuff Dolly the Clone Sheep, which was rather cool to check out in our brief time there. Entrance is free, so the short time didn’t set us back any!

  After that, we continued with our post-Arthur’s Seat plans: dinner at the Sheep Heid Inn’s pub, one of the oldest if not the oldest continually-operating pub in Scotland. It was a good meal with good company, and I’d very much go back again. The chicken and leek pie I had was amazing, and the three of us also split the sharing dessert platter – five amazing dessert selections. Then it was buses back to our respective stays, with Peyton and Yvonne kindly helping me navigate. I’m doing okay on the public transit so far, but that first day I was nervous and my sense of direction is ALWAYS dicey at best.

One of the works on display: Dunnator Castle by Walter Hugh Paton

Saturday I didn’t get up to much, either. I’d hit that point where I kind of just wanted to stay in my room all day, but also felt that I was wasting my time if I didn’t go do something. Also, I did have to do something fairly crucial – laundry. The in-house laundry service here is EXPENSIVE. It’s eleven pounds for one dress! Instead, I did a whole load, washed and dried, for about eleven pounds (possibly twelve, I’m not certain how much I spent on the drier in the end). I did have to take a bus to get to the laundromat, as there doesn’t appear to be a lot of them in Edinburgh anyway, but I made it and have clean clothes enough for this last stretch of time. Then, I made my way to National Art Gallery for a while, taking in the art.  The collection is good here, and it’s also free! I love that about the United Kingdom – they make galleries and museums accessible to everyone!

After that, I felt I’d appropriately left my hotel long enough, so went back for the evening. I also wanted to get an early night, because Peyton had let me know she was planning on going on another tour on Sunday, and so I decided to join, and so did Yvonne! So we made our way to Rabbie’s Cafe for our small coach tour with Rabbie’s, the same tour company my parents and I went to Skye with, years ago. It was just as great. Only 7 of us on this small group tour, and our guide Dave was funny and engaging. He also made the most of the daylight hours, taking us to a few scenic stops on our way to Jedburgh, where I went in the ruins of the old Abbey. The entrance fee came with an audio guide, and it was neat to learn about the history of the place. After that, it was off to the Borders.

It’s me! In England! By a big rock that says England, because I’m in England!

For some reason, I had in my mind that a Borders tour would be one “border” of Scotland on the seaside, so was ecstatic to realize we were going to cross over the Scottish border into England. I’d never been into England! And now I have! We went to the remains of Hadrian’s Wall, then on to Vindolanda, the ruins of an ancient Roman fortress. It’s being excavated on an ongoing basis, in part because of the Vindolanda Letters being found there. These are the ancient remains of old letters on wood, showing regular, every day life in the area.

Lanercost Priory, lit by sunset

After Vindolanda, we had just enough daylight time for one more stop, the Lanercost Priory, and old haunt of James the Second of England, also known as The Hammer of Scotland. Only part of the church has remained in use over the years, so it is partly preserved historic building, but also partial ruin. Very interesting dichotomy!

From there, it was time to make our way back to Edinburgh, through a long, beautiful sunset. Yvonne and Peyton made their way back to their campus for game night (their professor designs board games and the students get to test them out, how cool is that!) and I went back to crawl into bed, because the weather was looking like it might be nice the next day, and I had PLANS.

Those plans? To finally climb Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano described by Robert Louis Stevenson as “a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design”. You can drive up part of the way, but I did the hike from the bottom up, all the way to the peak. It was hard, especially since I am not in the greatest shape and, sunny or not, it was a bit frosty out and therefore slippery at times on uneven ground (and the last bit is steep!). But I made it! I pushed myself all the way up to the very summit, and with rewarded with panoramic views of the city and beyond.

After that, I made my way back down via a bit easier route because I thought it would take me closer to my bus stop (spoiler alert! as ever, my sense of direction is terrible and it did NOT). I made it, however, in more than enough time to head to the One Spa, where I’d booked the Escape. There are no pictures allowed, of course; no one wants to be subject to strangers taking photos of them in their swimsuits. It was the perfect escape after my hike, however, with a lovely pool that swims out to the outside, plus various things to try out in the thermal suite, from saunas to those thermal chairs I liked on my cruises and more. It’s not cheap at 75 pounds, certainly, but there’s no real time limit. I stayed the recommended three hours and no longer, but mostly because I hadn’t eaten lunch and needed to get food in my tummy more than I needed to stay in the glorious rooms. I would certainly do it again; a nice treat once a trip.

