A White Thanksgiving

This weekend I celebrated Thanksgiving in a very untraditional manner. First of all it was held in Scotland, there was no stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams with marshmellows, green bean casserole or pumpkin pie, and I ended the night in a snow ball fight with strangers on a street under Edinburgh Castle. The weekend also involved mexican food, watching rugby, scottish dancing and irish pubs with live bands.

The weekend started off interestingly with a delayed train and reserved seats on a nonexistent coach E. Finally got to Edinburgh and our hostel, which is located right beneath the grand fortress that is Edinburgh castle, and decided the ghost walk we had planned on taking had been trumped by the need for dinner. We found a Mexican restaurant that actually wasn't too bad and had yummy fajitas and sangria. After leaving the mexican place we could hear music drifting out of this Irish pub down the street so naturally we wandered in and found a great atmosphere and a live band. We even were so bold as to request Sweet Home Alabama, the band was playing some good old American music so we didn't think the request would go amiss, and there we were dancing to a classic american tune in an irish pub in scotland!

We got up nice and early Saturday and took in the royal mile. Visited the Writer's Museum that had exhibits on Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir William Scott and Robert Burns, the three most notable Scottish literary figures of the 19th century. We then wandered to the other side of town where I found the location of our Christmas apartment on Thistle Street (very nice and made me super excited for next month!) We then met at the Roxburghe Hotel for Thanksgiving dinner and Ceilidh (traditional Scottish/Celtic dancing). Thanksgiving dinner was a bit of a disappointment as it wasn't really Thanksgiving but the fact that I still had a Thanksgiving, even if it wasn't traditional, is important. After eating we got to dance the afternoon away with the live band teaching us the dances. It was like being back in PE but one hundred times better. The dancing is similar to square dancing, lots of spinning and jumping around with various couples. I even danced with a guy in a kilt, as some of the guys in the program really took the dress code to heart. I loved it so much I'm going to find another Ceilidh to go to as soon as possible. After the formal event was done Amanda and I joined my program director, Hilary, and her fiance and a couple of other people to watch Rugby at the Cambridge pub. We then spent the night sampling the new town of Edinbrugh and meeting some cool people. Among them we made friends with a girl called Meredith who is from grass valley and also went to UCSB. We ended up really hitting it off with her and met up on Sunday for some sightseeing too!

The best moment happened when I least expected it, walking home to our hostel at 2:30am we found ourselves looking at snow falling softly on the streets of Edinburgh. Amanda wanted to go to bed but I couldn't possibly let myself sleep when it was snowing outside. So in my flannel PJ's and big pea coat I went outside along with about 15 other people from the hostel. We sang christmas carols and engaged in a full on snow ball fight in the middle of the street with the castle looming over us in the soft glow of the street lamps. I can't think of a time where I was so completely and utterly living in the moment with a heart that swelled close to bursting. There are not words that can possibly explain what I felt that night and I will forever cherish that memory.

Sunday we got up early again and went to the castle. I'd been before but this time I saw it properly and spent a good 2.5 hours listening to the audio guide and visiting all of the museums. Had lunch at Deacon Brodie's, a famous pub on the royal mile where we will probably be having Christmas eve dinner. We walked up to Carlton hill, the first public park in Scotland, and looked over the city just before dusk. Spent the last couple hours sitting in the Elephant House coffee bar where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter novel drinking hot chocolate and shortbread cookies. It was a good end to an awesome weekend. However, when we finally got home I was extremely tired and was happy to be able to lay down in my own bed and sleep in on monday morning.

From Eastern Europe to Northern England

After 10 days that seem like 10 weeks, I am finally settled back down in York, at least for a few days! One week ago I was spending my first night in Prague, visiting Robin, and now i've just gotten back from a 3 day venture to the Northern most bit of England. There is so much to say and obviously i'll have to restrain myself from writing a novel but i'll try to highlight the best/most memorable bits.

Prague

After spending an uneventful night in Birmingham, I flew to Prague and am extremely proud to announce that I made it all the way from the airport to Robin's front door on my own. On the first night I got a great little taste of Prague in a evening walk through the old town and to the Charles bridge where we leisurely sipped hot wine while catching up and watching the city lights glimmer in the river below. We then had dinner at a Czech restaurant with Robin's roommies which was quite good, basically: meat, onions, garlic...oh and Czech beer, of course. I also tried Becherovka, the traditional Czech liquor, at a cool, smoky tavern down the street from the apartment. Smoky-ness is a description that applies to anywhere you go in Prague because there are no laws against smoking...well anywhere, so essentially people are smoking everywhere you go. When I got home my entire backpack of clothes smelled like they had been doused in cigarettes.

