London, Bath and Stonehenge, oh MY!

Matt and I took a whirlwind 2 day tour of England only 2 days before we left for home. It was tiring and ridiclously busy but SO fun and worth it, and not very expensive. To recap:

Wednesday, May 23:

We arrived at Victoria Bus Station after a 9 hour bus ride in a hot but not too crowded double decker. We bought a map and planned a rough route and what we wanted to see. We began walking our tour around 7:30am.

First, we wandered up to Buckingham Palace to take photos. Again I was struck by how ugly the place is. And by the way, it was HOT already, and sunny! Nothing like 75F compared to 58F in Scotland to make London feel like a sauna.

We backtracked to Westminster Abbey and the Parliment where Big Ben (the bell in the clocktower) is. We had brunch along the Thames and then walked to Trafalgar Sq. where the National Gallery is. We stopped in to see some da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Ruben. Then we took the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral where we had lunch in the courtyard.

We then walked past The Monument, built to commemorate those killed in a big fire, and looked at London Bridge, which is like the 9th version of the bridge and really not spectacular at all. We then took the tube to Tower Hill and went into the Tower of London.

One story our Beefeater guide told us was about James Scot, whose head took more than 5 blows to detach from his head. His executioner had to take out his knife and cut the remaing grisle from his neck to actually detach it, that's how blunt the axe blade was. Ick. Afterward, because they realized he was royalty and needed a portrait done of him, they sewed his head back onto his body and painted him while dead. In the portrait he looks...very pale.

More than 1500 people were found under the floor of the chapel - beheaded.

We walked over the Tower Bridge, hd dinner, and found our hostel. It was weird to stay there but we were so tired we just passed out, but seriously, I don't think I'd ever do a hostel again.

We went back to Trafalgar Sq. to watch the night in London and finally returned to the hostel to sleep around 11:30.

May 24:

We got up and caught our tour bus to Stonehenge and Bath. We stopped at Stonehenge first. It was first built in 3000 BC and arranged/rearranged for 1500 years, when it was finally abandoned for reasons unknown. No one knows the true origin or purpose of the stones, which is REALLY odd considering how long people looked after them. Some think it's a calendar because of the way the sun passes through the outside circle of stones at certain months of the year. Others think it was meant for sacrifice, religious gatherings, etc. What we DO know is that the stones are about 50 tons, burials ring the outside about 50 metres from the circle, the stones were carved and shaped, we only see now the remnants of the original, and it is every bit as impressive and amazing as people say it is.

After Stonehenge we went to Bath. It's where the first ever coronation ceremony of a king (Edgar in 973 AD) was held. The springs are naturally warm, being heated from the center of the earth and pumped up through the ground, and the Romans built baths around them, believing the waters had healing powers. Bill Bryson, the writer, visited and we could listen to his commentary on our audio tour. We saw one of three shop bridges that exist in the world (we saw the other two in Venice and Florence). I bought some fudge, which Bath is kind of known for.

We then went back to London and saw Hyde Park, where we saw duckies, the Princess Di memorial fountain which is a ring fountain with water running in two different directions, then walked to Victoria Station and ate at Colonade Walk. The bus was VERY full going home but we slept better because it was coole.

We got back at 7:30 in the morning and napped until it was time to say farewell to Kim as she headed back to Germany, then spent the remainder of Friday souvenier shopping.

We packed all Saturday, and left Sunday.

Now, I'm back in Florida. I'll be doing one last post as a wrapup soon, but not quite yet.

-A-

Playing Tourist: Sun 20 - Tues 22

Looking back to Sunday, May 20, let's recap my last week in Edinburgh:

Sunday was the Kitchener House barbecue. Atif, the RA, and Kat (the other RA) bought loads of burgers, sausages, potatoes and drinks and grilled all day from 2pm till past midnight. Everyone gathered outside and ate, played games, and talked for hours. (Pics of the BBQ are in the album "random".)

On Monday the 21st, we had a LONG day. Becca, Tara, Pablo, Noelia, Azahara, Matt and I said goodbye to John (which was VERY, very sad) and then went out to walk about town. We wandered around the Parliment building (it's very ugly, especially compared to the beautiful old buildings of the city), Holyrood palace, the Royal Mile, and Calton Hill, where there are beautiful views of the city and Edinburgh's unfinished parthenon. We then ate at Lloyd's bar and saw "Zodiac" which was actually very good.

On Tuesday, Becca, Tara, Matt and I got up early again and we to Edinbugh castle. It cost a LOT of money to get into but we felt we had to see it. And the tourists were AWFUL but...well, technically we're locals ;o) I bought a Scottish flag and some golf things for mom and dad. We got to see the crown jewels, which are the originals and VERY old not like that the redone versions of the English crown jewels.

