Lesson 5: kilts are not easy to make

Good day lads and lassies!

   I have returned back to me old blog spot. I took a wee holiday to the Highlands of Scotland, and I've been swamped since my return. (Okay, enough of the crappy Scottish accent).

   In all seriousness, Scotland was beautiful! My roommate Cathy and I took a three-day bus tour with Haggis Adventures. After an annoying nine-hour bus ride from London to Edinburgh, Cathy and I jumped on ANOTHER bus and started our tour by driving from Edinburgh to Loch Ness. Over the next three days, we drove from Loch Ness to Fort Augustus, from Fort Augustus to the Isle of Skye, from the Isle of Skye to Glen Coe, from Glen Coe to Stirling, and from Stirling to Edinburgh - whew! I personally loved the Highlands, and I would recommend visiting them over Edinburgh for any future travelers.

   We kicked off our first day by visiting the castle William Wallace stormed in Scotland's fight for independence. William Wallace is viewed not as a hero, but as a nut in the eyes of many Scotsmen. For any Braveheart fans, I believe Mel Gibson played him in the movie. I wouldn't bring up Braveheart if you visit Scotland  though, apparently it's incredibly inaccurate. We then made a pit stop for a wee bit of haggis (which I am not a fan of - it tastes like icky ground beef) and to see Scotland's sexiest male - Hamish.

Hamish and me

    We then continued our tour by driving past the mountains where Pontius Pilate lived before he moved to Rome to find his father who abandoned him as a child. The mountains were truly picturesque and every shot looked like an amazing postcard.

    After stopping briefly to snap some photos, we drove to Glen Coe, which was a major battle scene for several Scottish clans. It is also extremely beautiful, and our guide led us on a brief hike.

    After the breathtaking hike, our tour group stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. Everyone raved about the Cullen Skink soup. In all honesty, it tasted just like New England clam chowder. I also had the Scots' favorite soda, Iron Blu. In fact, more people drink Iron Blu than Coca-Cola in Scotland. Sadly, I wasn't a fan of the Iron Blu soda either. I thought it tasted like bubble gum.

   To warm us up from our chilly hikes, our tour guide took us to a local whiskey brewing company.  I learned that each whiskey has to sit in a barrel soaked in either wine or beer for eight years so that it absorbs all the flavors. The company ships internationally, and 90 percent of their whiskey goes to America to make Jack Daniels. Represent! The rest goes to Italy and France I believe. It was neat seeing where the whiskey was stored because the warehouses have been featured in several films, including, you guessed it, Braveheart.

  
   Now, I knew of course that I had to try the whiskey, but truth be told, I HATE whiskey. Throughout my college career I have sampled my fair share of beers and liquors (mostly cheap stuff), and I knew I did not like Jack Daniels. However, I just knew that my Uncle Tom would be disappointed if I passed up on this opportunity to sample some fine alcohol. When drinking whiskey, you're supposed to drink it like wine. You should smell it and drink it in about three sips - holding the whiskey in your mouth so you can taste the wine and the beer from the barrel. Let's see how I did...

Clearly, not well

Cathy wasn't a fan either

   Thankfully, we were able to erase the bitter taste of whiskey from our tongues with a delicious home cooked meal at our hostel. The ginger bartender was a fantastic cook and quite the comedian. He also taught us how to make a traditional Scottish kilt after dinner, and out tour group had what was basically a toga party in kilts in the hostel's bar. It was a ton of fun!

One of the best meals of my study abroad experience - veggie pie

me working on my kilt - you had to fold it into pleats

Kilt party

    We had an early start the next morning and drove to the Isle of Skye. It was absolutely gorgeous. We saw castles, waterfalls, dinosaur footprints, and we learned many Scottish myths along the way. One of my favorite myths occurred at a "magical" stream.

     According to the tale, there were two clans that owned the two halves of the Isle of Skye. One clan had the most beautiful daughter in all the land, and the other clan had the most handsome son. The two clans decided that their children should meet in hopes that they would one day get married, and the two clans could share the land. So, they handcuffed the son and daughter together (this was before the days of Match.com) and sent them into the woods for five days. When the couple returned, they announced their engagement. So, clearly the handcuff technique worked.

     On the day of their wedding, the beautiful daughter, Mary, crossed the magical stream with her servant Duncan (who had always been in love with her), her dog, and her gallant white horse. While riding across the stream, her horse's hoof slipped on a rock - causing the horse to fall and Mary to bang her head against a jagged rock. Mary's face was destroyed. Her face was completely cut open and bloody, and she her right eyeball popped out of its socket. (WARNING: the story will get more graphic, but good). Duncan cleaned Mary up, popped the eye back into the socket, and convinced her to go to the church where her loving fiancee would still take her to be his bride, despite her appearance.