As for today, it was mostly personal things. I met an old tutor for brunch, then made my way to see another local friend at the bookshop I used to haunt/got some work experience with the owner/freelance editor (said friend). After that, I did some more shopping – Dad, your present is covered, but that’s all I’m saying! – then back to the hotel. Tomorrow will be more of the same, more or less – though I do plan to do some of the shopping at the Christmas Market, which I’m excited to do! Also, learned today that whoever I called at the front desk the other evening was mistaken – Crowne Plaza DOES do in room service whether their restaurant is open or not, which means I got to do pyjama dinner tonight. Very pleased (and not just because I bought my own wine this time).

  EU Go, Girl! Adventures in Europe: Part # 12 Another few days in Scotland, and though it doesn't feel like home, I don't exactly feel like a visitor, either.

[livinglondon]

My Final Days In London

It has officially been a month since I waved goodbye to London in a plane over Heathrow Airport and I’ve missed it every single day. During this month London was the target of another terror attack killing eight people, at least 58 people lost their lives in an high-rise apartment fire last week and another incident is currently unfolding on Seven Sisters Road. These events struck me harder than I could have ever imagined. Even though London was only my home for four months, I took these losses personally because a place I associated with comfort and joy was attacked and repeatedly beaten down. However, I think I would have felt similarly if Philadelphia or Syracuse were struck with similar tragedies, because no matter where home is when something disrupts the positivity you associate with that place it simply sucks. It hurt to leave London and it hurts even more to not be there now, but I am beyond grateful that I had the opportunity in the first place to fall so deeply in love with this city. 

My final blog post about my study abroad experience is going to be all about what I did during my final week in London - the week my family visited and I got to show them everything I loved about it. The places I’ve discovered on my countless adventures cannot be captured or explained by any amount of photos or words, but I hope you enjoy. 

Day 9

The first stop when my family got here - my flat. I remember my third day in London, pulling up in a taxi to this flat and instantly falling in love. The street of white row homes was quintessentially London. For the last time, I closed the gate to the old rickety elevator and said goodbye to my tiny flat.

Once we were settled into the hotel I brought my parents and my brother to two of my favorite places in London - Camden Market and Primrose Hill. The easiest way to get there was via big red bus and my family found it extremely funny that they were actually riding on the top of a red double decker. Once in Camden, my brother and dad got lunch from the Mac Factory (the best mac&cheese EVER) while my mom and I got my favorite dish of Columbian food from a stall that I never remember the name - oops. After indulging in some more food we relaxed and enjoyed a fantastic view of the city from Primrose Hill.

That evening we did the most touristy thing ever and took a nightside open bus tour of the city. Although touristy, I loved every second of it. We got to see every major landmark of the city from Big Ben to the Victoria & Albert Museum, drove over Tower Bridge, saw Harrods all lit up and more. Every street and place we went I was able to connect to a memory from earlier in the semester. From the top of that bus I fell in love with the city all over again and realized it was possible to miss a place that you hadn’t even left yet.

Day 8 & 7

The next two days were pleasantly filled with firsts for me. We visited the Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park in the South of London where I learned about an aspect of the city’s history that I knew little about. We saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace, toured Westminster Abbey and spent hours in the Churchill war rooms. Of course, one evening we went up in the London eye where I got to take in the spectacular view of the city one last time.  All day, I hopped on and off the tube with joy and an extra pep in my step. As I reflect on my time here, I realized just how blissfully happy I’ve been these past for months.

Day 6

The following day was an exciting one for me because I was FINALLY going to the Harry Potter studios - every wizard fan’s dream. While there we got to tour several sets from the movies, examine the fine details of the thousands of props used, and admire the breathtaking model of Hogwarts. After leaving one room I truly didn’t think anything else on the tour would compare to what I just saw, but I was continually impressed and enjoyed every second of it. Every wand, costume and set I saw was picture worthy. I must have taken at least 200 photos.  

