Sunday Funday

Today was a grey, ugly day out, so we all just lounged around and relaxed all day (especially after the early morning yesterday). I'm fighting a bit of a cough/stuffy head so it was nice to stay in the warmth and relax. But, being Sunday, it was also FAMILY DINNER!

This week for family dinner we had dinner for breakfast. The boys made pancakes, but they don't really have pancake mix here so it was more like thick kind of stiff crepes, but still good. There was also fruit salad, scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, cheese and avocado on top, chocolate milk, clementine champagne, and bacon. I have to admit, the bacon was SO good. Everyone just looked at me and said, "you are the worst vegetarian." I can't help it, it was crispy and amazing.

Fruit salad in process

Kat & Leah enjoying their clementine champagne


Now I'm back to watching Mad Men, which I started watching with Em before I left. I hate it, I love it, and I can't stop. It has become my addiction in my downtime/when I can't sleep at night.

XOXO

st. andrews

Today we woke up bright and early, and headed to the train station to go to St. Andrews. It was Kat's first time on a train, so she was very excited. There is a train that leaves right from Princes Street that goes into Leuchars, and then a bus from there right into St. Andrews. When we arrived, it was gray, freezing, and rainy (even though weather.com assured me sunny and 40's)...so we started off the day at the British Golf Museum. That was really interesting to learn about the history of golf, and see all of the old clubs, etc.

At the end of the museum, there is a room with a small putting green and out-fashioned golf outfits that we played in for a short while.


After that, we headed to get lunch at a local restaurant called The Glass House. It was delicious, and they had amazing lunch deals! 2-course meal for £5.95..and probably my favorite meal yet (soup and thin crispy pizza).

Ben was adventurous and even tried blood pudding!


After we left lunch, the sun had come out! We walked around the University of St. Andrews buildings for a little bit, then Kat and I did the castle & cathedral combination, which was beautiful.

The castle ruins
At the cathedral, we climbed all the way to the top of the tower...a zillion spiral stairs in a tight little confined area. Once we got to the top though, the view made it worth it.




After that, we walked out to the end of this long cliffwalk in the water, which was also beautiful. Finally, we ended the day at a local bar called 1 Golf Place, relaxed, had a drink, and warmed up before heading back to the train station and coming home.

Overall, it was such a fun day! I highly recommend visiting there if you are ever in the Scotland area, it was quiet and relaxing and beautiful.

goodmorning!

Best way to start the day!

Leah came in and woke me up this morning with a surprise...
She brought home BAGELS!

I have missed them dearly, and it was our first time having bagels here (now they weren't Brueggers, but still good!). It's the little things in life.

XOXO

Sights to see

Today, Kat, Lindsay and I got up early to see some sights. We went to the Holyrood House, which is the castle that the Queen stays in on her annual Summer visit to Edinburgh. We did one of those audio tours, and it was really beautiful and interesting to see.

The Gates

The Castle



After that, we went across the street and explored the Parliament building.



Then, we went to Calton Hill, which had some pretty monuments and amazing views of the city.






Afterwards, we stopped to have a Falafel for lunch (Kat's first...YUM!) and then made our way over to Brass Monkey to watch a movie. We luckily got to pick the movie again, and chose a favorite - Zoolander. It was a nice way to end the afternoon relaxing and laughing.

Tonight is Burns Night, a night to celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns. There are special haggis deals around the city and different things going on, so we will probably explore those options.

XOXO

a little bit of catch-up

This morning, at 6:30, a taxi came to take Scott & John to the airport, and back to the US they went :(

I've been so busy these past couple days I haven't had the chance to blog, so let me fill you in.

Their first day here, Wednesday night, we went out to Finnegan's Wake & The Liquid Room (like I said in the last entry)..but here are some photos :)

The boys outside Finnegan's (actually taken on the 2nd night, but still)

Thursday, while I was at class, the boys caught up on sleep. Afterwards, we made dinner and hung out, then ended up going out to a new club I hadn't been to before called The Hive. It was fun, lots of dancing and cool high-up booths to sit in. Apparently it was a pajama party..either that or people here wear some pretty strange things out.
On our way home, Kat and I decided we should take one of those typical phone-booth photos.

We also stopped at King Fisher's to pick up some HAGGIS for the boys to try!


Friday Scott, John and I went around and did some sight-seeing. We walked the Royal Mile, and went into different touristy shops where you can find out/buy things about your clan. I found all sorts of things about my clan, the Bruce Klan. They sell everything from key chains to mugs to history books about each clan.

