if you're a scottish lord, then i'm mickey mouse!!

Well, the university ended up putting on a second big trip for the semester and it was to Edinburgh, Scotland. At first I wasn't going to go, but I decided that it would be worth it in the end, and I was right. The trip ended up getting moved up a day, so we left on a Wednesday night rather than a Thursday night and we got back on a Saturday. This was because the school had overlooked the fact that the Six Nations Rugby tournament was going to be held that weekend and the hostel that we were supposed to be at was booked for the Saturday night. We only had about 30 people go in total, but we ended up getting split up at different hostels. There was one that wasn't even in the city and then there was the one that I stayed at, that was only a few blocks from the main area in Edinburgh. Of course though, when we got dropped off we weren't able to check into our hostel until 3pm and it was after 10am at the time. So we changed and locked up our bags. I ended up staying with some girls that are my friends, but I don't get to hang out with them as much as I like.

We ended up taking a free walking tour through the city. We went to places like St. Giles Cathedral, The Edinburgh Castle, and the Elephant Cafe, where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. All I can say is that weather in Scotland is very temperamental. One minute it was sunny, then it rained, the it was windy and freezing, and then it rained again, and then it was sunny. After the tour the girls kind of split up and did some shopping. Then we finally were able to check back into our hostel. That night most of the people from our hostel went out to eat as a big group. After eating, Jori, Cierra, Rick and I went on a "haunted history" walking tour of the city. It was fun, but I also got freaked out during it, surprising I know. The best part of the tour was that we got a free drink at a pub when we were done.

The next day we met up with Leslie, Bethany, and Julie to go on a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands and to see Loch Ness. It was a lot of fun, but it was more time riding in the bus than there was time outside seeing the Highlands. We only got to see Loch Ness for about 15 minutes because we ate at a pub right by the loch and then only had about 15 minutes at the loch. The ride back was the worst though because there was a lady in the bus that was eating food, but it was food that had been in her bag all day. Cheese to be exact. Needless to say it was stinky cheese and most of the ride back, the bus smelled awful. After we got back to the city we ate and then decided that we needed to taste Scotch whiskey. I was definitely not opposed to this and took mine like a champ while others cringed at the after taste and after burn of the shot.

Before leaving Edinburgh the next day, we went up to Calton Hill and took pictures of the city landscape. Then we walked down and Jori and I went into Holyrood Palace. This is where Mary Queen of Scots lived and where the Queen stays when she comes to Edinburgh. The bus ride back didn't seem as long as the ride there, maybe because I had a few books to read. But all I can say is that I would definitely live in Scotland someday!

My latest adventure has brought me to the foggy city of London. Although it wasn't foggy at all when I was there. Haha. I had a lot of fun on this trip and went with my friends Leslie and Nick. Then we met up with my friends Ben and Cierra. It's been about a month since I was there, but we left for the weekend on that Friday. When we got to London, we arrived at Paddington Train Station and set out to find our hostel. We eventually went inside a hotel to get a map of the city, which helped out a lot. We ended up walking right by it because we didn't know that it was actually over a pub that ran the hostel as well. We checked in and set off almost right away. We met with Ben and Cierra at the Marble Arch on the northeast side of Hyde Park. We ended up just walking around to see different parts of the city. We walked to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Then we made our way down to the Queen's Jubilee Bridge and went over to the London Eye. I was really scared to actually go on the Eye, but ended up sucking it up and went on it. I actually had a lot of fun on the ride and wasn't scared of how high it went either. I'm really glad that I went on it and would defintely do it again. After facing my fear of heights we ended up walking back towards Oxford Street and ate at the only pub on Oxford Street, as the sign said. Haha. It was a great first night in London, but it was also sad because we walked by all the different clothing shops without going into one of them. Haha.

The next day we got up early and went to get this thing called the London Pass. This was supposed to be very similar to the iamsterdam pass that was offered in Amsterdam. We thought it was going to be a good deal because it wasn't supposed to be activated until the first place that we went to and it included entry into places such as the Tower of London, The Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc. So we got the passes. Apparently the passes were activated right away instead of at the first place that we went to, but we didn't know. We ended up going to Westmister Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben right away. We didn't want to go into Parliament and Wesminster ended up being closed for some event. It was close to the time that the changing of the guard was supposed to take place, so we headed over to Buckingham Palace. We got lucky because it was going on and Nick and I braved crossing the street to get to the center fountain to get a closer look. We stayed there for the whole ceremony realizing afterward that we could have left after the first 15 mintues. After that we headed towards St. Paul's Cathedral. Once we got in, Ben, Nick and I climbed the hundreds of stairs to get to the dome. Although going up all the stairs was awful, it was worth it. Then we tried going into the Tower of London, but we wouldn't have had enough time in there before they closed. So then we went to see if the HMS Belfast was open, but it was closing in a half an hour and you had to take the guided tour and we just missed the last one. Then we ended up going on a tour of London Bridge. Thankfully we were able to get in that one.

