Happy Thanksgivukkah

Hi Everyone!

!חג שמח

I hope you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving break and Black Friday extravaganzas!  Yesterday / last night was a whirlwind of fun for me, as well.

Battersea Power Station

In the morning before class, I ventured south and west to the Battersea Power Station and got lost in Chelsea on my way back.  Fortunately I didn't have class until 2.  But why Battersea Power Station?  Well, I am currently working on a term paper (which I always seem to be doing) for my architecture elective on the life and career of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.  You may remember him from one of my Liverpool posts.  Not only did he design and work on huge projects like the Anglican Liverpool Cathedral and parts of the Battersea Power Station, but he is also really famous for designing the Red Telephone Booth!  And, if I'm being honest, that is the real reason why I chose to write an architectural profile on him.  But, as it turns out, he was quite revolutionary for his time: he mixed Classical and Gothic designs.  Unfortunately, the power station is no longer operational.  I think there is talk about transforming it into either a museum or art gallery (similar to the Tate Modern, which is also an old industrial building).  Further down the river from the Battersea Power Station is another power station that was build to power the whole Tube network!  Of course, the Underground system has grown significantly since then (first line built 150 years ago).

Albert Bridge, Battersea

I was actually in this area a few nights ago with my architecture class to visit the architecture firm of Norman Foster, which was a huge deal because he has built some awesome buildings in London, as well as all over the world (including Manhattan).  Imagine working out of an office with this view of the Thames and its prettiest bridge (Albert Bridge).

For some reason getting through Chelsea to Battersea wasn't a problem, but getting back was definitely a challenge.  I think it may have been because Chelsea is just this huge residential area full of cul-de-sacs and dead ends.  What a nightmare!  Oh man, I was just about to say I prefer navigating the streets of Boston .... such a LIE!

In any case, I'll tell you about the more exciting parts of the day:

Hanukkah in front of the National Gallery, Trafalgar Sq

For the second night of Hanukkah, Chabad of London arranged this big celebration in Trafalgar Square with giant dreidels and free jelly donuts.   They even invited the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to light the alleged "largest hanukkiah in the whole of Europe."  His words.  The lighting itself was a bit underwhelming, but there was fun music and dancing to make up for it.  Various shul choirs sang, and even TINY children's choirs!  UH too cute!  I also ran into someone I went to high school with at Akiba, which was really nice because I haven't seen him for three years.  The whole event was actually a lot of fun and the atmosphere was very homey.

After candle lighting, I jumped back onto a spankin' new Bus 9 and headed home for THE BEST Thanksgivukkah* feast!  There were 10 of us in total (7 students, 3 parents).  Starting from the front, moving clockwise around the table: Zein (kudos to her for taking this picture), Seanne, Seanne's mom, Courtney's father, me, Liz, Courtney's mom, Sarah, Eunice, and Courtney.  We all had such a good time and there was so much laughter.

Thanksgivukkah Feast selfie

My contribution was a fruit salad in cranberry sauce, as well as sweet potato latkes.  Other dishes included turkey and stuffing (of course), green been casserole, brussels sprouts, a sweet potato/banana/pecan dish, and a green salad.  Dessert was birthday cake!  I don't think any of us have consumed that much food before (and there are SO many leftovers), which is saying something for me because all Jews know how to do is eat.  I wasn't even hungry for breakfast this morning!

All I have to do now is save room for round 2: a Thanksgivukkah Shabbat dinner for 20- and 30-somethings at a shul in North London ... just around the corner from Abbey Road studios!

Thanks for reading and happy holidays!

* Apparently another "Thanksgivukkah" won't occur for another 79,000 years ... and it must be true since wikipedia says so.

Tales of Troubled Turkey-Day Travels

I am absolutely positive that most of you have heard at least one of the following stories, but because I'm so thankful for NOT having to travel this Thanksgiving, I feel obliged to explicate my past experiences.  Retrospectively, some of them are quite funny, while others remain nightmarish, the likes of which I hope I never have to experience again!

Disclaimer: No matter how hard you try to avoid situations like these, just remember that no situation is impossible on Thanksgiving travel days!

Thanksgiving 2008.

