Cramond Island

Yesterday I was encouraged to visit Cramond Island by Patty. Jessica and I decided that it would be a nice thing to do outside since the weather was so nice. Cramond is about an hour away by bus if you make all of your connections on time. Sadly we did not, but it was okay we only had to wait fifteen minutes until  the next bus came. We were unsure what stop we need to get off at so as soon as we saw water we got off the bus and started walking to the water. It was only about half a mile to the water through a nice residential area and once we got to the water there was a nice park. At low tide it is possible to walk across to the island on an old bridge. Lucky for us it was low tide.

The island was once used as an military bunker in WWII and there are still some buildings on the island.

There is also a old Roman fort in the area and you are able to see the remains of the bath house just up from the park.

Then on our way back into town we stopped at the National Museum of Scotland. It is a really modern building that does not seem that big but once you go in it is endless. We were only there for a little less than two hours but we only saw two exhibits. I plan on going back to see more. It was free and just across from the Elephant House where Harry Potter was started.

Spring Break!

My plan for spring break was fairly simple, spend the first weekend in Ireland and then come back to Scotland for MacBackpacker's tour of Isle of Skye. Here is what happened.
Thursday morning I woke up at 4:30 in the morning so that I could be ready for our taxi to the airport at 5:30. I was up and ready, but two of the people that were sharing our taxi woke up late. We were just a couple of minutes behind schedule and had plenty of time, but the girls that were later were a little flustered. Once we got to the airport there we quickly made it through security and in order to load the plane we got to walk on the tarmac! I am now able to cross that off my bucket list. After landing in Dublin we took the shuttle to Paddy's Palace and checked in and then walked around town. We saw Trinity College and the Leprechaun Museum.

Trinity College was amazing, the square was simply gorgeous and there were some interesting sculptures within the courtyard.

While at the Leprechaun Museum we were able to walk through the Giant's Causeway and climb on giant furniture. There was also a guide who told us stories about leprechauns. We also picked up our Open Road passes for Bus Eireann and stuff for sandwiches the next day. After a long day out we went back to the hostel for a quick nap and then we went out to dinner at a pub called O'Shea's. I ate fish'n'chips and it was delicious.
On Friday I once again woke up early so that we could catch our bus to Cork to visit Blarney Castle. It was a long ride there, but we were able to see some beautiful countryside. Once we arrived in Cork we got on another bus to Blarney. While in Blarney we walked through the town up to the castle. In case you do not know the Blarney Stone is located within the Blarney Castle. For those of you do not know the Blarney Stone is rumored to give those who kiss it the gift of eloquency. The only problem is that the stone is located at the top of the castle and you need to lay on your back at the top of the castle and lean over backwards to reach the stone. For those who are afraid of heights it is not very accessible. To reach the top of the castle you need to climb up 120 steps in a very steep spiral stair case. I managed to make it all the way up and was able to kiss the Blarney Stone.

Then we walked through a garden that was on property and found a giant tree to climb in.

After walking around for a while we got back on the bus to Cork to catch the bus to Killarney where our next hostel was located. Once there we checked in and walked around town to find a restaurant to eat dinner at. We found Corkey's Pub on one of the main streets and stopped and ate. I had the Traditional Irish Stew and the other girls all had burgers. Everything was delicious and the locals were very nice. It was a common experience to be called "love" whenever I was asked a question while I was in Ireland. Then we went back to our hostel to go to bed and wake up and go to the Cliffs of Moher.
To make it to the Cliffs of Moher we had to catch the bus in Killarney at 9:00 to Limerick and then the bus in Limerick to Ennis. Once in Ennis thought that there was a bus to Cliffs of Moher but due to the fact that we went during the off season there was not a bus until later that day so we had to get a taxi to the Cliffs of Moher. It was worth every penny it took to get there though, the views were amazing and we had a picnic lunch while we were there.

While at the Cliffs of Moher here is what caught my attention, it is a little small but the sign says "Dangerous Cliff Edge". No one would guess that there would be a cliff at the Cliffs of Moher.

After our lunch we made our way back to Killarney by reversing our previous travels. It was a long day but it was a lot of fun and the landscape was more like the pictures you see of Ireland, with the stone fences separating the fields and sheep covering the hill side, than what is seen in the more southern region. On our way back we spent a couple of hours walking around Limerick and our timing was perfect. We walked down to the river and as we were there a man was throwing old buns into the river for all the swans and other birds.