We later went on a boat cruise of the River Thames. It was cool to see some of the buildings at night from the river. We then ate and went back to our hostel. Cierra and Ben came to the pub for a little bit to hang out. There ended up being karaoke in the pub and there were a lot of older ladies that were singing the songs very badly. Then Nick, Cierra, and Leslie all ended up singing songs. I of course documented that by recording it on my camera. The best part of the night was an old man that was very drunk. He was dancing around and just looked like he was lost. It was great. The next day, we went to the Tower of London straight away and found out there that our passes were expired. So we ended up paying a good sum to go in. It was pretty cool, partially because you got to see the crown jewels. Although, I was slightly disappointed by them. Then we crossed the Millenium Walking Bridge, which was super scary to cross, and went to the Tate Modern Art Museum. I loved this because it was free and it had a lot of great and interesting art. Then it was time to go to the British Museum across town. It was cool, but I was really tired. I walked around a little bit, but sat most of the time. Then Leslie, Ben and I hauled over to Paddington to catch our train back to Swansea. All in all, London is a pretty awesome city and I can't wait to go back!

Bikes, Coffeeshops and the Red Light District.

My latest travel adventure was to the wondrous city of Amsterdam. I went on the student union planned trip and will be glad to never sit on a coach again. We left Swansea on Thursday night and rode a coach to the other side of England to the port at Dover. We then preceded to take ferry to France, drove through Belgium, and then through the Netherlands. After driving through the night and taking many stops on the way, we got to Amsterdam at like 10 a.m. I'm amazed at the awesome planning that went into this trip because come to find out, the first 30 people who signed up for the trip got put in the crappy hostel, which included me. The other good planning was that the guys from the student union that escorted us on the trip didn't know where our crappy hostel was. After taking many wrong turns and asking for directions, we walked from the nice hostel to ours because our bus driver refused to take us anywhere closer to the hostel. After we finally found it, the girls I stayed with and I got the shaft on rooms. We were the first to get a room but also got the worst one. Our room was right by the stairs, on the 3rd floor, by swinging doors, had no shower door, smelled like rotten eggs, and didn't have a TV like all the students got. The TV wasn't a big deal because we wouldn't have watched it anyway, but still. Needless to say, it was an interesting first hostel experience. The place also smelled like a litter box, which we found out it was because there was a cat that lived there and roamed around. One of the mornings we found it on the counter by the breakfast food. That was a little sketchy to me.

After we got settled in our room, a bunch of us set out to explore the city. Leslie, Courtney and I ended up getting iamsterdam passes, which got you into a bunch of museums, free public transport and discounts on a lot of other places for 48 euros. The first day we went to the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House. We also ate at an Indonesian restaurant with a bunch of other people and then we walked to the infamous Red Light District. It took us a while to actually find the Red Light District, but we eventually found it and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I knew a lot of what it was going to be like, but it was a lot more tame, probably because we were on the main street instead of going down off streets. Some of us ended up going back to our hostel earlier than other and stopped by some street vendors and got some awesome pastries, which we ended up getting everyday after that.

On Saturday, we got up early and headed off to the Van Gogh museum. The best part was we got to see The Starry Night painting exhibition. I'm glad we were there at that time because it is an awesome paining. It was also cool to see the other Van Gogh paintings since I'm a fan of his. We also went to a market up by the Heineken Brewery. It was a pretty sweet outdoor market and I got 2 scarves for 8 euros, which was the start and finish of my shopping there. Then we took a tram up to the central station and took a canal cruise/tour of the city. It was really cool and am glad we were able to do it. We were then off to the Diamond Museum and the House of Bols. The House of Bols is described "experience a journey through the world of cocktails and genever. Taste, see, smell, hear, touch, and become familiar with the exciting world of bartending." I think the best part about it was that we got a cocktail and some samples of the different flavors of liquor that they produced. Then that night, a bunch of us girls got together and exchanged gifts for the secret valentine's drawing we had. Then some of us went out to eat and then went to a pub and relaxed.

Sunday, we got up early and were off to find the diamond factory, which ended up being a lot further away than I thought it was going to be. However, it was definitely worth the walk! We got to see different cuts and sizes of diamonds and then we got to try on thousands of dollars worth of diamond rings. It was pretty amazing, but can't even fathom people spending $35,000 for a ring. We then trekked back to get souvenirs and then load the bus for another 13 hour ride back to Swansea. On the way back our bus driver decided to turn the heat on high and it was unbearably hot on the bus and he hit a curb while parking the bus and broke the door. Overall though, it was an awesome trip!

Life in Swansea

Well... I've been in Wales now for about a month and a half, but it seems like a lot longer. It's really weird especially since it feels like I've know the people that I hang out with for years rather than the month or so I've been here. So far Swansea has been great with a few exceptions, one being snow. I've come to find out from one of my flatmates, that lives in Mumbles, that Swansea has not really had a good snow for 18 years. I thought that was great and was hoping to escape the fluffy precipitation, but I did not sadly. About two weeks ago it snowed so much here, nothing compared to Iowa, that the city and uni didn't know how to deal with it and our classes were canceled for the day. The total amount of snow probably amounted to about 2 inches or so. Since I've been over snow for awhile now, I boycotted going outside and playing in it, unlike everyone else.