In the evening we went to Mary King's Close, which is a street that was built over and is very old, so you get to see how people lived back in the day by going underneath the city. Supposedly it's haunted. Once home, Matt and I booked our trip to London.

It's weird to do touristy things in a place where you feel you belong, but everyone judges your accent and assumes you're a tourist. Very odd :o)

Pictures are up on the pic site under the album "playing tourist."

-A-

4 more weeks

Where did the time go?! It feels like just yesterday I was bumbling around the airport, confused and lost, not sure how the bus system worked, dreading finding how to grocery shop...and basically living like a fish out of water.

That didn't last long, but I still remember the feeling. Now, Edinburgh feels so comfortable, like a real home. I understand where the important things are, how to get there, and how much is a good price (especially considering the exchange rate is currently battering the dollar to death). I'm going to miss the people here SO much, not to mention the weather, the self-reliance and sufficiency I've learned, and the independence I've had. Really, this experience has given me total freedom, and I found that when faced with it, I still know who I am and how to conduct myself. It's a good feeling.

I took my first two exams on the 26th and 27th. EL2 was very easy, just two essay questions, both broad. The hardest part was fitting ALL my general knowledge into broad essay questions. My HA exam was a little more difficult, but even though I may have missed 11% of the exam, the rest was a piece of cake. My NH exam is May 18, but I'm giving myself a break before I begin studying for that.

The other day, Matt, Kim, Becca, Tara and I climbed Arthur's Seat. After sitting around after so much walking in Europe, I needed exercise, and suggested we all go up while the weather was still in the high 60s. It was so easy! I remember climbing it the first time and being SO winded and tired. This time was cake! Cheesecake, even.

Yesterday, Kim and I met at the foot of Arthur's to read, but the weather here is deceptive. Looking outside, it's sunny without a cloud in the sky. Then, you step out there and it's 50, but still, and by the time you walk to Arthur's you're warm and want to take off your jacket. Then, you sit down...and the wind comes up. Hard. And you're freezing. And so you leave...and on the walk home, get all warm again! So, so very frustrating.

Other than that, not too much is new, but I'll be happy to be home and VERY sad to leave everyone here. Maybe I can set up road trips/camping with some of the Americans I've met here.

4 weeks to go...

-A-

PS: some pics added to the "random" folder on my photobucket site.

Exams

Seeing as it's exam time here in good ol' Scotland, I thought I'd give a breakdown of what these consist of here.

In the States, classes are interrupted for one week of spring break, then resume. Students are given one day off ("reading day") and then exams start, and the period lasts about a week or two. Not so here. Here, we get 4 weeks off for Easter Break, then return and exams begin immediately, spaced out over about 4 or 5 weeks of time, from the end of or mid-April to the very end of May.

In the States, classes and grades consist of attendance policies, papers, midterms, quizzes/tests, and in class participation. Here, our tutorials assign us one to two papers which, while they do factor into our final mark, hardly matter. Same with attendance - it affects our grade, but not by much. The tutorial grade may suffer greatly from just one absence, but the tutorial grade is factored into the overall course grade with the lecture mark. The lecture mark is based 100% on the final exam. Depending how heavily tutorial grades weigh in - which differs from course to course - some exams are worth 90% of a grade, although the usual is about 50-70%.

So basically after having 2 weeks off to travel, I return to realize that I am expected to ace exams which cover the entire semester of lectures and are worth a very, very significant chunk of my overall grade. Eek.

My English Lit. exam is the 26th of April; History of Art is on the 27th. Then I have two or three weeks till my last one, Natural Hazards, on May 18th. Talk about not knowing how to evenly space these things. The only GOOD thing about this is that, while with HA I'm nervous due to my inability to memorize artists and dates specifically for random paintings selected, I am rather good at talking about symbolism, theory, and concept, so both EL and HA should be okay. As far as NH goes, I have an outline of a mock exam from the profs, and basically I can answer all the questions on it, so I feel pretty confidant about it.

The grading scale is different here as well. A 40 is a passing grade. A 50-59 is a C, a 60-69 a B, and a 70-79 an A. 80s and higher are nearly impossible to receive on papers, as this puts them in the "publishable" category, but on exams it is possible to get an 80-100. In NH I need about a 50 overall to pass (I am taking it pass/fail at Stetson's standards) and I'd like between a 60 and 75 in EL and HA, but I'm not holding my breath for anything higher than a 64, which is about an average B.

I figure, next year I will be a senior. I'd be pleased with B+s across the board next year because I've worked hard on my GPA so much, I feel I deserve a LITTLE bit of slack.