That night we visited the Killarney Grand, a pub located in town and I had a Guinness while I was in Ireland. Then we went back to the hostel and I promptly fell asleep. We decide to sleep in before we caught the bus to Limerick on Sunday.

 On Sunday we slept in and then took the bus back to the Dublin airport where we checked in and then went to get some McDonalds. When we went to try and get through security we were denied because our flight was actually for the next day. Our MacBackpacker tour left the next day at 9 in the morning. We tried to get another flight but it would have cost us over 200 euros. So we booked a room at Paddy's Palace and went to wait for the airport shuttle. We waited for the shuttle for over two and a half hours and finally got a taxi. By the time we got to the hostel it was 11:30 and the other six people in our ten person mixed hostel were asleep and only the top bunks were open. We experience sleeping in a room with six other strangers before waking up on Monday morning and walking down Grafton St. to St. Stephen's Green in Dublin were we spent the day, ate another picnic and relaxed in the sun before heading back to the airport for our flight to Edinburgh.

I came back to the Palace at two o'clock in the morning and changed into pj's and crawled into bed. We missed our tour of Isle of Skye so the rest of my spring break includes relaxing around Dalkeith and Edinburgh while reading and working on my papers that are due the end of the semester so that I do not have to worry about them.

Mid-Semester!

It is crazy how time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I was packing my bags to head off to Scotland and here it is almost fifty days later, half way through the semester and I am once again packing my bags, but this time for spring break in Ireland. The weekend before spring break was very relaxing. I finished planning what I am doing in Ireland and a spent a lot of time outside. The weather was amazing and there was more people walking around the estate than I have ever seen before. Whenever I would go on a run there would be a multitude of families out walking with their dogs and young children. It makes it a little intimidating when you are gasping for breath while running up a hill and there is a group of six people with eight dogs walking toward you. The lawn just had the grass cut and it smelled amazing while running around it.
Tomorrrow is the last day of classes before spring break and two of my three classes were cancelled! This means that me and my roommates are planning on doing a deep spring cleaning for our room. That means windows open all day, washing the bedding, dusting, vacuuming, and washing the windows. Hopefully with the help of some upbeat music the day will go by fairly quickly and then when I come back from spring break the room will be smell great and be nice and clean.
Then I have one last class before I finish packing for Ireland! And dinner duty too, my clan has kitchen duty this week so my last individual kitchen duty today did not seem as momumental as I thought it would because I have to work in the kitchen again tonight and tomorrow.
I will be spending four days in Ireland and our plan is to see Dublin, Killarney National Park, Cliffs of Moher, Limerick, and Galway. Hopefully we will be able to see everything that we want to. Then after our flight gets back into Edinburgh at midnight on Sunday I am off to the Isle of Skye on Monday morning with MacBackpackers in Scotland. I will be back on Wednesday night so be prepared to read all about my adventures in Ireland and the Isle of Skye on Wednesday (with lots of pictures)! The rest of spring break is dedicated to relaxing in Dalkeith and Edinburgh and working on my papers that are due the end of the semester. Have a great week!

Coriolanus

Sunday was a fun day with my host parents and Lael. Lael and I rode the bus into Edinburgh and walked along Princes St. and the park that is at the bottom of the hill that the castle is on. It was beautiful and the daffodils had bloomed along the the side jof the cliff which made the park very colourful. We then went to the Filmhouse to watch a movie that was a modernised Shakespeare play, called Coriolanus. We did not know much about the movie going in but as it started both Lael and I were surprised by the actors. Coriolanus was played by the actor who played Voldemort in Harry Potter and Aufius was played by Gerald Butler. Yet, neither one of us had heard of the movie before we saw it. The play was very dark, but good and the acting was well done as well. All in all a good movie.
After the movie we ate an early dinner at the cafe in the theater. I had nachos and they were some of the best nachos I have ever had. Once we were done eating we made our way back to the Palace to work on homework and relax before starting a new week.