This was the start of all my Thanksgiving travel woes.  The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is traditionally a half-day of classes for the majority of high schools in the US.  For those of you who don't know, I commuted to/from high school on the lovely Philly regional rail, SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), over an hour in each direction.  On that particular Wednesday, I stopped at Temple U on my way home to pick up a new pair of glasses.  When I returned to the platform, the electronic board told me that the train was running 12 minutes late.  Well, that sucks, I thought, but I wasn't too worried (though I would have been had it not been a notoriously busy travel day) because it was still mid-afternoon.  Not only was the train later than the posted delay time, it did not even stop at the Temple platform!  I don't pretend to know how SEPTA operates, and I've lived in Philly my whole life!  Let me lay it out for you:  missing a SEPTA train is probably the worst feeling when it comes to regional transportation because, for some reason, SEPTA trains come every 30 minutes .... so, if my train that was due in 25 minutes never actually stopped at the station, then I have to wait a total of 55 minutes for a train, provided the next train is running on schedule.  A clue: IT WAS NOT!

I forget how long I actually stood on that platform, but what I can tell you is that by the time a train actually came, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, there were approximately ten thousand people on the platform, and the Temple platform is definitely open to the elements.  Despite the tardiness and the chill, I was super relieved to see the slowing headlights of the arriving train.  However, those warm fuzzies were crushed again when I looked into the train and saw nothing but people!  Every seat was filled (some even twice), and people filled every standing place available, including the vestibule areas between the cars.  The train was so densely packed that I couldn't see across the windows on the opposite side of the carriage.  And, it was like this down the whole train (all 6 or 7 carriages)!

As I ran up and down the platform, desperately looking for a place to put my foot on the train, all I could think was there is NO WAY I am missing this train!  I'm pretty sure I was the last person on the platform at this point.  And, like the crazy person I am, I picked an entrance, took a few steps backwards for a greater runway, and I, quite literally, launched myself into a wall of people.  I was absorbed into the group like a marble in peanut butter: soft landing, but nowhere to move once I made it; I cannot say I've ever been plastered to a stranger's chest that long in my entire life.  Fortunately, that very tall man, with the low, grumbly voice, played it very cool at the time.

This is how I coined the term sardine travel hour (little did I realize, this happens everyday on the Tube.  See my Ordinary Ordeals of London Life post).

With each stop, the density of people lessened minutely, and those of us in the vestibule became well versed in creating space out of nothing in order to let people off the train.  At one point, the door on the opposite side of the vestibule opened.  I couldn't see who came through, but people started jerking uncomfortably.  Suddenly this tiny old lady (think of the oldest Russian grandma you can!) appears at my waist, exclaiming in heavily accented English "I chav to reeech my 'usband!  Heeez een ze other car!"  The aforementioned really large man: "Sorry, ma'am, there just isn't enough space to let you through."  Long story short, she wormed her way through and managed to open the door and pass to the other car.

When the train finally reached my stop, I squeezed my way out and took my first deep breath in over an hour.  Getting off that train was like being born.

Thanksgiving 2011.

This was my freshman year of college.  I had planned to spend Thanksgiving break in Birmingham, Alabama.  I was optimistic when I boarded my plane at Boston's Logan Airport, and even more so when we left the gate on schedule.  The skies were blue and all would be fine .... haha, yeah .... no!  Because of bad weather in Philly (it just so happened that I was connecting through Philly), we sat on the runway for 3 hours!  So, not only did I miss my flight out of Philly, there were no more flights available for the next 36 hours from Philly to Birmingham.  Fortunately, my mother got me on a 6-am flight on Thursday morning to Huntsville, AL, 2 hours outside Birmingham.*

I guess the silver lining was that I got to spend 5 hours at home that Thanksgiving - a nice "treat" for my mother.  Unfortunately, even though my father was home that night, he was still asleep during the hour of my arrival and departure to/from home.

I made it to Birmingham in one piece, and had a great time!  But, a word to the wise: do not, if you can avoid it, fly on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2012.

I blame this story on my being a cheap college student who did not recall her last disastrous bus ride from Boston to Philly.  Booking an 8am bus from South Station is brutal enough because no one enjoys getting up at the crack of dawn.  Getting there wasn't a problem.  No.  The problems began 10 minutes after the bus was suppose to leave: there was no bus.  Apparently something happened to the bus that was supposed to make the Boston to DC run, and the only spare bus was on its way from the bus depot in NYC.  Normally the drive from NYC to Boston is 3 to 4 hours.  Care to guess how many on the day before Thanksgiving?