Also, my classes and living situation have worked out nicely to my liking for next year, so I am in a good place...I just have to survive finals here first!

And maybe...MAYBE...get to London and/or Paris before I leave for the States in 5 weeks.

This time has flown. It feels like none of it has happened, and also like just yesterday I was dazed about public transportation and heavy Scottish accents. I hope I can actually absorb and remember all I've learned, seen, and the people I've met when I leave here. Luckily some of my favorite people from this trip are American, and now that I'm a savvy traveler, visiting them should be easy! I just can't wait to plump up my bank account...and I wish the dollar would hurry up and get stronger. Geez.

All for now - back to studying.

-A-

European Adventure

Hi everyone! I’m back from my trip through Barcelona, Aix-en-Provence, Venice and Florence! It was a really fun trip but I’m glad it’s over. By the end of a vacation like that, you begin to wonder when the relaxation part comes in.

However, now that I’m back, I’m bored of relaxing. Here’s the update, so you can enjoy the trip with me.

Barcelona:

March 27:

We took a bus to Glasgow and a train to the airport, making it on time. Security stopped me, as usual, for my inhaler. By the end of the two weeks, I began to wonder if I shouldn’t just put the aerochamber in a bin with my liquids to prove it’s not a bottle of water.

Anyway, when we got to Barcelona, it was mid-afternoon, warmish and sunny. We took a bus from Girona, where we flew in, to Barcelona, and hailed a non-English speaking cab driver to try to find our apartment. The website gave me the wrong directions, and Fernando, our contact, wasn’t very helpful, so we spent about 4 hours lost in central Barcelona. We did finally get to the apartment, and Fernando was extremely accommodating and nice. The apartment was small, but had a queen sized bed and a full-sized futon, as well as a kitchenette and bathroom. The shower was smaller than a walk-in closet, but I’m short so I didn’t have much trouble. The part of town we were in was 15 minutes from Les Ramblas, the main tourist road, and set in a part of town where the people were mostly locals. We had dinner at a restaurant that served us a ginormous plate of fish for 30Euro, and before going back we bought some breakfasty foods. Back in the apartment, exhausted, we all went straight to bed.

March 28:

We wandered around Barcelona with the help of Jake’s map and guidebook. We stopped by the Eglesia de Santa Maria Del Mar, which looked like nothing special on the outside but was absolutely beautiful inside, as we learned most churches in Europe are. Still wandering, we looked into a cloister bear a museum and found orange trees, which reminded me of Florida.

Finally, we ended up in the Ciutadella Parc, which used to be a fortress but was turned into a park sometime in the 20^th century. It was huge and beautiful. The best part was the fountain! The thing was HUGE, and really, really beautiful. A carving of Venus overlooked the waterfall and at the very top was a bronze statue of a carriage and horses. I can’t really explain the awe I felt at seeing it. We saw some baby ducks in the water, too, which is always a plus.

After the park we stopped for lunch, and the most notable part of that was that Matt ordered “fried fish” and when he got was a plate full of WHOLE fish, dipped in batter and fried, heads intact and all. After taking pictures of that phenomenon, we all basically decided we’d had our fill of sea food.

We saw the Picasso Museum, which was amazing because it showed his growth as an artist. I used to dislike his paintings, thinking that they lacked talent and skill. After seeing that at 13 he was painting amazing, realistic portraits, I understood the irony. He had become bored with realism and, using his knowledge of it, moved on to discover and invent new types of painting, like cubism. I bought myself a sketchbook with Guernica on the cover, and a postcard of one of my favorite paintings, to remember it.

After Picasso, we went to the Catedral, which is the big cathedral in Barcelona. The cloister is guarded by geese, and while Jake’s guidebook didn’t really say why, it did mention that they make good guard dogs. The cathedral was built sometime in the 13^th century, which I find amazing, and continued to find amazing throughout our travels. How people lacking technology were able to build such massive, impressive, lasting structures is beyond me.

Besides the drunk Englishmen taking over the streets, nothing too exciting happened that evening. I had a Spanish omelet for dinner, but prefer Noelia’s, and at the tiny café we ate at we got to see some Spanish TV…which is awful. Their version of the “Office” is called “Camera Café” and…well, let’s just say that even in another language I could tell how bad it was.

March 29:

Walking down Les Ramblas on our way to take a Gaudi tour, we passed birds, bunnies, hamsters, and mice for sale all down the road. I was so tempted to buy a tiny dwarf rabbit. They were absolutely adorable.

