Edinburgh Part Deux and Beyond
Posted by Jackie , 07 October 2010 1:04 PM
Sunday in Edinburgh was a blast. Elissa and I cleared out of the hostel around 9 to take a tour (with the company) of the Scottish lowlands and Rosslyn Chapel. (Side note: we tried haggis on Saturday morning and beans on toast on Sunday. The haggis wasn't bad; one of those things where if you'd grown up with it you'd really enjoy it but, if not, you weren't really taken with it. Beans on toast wasn't anything extraordinary either, just very hearty.) The coach took us about an hour outside of Edinburgh to a beautiful view overlooking the River Tweed, apparently a spot favored by Sir Walter Scott. Then, we stopped at Melrose Abbey for an hour to walk around the town (if you've ever wondered what Redwall Abbey looks like, this abbey is it. Elissa was extremely excited.). Then we went to Rosslyn, the main destination. It was stunningly beautiful, with carvings of exquisite complexity and splendor. Sadly, no photos were allowed. After a short look around and a guided-ish lecture, we got back on the bus and we dropped off at the train station. Getting back into London was actually rather stressful; our first train ran late and we had 8 minutes to change to our second. Additionally, the second train was overbooked, so there were a lot of people on the train. Repeat, a LOT. Thankfully, the company with which Elissa and I were traveling had actually reserved seats for us on the train so, despite a decent amount of pushing and arguing, we got some seats. I don't think I've ever been so glad to get back to my own home after traveling; just lying down in my bed without anyone else in the room, with my pillow, and no stress to go anywhere, was the perfect end to an excellent trip.
Since then, I've finally started class. Who'd thought I ACTUALLY had to do that? They all went well, as most lectures do the first time. I'm particularly excited about my Shakespeare course. I Henry IV is on the syllabus, and I just saw its performance at the Globe Theater this afternoon. It was fabulous! The whole experience of watching Shakespeare in the Globe with British actors was unbelievable. I wish the season would go on longer, but the last performances are this weekend.
My last piece of news on the UCL front is that I've decided to join the water polo club team! I wanted to find something that would help me stay active and meet British students, and water polo seems to be the perfect blend of that. My swimming background gives me an advantage over the other polo beginners, which will hopefully get me some more playing time, and all practices and competitions take place between Monday and Thursday. Not only does the club train together, though, they have social events every Wednesday. Last night, for example, we got together at a UCL student pub to mix and mingle.
I'm off now to scour the internet (only reputable sites, of course) to prepare writing a critique essay of Henry IV/Shakespeare reproductions/whatever else appeals to me as an essay topic. I have about a week to get it turned in, so better start early.
Before I leave though, I want to wish a (day early) Happy Birthday to Mom! I doubt I'll post tomorrow, so I hope you have a wonderful day and I can't wait to see you in London in December!