      With the veil draped over her face, Mary went to the church and the wedding ceremony was performed. Once the priest told the son that he could lift the veil to kiss the bride, the son screamed in horror, and thought someone had pulled a cruel prank on him. Clearly, sensitivity was not his strong suit. He hit Mary across the face, and popped out the eyes of her dog and horse. Seriously, what a loser! Horrified, Mary went to the stream and wept.

       All of a sudden, a fairy (the Scots are very big on fairies) appeared. The fairy told Mary that if she dipped her face in the stream for seven seconds, her beauty would be more glorious than before. Mary, her dog, and her horse stuck their faces in the stream and, sure enough, their faces became radiant. Mary then dunked Duncan in the stream, and he came out a handsome stud. Mary and Duncan married and the lands remained separated. Clearly, this story is not one of those fables that conveys that true beauty lies on the inside. Shows like The Swan and Bridalplasty later picked up this story line. Kidding!

   So of course, our guide told us we had to dip our faces in the stream in order to have everlasting beauty. It felt so good and refreshing!

Our guide, Leo, showing us how it's done

The water was cold, but felt great. Hopefully, it worked!

     The Isle of Skye had a lot of great seaside towns as well as many cute cafes and shops. It also had quite a few hotels by the water, which are hoppin' in the summer time.

Beautiful view from tallest mountain

The group - Cathy and I were the only ones not from Australia or New Zealand. Our guide called us Team America

   Finally, we hiked to one of the tallest, and most beautiful, mountains in Skye. The pictures I took truly don't do the scene justice, but it was absolutely breathtaking. 

   Our final day in Scotland was just as packed as the first. We started off with a tour of a forest that inspired author and playwright James Barry to write about Neverland in Peter Pan. I found the forest to be completely mystical, and I could definitely see where Mr. Barry got his inspiration.

  

   After blissfully walking through Neverland, the tour headed toward Loch Ness to find Nessie - the Loch Ness Monster. There have been many scientific studies conducted to determine whether Nessie is real. MIT conducted a study and claims that there is a significant lack of fish in Loch Ness that appears to have been eaten by some sea creature. There are also several theories disproving the Nessie tales. For instance, the road near Loch Ness used to be a local circus route, and circus performers used to let their elephants swim in Loch Ness. It has been hypothesized that the famous image of the Loch Ness Monster sticking its head out of the water is actually an elephant's trunk. Our tour guide made us do a dance and chant in hopes of getting Nessie to come out, and sure enough, I found her...

In front of Loch Ness

   After Loch Ness, we traveled to Culloden Battlefield where the Scottish Civil War took place. It was very tragic to hear how the Scottish clans fought against the government and to see that people still leave flowers there today.

   Overall it was a wonderful trip, and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see such beauty. Until my next blog (who knows when that will be) :)

-Elyse

Lesson 4: I always knew I'd make a great princess

Hello All,

  Sorry I've been a little MIA lately. I forgot that this trip is actually "study" abroad, and I got a rude awakening with my first term paper.

    Anyway, London continues to be fabulous. Last week, my roommates and I went to Kensington Palace. It's often referred to as the Enchanted Palace - and rightfully so. The palace was like a fairytale land. Our quest was to find the seven princesses of the royal family who were hidden throughout the palace. Each room had a title such as "The Princess of Sorrow" or "The Dancing Princesses." The stories behind the princesses were amazing and so scandalous. Here are a few of my favorites:

Princess Mary: Princess Mary was the Princess of Sorrow. She was called this because she supposedly couldn't have a male child to be the next heir to the throne. However, she finally conceived a child and gave birth to a son. However, rumor has it that the son was not actually Mary's. Supposedly, a nurse swiped the male baby for the princess' female born child while pretending to replace a bed-pan. The rumor spread like wild-fire and everyone believed it. Upon her death the villagers cried and stored their tears in glass bottles to forever commemorate the loss. So, there were glass bottles decorated all over the room. There was also a giant bed, which was supposedly the same bed the queen died in. There was also a dress designed by the same man who designed the majority of Princess Diana's dresses.

Princess Catherine: Princess Catherine was in need of a prince to take over the throne from her father. Her father picked out each of her suitors, and she denied them all. Finally, Princess Catherine found her own lover and ran away to him. The village loved her for her confidence and bravery, despite her father's anger. However, her marriage was short-lived as she died at age 23 while bearing her son - the next heir.