The Gaudi tour was basically a walking tour Jake’s guidebook led us on. Gaudi was an architect at the turn of the century, when modernista style was huge in Barcelona. His buildings look like something out of Dr. Seuss books, with huge colorful facades and strangely shaped balconies and walls. At La Pedrera, an apartment building he designed with just about the neatest rooftop and view ever, I bought a calligraphy pen and jar of ink, which the writer in me insisted I purchase. It was only 5Euro (about $7) and I’m happy with it, even though I know nothing about calligraphy.

After the tour, we ate some paella for lunch (yum!) and took a train to Montjuic. This is a mountain named for the graves of Jewish people that were found when they excavated it. We got to see the castle there, with cannons from 1898 and 1923. The view was astounding. We could see ALL of Barcelona, which is huge.

On our walk home we decided to check out the beach and restaurants on the other side of our apartment. This led us to having Chinese for dinner, and an early night in.

March 30:

We woke up at 11am for Montserrat on Friday, and took the subway to the train station for it. We had lunch at the base of the mountain, then took the funicular (which is the coolest name for a tram ever) up the mountain. The mountain looks really cool; it’s very bumpy and seems to be made of dribbled sand. We walked up a bit, but didn’t want to miss the last funicular down the mountain, so we stopped when we got to what looked like a small church. The weather was sunny but cool, probably about 70, and very nice.

We learned a bit about the monestary of Montserrat, and then went into the church, which was overwhelmingly beautiful. The brasswork and sculptures all around were breathtaking, as were the paintings. We saw the black Virgin Mary and Christ statue that was found in a cave on the mountain, which I found fascinating. I need to look up the history on it, but I know people come from miles away to see her.

We took the rackrail back down the mountain and got off at the wrong stop. We had to walk through a small town to get to the next train stop, but I’m glad we did, because the town, Montisrol, was stereotypically Spanish, with small houses with clay tile roofs.

For dinner we ate at the Attic, a place that looks swanky but costs next to nothing. Jake bought us cava to celebrate the beginning of our trip, and I had veal with mashed potatoes that was absolutely delicious and tender. We had gelato on the way home, and went to bed.

March 31:

We went to the Segrada Familia, a church which Gaudi worked on until he died by being hit by a tram. The cathedral is still unfinished, but is supposed to be done by 2012 or so. It is built in the modernista style and the spires on it are the symbol of Barcelona; brightly colored spikes jutting high in the horizon. I like the old cathedrals better, enjoying the antiquity, but it was interesting to see the style of this one.

We then walked to the Gaudi Parc, called Parc Guell, which was supposed to be a residence for the elite class but which was too ahead of its time, being built all in modernista style. The project was left unfinished and is now a park for people to spend time in. It was beautiful between 1900-1914, and it really beautiful. The houses look like gingerbread houses, and the architecture and colors are in keeping with the Dr. Seuss style of modernista-architecture. The weather was absolutely gorgeous.

We stopped at a street market off Les Ramblas and bought inexpensive and delicious raspberries. They had whole pigs, tons of fish, homemade gelato, candied nuts, cheese, and basically the best foods ever. We later returned there to buy dinner, which ended up being the least expensive dinner we had the whole trip, of bangers (sausage) and mash (potatoes) and asparagus, which we all cooked together.

After the market we went to the Museu d’Historia de la Ciutat (history of the city). The museum takes you underground into the excavation that uncovered Roman ruins and earlier buildings in the area, dating back to the 6^th century BCE and earlier. We saw wine cellars, laundry/dye areas, etc, and eventually were led up to the 13^th century castle that now sits on top of it all. The ruins that discovered amazed me, especially because I have trouble imaging people in the 6^th century BCE could have language, let alone use sewing needles, looms, ceramics, glass, metal, and coins. To think I was walking in a place where thousands of years earlier others lived was amazing.

For our last day in Barcelona, it was definitely a good one.

Aix:

April 1:

We took the train to Montpellier and then to Marseille, where we got a bus to Aix-en-Provence, our next stop. We passed pretty little French towns that made me think of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”. We sat near a garrulous old lady who, seeing that I spoke some French, was trying to explain the countryside to me. I discovered my French is rusty, but does work.

I was able to speak to the train station people about schedules, etc, without problems, so I felt pretty good to be a country where I can speak the language. We picked up some breakfast food and retired to the apartment, which was much easier to find than in Barcelona.

April 2:

We went to the tourism office first thing to ask about day trips out of Aix, which is pretty but very small. We went wandered about and found a market, where I conversed with a vendor, telling him we were studying in Scotland but visiting France, and bought fresh brie layered with truffles for 7Euro.

We stopped at a cathedral, which had amazing arches along the ceiling, and wandered around. We discovered that everything closes from noon to 2pm here, which was quite annoying. We did find a GF food store, as Jake’s friend studying in Aix has Celiac and told him where to find it. I bought a baguette, croissants, and pasta, which were some of the best consistency of GF food ever. The brand is “Schaff” or something similar, and I’ll need to search it out here.