Classes here a definitely a change from what I'm used to at Iowa State. Besides the pre-sessional course I was required to take, I am only taking two other courses. Did I mention that I also only have a total of four hours of class a week. That part is awesome, but I'm not sure what do with myself in all the free time during the week! The assessment for the courses are different as well. Instead of having little mundane projects or assignments to work on, I have to write 3 essays and take one exam for the entirety that I'm here. That also includes my final exams as well. Needless to say, I'm glad I have a break from writing lesson and unit plans as well as sitting through pointless classes that drag on. But sadly when I get back I'll have to take summer courses and have 18 credit semesters once again, as well as two jobs. So right now, I'm enjoying the free time and making the best of this experience.

Avebury and Stonehenge

Well, since I've been a slacker and haven't written in a while, I decided I shoud start again. Well, a lot had gone on since I went to Bath almost 2 weeks ago. I started my classes this last week and all I have to say is I'm glad I'm not taking classes at ISU! I only have 4 hours of class every week. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with myself, well besides starting to travel. Which by the way I cannot wait to do. It gets tiresome sitting in my flat all the time or going out all the time, I need something different to do during the week. At least I'm finding time to travel on the weekends!

Last Saturday I went to Avebury and Stonehenge as a group tour once again. We first went o Avebury, which I had no idea what it was when I signed up for the trip. I'm still not quite sure of what it represents, but here is the description of it from Wikipedia. Avebury is the site of a large henge and several stone circles in the English county of Wiltshire surrounding the village of Avebury. It is one of the finest and largest Neolithic monuments in Europe dating to around 5,000 years ago. It is older than the megalithic stages of Stonehenge, which is located about 32 kilometres (20 mi) to the south, although the two monuments are broadly contemporary overall. It was a really cool place to visit though and I'm glad that I saw it.

After Avebury, we went to Stonehenge. Everyone knows what that is, well hopefully. Besides seeing pictures of it, I had no idea of what the site was going to be like. Our buses parked in the lot and then we were given a portable guide device like when I went to the Roman Baths. Again, I didn't use it, although I almost smacked myself in the face with it while taking a picture. Anyway, we had to go though an underground tunnel that went under the road. After seeing the site, it was a lot smaller than I though it was going to be. It also was kind of out of place with the road that surrounded it. I was thinking it was going to be in the middle of nowhere, which it kind of was, with no roads around it and just kind of there. But again, I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, I loved it there. I'm pretty sure I took about 25 pictures of just the site from different angles. I know, I'm a nerd. We also took group shots and jumping pictures. The jumping picture is when I almost smacked my self the with portable guide. Anyway, to sum it up, both of these sites were pretty cool and I'm really glad that I went to them.

Bath

Hmmm... what is there to say about Bath. Well, Bath is an amazing city complete with Georgian architecture and the Roman Baths. This was the last field trip that was included in our program, but my favorite so far. We got there in the morning and went to the Roman Baths first. Our tour was called a 'guided tour', however, our guides resembled the large, 80s style cell phones. There were numbers around all the exhibits and if you pressed them in, random information would come out of the speaker. Needless to say, I gave up on using it after the first exhibit. It was a pretty cool exhibit, but easy to walk to though pretty fast! After we left there, Leslie, Ben and I headed up to the "circus" which is a roundabout of Georgian style houses by architect John Wood. They were really cool houses and the chimneys reminded me of Mary Poppins. We then headed back down the street to the Jane Austen Centre. This was about Jane, her family, and their time they spent in Bath. It was a really interesting exhibit, partially because I love Jane Austen. After that we headed to the Bath Abbey, which was right by the Roman Baths. This abbey had amazing ceilings and incredible stained glass windows. It also contained tombs and memorial tombs. We had about an hour before our bus left, so we decided to go have high tea at one of the shops. We ended up having cream tea, which is tea, a scone, clotted cream, and jam. I was a little skeptical of the clotted cream, but it was really good and something I shouldn't have in any excess amount! That was pretty much my experience in Bath, but I would like to go back sometime and just walk around the city.

Cardiff

Let's see here, my most recent trip was to the capital of Wales, Cardiff. It takes about an hour to get to Cardiff from Swansea, so it wasn't too bad of a bus ride! We went to a Welsh museum just outside of the city. The museum was kind of like the living history farms in Des Moines. We walked around to different points outside, such as a manner house, which looked like a castle, to some old farm houses, and to small historical Welsh villages. It was a pretty cool experience to see what the civilizations used to be like in Wales. There was also a few galleries to walk through inside. There was one on Welsh history, one on agriculture, and then one on Welsh dress from the 1800s until today. The last one was my favorite exhibit because I like to see the different fashion trends throughout history. Plus, I remembered a lot of things from my history of costume class that I took this last semester. While looking at the different garments, I could tell what time period they were from without having to look at the dates. It's nice to know that I actually retained some information from my classes! After we left the museum, we went into Cardiff and to the city centre. I'm not going to lie, they had some pretty awesome shopping there. The best part was that they had an H and M, which is my favorite store. The weirdest thing that happened was that there was a protest that was going through the middle of the city centre about Palestine and saying that Bush was the number one terrorist. It really surprised me because I've never seen anything like that before!