We then continued up the Royal Mile and stopped to do the Scotch Whiskey Experience. You take a 10 minute ride in a whiskey barrel looking seat, and travel through each step of how the whiskey is made. After that, you go into a big tasting room, where your guide explains the different areas whiskey is produced (along with scratch & sniff stickers of the main scents), and then you get to choose which whiskey you are most interested in trying. Finally, you go into this huge room filled with a man's whiskey collection that he donated, and the guide teaches you how to taste. It was really interesting, and a lot of fun! I recommend it.



Friday night, we went to a Military Tattoo themed party at our friends' house. They live practically arms length from the castle, in this incredible big white house. After that, we went to a pub called Frankenstein, where they lower Frankenstein at midnight each night. It was..interesting.




after that, we went back to Finnegan's Wake, and then to Espionage for another yummy fishbowl!


Saturday, we got a late start, and went to go to Brass Monkey but it was too crowded and we had missed the beginning of the movie. Instead, we went out to lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant Ti Amo, and then came home for a nap (it was a long weekend!). A few hours later, we went out to dinner for MEXICAN!! Yay! at Pancho Villas. It had fun decorations inside, and the food was really good!


Saturday night, everyone stayed in and hung out at our flat. We played cards and different games, and had a remotely tame night, especially since the boys had to leave so early this morning. Overall - it was SO much fun having them here. (Hint Hint to anyone else planning on visiting!)

Today I'm a little homesick and sad, and have just been relaxing. Tonight is another Sunday night family dinner, tacos this time, so I'm excited for that.

XOXO

first day of school

Yesterday morning, Scott and John arrived. My flat mates Leah, Kat and I woke up at 6:45 and hopped on the (hour long) bus to go greet them at the airport. The bus took much longer than expected (there’s a stop about every block...), but it was a good lesson, and luckily, they had only been waiting for about 5 minutes. After that, we came back to the apartment, my flat mates went back to bed, and the boys ate and relaxed.

At 1pm, while the boys napped, I had my first class: Scottish Culture & Society. We learned when and where our different fieldtrips will be (the Edinburgh castle, a distillery, and one more place I’m not sure of). He also went over the syllabus, and we will have different guest speakers every week discussing different aspects of Scotland, such as the geography, the healthcare system, the law, etc. so I think I will really enjoy it (and no exams!!).

After class, we all (my flat mates, myself, the boys downstairs, Scott & john) went on a big shopping trip to Asda and stocked up on food.

Last night, we brought the boys out to Finnegan’s Wake, a bar I had mentioned in my previous entry, that is open and lots of wood everywhere. I liked it, it was a quiet night so there weren’t too many people, but it was fun. After that, we headed out to a club called the Liquid Room. Similar to other clubs we have been to, there was tables, a big dance floor, a bar, and a stage, but not much else. It was fun, but the ambiance wasn’t as interesting as some of the other clubs we have been to.

Right now i'm sitting between classes, because my 1-3 class got out a bit early, and I have class in the same room in about 20 minutes. I just had my Consumer Behavior class, and I LOVED it. I decided to switch out of this horrible one for my major (Critical Debates in Communication Theory) and instead take one i'd enjoy and know I couldn't take at UNH, and this is it. My professor is soo nice and stayed after class to talk with me for a bit, saying if I need anything at all or have any problems he would be happy to help. He's this older man, very very short, and big round glasses, and so funny! The class has 75 people in it, yet participation is encouraged and he's making a strong effort to know everyone's names. I'm looking forward to the class a lot! It is interesting because the entire class is a mid-term essay and a final group project..and that's all! It is nice to learn because you enjoy the information, rather than worrying about memorizing and what types of questions will be on the exams. Another thing I noticed was that people talk in class A LOT, and won't necessarily quiet down when he says so. As soon as he stops talking, people start whispering. If he is having a discussion at one end of the classroom, the other end is chatting. I sit right at the front so it isn't too bad.

More pictures to come soon I promise! Sorry for the wordy entires :)

XOXO

little bit of this, little bit of that

So the past couple days have been rather quiet..stayed in each night.

Monday Leah and I went shopping on Princes Street for some basic things we needed.

We've basically been trying to plan some trips the past 48 hours straight, so hopefully that will all come together soon.