Waiting for things to open, I got Nutella flavored gelato (yum!) and looked up information for hiking or visiting Avignon for the next day.

We took a small rest in the apartment until things opened again, then got coffee at a café. Seeing as it was too early for dinner, we then all had some wine at a brasserie and then finally ate. Most restaurants here have a set dinner menu, which is often marked down from its usual price. We had duck for 10Euro for dinner and it was so tender and delicious.

April 3:

We took the 8:15 bus to Puyloubier to climb Mount Sainte-Victoire. We stopped in a tiny grocery to buy water, and I asked the cashier, in French, how to find the entrance trail to the mountain. He directed us up the road, and I felt accomplished and understanding the language when we got to the marked trail. We began the climb at 9 and got to the top at 11:40. It was chilly and windy at the top. We had lunch (I had a baguette with brie) and spent some time lounging at the peak while Matt continued to another.

The day was sunny and gorgeous. The climb was not too difficult up and SO pretty. As we prepared to descend, we ran into a Frenchman who asked us for the time and took him some time to realize we weren’t fluent in French. I, acting as our translator, was able to have some conversation with him. He told us his son was in California, his daughter in Michigan, and asked where we were staying, studying, etc. He was very nice.

The climb down was painful, maybe because it was SO hot by that time. We took the bus back, napped, showered, packed to leave the next morning, and ended our day.

April 4:

We woke at 3:30am, missed our 4:45 bus to the airport, got lost looking for the correct bus station, finally got the bus (spent 7.80E) to the airport…and realized that we were a day early and weren’t leaving Aix till the 5^th. Silly. We took the bus back, spending another 7.80, and napped till noon.

Afterward, Matt and I got lunch, stopped at the GF store, and went to the Granet museum to see sculptures, Cezanne’s exhibit, and 14^th century paintings; I brushed up on my History of Art skills and “studied” for my exam while there. We ran into Jake there and checked out the Eglise Jean-something Malte. The guys got sidewalk crepes and then stopped at a café for chocolat chaude for me.

It began raining, so we moved inside and drew and had wine till it stopped. For dinner I made soup and a baguette which turned out so wonderfully. Having bread with soup is something I’ve missed, especially with bread THAT soft and good.

That night, I found out Dr. Raymond passed away. I was shocked into tears at the internet café, but the next morning decided that he had suffered so long, he was probably ready for it, even if everyone who knew him thought his diabetes would never get the best of him. He was able to complete his revenge novel the semester before, and I don’t think he had many regrets in his life. I’ll miss him a lot, and the English department won’t be the same without him, but I’m glad he’s no longer suffering. I thought about him a lot the next couple days, but slowly came to terms with it.

Venice:

April 5:

We got up at 3:30 and got the correct bus on time this time. We flew into Rome and had an 8 hour layover till our flight to Venice. I had finished my book in Barcelona and left the sequel in Scotland so I read half of Matt’s book (“The Last Templar”) while we waited. We were evacuate for 5 minutes, but were told it was a false alarm. We found the hotel easily using the waterbus to get to Lido from Venice, had dinner, and went back to the hotel to shower and sleep.

April 6:

Matt and I spent the day together alone. We walked about Venice. I bought a Murano glass necklace, choosing the glass and chain myself. We then went in to the Basilica at St. Mark’s Square. It began in the 800s and was finished sometime in the 18^th century. Some of the things in it, like the giant bronze horses (thought to be from Constantine), have been dated to the 2^nd century BCE. The Basilica is beautiful inside, with detailed mosaics covering every wall and ceiling, and amazing works of art everywhere. Being in a building that old never ceases to amaze me.

We then went to the Peggy Guggenheim collection, a museum housing her personal collection of art. We saw Picassos, Chagall, Pollocks (to whom she gave his first exhibit), and Dalis. We discovered a new artist we had never heard of, Richard Pouette-Dart, who is now one of my favorite artists. I wrote down the names of all the paintings I liked that I saw there, so one day I may be able to own a poster of them. As I usually do with museums, I bought postcards of the paintings I liked best.

We took the waterbus to Rialto, where we think we saw a movie star but can’t remember his name. I bought some salami and cheese to carry with me as snacks when quick GF lunches are hard to find. I also bought an Italia jacket because I was cold while we waited to meet Jake for dinner.

April 7:

On our last day, we ate and checked out of the hotel, leaving our luggage there for storage. Then we went to St. Mark’s and went up the bell tower. I prepared for 300 steps and found it was actually an elevator ride up. The view was amazing and showed all of Venice. We then collected our stuff, met Jake, and took the 4:30 train to Florence. I missed the beauty and charm and history of Venice, but not the tourists, which are as thick as the pigeons there, and more obnoxious.