The two full days that I was there were full of exploring the city, playing in the fall leaves, drinking mulled wine, hot chocolate, and general adventure. I think I got quite a bit in site seeing wise and we managed to find some great places out of the main tourist areas. We had quite an outing on monday night to a local, some what expat, bar called Blind Eye. It was Karaoke night so we all got up and did our best while taking advantage of the cheap czech beer. We displayed a wide range of songs including Spice Girls, Jackson 5 and ABBA among others. Robin and I finished off the night, at around 3am, with a unique rendition of "Dancing Queen," and that my friends, is what karaoke is all about!

The last night I was there (tuesday) we stayed in for dinner and ate homemade mac and cheese that Robin's roommate made for all of us. After dinner Robin and I went to Bar and Books, a swanky americanized bar with an extensive menu of martinis and other tasty cocktails. It's only in New York and Prague and was probably the coolest chill out place i've been to. There is a cozy bookshelf at one end, dimmed lights against bright red walls and candles everywhere. I ordered a Chelsea Rose Martini and Robin had a Cucumber Martini. I felt utterly mature sitting with an old friend, sipping martini's in a swanky bar in Prague. My last morning I spent wandering around the old town while Robin had class. It was a great time because it was too early for the tourists to be up and about so I felt as if I had the city to myself. I was also very proud of my mastery of the center bit of the city without a map or my personal tour guide. We spent my last bit of time in Prague having breakfast near Robin's apartment before I had to make my way to the airport and back to England.

Hadrian's Wall

I didn't have long to rest after my Prague adventure before I was off on another very different adventure with Outdoor Society to the northern reaches of the country: Northumberland. It was a long, dark journey on friday night getting from York to our bunk house hostel in the middle of nowhere Northumberland. We finally arrived a little after 11pm and got settled in. The bunk house was actually surprisingly nice with three bedrooms and 18 beds, a kitchen and living room. There were 15 of us on the trip about half of which were international students hailing from everywhere; China, South Africa, Germany and Singapore. Our long walk took place on Saturday where we walked 14 miles in 7 hours. Luckily the weather held up great with blue skies and sun, it was still cold and there is no such thing as dry paths in England. Not even two hours into the hike, while passing through some extremely muddy marshes I was unlucky enough to sink into a mud bank up to my knees, very exciting, i know. Thankfully I had invested in gaiters (waterproof chap things that protect your lower leg and upper boot) last week and was saved from the worst of the mud and moisture.

Now for a brief history lesson because above all I am an aspiring historian! Work on Hadrian's Wall began in 122AD under the Roman Emperor Hadrian (hence the name) It spanned the northern border of the Roman Empire in Britain across 74 miles from coast to coast. It was built to protect the empire from the Picts, the ancient inhabitants of Scotland, and included many watchgates and roman forts, some of which can still be seen. We walked about 5-6 miles of the actual wall which, though not at large and imposing as it once was, is still quite a structure. We first approached the wall from the north and it was great to think this is what it would have been like for the Picts who would want to attack the wall. If it were me, I would have stayed at home and had a cuppa because it is one ferocious climb through muddy marshes and hilly brush. We were able to conquer the wall from the North and felt very pleased to have done so, of course we weren't facing an imposing Roman garrison but that's only a small detail :) We passed some of the old roman forts and mile castles. Originally there were small forts placed every (Roman) mile along the wall for protection. It was good fun but none of us were complaining when we made it back to the bunk house and took off our muddy boots and got a hot shower! We spent a few hours at the Twice Brewed Inn near where we were staying where we all had large hot dinner and scrumptious desserts. I also tried the Conqueror's Bitter that I thought was a really good local beer.

Today was much less arduous as we only walked under 5 miles, although it was all up and down hills so it's a little more than first meets the eye. It was a beautiful day and we even had some sprinkles along with the sunny sky which produced a lovely rainbow arching over the ancient wall. On the way home we stopped at a small market town, Hexham, to have a look around, see the abbey and have a hot drink. We made it back to York by 6 and I immediately came home, had some dinner, and took a hot shower. It was a great weekend and I met a lot of great people. The girls in my room were all great and we had a good laugh. I'm really glad I went and had the opportunity to go on a trip that normally I would never have done. I've taken quite a liking to walking in England and hope to do a lot more this year and in the future.

Now after that whirlwind tour I have few days of down time before I head up to Edinburgh for the UC program Thanksgiving Dinner, Scottish style! I'm bringing my friend Amanda along and we're spending the weekend there so hopefully i'll get to see some more of the city as i've only been there in bits and pieces. Make sure to check out my pictures from the last few weeks here! Peace out.

Prague Photos

Hey Everyone!

