Liverpool was our first oopsies. We woke up in Edinburgh 2 hours late. We rushedn (thankful for the community bathroom with four showers!) and got a later train, but we still didnt get to liverpool til about 2:30. it was then a LONG walk to the hostel (first hostel with a bad location). We stopped 2 people to ask for directions. The first guy walked with us a bit til he got to where he was going. He kept pointing things out about the city, which was sweet. The second guy gave us directions then gave us his card in case we had any troubles!
By the time we got to the hostel we were exhausted! Pat and I headed out to Albert Dock to go to The Beatles Story. This museum was soooo cool! Loved it!! I had lots of fun there! The city of liverpool is pretty cool as well.... I wish we had more time to spend there!
When Pat and I got back to the hostel, the four of us walked to ASDA, aka Walmart in England. We bought food here to cook for dinner and breakfast! When we got back to the hostel we made a yummy dinner of pasta with shrimp and veggies. I don't like shrimp and even I admitted it was yummy! I did, however, only have a small bowl of it and had some seperate pasta and veggies sans the shrimp!
The next morning, we made breakfast in the room of eggs, toast, bacon and fruit! It was great! We had a looong train ride, once again, but it was 3 seperate trains, so it seemed to fly by! The hostel we stayed at was cool... funky colors on the walls and murals everywhere. It was our first night in a 20 person room... not too shabby. We went to Christ's Church at the University, but it was closed by the time we got there. We went through town looking through the shops. It's such a nice place!
We had dinner at a place called Aldates Tavern. I had a PB&J that I made at the hostel this morning, so I saved lots of money on dinner! The boys and the girls then split up for movie nights. Prince of Persia and Sex and the City 2. Jen and I went to the Prince of Persia.... just kidding! Our movie did start much later than theirs though, so we went to a pub and had some wine together... appropriate for our movie :-)
The movies were incredible. In Jersey, we pay $10.50 for a cruddy seat that you have to get there early to claim. Here, we payed £8 ( or about $12), which is the highest priced option, for couch seats in the balcony!! Totally awesome. Assigned seats, so you can get there whenever! We felt like we were at a broadway show!!
It was also pretty funny when Jen and I were so amazed at the theater, because we asked a lady to take a picture of the 2 of us in the seats, and when I thanked her, she said "no problem... I remember those early days!" ...She thought we were a couple. We got a kick outta it! There were also a few america-Specific jokes in the movie, and they were blatantly obvious to us because we were the only 2 laughing!! haha.
After the movies, we were back at the hostel. The boys had made friends with a few people there... Travis and Alex and Kate. They were a lot of fun and we had lots of laughs hanging out in the common room!
This morning, breakfast was free at the hostel again (aka another PB&J for lunch!). We Made another attempt at Christ's Church, but it was stupid because they charged money to get in. that being said, we didnt go!! Travis came out with us this morning, though, so it was nice to spend some more time with him!
The train to London wasn't that wrong. We hopped in a cab at our train station and headed towards the hostel. Turns out we headed towards tomorrow night's hostel which is on the outskirts of town!! We realized this £12 into the ride. eek. So we turned around and went back. Our hostel tonight is right by picadilly circus! When we saw how great this location was, i cancelled the other hostel and booked another night here. We will have to change rooms tomorrow, but that's fine by me! we can deal with that for such a great location.
We were all pooped from being up so late last night, so we took naps when we got here. We got up and went out on the town, because we're in LONDON, BABY!!!!! We realized that this area of London is much like times square... pretty cool! We went to dinner at a place called the Spaghetti House. I had...you guessed it... spaghetti! We walked around town. And... there's Big Ben! It was great! We saw The eye of London (and yes, I sang a parody to Eye of the Tiger). We couldnt get on the Eye of London tonight, but we'll get to that tomorrow!
I also, in honor of FRIENDS, made sure to place a map on the ground and stand on it to get my bearings... I had to get inside the map ;-)
Tomorrow is all day here in London!! (Every single time Jen or I say London, we say "Baby" after it and high five. yay FRIENDS!) We are going on another one of those free walking tours tomorrow (same company that runs it), so we're pretty excited! Lots of adventures await us!!