My bus didn't leave until 12:15pm.  And, because of this late start, we hit every traffic jam known to man!  It probably took 3 hours just to get out of Massachusetts, another 2 to get to NYC, where we sat in a parking lot known as the Bronx for 90 minutes or longer, and finally another 2-3 to get to Philly.  Left 4 hours late from Boston, and arrive 6 hours (9:30pm) late to Philly.

I think my favorite part of the trip was when we stopped on the outskirts of Small Town, Connecticut, on the corner of McDonald's and Burger King.  I kid you not!  There was literally nothing for me to eat, and I wasn't about to buy a drink with the unknown duration of the bus ride.

On the bright side, I took advantage of the long hours to start and read about half of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  It is really well written with a compelling story, and I highly recommend it (and the other two novels)!

Moral of the story: NEVER EVER take the bus on Thanksgiving travel days.  Because of this experience, I no longer regret spending a little more money on Amtrak.  (Heck, when I went to Scotland, I gladly paid more for a 5 hour train ride over a 10 hour bus ride).


Best of luck and happy Turkey Day!  Fin.

* A shout out to my boyfriend, Ben, who did a 4-hour round trip drive to pick me up!

The Designs of Meaningful Occupation

Dear Readers,

More than anything, the one experience I wanted out of college was study abroad.  Obviously I made that happen, but because of the rigidity of BU's Occupational Therapy program, I had to work ahead in order to clear out a semester.  By doing so, I could go abroad anywhere and study any subject.  Of course, my love of writing and history landed me in this research-intensive program (and let me tell you, I love it!).  Essentially, this semester is my school away from school: no sciences this semester (though I do miss them) nor any obscure humanities.

In the midst of all this history and culture (both of which Britain has a great wealth), I didn't realize how much I really do see the world through OT lenses.  Today my architecture class went to the Design Museum, located on the south bank side of Tower Bridge.  Its collection is quite unique and does a nice job illustrating the evolution of certain items, especially chairs and fashion.

Fun fact: did you know that Isaac Singer built the first Singer sewing machine in Boston in 1851 for Prince Albert's Great Exhibition in London?!  Yeah, I thought that was pretty cool, too!

In addition to the interesting exhibitions at the Design Museum, the gift shop there has some incredible items.  Lots of books about fashion, bicycle designs, interior designs, and some household gadgets.  But, the item that caught my eye just might have been the smallest one there:  a paintbrush that fits onto your finger like a finger puppet would!  My first reaction, which I did voice aloud, was, "oh my gosh, these would be perfect for someone who has difficulty holding a regular paintbrush.  In fact, you could also fashion this to be a pen or pencil!"  My professor looked at me and said that she was so impressed by this initial reaction to what was marketed as a tool for a children's activity.  And, as luck would have it, a man standing nearby remarked that he was a PT and has always been impressed by OTs' ability to adapt seemingly regular objects into tools for meaningful occupations.

I bought two of these finger brushes to remind myself that I really have found my passion ... and to help me brush crumbs from between the keys on my keyboard!

And, now, I'm off to continue writing my five-thousand-word research paper on the origins of abolition (of the slave trade) in Britain.  If you're interested to hear more, comment below.  Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

D

PENTATONIX

I don't care what I've said in previous posts, but what happened this past Thursday night topped every list I've ever made.

Covent Garden shopping area

The original plan was to tell you about how funny Book of Mormon was and how you should definitely see it.  I was also going to mention how Covent Garden is completely decked out for the holidays, and that Piccadilly Circus now has a huge snow globe in the center, with Xmas lights everywhere, but you know what?  None of that seems all that significant now.

Thursday afternoon.
This week in my research seminar class, we all had to bring in what we had written so far for peer criticism and suggestions.  We mostly covered introductions and basic opening arguments for the rest of the paper.  My GA (graduate assistant) selected mine as the "citation and footnoting authority," as well as the model to follow.  Woah!  I like praise as much as the next person, but usually when it's written as a comment in the margin of a draft I've submitted.  I was expecting lots of criticism because it was the first draft that I'd produced since ceasing active research.  Nevertheless, I left class feeling encouraged and ready to have a great night!