    On another note, the British are not as fond as Princess Diana as Americans. Surprising, I know! While they do still love her and consider her to be the most beautiful and charitable princess, they acknowledge her as a princess with flaws. They don't try to hide her affairs, and some believe that she used the media to her advantage. Apparently, Princess Margaret did just as much charity work as Princess Diana, but did not receive as much recognition.

  I got the majority of the inside scoop from the guides who worked in the palace. They have all been to the Queen's private apartments, and many of them know the royals personally - some even knew Princess Diana!

   I also got to see one of Diana's dresses and Princess Margaret's tiara, which she apparently wore everywhere - even in the tub. Anyway, the castle was beautiful and everyone seemed excited to welcome Princess Kate. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but here are a few pictures from the garden:

   In addition to brushing up on my princess etiquette at Kensington Palace, I also saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace - which is not as big as I anticipated. I was also disappointed to see the guards in gray jackets instead of the stereotypical red ones. Apparently, the guards only wear the red coats in the summer. It was still neat to see them march in though.

      Well friends, I'm taking a break from London Town, and I'm taking a week-end trip to Scotland! I'll be there Friday through Sunday, and we're taking a guided tour! Maybe we'll even see the Loch Ness Monster...stay tuned :)

Lesson 3: Don't Rock the Boat

Greetings from London,

   Well, I've said it before, and I'll say it again - this week has been a blast. After our first two days of orientation, we took a boat tour down the Thames River (pronounced the Tems). It was absolutely beautiful and a fantastic way to see some major highlights, including the London Eye, Big Ben, the London Bridge, the Shakespeare theatre, and the Tower Bridge (often mistaken for the London Bridge young children sing about). Too bad my stomach wasn't as excited about the boat trip as I was. However, I made it to shore without spewing into the Thames.

Me and Big Ben

My roommates and I in front of the London Eye

The real London Bridge

The Towers Bridge

  We arrived in Greenwich in front of the Naval Academy. Our challenge was to find our way back to campus on our own via boat, tube, or bus after spending an afternoon in the charming city. While in Greenwich, we explored the Naval Academy, the Queen's House, and the Greenwich Observatory.

The Naval Academy

Naval Academy

The Queen's House

   We could only walk around the Naval Academy, which is apparently one of the strongest in the world, but we were lucky enough to enter the Queen's House. The Queen's House was designed by Queen Anne and was completed by her successor Queen Henrietta. The house was built to be a summer getaway for the royals. It was absolutely stunning! The building was mostly comprised of art featuring kings, queens, captains, and ships. It also had a giant spiral staircase referred to as the tulip staircase because it had iron tulips etched into the stairwell.

   After the Queen's House, we went to the Observatory. It had an amazing view of Greenwich, a
28-foot long telescope (the seventh largest in the world), and the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is a point where you can stand in both the eastern and western hemisphere at the same time.

View from the top

24 hour clock

Dolphin sun-dial; the noses are the points and the bellies make up the hours

Mackenzie and me in front of Greenwich

Me standing in both the western and eastern hemisphere

   The Observatory centers around the theme of time. The entire building had more clocks than I could count and focused on the development of recording time. Royals previously struggled with determining the time when their tradesmen were out at sea. They held a contest for anyone who could come up with a way to determine the time at sea. The winner received 20,000 pounds, which was equivalent to more than one million dollars back in the day. Scientists came up with two ways that worked:

1) Record the time of day when one leaves and measure it with the position of the sun

2) Measure the alignment of the sun, stars, and planets.

 Another scientist also created a sea-time clock. He re-designed it three times.

   Later that evening, Mackenzie and I went to a club called Pacha. It was a super fun club that played  dance and pop music. Plus, Mackenzie and I were the only Americans there, so we had a chance to meet a few locals. But boy-oh-boy did we ever stick out like sore thumbs! We were the only girls dressed in pants. Every other girl had a dress or a skirt on. Now, we know: when going to the clubs, dress it up.

   Alright my royal subjects, her majesty is tired of blogging and is off to make herself some dinner.

Cheers!

Lesson 2: Learn something new each and every day.

'Ello there,

  Well, my first week in London is going swimmingly. I actually start classes tomorrow, yet I can't even complain because I'm super excited for those too. I actually just discovered that I'm taking a weekend field trip to Belgium for my war history class!

   This past week was all about getting settled in our new home. From learning how to use the tube (the London subway system), to finding the local grocery store, to just making new friends, this week was chalked full of education (and we haven't even started classes yet). To initiate the cultural transition, a few of the Boston University London professors held lectures on British culture. We had two lectures each day for the past two days (much easier than my five course schedule last semester) and learned about the politics, stereotypes, culture, and government of England. Here are a few things I learned throughout the week (see Mom and Dad, I am learning over here).