We got into Florence at 7:30, had dinner, and slept.

Florence:

April 8:

We went to the Palazzo Della Signoria in the morning, where recreated statues are. David originally stood there, but was moved into the Galleria dell’Academia due to erosion. I got a picture with the recreation though, and took photos of the Rape of Sabine and some of the other Roman sculptures.

We walked past the Duomo, which is the big cathedral in Florence. It’s green and pink on the outside; very impressive. It being Easter, we were shocked when we were able to worm our way in to view some of the service. I wondered if it was in the original Latin or in Italian. Either way, it was fascinating, especially due to the fact that most of it is just tradition – the costumed guards, for instance. We could hardly see the cathedral, but from what we saw it was beautiful. Luckily we would get to visit it again later in the trip.

We had lunch, then went to the Museo di San Marco, where Frescos painted by Fra Angelico and his company are. The place used to be a monestary, and the cells all have one Fresco each. They date around the 1300s, and how they are still preserved escapes me, but it’s really neat to read the symbolism and everything in them (like St. Peter’s bloody head, which I don’t understand at all).

Afterward, we accidentally found a street market and I bought a watch for 3Euro. We had gelato at a place that boasts 70+ flavors (take that Baskin Robbins). We walked by Dante’s church, a road named for him, and the recreation of his “casa.” We sat at the river to draw and enjoy the sun. At this point I was feeling burnt out. Traveling is fun, but it takes a lot out of you, and for someone who likes to be lazy, like me, having something to do every day was getting difficult.

Anyway, we had dinner at a place we found accidentally that was inexpensive and absolutely delicious, boosting Florence to be one of my new favorite places. I bought a large Louis Vuitton purse, knocking the price from 95Euro to 42 simply by putting my foot down. The street vendors sure are desperate! Good thing I bought it, though, since having a larger carry-on was necessary after the trip haha.

April 9:

Matt and I split from Jake again and rented mountain bikes for the day. We rode them to the Piazzale Michelangelo, where the view of the city is amazing, and witnessed an Asian wedding. We then rode down, following a map from the bike place, and passed the giant, ancient gates of Florence. We rode uphill through the country, leaving the city behind. We saw gorgeous farmland and countryside. If you’ve ever seen “Under the Tuscan Sun” or “My House in Umbria”, this is what it looked like. However, tired and hot, I broke down, cried, and we turned back. We had some gelato to calm me down and sat drawing in Palazzo Della Signoria, where we saw a kilted giant with a little kid on his shoulders. We felt at home at once.

We returned bikes and wandered a street market for a bit, then ate at I Ghibellini again, which was still delicious and inexpensive. Besides my bum being bruised from the bike, it felt really good to be out all day in the gorgeous sun.

April 10:

We wanted to join Jake at the Pitti, a palace turned museum, but it was way too expensive and neither Matt nor I wanted to spend all day in one place. Instead, we went to Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine, a church his art teacher pointed him to. The Brancacci Chapel there is the most famous, and depicts scenes from the life of St. Peter. The painted ceiling was AMAZING, with arches that look 3D but are really flat. It was built in 1268 but burned down and was restored in the 1700s. The Brancacci is original, though, from the 1400s.

I began to notice English is the language people use when they can’t find any other common language. A Russian tourist speaking to an Italian person at the tourist office is wont to use English to be understood. Very interesting.

We saw some gypsies trying to clean people’s cars on our way to lunch. The gypsies in Florence are worse than tourists in Venice. They come up to you and shake change in your face, yelling at you like you owe them money. I don’t speak Italian but I’m pretty sure the woman who bothered me said something like “You borrowed 15 Euros from me and I want it back now!” They are incredibly distasteful, they all are pregnant or have children with them, and basically are worse than pigeons. Ugh. I found all my sympathy for them was gone by the end, to the point where I feel they’re stolen my soul. (Being gypsies, they probably did.)

Matt and I continued to the church and convent of Santa Maria Novella, by the train station. It was begun in the 1200s, and had amazing wall paintings and tombs. I’m getting good at taking illegal photos inside these places.

We also stopped in the church of San Lorenzo, which was consecrated in 393 and enlarged in 1059 CE. This church was done in gray and white, with windows letting in natural light and plantlife inside. It was much less oppressive but still beautiful. Donatello and Michelangelo both contributed art to it, including doors and tombs. The cloister was sunny and beautiful.