Thursday night.
After a very quick dinner and swift costume change for warmer weather, I embarked on yet another Sardine Travel Hour adventure.  This time to the O2 Academy (concert venue) in Islington, north-central London, to see Pentatonix perform!*  When I arrived at the Angel Tube station, I was so excited that I was practically running through the station to find the exit.  Little did I know when I mounted the escalator on the left side (the "fast" lane) that Angel station has the tallest escalator of any Tube stop in London.  Yeah ... ask me how I felt at the top!  Stepping onto the sidewalk outside the station entrance was a breath of fresh air, but only until my contact lens decided to shrivel in my eye.  In all my wisdom, I tried to put it back in right there on the windy sidewalk.  After a few tries, I was getting really worried about not getting a good spot in line outside the concert venue, so I went back inside the station, found a mirror and popped my super dry lens back in.  At that point, it was like being shot out of a canon - my shoes chewed up the concrete underneath my feet, and I was surprised to find that the line for general admission was not terribly long.  Yay!

L-R: Avi (bass), Kirsty (alto), Scott (baratone), Mitch (tenor), Kevin (percussion)

Being the person with the "exotic" accent is shockingly new to me, but it definitely helps spark conversations.  I was quickly adopted by two Brits, Jeremy and Rachel, who were there to see Pentatonix for the first time.**  Accepting their invitation was the best decision I've made yet.  We had a great time at the concert (Pentatonix is SO SO SO great live) and decided to unwind at the pub across the street afterwards.  Meanwhile, Jeremy was chatting with Mitch (member of Pentatonix), via direct messaging on Twitter, and casually suggested that they join us for a drink.  The three of us didn't expect anything, but after 45 minutes or so who should walk into the pub but Mitch, Scott, Avi (the Pentatonix tenor, baritone, and the deepest bass on the planet, respectively), and some of their tour people (one of whom was from Horsham, Pennsylvania, just 10 minutes from my own hometown)!!  Kevin, the vocal percussionist, joined a little later.  Kirsty was the only member who didn't join us.***

IS THIS REAL LIFE?

L-R: Mitch, me, Scott, Jeremy, and Rachel

I honestly still cannot believe I spent an evening chatting and bar hopping with the members of Pentatonix!  It was so surreal, especially because these guys are my age.  But, the craziest and most shocking thing about this whole encounter was this: throughout the night, each member came up to me, and after establishing that I was not British, they each said

"Hey, are you that girl from Boston?!"
"I ... uh ... yeah, I go to school there and have seen you guys perform there twice already! ... How did you know Boston?"
"All the Brits here are telling us about this girl from the States who has seen us a bunch of times already, and, also, Boston is probably our best US audience, which is why we do two shows there every time we tour."
"Wow, well, you guys are really good, and what I want more than anything is to be that girl in the chair!"
"We can definitely make that happen!"

Let me explain, during each of their performances, a lady is selected from the crowd to sit in a chair on stage while Pentatonix serenades her with Marvin Gay's "Lets Get It On"!  I want to be that person so badly.

We all said goodnight around 2am, which is when their tour bus was leaving for Manchester.  (There is a good chance we'll be hanging out with them again after their second London performance on Monday).  At that point, Rachel, Jeremy, and I just looked at each other in disbelief.  I'm pretty sure (and sincerely hope) that we'll remain trans-Atlantic friends for a while, not just because of this incredible thing that we experienced together, but also because they are really fun people.  And, as it turns out, they bought tickets to see Jude Law in Shakespeare's Henry V the same night in I did!****

Still in utter disbelief!  Thanks for reading!



* Pentatonix is the a capella group that won the sing-off (a capella competition show).  If you don't know them, find their stuff on YouTube!  They are incredible and I could go on and on about their technical skills for ever.
** "Jeremy" and "Rachel" are pseudonyms for privacy
*** I think someone said she was taking an online class, and was doing work before they headed out to Manchester for their next show.
**** I'm pretty sure Jeremy is still in disbelief over this coincidence.

Bouncing Bridges Between Busy Banksides

Oh, man, that was the motherload of alliterated titles!  Is it tacky to say I'm a bit impressed? (If 'yes' then forget I asked)

Southwalk Xmas & Waterloo Bridge

Now that Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day (Remember Remember the Fifth of November...)* are behind, us London has been spectacularly clad in holiday spirit.  All the outdoor markets are decorated with tinsel and lights, the Harry Potter Studio Tour is advertising a "snowy" Diagon Alley, ice skating rinks have been constructed all over London, and all the coffee shops have brought out their specialty drinks!  It all makes for a wonderful atmosphere, even if the weather requires Weasley sweaters and an extra pair of socks.

