Wednesday 7/8-Monday 7/13

Good morning all,

Sorry I have gotten so far behind with this blog. But, on the plus side it means I get to write a really ridiculously long one for today.

Starting with Wednesday: I spent the afternoon exploring the Tower of London. My friend and I were especially interested in seeing the Crown Jewels, so after exploring the grounds for a bit we headed to that exhibit. I thought the layout of the exhibit was great because while waiting in the insanely long line there were films playing of the various coronations and detailed descriptions on the history of all of the pieces on display. After this brief voyage we met up with friends and did some shopping at Harrods.

Wednesday night we saw one of the most famous British plays, Arcadia. We had read the play for class so it was interesting to observe all of the details that are lost when the play is read rather than performed. The play bounces between the 18th and 19th centuries and while reading the play, I found that the 18th century characters were much more interesting and much easier to relate to. But, strong performances from all of the actors completely altered my opinion of the play. Perhaps, if I have time, I will reread the play after having seen it and will be able to make new discoveries.

Thursday was roommate bonding day aka shopping with my roommate Susie. We explored the area around Notting Hill and then wandered back over to Harrods. I definitely picked the right time to be here because the huge Harrods sale goes until the end of the month :) Then, Thursday night I planned an outing for the gang to our first Indian restaurant. I did my research and found a well reviewed and inexpensive restaurant only one underground stop from the house. The food was great and my friends all really enjoyed themselves.

Then Friday it was off to Scotland. We left on the 10am train from Kings Cross station and headed up north to Edinburgh (yes, it is the Harry Potter journey, leaving from Kings Cross and heading north). When we arrived in the center of the city we first headed over to our bed and breakfast. The home was very nice and it was great that all 12 of us were able to stay in the same location. We dropped off our bags and then headed out on a hike of Arthur's seat. The hike is comprised of two peaks and at the top of the second one is able to view a 360 degree view of the entire city and surrounding area. Only half of us were able to make it to the top of the second peak, but the view was well worth it.

Saturday we headed over to Edinburgh castle. The trip included an abundance of bag pipes and some more great views of the bay and the city (the castle is atop a tall hill). Then, we spend the afternoon wandering around the city. At seven we all met up at the beehive inn and pub for the literary pub tour. Two actors engaged in a dialogue and led us around three pubs and 200 years of Scottish literary history. It was quite interesting but somewhat hard to follow due to thick accents and my lack of prior knowledge on the subject. The tour left us at a large pub/cafe so we hung out there for a while. There weren't enough seats at our table so I sat at the bar by myself. I ended up engaged in a conversation with two elderly Scottish men who were extremely entertaining. They told me that Scots were responsible for soul music and they asked me about where Scottish influence was most apparent in the US. As lifelong Edinburgh residents they were certainly the epitome of Scottish pride. One of my friends decided to join in on the conversation and we both had a great time. After this, I was tired so I headed back to the house with a friend. The rest of the gang headed out to a kareoke place where they were able to get their own room. Since I am tone deaf I am still thinking my choice to head back was a good one and I had a good time hanging out with my friend.

Sunday morning, following our Scottish breakfast (strange bacon and eggs and my friends had sausages etc.) we walked over to the beach. We sat on the rocks for a while and then headed over to the JK Rowling pub (Called "The Elephant House"). The food was great and it was interesting to note that from the window one could view the Edinburgh castle where it meets the edge of a cliff...very Hogwartsish in appearance.

Fortunately we decided to head back earlier than scheduled (we all had work to do) because there ended up being problems with the scheduling and delays resulted in the ultimate cancellation of our train (we were supposed to leave at 7 but decided to jump on the 5pm train home).

Which brings me to today. I am probably going to catch up on some sleep this afternoon and get some work done. I also need to do some errands, so it will be a productive day. Then 7:30 theatre outing followed by a night of reading Waiting for Godot (we're discussing the play this week and seeing it next week).

I hope you are all enjoying the summer.

Love,

Hope

PS- some scots gaelic terms for your enjoyment (although I would not recommend saying this in public): pog ma thoin (kiss me arse) and then pog mo "wee" (last word spelled phonetically..kiss yer own!)