We passed up seeing David, annoyed with the line of vapid American tourists, and instead went back to the Duomo, which means “house.” It’s really called the Santa Maria del Fiore. It was huge and amazing, of course, and you can go downstairs to see the excavation where Roman ruins were discovered, again. Again, Donatello contributed stained glass to the church, and to understand the size, let me illuminate: the domed ceiling, which hardly takes up a quarter of the entire church, is 3600 sq.meters. The church is 153 meter by 90 meters. You can climb up under the painting and even go outside and stand along the dome to look over Florence. We planned on returning to do so in the morning, when I wasn’t sore from the biking the day before.

I finally broke down and bought a leather bound handmade notebook, which are all over Italy for some reason. Matt bought a green and pink silk tie. We went back to the river and I wrote haikus in my new journal while Matt drew. We had dinner with Jake at the Trattoria al Trebbio, which Alan recommended to us all the way from Stetson. The veal I had was amazing.

On our way home, we passed some chalk art the artists had worked on for about 10 hrs, depicting famous paintings of Venus and the Virgin Mary. The police were out after the purse guys, so Matt couldn’t buy a hat for his brother.

April 11:

We woke early and climbed to the top of the Duomo. It’s 463 steps up, but only takes about 15 minutes. We could see all the churches we had visited the day before. I bought some GF food at a pharmacy, then had lunch and walked back to the apartment. It was absolutely smoldering out, at least 75. We caught our train at 3:57 and said goodbye to Florence.

The rest of the trip home was without incident, besides sleeping in the airport, and returning to Scotland while it was somehow 68F. I’m wearing a dress today, it’s so warm. We left it cold and dead, and returned to yellow flowers everywhere!

I’m glad to be back, but what a trip! I can’t wait to try to get back to France and Italy some day. My photos are extensive (over 400) and hopefully all labeled correctly. They are up at the link on the blog.

And now, as this update took me a couple hours…time for dinner.

-A-

I can see your rolling fields of green and fences made of stone...

Back from Ireland!!

Ohmygosh the trip was...well, it was excrutiating. We went to three different major cities in four days, spent hours in the car, slept in random housing...but basically, despite being freezing, wet, and exhausted, I had the time of my life.

15 March:

We all met at DH at 4pm to get a bus to the airport. Our flight left at 7pm and we arrived around 8:30. Security stopped me for having water and assumed my aerochamber was a bottle of water as well, but let me go when I showed them otherwise. There were tons of problems with renting cars. The car rental place allowed someone 21 to book the cars, but you need to be 23 to drive them, so we could only get 2 instead of 3. 2 cars for 13 people! But we crammed in, with Britt in the back with the baggage. Christina, who had never before driven on the left side of the road, took an experimental drive around the parking lot (did I mention all cars here are manual?).

We got to the hostel (Jamaica Inn) and got our rooms, which was one for ten people and one where three people stayed with strangers. Matt was the only guy in the 10-room. We put our stuff away and went to walk around the town to find food. We ate at a pizza/burger place, and found a sign that read "O gCearnaigh"...which is the last name Matt has always found when looking up his ancestry. When he discovered we were in fact on the West coast and found a "Kearneys Cycles" sign, we were nearly positive we had found his hometown! It was such a great coincidence.


16 March:

We woke up and left the hostel at about 9:00am. We drove to the Cliffs of Moher and Tower O'Brien. We stopped by a tiny store for food on the way and they had a GF section! Go figure. The cliffs were really amazing; the birds sitting on the cliffside looked like tiny specks compared to the massive cliffs. The waves and wind were so strong that we got "rained" on by Atlantic Ocean water. The view was absolutely breathtaking. And the bathrooms were very futuristic, with water-fall type faucets and a picture of the cliffs painted on the stall doors.

We stopped by a random castle on our way to Des's to have lunch. There are so many ruins of old homes and churches in Mayo (the county we were in). We'd see just one wall standing, or a whole building standing with no roof.

We stalled 3 times trying to follow Des's car and got separated at a roundabout (which they have instead of interstates, very dumb). We played hide and seek with the other car for about 2 hours before we randomly ended up at a place where Des used to work, and he came running up to find us, and then chased our car until we passed safely through the roundabout.

Des's mom made us bangers and mash for dinner - basically a shepard's pie without a pie. It was the best meal I've had, probably because it was homecooked. Then we all prepared to go out.

The pub we went to first was where Des works. We played Circle of Death. By the time we got to the third pub of the night (Cosy Joe's), we were having a wonderful time. Some random older lady, who appeared to be drinking alone, started dancing with us when we all fromed a circle to sing Piano Man. They played lots of Johnny Cash as well. Some creepy guy asked Kim, Matt, Aimee, and me if we were American, but when Steph told him she was from Manchester he backed off.

After the bars, we went to Des's sister's house for coffee and some guitar playing. Then we split up and some of us went back to Des's, where we stayed, and others slept at Rachel's.