Fortunately for me, I seized the sunniest day of the week to see the bankside sites as I weaved over as many bridges as I could!  There's something to be said about cities with bridges - they give you such a unique perspective.  Starting in Westminster, I crossed over the Westminster Bridge to Southwalk, where you will find the Aquarium, the London Eye, the Royal Festival Hall, and a row of outdoor holiday vendors in little huts that resemble gingerbread houses.

Hungerford Bridge towards North Bank

Fun fact about Waterloo Bridge (seen in Southwalk photo): I know it looks plain, but the architect who rebuilt it was Giles Gilbert Scott, the same man who built the Liverpool Cathedral (see my Liverpool posts for picture!  It's the largest cathedral in Britain, and it took him almost his entire life to complete) and the Red Telephone Booth!  Two of my favorite things in Britain were designed by the same architect ... how cool!

After purchasing a caramel hot chocolate, I made my way across Hungerford Bridge, one of the two pedestrian-only bridges in London.  Hungerford is a vertical suspension bridge, which means that it is designed to bounce when you walk across it.  This made a number of my friends a bit uneasy, but if you stand in the middle of that bridge, there is a great view of the bend in the River Thames.

After Hungerford and Waterloo Bridges, is Blackfriars Bridge. Blackfriars doesn't have an overly fantastic story, other than there was a competition to see who could build a train bridge the quickest.  As you can see from the random red pillars, one guy didn't budget in advance.  In fact, when the Tate (gallery of modern art) was looking for a building site, one architect submitted a building design which stretched across the Thames on those red pillars (they were, after all, structurally sound).  Obviously, that particular design was not accepted, which is why Tate is housed in a former power plant, and is currently undergoing renovation and expansion.  I'm excited to see it when construction is finished - the new building looks like someone screwed with the angles of a traditional box.  It's a bit difficult to explain.

Millennium Bridge and St Paul's

Next is the Millennium Bridge.  As its name suggests, it was built for the millennium.  But, the symbolism of this bridge is way cooler.  The bridge starts at Tate Modern on the south bank, and spits you out at St Paul's Cathedral.  It is the physical link between historical and modern London.  You may find it a bit cheesy, but I like it.  The Millennium Bridge is the other pedestrian-only bridge in London, and is also a suspension bridge.  But, instead of vertical suspension, it is suspended laterally / horizontally, which means that there's nothing to obstruct of your view!  When the bridge first opened, there were some engineering problems - it was too wobbly!  People were falling over as they walked across - kind of like that scene in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince when the dementors twist it like a corkscrew.  Nevertheless, it is perfectly safe to skip, hop, and jump across the Millennium today ... which is, of course, exactly what I did!

I did not continue further east along the Thames, but if I did, I would have passed the Globe Theater, London Bridge, and Tower Bridge (all things I've shared in previous posts).  Instead, I circumnavigated St Paul's before heading West again.

Queen Anne in front of St Paul's

St Paul's Cathedral

 If you are ever in London, I urge you to go inside St Paul's!  It is amazing (Christoper Wren's pride and joy - he's even buried in the vaults next to Arthur, Duke of Wellington, and Horatio Nelson!) and, if you're really brave, you can climb the 300+ steps for a great panorama of London!

Unfortunately, this is best possible view of the front of St Paul's Cathedral.  When it was originally rebuilt (huh?) by Wren after the Great Fire in 1666, Wren planned all this awesome open space around the Cathedral, but because people were impatient to rebuild the city, that didn't really happen the way he had hoped ... in fact, London is such an infamously unplanned city that Wren is probably turning over in his grave.  There are very few straight roads in London.

Johnson's house

On the way back, I found myself on Fleet Street!  I looked out for a meat-pie restaurant, but all I found was a barber's shop ... does that count?  Just off of Fleet Street, I passed the home of Samuel Johnson, the compiler of the first English Dictionary, which was just around the corner from Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub, a watering hole frequented by Charles Dickens and host to many other mentionables: Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), FDR, and others.

