El Fin

Going away is only half of every great journey--the other half is the return. Thus, I am home now, trying to get back on East Coast time. It's been an amazing adventure from the crazed trip to the airport back in June to navigating the mess of Customs upon my return. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and hopefully I'll find something else to blog about in the near future. Until then, thanks for reading!

Nicole

July 29-Britannia and Stramash

We started today's adventure on a bus to Leith, which is just outside Edinburgh on the coast. Here, the former Royal Yacht Britannia is docked as an exhibition. It was used by the royal family on trips of state business and holiday. Whereas most of the royal sites we've been to have a high degree of extravagance, the Britannia feels more like a country house rather than a palace. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II designed the yacht in the hopes that it would feel more like a home than an elaborate palace. This is not to say it was sparsely decorated or furnished. The rooms used for functions and housing were beautiful and certainly worth of the royal seal. It was a great way to spend the morning.
We had lunch at Clarinda's Tea Room, so named for Robbie Burns' friend and mentor. They had a great selection of lunch foods and a tempting tray of sweets. I indulged in a bowl of carrot and coriander soup and a scone with the works (butter, jam, and cream--so good). The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the Royal Mile shops and exploring Victoria Street, a street of unique boutiques and restaurants. It was a great day for browsing; I'll admit that by this point, I was fairly museumed out.
We attended a fabulous musical showcase in the evening, in which we heard bagpipes, fiddles, guitars, and a few singers performing traditional Scottish music. The session, called a "stramash," was a great hour of music and a little bit of history of the music as well. One song I'm sure you all know would be Robbie Burns' "Auld Lang Syne," which was actually originally sung to a tune different from the one popularized today. It was a great finale to our time in Edinburgh. Since it was right across the street, we headed to the Elephant House for dinner. We endured a terribly long wait for our food--almost 45 minutes, and it wasn't that crowded. I can see how JK Rowling could've written the lengthy Harry Potters here. But the dessert almost made up for the long wait. I don't know what it was called, but it was a cake of chocolate graham cracker crust, caramel, cream, and chocolate sauce on top. So good!

July 28-Royal Mile and Arthur's Seat

Today was a pretty full schedule, so we started bright and early with the Tartan Weaving Mill. The guidebook made it seem like it would be more of a museum of tartan weaving, but it turned out to be just a tartan shop with a view of a couple looms below. We did get to see a tartan in progress, but other than that, it was pretty much a bust. Nevertheless, we pressed onward to the Writers' Museum, which focused on Scottish greats Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Robbie Burns. The museum had a great collection of artifacts from all three authors, including personal items and early manuscripts. A great site for any literary enthusiast, especially since it's free. From there, we headed to Gladstone's Land, which is a restored tenant building from the 17th century. It was pretty cool to see what a house at that time would have looked like. We saw what looked like early prototypes of the Exersaucer and Renaissance style cooking utensils. Then it was off the Royal Mile and onto George IV Bridge to hit the National Museum of Scotland. The museum houses the other half of the Lewis chess set that is housed at the British Museum. There's also a cool section on early Scotland, which combines a geological history as well as the early peoples of Scotland. While I was watching a video on how Scotland formed (fun fact: Scotland and England were on separate continents before they collided), I noticed that the man sitting next to me looked very familiar. Turns out, it was Sean Ryder, the Lit and Film professor from the NUI Galway summer program. Small world. Anyway, after browsing through the museum, we headed across the street to Greyfriar's Kirk. There's a lot of history behind this church, including the signing of the National Covenant that resisted pressure to convert to Anglicanism, but it is most famous for being the grave of John Gray. John Gray spent his final years with a little Skye terrier named Bobby. When he died, Bobby would sit by his master's grave, leaving only to get food at a local butcher shop. Bobby stayed at the grave until he himself passed away and was secretly buried in the churchyard (animals weren't allowed to be buried in consecrated ground at that time.) Today, Bobby's grave is the recipient of many gifts and notes. A guide there told us that recently, someone left an envelope of unused German bus tickets and a note-- "Bobby, please come to Oktoberfest."
For lunch, we stopped at the Elephant House, where JK Rowling wrote much of the early Harry Potter books. Although there was a bit of wait, our lunch was delicious--a beef and mushroom pie with mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum!
Our next stop took us to the other end of the Royal Mile and Holyrood Palace, one of the royal residences. We got to tour through, since the Queen was not in residence. It's very strange to walk through, because though it looks like a museum, all that really happens when it's opened for residence is that the ropes are removed and the carpets are rolled back. It really is a fully functioning palace. The rooms were very exquisite and beautiful. It was interesting to see all the portraits of Scottish monarchs along with the English from the Tudor period on. Macbeth was even there. They also had the royal apartments opened, where Mary, Queen of Scots lived. It was also where Mary's second husband killed her secretary, an event that led to Mary being forced to abdicate the throne and lose custody of her son and heir, James IV of Scotland (to be James I of England). She appealed to Elizabeth I for help, but since Mary was a potential competitor for the English throne, Elizabeth had her locked up and eventually tried and executed for treason. Not the best of luck for Mary Queen of Scots. We also explored the gardens and the ruins of the Holyrood Abbey, which was beautiful though no longer functional.
After we left Holyrood, the real adventure of the day began. Rising up above the town of Edinburgh, there is an extinct volcano known as Arthur's Seat. There isn't really any connection to the King Arthur myth, though it's said that one side looks like a sleeping lion. But regardless, Arthur's Seat is the highest point in Edinburgh. So, naturally, we had to climb it. Props to my mom, who indulged me on this one. The trek up is fairly uneventful, since the vegetation is low lying and the path just meanders to the top. But the real draw of the climb is the views. From the top, one can see all of Edinburgh, from the entirety of the Royal Mile to the farmland outside the city, to the firth of Forth and the other side of the river to the North Sea. It's absolutely incredible--a must-do for anyone spending any time in Edinburgh. The wind up on top is incredibly strong; you almost feel as if you're going to blow away. It really feels like you're standing on the top of the world.
Anyway, we eventually decided to head down, since we were getting hungry. For dinner, we decided to try the World's End pub, so named because it stands on the wall that used to mark the city boundaries, thus "the world's end." Unfortunately, you must be 18 to enter, and I had to walk back up the Mile to the hotel to get my passport, since I lost my license in London. It was a bit of a pain, but so worth the hassle. Mom and I had our first drink together, a very momentous occasion, and the food was incredible--a steak and ale pie for dinner and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. We had a chance to make friends as well, including one guy from Cork who I spoke a little Irish with and our table neighbor from Russia. It was a lovely evening, but I was glad to get back to the hotel--I probably couldn't have walked another step!