Tonight we had the first Whisky club meeting (here they spell whiskey without the e). It was 5 pounds for 5 different whiskeys..and I quickly learned I DO NOT enjoy whiskey. It was a nice experience, as we tasted it, chatted amongst ourselves, then came back to discuss where it was from and what we enjoyed/didn't enjoy about each one. Unfortunately I think it will be my last meeting.


Afterwards, we all went out to a local pub called Biddy Mulligan's. We just hung out and had a drink, there was live music (our friend asked if she could sing with him and he basically laughed at her and goes, 'this isn't a karaoke'), and then came back here.

TOMORROW Leah, Kat and I are all waking up bright & early and heading to the airport to meet Scott & John!!! Yayy!!

Sososo excited.

xoxo

quote of the day

"The best things in life are unseen.
That's why we close our eyes when we
kiss, laugh and dream."

Saw it, Liked it, Repeated it.

family dinner

Today, we adventured over to the one campus we hadn't been to yet: Sighthill. It was about a 30 minute busride, just about as far from the center of Edinburgh as you could be while still being in it, then from the bus stop had to take an underground tunnel across the traffic, walk about a block, and finally we were there. it was a big, beautiful brand new building..but quite the hike. I'm very happy I don't have any classes there, luckily! This is it below:


After that, Leah and I went on a little shopping excursion on Princes street (because I realized I severely underpacked and am in desperate need of boots!), and I ended up with two cute pairs of flats from Urban Outfitters. We were there basically at closing time, so we're going to try again soon with an earlier start.

When we arrived home, everyone had started cooking our Sunday night family dinner. Chef Caleb & assistants made delicious chicken parmesan, with homemade garlic bread, bowtie pasta, and salad. It was so good! It is our new Sunday night tradition.

Everyone hard at work



Yumm

Leah & I decided to stay in tonight while the rest of the gang headed out to watch the Pats game, and instead had beauty night. She (very trustingly) had me cut her hair, and we did nails. I skyped with my mom finally, and got all caught up on home life.

Please keep in touch! I want to hear how everyone is!

2 more days until Scotts here! Hooray!

XOXO

SURPRISE!

Last night, Leah, Kat and I went out with the boys to a local pub to watch the game (yes, I said watch the game..I even know who played and who won. Wooo!) We started at this first place called Doctors, which was cool but it was PACKED, and we had to stand literally like sardines. We then went to another pub, called The Grassmarket Bar, which was cool and much less crowded. They had big tables so we could sit, and big big screens with sports.

Then got late night pizza at Made in Italy. Some things never change.

A few days ago, I wrote on John Groff (Scott's friend)'s wall saying he and Scott should come visit. Then I never thought anything of it, and last night when I got home and was talking to Scott...John's dad was booking them both tickets to visit!!! THIS WEEK!! I'm so excited, that was the greatest surprise ever, I tossed and turned all last night in anticipation. They arrive Wednesday morning at 7:35 (the same flight I took over here), and leave Sunday. I'm so excited to have my first visitors, and show them around!

Classes also start this week, so I'm excited for that too! What is nice is that they literally spell everything out about the course before you sign up, so you know whether or not there are exams, how many homework assignments or papers there are, etc.

Tonight we're having a Sunday night family dinner with the boys, making Chicken Parmesan.

More later!

XOXO

monkeying around

Today was a rainy day in Edinburgh. I slept in pretty late, and then my flatmates and I went to check out this place called Brass Monkey. It was really cool. It's a bar, they also have soups and sandwiches, and in the "Cinema" room, the walls are basically just lined with mattresses that are lifted to about couch height, and tons of pillows, with tiny little tables scattered about to rest your drink. They play movies daily at 3pm, and when we asked what movie was playing today, we were excited to find out that WE got to pick! (well, any anyone else in the room, but no one else really cared so we picked). We watched Anchorman, and you had to buy a drink because it was for customers only, so I got another Cider & Black (cider mixed with black currant)..definitely becoming my favorite drink.




We then met up with some more girls, who were visiting a friend they knew at University of Edinburgh. It was cool to see the campus, definitely more of an actual campus than Edinburgh Napier, which is scattered throughout the city.

The Library Bar the University Student Center

After leaving there, we all went out to dinner at a Thai & Indian restaurant. It was very yummy, and I'm definitely getting my fill of Indian food! (although i have to admit, i do miss Thali in New Canaan..)it's great because most restaurants give a student discount as well, anywhere from 10-30% off food or drinks (this particular place was 15% off).

The menu from the restaurant

Please keep in touch, everyone! I miss you and want to hear about everything!

XOXO