I hope you enjoyed this post, even if it was a bit random towards the end.  Tomorrow I am off on an adventure to Brixton ("Black" London, home to the Electric Avenue) and Clapham (area where first anti-slavery clerical sermons were given)!  Thanks for reading!

* On November 5th, 1605, a Roman Catholic named Guy Fawkes (aka Guido Fawkes) planned his "gunpowder plot" to blow up Parliament.  The night of Nov. 5th is known as bonfire night, and firework displays happen all over Britain.  If you've ever seen V of Vendetta, you know what I'm talking about.  If you have not seen it, go see it now because Hugo Weaving (aka Mr Smith or Elrond) is spectacular as Fawkes-mask-wearing V.

Edaphic Edinburgh (part 3)

Edaphic: (adjective) of, produced by, or influenced by the soil

Edinburgh Castle, apartments and chapel

The character of Edinburgh, its hidden alleyways and winding stairs, make it quite a unique and edaphic place.  As you've seen from my previous posts, Edinburgh Castle sits atop a huge rock and towers over the rest of the city, which is why many refer to it as the "castle in the sky."  It's important to distinguish mountain from rock because the foundation of the entire castle is literally one prodigious* (really really big) rock, which is why there is such a sharp drop off under the castle walls.  Thus, you can imagine (well, you won't have to imagine that hard) the amazing panorama from the top of the battlements!

Parliament building of Scotland

There were lots of exhibits about the monarchs of Scotland, as well as the royal apartments (nothing special - rather plain because it's a castle and not a proper palace like Holyrood).  I also saw the castle prison, which was pretty cool, especially the wooden doors and bedposts that were etched with some pretty famous signatures.  But, of course, the things that I really wanted to photograph I couldn't: the Scottish Crown Jewels.  Since England and Scotland have been united under one crown for over 400 years, these jewels are redundant today, but may have an important role yet.  I doubt people in the States have heard of this (I certainly had not until I arrived in  September), but next year Scotland is going to have a vote to decide whether or not it will remain part of the UK or become its own sovereign nation.  Apparently, among other things, its economy is the strongest it's been in forever.  I don't know a lot about it, so I cannot say if I'm pro or against secession.   If this does happen, the Parliament building next to Holyrood (a modern design that I think is hideous, by the way) will be busy again.  What I don't know is whether Scotland will reinstate its own monarch if it does secede. Either way, it will be an exciting thing to follow in the news.

It's hard to give you a clear history of Edinburgh Castle because it was built in sections, the oldest remaining part dating from circa 15th century, and many sections have replaced ones that no longer exist.  (Windsor Castle is also like this).  But what I'm mainly trying to show you, because goodness knows I've posted enough castle and palace pictures (they start to look the same), are the amazing views from the Castle Rock.

Just one of the company

Edinburgh Castle, glimpse of Arthur's Seat

New Town and the North Sea, from Edinburgh Castle

Isn't it just amazing?!  I even ran into a huge wedding party taking photos with the Castle and Edinburgh as the backdrop - good choice!

Holyrood Palace

At the other end of the Royal Mile is Holyrood Palace.  It is where the Queen and her family stay whenever they are in Scotland.  I didn't pay the £16 to tour the interior mainly because, at this point, I've seen many staterooms in Palaces.  I'd rather pay to see a castle!  Windsor was amazing, and how could I have passed up those spectacular Edinburgh Castle views?!  The other reason for not spending a huge amount of time at Holyrood is that I wanted to see more panoramas of Edinburgh.  And, what better way to do it, than hiking up Arthur's Seat?!

Holyrood Palace, from Arthur's Seat

Arthur's Seat is one of those local icons that no one seems to know much about.  What is it?  That question has an easy answer.  Arthur's Seat is part of Holyrood Park, and is essentially a really tall hill that gives you a mind-blowing (no pun intended, but it is pretty windy up there) view of Edinburgh and even parts of the Highlands if it's a clear day.  Very fortunately, there was not a cloud in the sky when I trekked to the top, which means awesome pictures for you all!!  Why is it called Arthur's Seat?  This is where we run into uncertainty.  I asked many people this question, and got a plethora of answers.  The most obvious is that the peak is named after the legendary King Arthur, the Scot (yes, he was Scottish, not English) who defended the British against the invading Saxons.  (He did a great job, but as we know Queen Victoria, Victoria's mother, and Prince Albert were all of the Saxe-Coburg family).  Another name for Arthur's Seat is the Archer's Seat, which makes a bit more sense because it is a great tactical position for a company of archers to defend the city.  There were many other name origin stories, but I liked these two the best.