1) Queen Elizabeth is on one side of the 10 pound bill. Charles Darwin is on the other. Although England is a predominantly Protestant country, there was little uproar regarding the evolutionist's appearance on the bill.

2) The Beatles are a symbol of power for the working class. In England, people aren't discriminated against by race as much as they are discriminated against by class. The Beatles were seen as one of the first working class groups of men to go from rags to riches. In England, religion is considered a private manner (our professor said it was similar to how people choose not to talk about their sex lives). However, the Beatles were seen as a religious movement by the way they were able to freely express love.

3) The difference between the UK, the British Isles, England, and Great Britain:
i) England is the country where I'm studying abroad now - London is England's capital
ii) England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland make up the UK
iii) The British Isles consist of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland
iv) Great Britain consists of England, Wales, and Scotland

4) British parliament is made up of the Lords and the Commons - whichever group holds the most seats generally has a larger say.

Okay, enough lecture. I'm sure you're nodding off already.

   One important lesson I've learned on this trip is to not sweat the small stuff as much. On Monday, BU hosted a pub raffle/ trivia night at the Builders Arms pub. My roommates didn't get tickets so I decided to walk over on my own. I arrived at 7:30 on the dot and I didn't see a single other student. Guess who didn't get the email saying the event was cancelled? I sipped my glass of wine in silence for the first five minutes and debated calling it a night all together. Then, two other BU girls, who apparently missed the memo too, strolled in. I didn't know them, but we started chatting and learned that the pub was hosting a free comedy night. We decided to stay and met about five other Americans from all over the country. The comedians rigged on the Americans all night and everyone had a great time. Also, my two new friends and I would "whoop" and clap every time a new act came on - something the Brits don't do apparently. So, we were deemed "the whooping girls" and helped welcome each new act with a round of applause and yelps. We also met a guy from France and a guy from Italy who joined us for a pint of beer - so far I've only tried Fruli (a strawberry beer), Guinness, and hard cider. All in all it was a great night filled with new friends. I'm so happy I decided to stay and learned to meet new people.

Cheers

        If only we could learn how to carry home 20 bags of groceries. My roommates and I went grocery shopping at a local grocery store - Salisbury - and bought so many groceries for the upcoming weeks (to avoid eating out) that we had to take a cab home to carry them all. They were heavy! :)

Lesson 1: Jet Lag Stinks

'Ello Puppets!

   Well, I survived my first day in the UK - what a crazy 24 hours!

     After boarding the plane at 9:15 PM January 8th, the Boston University students jetted off on a red-eye flight to the London Heathrow airport. We flew Virgin Atlantic, and although they nickeled and dimed you for luggage, the flight service was excellent. We received dinner, wine, coffee, breakfast, and were able to view movies that were still in theaters!

     Thankfully, I possess the God-given talent to fall asleep anywhere at anytime, so I was ready for a wee-bit of shut-eye. Upon finding my seat - 43 E on an enormous 747 - I was pleasantly surprised to find that the seats next to mine were conveniently vacant. However, just as I was ready to lift up the arm-rests and stretch out over the four seats, three young college males - two out of three had a decent level of attractiveness - occupied the seats. Hence, my plan to sleep the whole flight was demolished - as I have the tendency to sleep with my mouth open and create a hideous sleeping face. Nevertheless, I did manage to squeeze in about two hours of shut-eye.

      After arriving in Heathrow and going through customs, my sorority sister Lauren and I taxied it over to our new London home - The Crofton. On our way to the taxi we ran into a BU student who not only just had her credit card denied, but also arrived with zero pounds in her pocket - fail. Clearly, a traveler noob. Not wanting to leave her stranded, we shared a cab with her and taxied over.

       Upon arriving at the Crofton, I asked my cab driver if he had any recommendations for fun places to go in London. His response? "I'm 72 years old, and I've never sinned my whole life. I'm going to die on the cross." Before returning to his cab, he shouted out,"Don't drink too much of that midnight oil" - which I assume means don't party too hard.

        I live in the basement of the Crofton, which actually isn't as terrible as it sounds. The Crofton is a beautiful building located on Queen's Gate Road. Our room has four beds, an awkward sun roof, four wardrobes for clothes, and a bathroom (with a personal towel heater). We also have housekeepers that come once a week and tidy the room. They don't make our beds or do our laundry (I wish), but they do clean our bathroom and take out our trash (or rubbish as they call it here). A few local attractions near our dorm include the Natural History Museum, Hyde Park, several embassies, and tons and tons of pubs.