So long for now! LONDON, BABY! *high five*
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Lots to update...
Ok so last time I updated was Belfast... So much has happened since then! AKA all of Scotland! Also, I'm uploading pictures to Flickr, so check out the bar on the right and click it to look at more!
When we got to Scotland, we had a 3 hour train ride to Glasgow. It wasn't bad... these long trains are seeming quicker and quicker. The hostel was really close, and oh boy was it nice! It was Euro Hostel, and it was like a hotel in size! That night was somewhat wasted since we decided it's be a good idea to do laundry, but we didd get some take out chinese food and had a good time with each other.
The next day we took a 10 hour bus tour. First stop was the Wallace Monument (note: check out the movie Braveheart for the meaning behind this monument). It was pretty cool, even though we had to pay to get in on top of the price of the bus tour. It was a really steep climb up the hill to the monument and it was a narrow steep spiral staircase in the monument, but it was SO worth it to see the views from the top! Beautiful!!
As I already noted in a post from the bus, there were sheep EVERYWHERE! And I've never in my life seen cows run before now... it was kind of funny! Next we were on the bus again, passing through Crief (Ewan McGregor's hometown). We stopped at a scenic overlook (SOOOOO pretty). I didnt stay outside long though since it was SO cold. The tour guide (who was wearing a kilt, by the way) kept teasing me for being so cold. It's the end of May, though! It should be 80 degrees!! lol.
The next stop was Aberfeldy, when J.K. Rowling either grew up or currently owns a place... not positive which. We had lunch there (mmmmm steak pie!!!!) and then headed to Dewar's World of Whisky. We didnt have enough time there to tour, but we saw a movie about it and then went through this interactive thinger. Pretty cool. Free whisky at the end... always a plus!!
On the bus we passes a town called "Dull". hahahaha.
We went to this really old graveyard that had a 5,000 year old tree... pretty cool! Apparently it's the 2nd oldest living thing on earth. I still don't know how they know how old it is... something about the roots?
Next stop was Dochunt Falls in Killin. We only had 15 minutes there, but it was AMAZING!! It was one of those gradual waterfalls, but it had these huge rocks that you could climb on and jump across. I got some pretty nice pictures there!
Back on the bus, we saw a forest that had been cut down. Next to every single stump, though, was a baby tree that had been planted! Not only does Scotland use tons of wind turbines for energy, but they also replant their forrests. Kudos, Scotland, Kudos!
We also went to the Falls of Falloch. Now, THAT was a waterfall. A few minutes walk down a path and we were there. It was so beautiful. It actually made me have the urge to go cliff diving! Dont worry, Mom, I didn't and I wont :-P We did climb down a more gradual way though and again jumped on big rocks to the middle of the water. Jen made it really far. So fun!!
On our way back, we passed Loch Lomond. Oh my goodness... saying it was breathtaking doeant even begin to describe it. Words and pictures just dont do it justice.. I only wish the bus had time to stop here.
We drove through a little conservation village, which was cool. The entire time we were on the bus, the tour guide played old Scottish music... it was neat to listen to it while we looked out the windows!
Dinner today was McDonalds... a nice traditional meal from Scotland! haha. 50 minutes into our train ride we were in Edinburgh! So short! We stepped out of the train station and were awestruck. Every single building is SO old. There's this huge castle built on a cliff (that happens to be across the street from our hostel!
Speaking of the hostel... SO great. 10 person room, but there's lockers for our stuff and our roomies are great. We have 3 guys who I don't know their nationality yet, Felix from Germany/ England who is now looking into grad school here, Mark from Germany, and Gary who did a 104 mile run in 25 hours and came in 3rd place (but he wont be here tonight... not sure if we'll have someone different). It's been great! The common room in the hostel is always packed with people, so it's a great place to hang out and meet new friends!
Last night we tried the pub that the guy from that Irish band reccomended, but it was closed. boo. Felix came with us though, and we wound up hanging out at a pub called The Beehive. It was nice, even though we weren't there for long.