Arthur's Seat, from Holyrood Palace

If you take the train into Edinburgh like I did, Arthur's Seat is the first thing you'll see out of the window.  I remember seeing tiny outlines of people walking on the top, and thinking "I am not leaving this place without doing that!"  The hike to the top of Arthur's Seat took me 20-30 minutes.  The cool thing about it is that you can hike up from almost every direction - there are dirt trails all over the place.

Edinburgh, from Arthur's Seat (1)

As incredible as these photos are, they don't even come close to how amazing it feels when you are standing over everything, the sun is shining, the crisp wind is blowing your hair, and all you can think is this is the most beautiful spot in the world!  Even with the wind in my ears, it was so quiet and peaceful up there.  There are only a few places in the world that I've felt like that.

Edinburgh, from Arthur's Seat (2)

As I mentioned it was an unusually clear day for Edinburgh, and, if you look really hard, you might be able to spot the snow-capped mountains of the Scottish Highlands (in picture #2)!  In picture #1 from Arthur's Seat, you can see Edinburgh Castle, sitting above everything else.

The last Edinburgh history I would like to impart is actually quite funny.  Just after the Napoleonic Wars (ended at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 under the Duke of Wellington, and Horatio Nelson), Edinburgh wanted to honor the Scots who died with a national memorial.  And, because people were convinced that Scotland was the new "great civilization" since Rome, they decided to build a replica of the Parthenon in the honor of the fallen soldiers.  For those of you who don't keep this highly useful statistic in your heads, the Parthenon has 60 columns, and the Scots ran out of money after 12.  And, instead of dismantling it, the 12 column monument remains today on Calton Hill over New Town, and is now known as "the disgrace of Scotland."  It's simultaneously humorous and sad, but is a cool place to visit and one of my favorite stories about Edinburgh.

Calton Hill and Holyrood Palace

I hope you enjoyed these posts about exciting Edinburgh!  Thanks for reading!















* Too bad I don't have more SATs-aged people reading this blog - I am making great use of my thesaurus!

Ebullient Edinburgh (part 2)

Ebullient: (adjective) cheerful and full of energy

"E" is a hard letter with which to alliterate!  Lets see how many fitting "E" adjectives I can come up with throughout these Edinburgh posts.

Where were we?  Oh, yes: Old Town.  I've pretty much covered the most exciting parts of the Royal Mile (with the exception of Holyrood Palace and Arthur's Seat, which will probably be in the next post).

University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh is a great place to start.  The architecture is beautiful!  I almost couldn't believe that it was a school.  Though, now that I think about it, it's exactly what I imagine an academic institution during the Enlightenment would look like.  But, of course, it is much older than that!  UofE was established in freakin' 1585!  Lets put that into some historical context:  in 1587, just two years later, Elizabeth I of England has Mary, Queen of Scots, beheaded!  Mary's son, James VI of Scotland, will eventually (1603) become the first monarch of England and Scotland (and is known as James VI & I).  You may not have heard of Edinburgh before, but UofE has one of the most impressive alumni lists I have ever seen!  Are you ready?  Adam Smith, Alexander Graham Bell (telephone guy), David Hume, Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Sir Walter Scott, and a few signatories of a little document ... you may have heard of it: the US Declaration of Independence (James Wilson, John Witherspoon, and Benjamin Rush)!

University of Edinburgh, Medical School

It just makes you wonder - at least, it makes me wonder - how did our American accent morph from English and Scottish?  It turned out quite differently when they tried that in Australia.  One of our tour guides around Edinburgh was Australian and maintained that their accent evolved from Brits who were not used to seeing the sun: as they squint, their mouths open wider at the corner.  It makes sense, I promise.  Think about it this way: "crikey" doesn't sound right unless you open your mouth all the way.  Brits, by contrast, like to mumble, which makes reading lips here 1000 times harder ... volume is definitely NOT a problem for Scots or Aussies.