I'm back from Prague but very tired and lots of work to do with papers, viking raids, and outdoor soc preparations for this weekend. I did however put some pictures up for you to enjoy. Don't worry I'll write about my trip soon...cheers!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcgoslin/?saved=1

Time to kill and Starbucks

I said I wouldn't update until after i'd come home from Prague, apparently i'm a liar. The thing is i'm in a limbo currently. I'm staying at a hostel in Birmingham as I couldn't get an early enough train from York tomorrow to make my flight. So here I am, a few minutes before 7 and there really isn't much to do besides perusing the internet and reading. I'm not about to go out in a city I don't know and in an area that is almost but not quite considered dodgy. The hostel itself is nice enough but i'm pretty sure this is a converted industrial warehouse and there's an interesting/questionable metro line across the street. (Don't freak out mother, i'm locked safely away inside.) So now I will be favoring you with my rambling thoughts:

It is a truth universally acknowledged...that no matter where you are in the world, a Starbucks is close at hand. (Name that book!) So far I've been good and haven't ventured into one. Mostly because I tend to drink tea that is quite cheap at local places. I won't say I have not been tempted. There is a Starbucks in York that may possibly possess the most intricate interiors of any Starbucks around. Georgian, crowned moldings in high ceilings with touches of ivory and pale green. If ever you visit me this is something that must be seen. Well today I gave in and took refuge in the Victoria Square Starbucks in Birmingham. Mostly I just wanted somewhere warm to sit and read my book before venturing off in search of food. Despite small differences, I could have easily been in Santa Barbara, Chico, New York, or London. It's a wonder within itself to how they never deviate much from the standard model, not that I mind, I quite like the decor so I really have nothing to complain about. I snagged a comfy love seat, something I rarely am able to do no matter where I am, and ordered my grande chai latte (no need to deviate from the usual!) There I sat with my book on my lap thinking how simple it was that just by walking into this generic chain coffee shop I could attain a feeling of home. You could say it's sad, how capitalism causes these huge chains to take over the world, even I make disdainful comments when I see the fourth Starbucks in a row on an afternoon jaunt. But the truth is, it's actually a comfort. So when here I was in a city i'd never been to, on my own, knowing not a soul, that I found home in a Starbucks.

New subject. The other night I tagged along with my friend Amanda to Catholic Society for a discussion on religion and science. Apparently the society is for Christians in general although most of the people I met were Catholic. The conversation was very interesting, I didn't input anything as I have a very basic opinion, nothing strong in either direction. I think there is nothing wrong in being a Christian and believing, studying, pursuing science. There were people who were very adamant about separate spheres and differing definitions of 'certainty' and 'faith' in belief. It was a lot of fun and I've already signed up to go on their tour of Leeds Cathedral in two weeks. Perhaps my favorite part was that after meeting at the campus chaplaincy and having this hour and a half discussion everyone put their opinions aside and headed to the pub for a drink. I think it's great that there is that balance of seriousness and socialness. Plus its good to meet people in a different atmosphere and I really enjoy having at least some link to church/religion while i'm away from home.

My minutes are nearing expiration so i'll leave you there. I might have to transfer my attention over to my journal now. Cheers from B'ham!