Mom, I know today is Memorial Day, so I wore a red shirt so you wouldn't get mad :-P Today is a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so the streets were very busy! We went on a 3 hour walking tour through the city today for free!!! (A three hour tourrrrrrrrr)
Our tour guide was Andy... hea's a student at the university here and he was such a wonderful guide! Not only was he knowledgable but he was funny, said everything with a smile and made the tour fun!
We saw lots of places, such as the city chambers, Market Cross (used for proclamations and persecutions... now only for a new king or queen proclamation), St. Giles Cathedral, Greyfriars Kirk (Rowling got name inspiration from here... saw McGonagal!), Hogwarts (well, the school it was modeled after), the pub that J.K. Rowling wrote the first few books in, and sooo much more.
Andy had people act a few things out. Dave acted as a husband and his wife (a girl from Chicago) needed food for the babies so he had to steal it. He was then persecuted at Market Cross, getting his ear nailed to a wall, just like the olden days lol.
We learned about trip steps in old houses to catch burglars: one step would be smaller so they's trip down the stairs causing a commotion and would be caught. Smart! Andy had our couple act that out and Pat was the theif!
We learned about William Burke and William Hare, 2 serial killers who suffocated people to get money by selling their bodies to medical research. Apparently it's been made into a movie ( a comedy) that will be coming out later this year!
Grass market had tons of pubs and was where all the hangings used to take place. There's a story about Maggie Dickson that's really cool. She was left by her husband, came to the city to work, and fell in love with her boss's son. They couldnt be together since she technically was still married and never fgot divorced. She got pregnant, hid the pregnancy since she couldnt be fired or have a baby out of wed lock, baby died, got arrested and convicted for concealment of a pregnancy ( apparently a crime back then) and was hung fo this. She was pronounced dead and was on the way to the cemetary when she woke up and banged on the walls of the casket. She wasn't dead yet and the cobblestone drive apparently acted like CPR??? The driver took her back to be hung again, but just as they were about to do it, the judge stepped in, saying that she couldnt be convicted of the same crime twice! Then, since she had been pronounced dead, and her marriage vows said "til death do us part", she was able to remarry! she lived happily ever after!!!!!!!
We saw this place: the Heart of Edinburgh . Pretty funny when tourists propose there, then see people spitting there (as Andy had Pat and I act out lol).
Greyfriars Kirk is the resting place of John Gray. He had a dog for 2 years before he passed away named Bobbie. On the day of the funeral, Bobbie was there. The cemetary guard had to carry him out at the end of the day to lock the place up. Bobbie was still there in the morning. This dog layed at his master's grave every single day for the rest of his life. People took care of him, giving him food, but when Bobbie could be in the cemetary, he was there. How touching is that?!? Man's best friend! Sadly, the church would not allow Bobbie to be burried next to his master (you had to be Christian). He is burried right outside. There is a statue of Greyfriar Bobbie just across the street. Ironically enough, I saw a sign posted outside the cemetary that says "No Dogs Allowed".
The tour ended with us sitting in a park under the castle and Andy telling us about the students in the 1950's who stole the Stone of Destiny back from Westminster Abbey. Such a good story!! And Andy was a wonderful storyteller!
We got a late lunch at Garfunkel's (chicken and veggies for me!), went to get smoothies at Hulza, went to the store to buy food to cook for dinner, and went to visit the castle up closer. It was 13 pounds to get in, so we just took pics outside. I swear the moat and front door of the castle was the inspiration for Peach's Castle on N64. I jumped up the walkway saying "Wha! Woo hoo! Yippee!" Just for you, Bobby ;-)
Dinner was mac n cheese and corn for me! I'm hanging in the hostel common room right now doing all of this while the other 3 are on a ghost tour of the city. That's not my cup of tea, especially at night! I'm staying safe and sound right at the computer here... not even going back to the room since we're sharing it with a bunch of guys. They should be back fairly soon.
*Phew* that was a lot to type. I had to go buy another hour of internet time to finish this up!! lol. Anyway, in the morning we're off to Liverpool! YAY BEATLES!