That evening ended with more fun and laughs at the Prince of Whales Theatre where we saw The Book of Mormon. I also took my family to my favorite pub for dinner, O’Neills. They found it hilarious that an Irish pub was located in Chinatown.

Day 5

This day we slept in and spent the afternoon wandering around my favorite spots in London. I first took my family to my school and my favorite coffee shop across the street, Second Cup, where I had my last coffee EVER from there. It actually pained me to say goodbye to the baristas who had memorized my order and had become a regular part of my day. From there we visited the Sir John Soane museum, Denmark Street, and the National Gallery. The weather was so nice that we ended up sitting on the ledge of the fountains and watching all of the street artists. This was another one of those ‘pinch-me’ moments because I didn’t know it was possible to be so genuinely happy and at peace with my life. This feeling lasted well into the evening when we ate at the Italian place around the corner of my flat, Bizzaros, grabbed ice cream from the corner store and watched the sun set while walking through Hyde Park. I realized that this was the last time I would get to go on a casual evening walk through the park and was overwhelmed with emotion. We weren’t doing anything tourists do, we were simply walking around and enjoying the mundane. I imagined spending my summer doing just this and felt a pang of sadness. I felt so comfortable and at home in this city and knew I would never be ready to say goodbye.

Day 4

Today we did two things that I had been longing to do during my entire time in London. First, we had breakfast on the 38th floor at the Duck & Waffle where I watched the sun rise and fog lift over London while eating peanut butter for the first time in four months! The meal was rich and sweet but a perfect way to start the day. From there we moved onto the Tower of London where we spent hours learning about the early history of London and admiring the Crown Jewels. Afterwards, we visited Saint Paul’s Cathedral, one of my favorite places in London simply because of its captivating beauty. Following the busy afternoon, we took a relaxing stroll along the Thames and I noticed buildings, people and my surroundings more than ever. We sat down at a pub in front of Tate Modern and admired the view over a pint. I was like a sponge trying to soak up every detail of London I possibly could. The relaxing evening allowed me to take in my surroundings and really appreciate everything.

Day 3

With a train station nearby it would have been a sin for my family to spend all of their time in England just in the center of London so we took a day to visit Edinburgh, Scotland. I fell in love with this historic and homey city. We spent the day walking up hills, drinking scotch and exploring the old castle on the hill. The Harry Potter nerd inside of me was further satisfied when we had lunch at The Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling wrote her first few novels. The bathroom was a massive appreciation letter to Rowling with messages and quotes from the book written all over the walls. It was a busy and long day but I was so glad that I was able to fit in one more adventure before heading back to the States. It was bittersweet pulling into Victoria station after a trip for the last time because it was the last time that “going home” meant going to London.

Day 2

My last full day in London was absolute bliss from beginning to end. I’m not exaggerating when I say the weather was absolute perfection. Sunglasses were out and jackets were taken off. First, my family and I hopped on the tube to Westminster and took a tour of parliament. As a political science major I thoroughly enjoyed learning the insides and outs of the U.K.’s  political system. I had no idea why Charles I was beheaded, when the monarchy became symbolic or when women gained the right to vote (after the USA!). Beyond all the knowledge I gained, the Westminster Palace was an architectural masterpiece and every room was captivating. 

I said my final farewell to Big Ben and headed to Paddington. I just had to fit in one more walk from my flat through Hyde Park and it was an emotional one. From there we toured Kensington Palace, admired Princess Diana’s dresses and visited my favorite London museum, the Victoria & Albert. I visited the V&A 7 times during my semester (I KNOW CRAZY) so I was under a lot of pressure to show my family the highlights in just a single afternoon. It was surreal that I would never be able to spend a free afternoon exploring an exhibition followed by afternoon tea around the corner at Paul. I was once again grateful for the small life I had built in this city. I had my final glass of wine at a small cafe with dinner along Oxford Street where I made sure I had a seat facing the street so I could take in the hustle and bustle of the city one last time.  

Day 1

This morning I did a final packing of my things and took my final tube ride to Paddington Station which was honestly the only fitting place for me to say my final farewells to my favorite city in the world. Thank you London for inspiring me, teaching me and opening my eyes to a whole new world. I am forever grateful.

Cheers,

Sara