Music Galore and a Spot of Tea

You'll be happy to hear that I have actually done some school work this week. After nearly a month at university I finally got an assignment that was at first a relief and secondly a reminder of how much I loved summer. It's amazing how after nearly 5 months without any real school work, the idea of having to write a paper, even if it's only six or so pages, is quite daunting. With my impending trip to Prague I am determined to finish my first paper before departing. But don't worry, I haven't been so studious as to forget my social life! Yesterday was choir day. Christmas carols in the afternoon and rock gospel in the evening, what a mix! Gospel choir had its first social of the year after rehearsal. We headed into town to grab a drink before hitting up the student night at Tru, one of the night clubs in town. It was great getting to meet people in choir in another capacity rather than choppy conversations between songs in rehearsal. Naturally we sang in the streets and pubs of York at the top of our lungs and surprisingly enough, in tune. Got back around the same time election results were pretty much solidified, I felt bad for not finding a pub showing election results though. I wasn't surprised that Obama won and it will be exciting to see what happens in the next few years. One of my favorite stories playing on ABC news is the debate over who will be the new first dog! I was also a bit upset to hear about Prop 8 passing but I'm confident and hopeful there will be another vote in the future that will swing it. This morning I got up fairly early to meet Amanda for breakfast at Bettys, in town. Now Bettys is one of those places that you simply must experience when visiting York. That explains the prices and the constant queue outside. Bettys Tea Rooms are famous in York and even other parts of Britain. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long and were led downstairs to the cozy wood panneled tea room. I had a traditional English Breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, mushrooms, blood pudding, and tomatoes with toast. Of course I had Bettys specialty breakfast blend as well. What we didn't have was one of the devine looking desserts that were calling me. You can't put into words the delicate, beautiful, delicious looking nature of these sweets and cakes, so I won't even try! It was simply a perfect English morning at Bettys and I can't wait to go back. After breakfast I went in search for the one thing that could make my life complete while living abroad...a guitar. I was foolish thinking I could leave mine behind and with Ellen constantly berating me for not having one, I really couldn't last any longer! So I went to a hodge podge shop with all sorts of things including a good selection of guitars where I purchased one of those cheap-ish little sets incl. guitar, bag, pitch pipe and strings. It's blue, very unique, just like me! I'm really happy I got it even if it means i'll have to stay in this week and maybe cut back on food, haha. Then to top the day off, I went to a public lecture with my friend Jenny to see Andrew Davies talk about his adaptations of period dramas for television. He's done numerous things but most markedly the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with the devilishly handsome Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. It was great fun listening to him talk about the process of adapting books into screen form. He showed some clips of his work and pointed out certain things that were good as well as pointing out some hilarious mistakes that had us all laughing. Jenny is doing a short write up about the lecture for Nouse, the student newspaper, so after the talk I got to take a picture of him to accompany the article (hopefully!) I have to say it was quite a fulfilling and productive day, hence the long post. I'm heading to Prague this weekend so that will be the next update. Then I have a succession of fun filled weekends at Hadrian's Wall, Edinbrugh (for thanksgiving) and Anne visiting! Not to mention the papers and other school work I suppose I must attend to :)

Where is the Path? Where is the Pub?

Today was my second venture out with Outdoor Soc and boy was it English. I'm talking mud, wind, and quite a bit of rain. This week we headed off to Staithes on the North Eastern coast, about 50 miles from York. It's a small fishing village which is most known because the famous Captain James Cook once worked in the village as a boy before moving on to bigger and better things. This is where we started heading north along the dramatic cliffs bordering the North Sea. In the misty morning, trekking along the exposed cliffs you could just imagine a fleet of viking long boats emerging from the shrouds hundred of years ago. My friend Amanda and myself love finding the romanticism of rainy afternoon walks so we made the most running along the cliffs and imagining ourselves as the many travellers that have come before us on the same paths. We walked about 6 miles in the morning portion, our goal being a pub in a village. The problem ended up being the pub we were supposed to go to was very elusive and the first two pubs we came upon weren't serving food. By this time it was raining heavily, naturally, and we were all thoroughly soaked, bittingly cold, and most of all starving. Finally, we came upon a pub where we got a good deal on a sunday buffet roast. The food was excellent and the warmth of the parlour was incredible.

Unfortunately, after being fed and somewhat dried, we had to trek back into outdoors in order to make it back to Staithes. This is where we encountered massive amount of mud, indefinable paths and more rain. At one point, as we were trekking through a wooded area close to our destination, we had to go down a somewhat steep and muddy slope. This was probably the most amusing bit of the walk as everyone cautiously meandered downwards slipping and sliding. I decided it wold be safer to, what I like to call, "mud-tree surf." This is where you slide through the mud reaching for the nearest tree or branch in order to regain balance. I am happy to report that this is a most effective method for descending a slippery, wooded hillside and highly recommend it to anyone in a similar situation. We finally made it to the bus and salvation, although the bus ended up not being very warm and it was another hour and a half before i was safely in my room. Then, cold, wet and tired I turned on my shower to find that our flat is lacking hot water! What a way to end the day. Overall, the hike wasn't really bad, we even enjoyed quite a bit of it before becoming soaked through and semi-lost. So yeah, I had a good time but I won't be complaining if the next walk involves dry paths and a bit of sun...who am I kidding? I'm in England!

In other weekly news. Monday night was literally freezing. In fact, it snowed in some parts of England and I didn't realize it was possible to be that cold in October. I met with a woman about volunteering with the York Archaeological Trust which should be interesting. Halloween was more mellow than i'm used to in Santa Barbara, going on a partial ghost walk, trying some ghostly real ales and hitting up a club with History Society. Yesterday I went on a ghost cellar tour at the Treasurer's House in town. It was awesome getting to go in the cellar and hear the stories. There's even the remains of a roman column. York, then known as Eborceum, was the Roman capital of the North and was home to a very large Roman fort, bits of which can be seen at various locations in the city. I have also somewhat solidified my New Years plans as me and my pal Anne bought plane tickets to Rome so i'll be having an Italian new years, must brush up on my Italian skills :)

Again, thanks for reading. I am set on being productive this week so I must get some reading done, catch you up soon!