When we got to Scotland, we had a 3 hour train ride to Glasgow. It wasn't bad... these long trains are seeming quicker and quicker. The hostel was really close, and oh boy was it nice! It was Euro Hostel, and it was like a hotel in size! That night was somewhat wasted since we decided it's be a good idea to do laundry, but we didd get some take out chinese food and had a good time with each other.
The next day we took a 10 hour bus tour. First stop was the Wallace Monument (note: check out the movie Braveheart for the meaning behind this monument). It was pretty cool, even though we had to pay to get in on top of the price of the bus tour. It was a really steep climb up the hill to the monument and it was a narrow steep spiral staircase in the monument, but it was SO worth it to see the views from the top! Beautiful!!
As I already noted in a post from the bus, there were sheep EVERYWHERE! And I've never in my life seen cows run before now... it was kind of funny! Next we were on the bus again, passing through Crief (Ewan McGregor's hometown). We stopped at a scenic overlook (SOOOOO pretty). I didnt stay outside long though since it was SO cold. The tour guide (who was wearing a kilt, by the way) kept teasing me for being so cold. It's the end of May, though! It should be 80 degrees!! lol.
The next stop was Aberfeldy, when J.K. Rowling either grew up or currently owns a place... not positive which. We had lunch there (mmmmm steak pie!!!!) and then headed to Dewar's World of Whisky. We didnt have enough time there to tour, but we saw a movie about it and then went through this interactive thinger. Pretty cool. Free whisky at the end... always a plus!!
On the bus we passes a town called "Dull". hahahaha.
We went to this really old graveyard that had a 5,000 year old tree... pretty cool! Apparently it's the 2nd oldest living thing on earth. I still don't know how they know how old it is... something about the roots?
Next stop was Dochunt Falls in Killin. We only had 15 minutes there, but it was AMAZING!! It was one of those gradual waterfalls, but it had these huge rocks that you could climb on and jump across. I got some pretty nice pictures there!
Back on the bus, we saw a forest that had been cut down. Next to every single stump, though, was a baby tree that had been planted! Not only does Scotland use tons of wind turbines for energy, but they also replant their forrests. Kudos, Scotland, Kudos!
We also went to the Falls of Falloch. Now, THAT was a waterfall. A few minutes walk down a path and we were there. It was so beautiful. It actually made me have the urge to go cliff diving! Dont worry, Mom, I didn't and I wont :-P We did climb down a more gradual way though and again jumped on big rocks to the middle of the water. Jen made it really far. So fun!!
On our way back, we passed Loch Lomond. Oh my goodness... saying it was breathtaking doeant even begin to describe it. Words and pictures just dont do it justice.. I only wish the bus had time to stop here.
We drove through a little conservation village, which was cool. The entire time we were on the bus, the tour guide played old Scottish music... it was neat to listen to it while we looked out the windows!
Dinner today was McDonalds... a nice traditional meal from Scotland! haha. 50 minutes into our train ride we were in Edinburgh! So short! We stepped out of the train station and were awestruck. Every single building is SO old. There's this huge castle built on a cliff (that happens to be across the street from our hostel!
Speaking of the hostel... SO great. 10 person room, but there's lockers for our stuff and our roomies are great. We have 3 guys who I don't know their nationality yet, Felix from Germany/ England who is now looking into grad school here, Mark from Germany, and Gary who did a 104 mile run in 25 hours and came in 3rd place (but he wont be here tonight... not sure if we'll have someone different). It's been great! The common room in the hostel is always packed with people, so it's a great place to hang out and meet new friends!
Last night we tried the pub that the guy from that Irish band reccomended, but it was closed. boo. Felix came with us though, and we wound up hanging out at a pub called The Beehive. It was nice, even though we weren't there for long.
Mom, I know today is Memorial Day, so I wore a red shirt so you wouldn't get mad :-P Today is a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so the streets were very busy! We went on a 3 hour walking tour through the city today for free!!! (A three hour tourrrrrrrrr)
Our tour guide was Andy... hea's a student at the university here and he was such a wonderful guide! Not only was he knowledgable but he was funny, said everything with a smile and made the tour fun!