July 27- Hello, Edinburgh!

There's a roadside sign on the border of Scotland and England that orders "Haste ye back" as you leave Scotland behind; I saw it on my last visit to the UK. I don't know if two years is really "haste," but nevertheless, here I am in Edinburgh once again! The minute I could see the town from the plane I remembered how much I love this small city on the Scottish coast. As opposed to the hustle and bustle of London, Edinburgh (pronounced Ed-in-bur-ah) has a much more leisurely pace, and more space to find your own place in the city. Plus, the scenery of Edinburgh is absolutely gorgeous--hills and mountains everywhere! As Mom took over most of the planning of our London adventure, I handled the Edinburgh. Let it be a warning to anyone thinking of letting me plan a trip for them: Prepare to climb things. Our first stop after the hotel was Edinburgh Castle, which sits at one end of the main drag known as the Royal Mile. Storming this castle is quite a feat, as it sits up on an extinct volcano after a long uphill climb just to the entrance. Once inside, we took a quick tour and checked out the fabulous views from the ramparts. Attractions include the Scottish crown jewels, which aren't as elaborate as the English ones but still pretty hardcore, and the Stone of Scone, which is the stone that all Scottish kings were crowned upon. It was stolen by the English for the coronation chair, which is displayed in Westminster Abbey, but then returned as a sign of good will. It will be used for all future coronations, but its permanent home is now in Scotland. There's also a very nice monument to Scottish war veterans at the highest point of the castle. We took a good amount of time to explore the castle and then headed out and down the hill to the Princes Street Gardens, which in addition to lots of flowers and nice views of the castle, have a fully functional floral clock. I can affirm that it is indeed working and on time. Making our way down the Royal Mile, we popped into the High Kirk of St. Giles. The Edinburgh skyline is full of church steeples, St. Giles being just one of them. The church was simpler than ones we visited in London, but still quite spectacular. I couldn't find anyone really exciting that was memorialized there, but there was a plaque that said "Thank God for James Young Simpson's discovery of chloroform anaesthesia in 1847." Thank God, indeed. Our further exploration took us to the North Bridge, "just to see what the view was like." From the bridge, we spotted a series of monuments up on a hill. Following in my need to climb every mountain, up we went! We thus found the Old Calton Graveyard, where David Hume is buried and there is a large Washington Monument-type obelisk erected. But we weren't done yet--we then climbed up what we later identified as Calton Hill. The views up here were incredible, especially since we were up there just as the sun was beginning to set, casting great shadows across all the buildings below. Definitely worth the trek up. There are some interesting monuments up there, including a structure that looks like the Parthenon.
By the time we got off the hill, we were ready to eat, but first we had to find the food. Mom's iPhone located a potato place called the Tempting Tattie, but it proved a challenge to find it. In my defense, it was on a street that was no accessible from the bridge. After much wandering, we finally found it. It was no Spudhouse, but the food was filling and cheap--so essentially perfect. We made our way back to the hotel and crashed, hoping for a good night's sleep before more conquering tomorrow.