        My roommates are awesome!!! Their names are Mackenzie, Arielle, and Cathy. Arielle is a sophomore at Boston University, Mackenzie is a junior at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and Cathy is a junior at Tufts University in Massachusetts. We all get along really well and have been having a great time!

       Our RA gave us a walking tour of Kensington and a brief showing of our campus. It's pretty spread out, so I'm a little worried about getting lost. Luckily, I have a roommate in both of my classes, so we can walk together.

      
         To kickoff our roommate bonding and our first night in London, the four of us went out to a pub for dinner. I had a latte, a Crosque Monsuier - which was basically a fancy ham and cheese sandwich with an interesting relish - and chips (aka fries). The bar was packed with local Brits, and the bar played "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock twice, which was funny to hear in an English bar. An ironic thing happened at the bar too. My roommate Mackenzie is 20 years old and she was dying to get a class of wine with dinner - since the legal drinking age is 18 in the UK. However, when she went up to the bar to order her drink, there was a sign that said "21+ only." It was hilarious because the joke is that students study abroad in the UK so they can drink legally at age 18 - not at this bar!
  
 Well, here's a brief summary of what I've learned so far in London:

1) The cars drive on the left side of the road AND cars have the right of way - not pedestrians. They zip down the streets so fast. I'm still fearful every time I cross.

2) People often say "cheers" for "thank you" or "good-bye." The proper response is "thank you" or "cheers."

3) One way the Brits can identify if you're an American is by how loudly you speak when walking down the street (or the pavement as they call it). Apparently, Americans speak at a louder volume than the Brits do.

Write more soon!
Cheers loves!

Let's give this blog thing a try...

Hello family, friends, and other Americans I will soon tragically leave behind,

    Well, tomorrow is the big day. The day I leave for a full semester in London. I am so nervous, yet extremely excited. I can't imagine what it will be like to completely submerge myself in another culture. I've been fortunate enough to have endeavored on several adventures already - China, Spain, France, Italy (even New York seemed like a foreign country at first!) - but this will be the first time I actually play the role of a citizen instead of a tourist.

     The past 48 hours have been hectic to say the least. I started packing back home in Wisconsin around 1 PM. Let me tell you, packing for four months wasn't easy. However, thanks to the help of my mother and organizational-obsessive boyfriend, I managed to pack everything into a large suitcase and hiking backpack. Not to mention, I left my bedroom in good condition instead of leaving it looking like a natural disaster zone.

      My original plan was to fly to Newark, New Jersey on January 7th where I would stay with my sorority sister Lauren and then leave for London January 8th with fellow classmates on a giant group flight. Well, Mother Nature had other plans. Around 4 PM on January 6th, I received a call from Frontier Airlines saying that there was going to be a severe snow storm and that I would most likely miss my flight to New Jersey. The airlines did say that I could get out that night. Looking at my half-full suitcase, I had a panic attack (which is probably an understatement) and began to pack like a mad-woman. Thankfully, my super hero mom and her trusty sidekick Craig got me on standby for a flight at 7:50 AM the next day, and I was able to enjoy my last night with an italian family dinner.

        However, a 7:50 AM flight means an early wakeup call - something I'm not a fan of. Let's just say, I schedule my college courses after 10 AM for a reason. Nevertheless, after struggling to get out of bed at 4:15 AM, I made it to the airport and secured a seat on the flight. The ticketing agent was great too. You know how they say like mother like daughter? Well, it's true. If you've met my mother, she's no light packer - and neither was I. My suitcase was significantly overweight, but the ticketing agent waived the $100 fee! God certainly heard our prayers about a safe departure. Thankfully, the snow was minimal and I arrived in New Jersey around noon.

        My sorority sister's house is a beautiful home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (yes, it is a real place), which is about an hour from the airport. After grabbing some lunch with one of her high school pals, I helped her run some errands and catch up before hitting the guest bedroom for a much needed nap. Later that evening, Lauren's parents treated us and two other friends to a delicious sushi dinner, and then Lauren and I proceeded to spend the evening hanging out with a few of her friends.

      I received my schedule for my first week in London, and I couldn't be more excited. From walking tours, to a boat trip, to a mixer with a neighboring college, it appears that London will be an experience I shall never forget. Plus, I discovered that my long-term, long-distance boyfriend Jack will live five blocks away. This will be the first time in four years that we won't be a cross-country couple, and I am truly excited. However, we both want to make sure that we create our own experiences and not make this a honeymoon experience.

      Wow! If I have this much to say about my travel experience, I can't imagine how much I'll have to say once I'm there. Now, I can't promise that I will update this blog everyday, but I'm shooting for about once or twice a week. Hopefully, I can inform you all of my adventures and travels. Can't wait to tell you all more!

Cheers!