Scotland: Part 2

Our 2nd day in Scotand started off with an early bus ride to Stirling Castle, which is where Mary Queen of Scots grew up and was crowned. 7 Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling Castle. Like many castles, it sits on a hill overlooking the town. It is surrounded by 3 cliffs, making the drive up very twisty and steep. It was just reopened to the public last summer and had a great exhibition! On our descent from the castle, things took a turn. Our bus broke down, leaving us stranded in Stirling for a little over 2 hours. Luckily, Sterling is a working town so we were able to get lunch at a local pub. At the suggestion of the waitress I had steak pie, yum! Since there weren't really any cute shops we took the advice of Big Rich and decided to test out the famous Scottish whisky. That didn't make for too great of a ride to our next stop, a Highland national park. Big Rich decided to alter the itinerary, taking us on a 'wee little hike' down some very steep and slippery stairs to a river and waterfall. While I was very ill-prepared for this detour, I suffered through the wind and rain and made an enjoyable time out of it, despite the fact that my Frye boots were completely drenched, and I fell in a huge pile of mud. It was very refreshing to be out in the open air, instead of being in the city. Due to the days events, we missed the Clansman Center before it closed, which was a bummer. Anyways we settled into our adorable lodge in Fort Augustus and went for a small dinner where I get yet another delicious bowl of tomato soup. The night ended with a bang as we did karaoke!!! Clarification: As I do not know the lyrics to one single song, nor do I have any tune whatsoever, I did not partake in karaoke, I was just there for my own enjoyment!

Classic with a twist of leopard

Stop it. I want to be her. 

Out and About in Londontown

The first few weeks Mariel and I did LOTS of walking and touring of the city. Here are a few highlights! 

Second visit to Buckingham Palace. Couldn't resist.

Fabulous sangria (with cinnamon whiskey!) at Cous Cous in South Kensington.

Just a walk home.

Really getting into the British Museum.

Bloomsbury Gardens. 

Back of the Household Calvary. 

I made a friend!

One of the final stops after a long day of walking. 

10 Downing Street.

The question is, with who??!

Gorgeous sunset on the walk home from class.

Military building.

One of the many performers in Covent Garden. 

Somerset House.

Millennium Bridge and St. Pauls, 3 minutes from my residence.

Trafalgar Square performer. So cool!

The closest I'll get too seeing Wills & Harry. I almost got kicked out of the Portrait Gallery for taking this photo. 

Scotland: Part 1

Scotland - the land of the Scottish (not British!). They HATE the British. In a sense though, aren't they British??? Anyways, my morning started off with an early 5-hour train ride to Edinburgh. Upon arrival we had an ummm interesting walking tour of Edinburgh thanks to our exciting tour guide Richard. We saw Parliament (they've only had their own since about 1998), two castles, the Royal Mile, a realllly old cemetery (I forgot the significance of it) and some other things. I really wanted to buy a few souvenirs, but didn't have time to, so that was a disappointment. A few of us ate dinner at a little old pub on the Royal Mile were I got SCRUMPTIOUS tomato basil soup, salmon, and my favorite dessert - sticky toffee pudding! I was unable to get a glass of wine however because the Scottish have a "binge drinking problem, and we're trying to clamp down on it. The drinking age is probably moving to 21 soon." - That was the words of my lovely waiter, and since I only had my drivers license, not passport, I was unable to relax with a drink. My plans for going on a Whisky tasting later were squashed. Oh well. I then had my first experience staying in a hostel. I just had to keep reminding myself that I went to summer camp and have had much worse sleeping arrangements before. 8 girls, that I barely knew, in a room was not fun. Lets just say I made sure to promptly make a shower schedule, conveniently placing myself in the prime 7:30am slot.  

Look what platform my train departed from! 

 Cute coastal town on the border of England and Scotland, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Scottish coastline, from the train.

Oldest department store in THE WORLD.

View of University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Museum. Out of view to the back right lies Edinburgh Castle. 

I was greeted by a bagpiper, just as I had imagined. 

View of the city as we started to ascend to the Old Town.

View down the hill, can see the water way yonder.

Cutest little alley on the way up.