July 26-St. Paul's, the Globe, and Covent Garden

First priority of today was definitely St. Paul's Cathedral. The last time I was in London, there was some sort of important ceremony taking place and we were unable to see the inside. Therefore, I was determined to fill that gap in my London experience. It was totally worth the price of admission. The Cathedral is absolutely stunning, with beautiful gold work and decorations and an impressive dome in the center. Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed inside the cathedral, but I'm not sure that a camera could really capture the amazing detail of each part of the building. Along with a beautiful area that functions as a church, we were also able to see the cathedral's crypt, where many important figures are buried. The Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson have the most impressive tombs--you certainly can't forget that they were significant individuals. Less visually spectacular but certainly more personally exciting were the plaques commemorating JMW Turner and William Blake. The architect, Christopher Wren, is also buried here with a plaque that says something along the lines of "If you seek his legacy, look at the walls around you." After we'd finishing creeping around in the crypts, it was time to climb. The staircase leading up to the dome is essentially divided into three levels. The first level would be the Whispering Gallery, named because of the unique architectural feature that allows a whisper to be heard clearly from all the way across the dome. The guard stationed there took much pleasure in exploiting this fact, whispering things like, "Remember, no cameras" and "Ooooo, the Whispering Gallery!" The gallery offered much acoustic entertainment as well as a great view of the ground floor below. We pressed on then to the Stone Gallery, which is really just a place for those who are out of shape or afraid of heights, because the real goal is the Golden Gallery, the highest point of St. Paul's Cathedral. I should amend my statement about those not in shape--the Golden Gallery is an agonizing 528 steps to climb 85 meters above the ground floor, not a feat for the faint of heart. I don't think there was anyone who wasn't gasping by the end of it. But whether or not, you were short of breath from the climb, the views from the top would certainly leave you speechless. It's certainly debatable that St. Paul's has even better views than the London Eye, though of course the London Eye doesn't demand quite so much for the great photos.
After it started to rain a bit, we descended the same stairs and exited St. Paul's, heading across the Millennium Bridge to the Globe Theater. I mention the bridge because fans of the Harry Potter movies will recognize it as the one from the beginning of the sixth movie when the Death Eaters are terrorizing the city. No Death Eaters today, but there were some ominous rainclouds. Anyway, no true English major can visit London without visiting the Globe, so to the Globe we went. Naturally, this isn't the same Globe of Shakespeare's time--that was burnt down. But it is a pretty accurate reconstruction and still hosts both Shakespeare plays and newer plays during its season. We were unable to get groundling tickets (aka the cheap "seats", quotation marks because its a standing only section right in front of the stage), but we got to watch the tech crew setting up for the evening's production during our tour.
We were a bit hungry at that point, so we kidnapped Beall and went to Covent Garden for lunch. Covent Garden is almost like Reading Terminal Market, with crafts and food for sale. It's also home to the London Transit Museum. We didn't actually go in the museum, but the gift shop is one of the coolest places to get souvenirs. We had some time to kill before we needed to return to our hotel and pack for Edinburgh, so we stopped by Buckingham Palace. We weren't able to make it over for the Changing of the Guard, but it was nice to see it later in the day with less crowds. Unfortunately, the tours of the Palace were beginning the very day we were leaving, but the outside was still quite a sight.

July 25-"We can see the Eiffel Tower from here!"