March 17:

The group who stayed at Des's woke at 7:30am to eat beans, toast, sausage, and tea (very Irish breakfast) and went hiking. We climbed Croagh Patrick, which is 2510 ft high at its highest peak, but we only made it 1/2way because of the terrible rain and wind! It was like a hurricane! All our clothes were soaked through, but I am so glad we got up early to climb it. It was beautiful. However, the rest of the weekend I was cold and wet.

We drove to Galway after a short nap and drying of clothes, where we met up with Des's friends who were allowing us to stay in their house for St. Paddy's Day night. We watched some rugby 6-Nations games, then went out to walk about town. It was drizzling on us the entire time. We stopped in bars, and boy do those Irishmen start drinking early, especially on this holiday! By 7:00pm the pubs were PACKED. We mainly went to four bars, including Des's favorite "Taaffes". In the end we stayed at Spanish Arch to drink and listen to live music.

At the end of the night, we walked home and crawled into random places to sleep in the guys' unheated house. We all cuddled to keep warm. Suffice it to say, not a very comfortable sleep, but an adventure nonetheless.

March 18:

We left past noon for Dublin, just Matt, Des, Chris, and Christina. The others (Britt, Kim, Aimee, Steph) took a bus - Carlos, Augustine, Amandine, and Sheyla had already split from us the previous night. We had time to stop at Dublin's city center, so we did. We arrived to sunny weather...and then got snowed on!

The snow was heavy and wet, like pouring rain, and came on suddenly. It ended just as quickly. I bought a couple necklaces (one for Stephie) and golf paraphenalia for mom and dad. I plan on sending those sometime this week before I leave for Barcelona. Des pointed out the spire in the city center which...well, we don't know why it's there, but it's famous. He also pointed out the post office, where the Easter Uprising occurred in 1916.

By the end I was exhausted and grumpy, but really glad I had the experience of Ireland. It was one of those "fly by the seat of your pants" trips, and every minute was exciting. Ireland is absolutely beautiful, and in the summer I'd love to try climbing Croagh Patrick to the top. I did wish some KH people could be there, because I knew they'd appreciate it a lot.

Now, I have to prepare to finish editing my NH paper, shop for traveling gear in Glasgow with Kim, and plan our Haiku pub crawl. Possibly I will get to Paris and London between finals but for now...Well, Barcelona awaits me in 8 days! I can't wait to get back to Euros...the exchange rate is fantastic compared to the pound.

One more note: On the way home, I ditched my water. The security guy stopped me for my contact solution. It cost me five pounds so I was NOT pleased. Then, the guy used common sense and told me if I could use some he'd let me keep it. Thank goodness some people out there actually think before following stupid laws.

-A-

American Night

This weekend, the Americans all decided it was important to teach the Scots something about American drinking. Here, drinking is a national passtime. Everyone is expected to drink. It's an emblem of Scotland (and Ireland). Drinking is basically a national tradition. Well, we do it a bit differently in the States. Instead of being satisfied with sitting around and drinking, we need some sort of entertainment to keep us energized, or else we just get tired. Hence the use of drinking games, which are basically non-existent here.

Tara, Becca, Matt and I agreed to get plastic cups, ping pong balls, and cards for games of Kings/Circle of Death, Drunk Driver, Trapped, and of course...beer pong. We bought beer (cider for me) and started the festivities after 10pm.

First we played Circle of Death, which was quite hilarious. It was a good warm up. Ross, providing ping pong balls by way of the hollow plastic "widgets" found in Guiness cans, watched us and laughed at us and played with the music. Then we set up for pong. Matt and I beat Tara and Becca, but Callum and Daniel were somehow able to beat me and Matt, even though they had never played before (being Scottish and Spanish, after all).

After that, we were content to just finish slowly the drinks we had racked up in pong, playing trapped and drunk driver with Tara as dealer. We all went to bed around 2am.

Everyone took it easy Saturday, and tonight we saw Outlaw. The movie trailer was better than the movie, and the jumpy screen and closeup shots made the girls kind of sick. A waste of four pounds. :(

Anyway, this weekend was fun, but I NEED to get work done (or at least started) before I leave for Ireland on Thursday. I bought a tiny notebook to keep as a journal while traveling without my laptop, so I'll be able to update at the end of the trip. But my NH essay is due 23 March by 5pm, and I have an oral presention on DH Lawrence to give at 3:00 the Tuesday after Ireland (the 20th), so I need to prepare that BEFORE I leave. Blast.

My new favorite word: Scaffy (a word one would use to describe gypsies, according to Ross).

In a sentence: Stop cheating you scaffy bastard!

-A-