Finally! Edinburgh Castle. Photography wasn't allowed inside and I was unable to take a few illegal shots... but it was marvelous. It dominates the skyline of Edinburgh and sits off on a hill. 

View down from the Castle.

St. Giles Cathedral

Our tour guide Richard, or "Big Rich" as I liked to call him. 

Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Queen's official residence in Scotland. 

Servant quarters on the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Adorable bowling field!

Give me a break

After over 6 hours in the library, surrounded by 4 walls, no sunshine, and over-intensive students, I decided to call it a day. Little did I know that the day definitely wasn't over yet...

• As I wait in the crowd for the elevator to exit the library, a hyper lad thinks, for some reason, it is perfectly acceptable to squeeze his way in front of me in the line. Considering the library is the center of student life at LSE, elevator queues can get quite populated. I turn to the boy and say "Excuse, but I've been waiting here" he replies with a cocky "Oh, I didn't see you there." And to that I respond, "Oh, I see you conveniently overlooked me and the 10 other people standing here in order to advance your place in line. I realize you may have someplace extremely important to get to such as a Goldman Sachs interview and I realize you are probably an extremely competitive human-being, however that isn't going to help you in this situation. It's an elevator." I'm pretty sure he's never had a female tell him like it is and with that he quivered to the back of the line. I was in no mood to be putting up with BS. That's what the library will do to ya...
• For some reason my leopard loafers still haven't come to be one with my feet, resulting in never-ending and ever-expanding blisters. As I'm hobbling my way off campus I am in dire need of those special blister bandaids, so I take the long way home (through the financial district to St. Paul's) in search of a pharmacy (specifically Superdrug - I had a coupon, you know how that is).  
• I came across a Boot's Chemist, which looked like it was my best bet. I also needed to get body wash, it took me 10 minutes just to locate the aisle, then another 10 to find an exfoliating version. In my search for body wash I found myself in the dry shampoo section. I just ran out of dry shampoo and recently read about a certain brand that is highly recommended. Sure enough Batiste dry shampoo was right before of my eyes. Surely it was a sign! So I make my way to the mirror to do a quick test spray. Totally normal, right? Well not so. Before the substance even hits my scalp two sales associates corner me asking if "I need any help" and I say "Oh no thank you" but before I can even finish the reply, they question me about what I was doing. I didn't think it was a big deal, I told them I was just trying the dry shampoo real quick before I buy it. I get a stern "That is considered THEFT. You can't use a product before purchase." In my head I'm thinking WTF??!?! It cost 3 pounds! But I simply say "Oh I am so sorry I had no idea! " The sales girls say "Well, are you buying it?" ummmm obviously, yes, considering if I don't that's probably really theft and I'll be arrested. I tell them "Oh of course I just need to get some band-aids first." They proceed to escort me down the stairs to the bandaid section and WAIT for me, inside my personal bubble I may add. After about 5 minutes of looking at the bandaids they question me "Are you ready?" With this my head was imploding, my heart was racing, and my hands were shaking. If you know me, my average trip to the supermarket can last 2 hours... I like to compare every option. I just wanted to get the hell out of there so I grabbed some random plasters (1 package of which I just found out was oversized burn bandages - perfect for the next kitchen fire!). The ladies paid no attention to any other customers throughout this ENTIRE time and walked me right out of the store! Do I really look like I would steal something? No less something so insignificant??! Give me a break! Loosen up!!! 

Apologies

I feel like I've been neglecting you a little bit. I created this blog so my friends and family could follow my adventures in London. However, I've sort of veered from my mission. This blog has failed, thus far, to bring you the stories of my late nights, loves, frustrations, and dalliances . I vow to post more stories about my crazy and hectic life over here. The thing is, when I get home after a loooong day on campus, I'm usually too exhausted to recall the day. In fact, that's the last thing I want to. I need it to digest a little bit. Because it can all be so overwhelming at times! Anyways, everything is great (although I do get a bit homesick at times). 

xoxoxo

A few things I love (or love to hate) about Londoners...

Oh the oddities of the British schooling system, particularly that of The London School of Economics...

1. Students don’t raise their hands.  They just speak whenever they feel like speaking. In the States you would most likely be nearly shunned for such manner. 