Country Dance, Castles and Palaces

This week, unlike last was quite busy. Monday was the same as normal, Woke up, ate breakfast, went to Intro to Emerging Disease, did some homework, ate lunch, went to Scotland: Society and Globalisation, ate dinner, knitted and went to bed. Tuesday was a little different. I ran in the morning after breakfast and went Lael and I visited our family for dinner. The meal was delicious, lasanga that was made in a crockpot and a nice salad. For desert, fresh strawberries and blueberries with ice cream. It was delicious. After dinner we went to a traditional Scottish country dance with Dale. Most of the people there were rather old but, there were a couple younger girls. One of the girls, Blanca, had just come to Scotland that Saturday from Spain. It was great to meet a new person and we are going dancing with her again next Tuesday. Wednesday was once again full of classes but afterward I went out to Mayson's for a hour or two with some others to relax after a long day. Thursday I ran again after breakfast through a nice wooded path that runs near the Palace. It was beautiful and the weather was amazing. After doing some homework that day I went out in Edinburgh to visit The Hive, a dance club. It was interesting to say the least. Most people do not go out on a Thursday night so it was a little slow, but still fun and we made it back without catching the late bus.

Friday was the big day. There was a house trip to Stirling Castle and Linlithgow Palace. Our train left the station at 9:33 so most people left the Palace at eight. It was an hour long ride to Stirling and then we walked up the hill to the Castle. It was gorgeous.

They have slowly been restoring the Castle to its original look. The Great Hall is a yellowish color now which really stands out against the stone that surrounds it and the insides on many of the buildings have reproductions of the original tapestries hanging from the walls.

The ceiling tiles in one of the rooms in the Castle.

We spend a couple of hours there and then caught the 1:06 train to Linlithgow. Linlithgow Palace was the complete opposite of Stirling. The Palace is in ruins and you are allowed to run around almost all of it.

You can climb all the way up to the top of the tower and go all the way down into the cellars of the Palace.

My view from the top. (You can see where I was in the picture above. I am in at the top of the tower on the left hand side. It was really high.)

This is a stairway that leads up from one of the lowest points in the Palace.

To say the least it is like a giant playground. You are able to see the glory that the Palace once possessed in the enormous fireplaces and arched ceilings.

The fireplace in the Great Hall of Linlithgow Palace.

Arches along one of the walkways surrounding the courtyard of the Palace.

The fountain that is located at the center of the courtyard in the Palace.

After exploring all that could been seen in Linlithgow we hopped on the train back to Edinburgh, did some shopping at the mall and rode back to Dalkeith on  the bus to eat some dinner and relax.

Fun Around Town

This last week has been fairly uneventful. On Tuesday I walked a different way than normal and found the animals that I have been looking for for the last month, which was fun. Lael took some great pictures of the horses while we were petting them. Wednesday was classes as normal and Thursday I had to kitchen duties, so most of my day was spent in the kitchen with Henry.
Thursday night a group of us went out to some pubs in Edinburgh. We went to the Tron and Finnagan's. The Tron was cool and had tables and couches all over the place, but it was a little quiet. Finnagan's was just the opposite. It was packed. There was barely room to get through the door and there was a live band. We left Finnagan's around 12:30 and walked to the bus stop but by the we got there, there was still a thirty minute wait until the bus came. So we bought some pizza and ate it at the bus stop.
Friday was a nice relaxing day of movies and Lael and I went into Edinburgh to have dinner with our host family. We rode the bus into town and walked to their house which is simply beautiful. It is an old traditional Edinburgh house. We ate roasted vegetables, a nice avacado and tomato salad, and chicken. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. We then continued to talk for a couple more hours and Neil, our host father, drove us home. It was great night.
Saturday consisted of writing papers, watching movies and going to the store to buy everything needed to make tacos for supper that night. A very laid back day. Sunday, I went to St. David's for church and then went into Edinburgh with Erin and Lael to go shopping. Lael and Erin both got a deal on new shoes. We all bought knitting supplies for the class Tari was teaching that evening. Sunday at 7:30 we started our first knitting class. It was crazy. I know how to crochet, but my hand kept getting stiff and I had no idea what I was doing for a long time. I think I have it down now though and can knitt and pearl. Crocheting is still easier and goes much quicker. if I had to choose between the two for making a blanket, it would be crocheting hands down. But now I can say that I can do both. There was my week/ weekend in a nutshell. Hope you had a great week too.