We saw lots of places, such as the city chambers, Market Cross (used for proclamations and persecutions... now only for a new king or queen proclamation), St. Giles Cathedral, Greyfriars Kirk (Rowling got name inspiration from here... saw McGonagal!), Hogwarts (well, the school it was modeled after), the pub that J.K. Rowling wrote the first few books in, and sooo much more.
Andy had people act a few things out. Dave acted as a husband and his wife (a girl from Chicago) needed food for the babies so he had to steal it. He was then persecuted at Market Cross, getting his ear nailed to a wall, just like the olden days lol.
We learned about trip steps in old houses to catch burglars: one step would be smaller so they's trip down the stairs causing a commotion and would be caught. Smart! Andy had our couple act that out and Pat was the theif!
We learned about William Burke and William Hare, 2 serial killers who suffocated people to get money by selling their bodies to medical research. Apparently it's been made into a movie ( a comedy) that will be coming out later this year!
Grass market had tons of pubs and was where all the hangings used to take place. There's a story about Maggie Dickson that's really cool. She was left by her husband, came to the city to work, and fell in love with her boss's son. They couldnt be together since she technically was still married and never fgot divorced. She got pregnant, hid the pregnancy since she couldnt be fired or have a baby out of wed lock, baby died, got arrested and convicted for concealment of a pregnancy ( apparently a crime back then) and was hung fo this. She was pronounced dead and was on the way to the cemetary when she woke up and banged on the walls of the casket. She wasn't dead yet and the cobblestone drive apparently acted like CPR??? The driver took her back to be hung again, but just as they were about to do it, the judge stepped in, saying that she couldnt be convicted of the same crime twice! Then, since she had been pronounced dead, and her marriage vows said "til death do us part", she was able to remarry! she lived happily ever after!!!!!!!
We saw this place: the Heart of Edinburgh . Pretty funny when tourists propose there, then see people spitting there (as Andy had Pat and I act out lol).
Greyfriars Kirk is the resting place of John Gray. He had a dog for 2 years before he passed away named Bobbie. On the day of the funeral, Bobbie was there. The cemetary guard had to carry him out at the end of the day to lock the place up. Bobbie was still there in the morning. This dog layed at his master's grave every single day for the rest of his life. People took care of him, giving him food, but when Bobbie could be in the cemetary, he was there. How touching is that?!? Man's best friend! Sadly, the church would not allow Bobbie to be burried next to his master (you had to be Christian). He is burried right outside. There is a statue of Greyfriar Bobbie just across the street. Ironically enough, I saw a sign posted outside the cemetary that says "No Dogs Allowed".
The tour ended with us sitting in a park under the castle and Andy telling us about the students in the 1950's who stole the Stone of Destiny back from Westminster Abbey. Such a good story!! And Andy was a wonderful storyteller!
We got a late lunch at Garfunkel's (chicken and veggies for me!), went to get smoothies at Hulza, went to the store to buy food to cook for dinner, and went to visit the castle up closer. It was 13 pounds to get in, so we just took pics outside. I swear the moat and front door of the castle was the inspiration for Peach's Castle on N64. I jumped up the walkway saying "Wha! Woo hoo! Yippee!" Just for you, Bobby ;-)
Dinner was mac n cheese and corn for me! I'm hanging in the hostel common room right now doing all of this while the other 3 are on a ghost tour of the city. That's not my cup of tea, especially at night! I'm staying safe and sound right at the computer here... not even going back to the room since we're sharing it with a bunch of guys. They should be back fairly soon.
*Phew* that was a lot to type. I had to go buy another hour of internet time to finish this up!! lol. Anyway, in the morning we're off to Liverpool! YAY BEATLES!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
For My Sigmas...
There are lambies EVERYWHERE in the Scottish countryside! Just thought I'd share! I miss ewe ladies! SLAM!
More updates later today.. Back to enjoy the view!
More updates later today.. Back to enjoy the view!
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