First on our list today was a must-see in all the guide books--the Tower of London. There's really only one way to experience it, and that's on a Beefeater tour. The Beefeaters are the guards of the Tower, and from what I can tell, are harboring secret ambitions to be stand-up comedians. Our guide was Peter the Beefeater, and he took us through the history and architecture of the Tower. On our wanderings, we got to see the Bloody Tower, where the two princes where allegedly murdered by Richard III, and a delightful exhibit on torture (muhahahaha). Of course, no visit to the Tower of London would be complete without seeing the Crown jewels, so we did that as well and wished we were monarchs... or at least had a few more 532 carat diamonds sitting on our heads. We also said hello to the ravens, who have a legend that states that if the ravens should ever leave the Tower, the White Tower will crumble and the empire will fall. Modern birdkeepers help them out by clipping their wings.
After seeing all of those pretty jewels, we decided to combine retail therapy and sightseeing with a trip to Harrod's, London's iconic super-department store. Harrod's contains five floors of clothing, toys, food, sports equipment, and accessories. We were engaged in more window-shopping, since it's pretty expensive, but it was cool to see the elaborate Egyptian theme to the escalators.
We then exited and took a stroll through Hyde Park. Normally, it's supposed to be very beautiful, but it seems there's a drought (no green grass) and there was also a triathalon today (lots of people... EVERYWHERE). But we got to walk through and even saw the Peter Pan statue. We caught the Tube from the other side of the park and headed back to the Theater District to see STOMP, which was absolutely incredible. It got out fairly early though, so we made another trip on the Tube and rode the London Eye, tallest Ferris wheel in the world. We went right at sunset and got some beautiful views of the city.

July 24-The Perfect Day for an English major

We had a little trouble getting started this morning, but once we got up and got going, there was no stopping us! First stop of the day was the ticket office to schedule our tour of Parliament. Tours are only offered on Saturdays, so it was pretty busy. We managed to get tickets to the last tour of the day. With some time to kill, we went just around the corner to Westminster Abbey, which is the site of numerous coronations and weddings. The abbey itself is absolutely gorgeous, with tons of gold decoration and elaborate ornamentation. But the main draw is the numerous famous people who are buried or honored there. Almost every notable monarch was buried in Westminster, and my favorite monument was definitely the room that housed Elizabeth I and Mary Tudor. Though they didn't agreed in life, the tomb's inscription hopes for a unified resurrection. There are a great many political figures honored in Westminster, including Cromwell, though there's an interesting story there. There's a stone slab inscribed with his name and then 1658-1661, as he was buried in Westminster originally. However, when Charles II restored the monarchy, Cromwell was dug up, hanged, and then beheaded. Clearly public opinion had changed, or perhaps it was a measure taken to prevent zombie uprisings. Jokes aside, my favorite part of the abbey is the Poet's Corner, where literary and cultural figures are honored. As an English major, the main pilgrimage point would be the grave of Geoffrey Chaucer of The Canterbury Tales fame. There are many other notable names listed, including Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Lewis Carrol, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edmund Spenser, Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Milton, and Charles Dickens. It was great to tour the Abbey--I've been here once before to hear Evening Song, which was incredibly beautiful, but it was hard to really get a good look at the place. Another plus: the audio guide was voiced by Jeremy Irons. You really can't beat that.
After Westminster, we took a stroll along the Thames to the Tate Britain, an art gallery where a large collection of JMW Turner's works are housed. I last saw Turner's work when a collection came to the National Gallery in DC, so it was great to revisit his style. He has two distinct styles, one being very clear-cut and realistic, the other being very loose and blurry (clearly, I know my art terms). I prefer the former, but it's always nice to get a good mix.
Finally, it was time for Parliament. All I can say is, if you have the chance to tour it, do it. The building is incredible; I can't imagine what it must be like to work there. We did get a little taste though, as our tour took us through the Houses of Commons and Lords. We also got to see the Robing Chamber, where the monarch prepares before opening Parliament every year. The major highlight of this room was that it had an Arthurian theme. The tapestries depicted Arthurian legends exemplifying the virtues of chivalry and there were also woodcuts telling the story of Arthur's life. I was in heaven. It was a pretty lengthy tour, and I feel like we hardly even scratched the surface--not an easy thing to do, since there are over 1100 rooms in Parliament. But it was such a good tour and an unbelievable experience.
The day was not done yet! We met up with Beall after our tour and headed down to the Apollo Victoria Theater to see Wicked. It was incredible to see, especially in London. The show itself is absolutely phenomenal, and to see it in a city like London... it was the perfect night.
But wait! There's more! We got back on the Tube to return to our hotel, but we made a split decision to go a few more stops to Kings Cross station. Why? To find Platform 9 3/4, of course! We had to wander a bit to find it, but we ended up finding a few other people that looked like they were on a similar quest, and together, we found it! Now that I know how to get on the train, looks like I'll be dropping out of Villanova and transferring to Hogwarts.