2. Teachers are a bit more relaxed. Doors certainly aren't locked when class begins. In fact, if a student walks in 5 minutes late, it's really not even an issue. It's assumed they got one too many drinks at the pub, or the tube was having delays.

3. At Ole Miss, when teachers asks the class “How is everyone?” it is viewed as a rhetorical question.  Like, I probably would (maybe, if I were feeling up to it) respond with a mumbled/whispered “fine”. But this results in actual conversation between the teacher and class, with responses such as, “I’m good, I’m really tired this morning but I went to Starbucks so I should be back to normal soon” or “ehh, it was a rough night at the pub” or “I’m fine, can’t wait until this lecture is over though”. 

4. THEY DON'T USE TEXTBOOKS. This means I have to spend endless hours searching through the library for obscure journal articles and out-of-date books. Most of which are nearly impossible to get my hands on because that super-intense type A chick has had them since week 2 of classes.

5. Drinking is actually ENCOURAGED. There are 2 pubs, 1 bar, and 1 club on campus. It is completely normal to grab a brewski with your lunch.

6. Most classes are recorded. Yes, that means if I'm feeling really lazy and unable to bear the 30 minute walk, I can pull it up livestream right from my bed. While I have yet to engage in such act, I'm sure once winter hits I will be utilizing this perk.

The 'British' language confusion.

1. Lift = elevator

2. Jacket potato = baked potato 

3. Jumper = sweater 

4. Vest = tank top

5. Braces = suspenders

6. Dressing gown = robe 

7. Polo neck = turtle neck 

8. Swimming costume/cozzy = swimming suit

9. Public school = private school

10. Marking scheme = grade

11. Module = class 

12. Zebra crossing* = cross walk 

13. Lollipop man* = crossing guard 

14. Roadwork = construction

15. Petrol = gas 

16. Chemist = drugstore 

17. Fairycake* = cupcake

18. Chips = french fries

19. Crisps = potato chips

20. Aubergine = eggplant

21. Prawns = shrimp 

22. Eggy bread* = french toast

23. Fingers = slices of toast/bread

24. Runner beans = green beans

25. Water closet/toilet/loo = bathroom

26. Autumn = fall (they really have no idea what 'fall' is)

27. Tramp = hobo

*my personal favorites, I will continue to use this terminology in the States

Also, EVERYONE pronounces McDonalds (MicDonalds) like MACDonalds. Every. single. time. 

British Cuisine. If you can call it that...

1. Mackerel is a mainstay on most menus. If you've every had it... you know just how fishy it is. 

2. They aren't very big on salads.

3. Steak pies are equivalent to a chicken. 

4. STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING!!! No words for the delectable dessert.

5. They eat tomatoes for breakfast. 

6. The average person eats curry at least twice a week.

7. Fish and chips involves a huge piece of fish, about a foot long.

Some food items I have been CRAVING but appear few and far between

1. Bagels

2. Sliced turkey

3. Peanut butter

4. Egg whites 

5. Grilled cheese 

6. A sub sandwich (or poor boy)

7. A panini

* I actually have had quite a few excellent meals, but you definitely pay the price for quality here. 

British Transportation.

1. Despite weekend line closures, the tube is absolutely amazing. It really will get you anywhere. And it's really not as expensive as people say it is. Furthermore, I have never waited more than 5 minutes for it. Even at midnight. 

2. The tube closes at 12:30am... making after-bar transport a wee bit difficult. 

3. Cars DO NOT STOP for pedestrians. The worst offenders are taxi drivers. If the walk signal has just switched off and you're mid-road, you better run to the other side. I have been sideswept more than a few times. 

4.  Bikes are everywhere! I just haven't had the confidence to hit the roads in a 'Boris' bike quite yet. 

5. Finally, but certainly not least, Land Rover Defenders are spotted about through the streets. I am HUGE Land Rover enthusiast and have always been intrigued by the Defender, which has been off the market in the US since 1998 (due to failure to meet safety requirements - which does scare me a little bit). The car just has a regal yet rustic feel to it and I could stare at it for hours on end.

The beauty itself. 

More observations coming soon!!!