This domed building is actually a giant lecture hall for the UofE Medical School.  Next to its sign that said "Medical School," there was chalked graffiti that said "gifted minds only."  I didn't really know if laughing would be appropriate, so I just smiled to myself and kept walking.  It was actually in this building (it extends down the block) that the first sheep was cloned!

The Bubble Car, National Museum of Scotland

Dolly the Sheep, as she has come to be known as, was cloned in 1997 and is now a stuffed specimen of the National Museum of Scotland, which has a collection of some really random and really awesome stuff (no pun intended).  Of the thousands of items displayed in the museum, my favorite was the bubble car!  This may shock you, but cars were not as popular here in Britain like they were in the US during the first half of the 20th century.  This is primarily because cities are smaller and public transportation better.  But, the idea of independent travel was really attractive after the end of WWII.  Unfortunately, Britain also had no money after the war.  Hence, the bubble car: it holds one or two people, has three wheels, one door (front end, so you're screwed if you have to parallel park - no way out except the window!), and was made from leftover sheet metal from the war.  These were very popular for a number of years, but stood no chance once the Mini Cooper zoomed into town!

Grassmarket

Just down the road (both down the block, and DOwN (as in elevation) the road), is an area called Grassmarket.  This spot used to be green down the center because it was where livestock was bought and sold at the farmers market.  Unfortunately, the grass has since been replaced with brick, but the farmer's market returns every weekend.  Grassmarket also used to be the site of the town gallows, a fitting spot in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.  It was like one-stop shopping: sell your cow, buy your food, grab a drink (Grassmarket is lined with pubs), and get front row seats for that day's hanging.  In fact, there's a pub called The Last Drop, which was, as you may have guessed, where the condemned went for their last drop of Scottish ale or scotch whiskey before their last drop.  (The Last Drop is to the right of this picture, as is The Smallest Pub In Scotland pub.  We had a chance to go into The Last Drop, but not The Smallest Pub ... it was too crowded).

The Kiss, Rodin (1889)

Cain and Abel, de Vries (c.1662)

And, since I mentioned museums, I might was well show you some of the cool stuff I saw at the National Gallery of Scotland.  I think the Gallery is technically located in New Town, but it's really in the valley between the two.  In any case, it has a pretty nice selection.  I know I said in my Hull post that I really love oils on canvas, and I do, but I love sculpture even more (perhaps it's my fascination with all things anatomy!), which is why my favorite pieces in the Gallery were Rodin's The Kiss (on loan to Edinburgh for just a year) and Adriaen de Vries's Cain and Abel.

The BEST post is up next!  Thanks for reading!

Exquisite Edinburgh (part 1)

We're finally here!  I wish this was written already -- I'm so excited to relive this experience!

Edinburgh Castle, from front door of my hostel!

Walking up the ramp to street level at Waverly Station, located in the heart of Edinburgh, was one of the best moments of the whole weekend.  And I mean that very seriously.  There were so many beautiful things around me that I quite forgot that I was a bit lost (but you'll never find me without a map handy .... a real map, none of this smart phone nonsense.  In fact, my travel companions, especially in the twistier cities like Amsterdam, are often impressed with my sense of direction.  I always tell them the same thing: once I have my bearings (north/south and east/west orientation), I don't usually need a map to get back home.  Maps are for getting specific places.  This is primarily why I post about random spots in London -- I just find them!).  Up the hill to the right was New Town and up the hill on my left was Old Town, which is where my hostel was located.

The Royal Mile, High Street

As I schlepped me and my roller bag up the hill, I noticed many back alleyways and steep stairs, connecting the streets on various levels of the incline.  When I finally made it to the top, I was on High Street (aka the Royal Mile), which stretches one mile and seven yards from Holyrood Palace (the official residence of the Royal Family when they're in Scotland) at the bottom of the hill to Edinburgh Castle at the top.  My hostel, as you might have guessed by now, was located, quite literally, in the shadow of the castle!  How cool?!  It gets better: this hostel used to be an old church (similar to the place I stayed in Liverpool), but it's walls are now covered with beautiful murals.  When I checked in, the lady behind the desk handed me a set of keys (the door key, my locker key, and my safe key) and said "you are bed 'Pukie' - have a nice stay!"  This made absolutely ZERO sense before I arrived at my room, and found the words "Snow White and the 7 Dwarves That Failed the Screen Test" painted on the door.  I kid you not.  Let me explain: each room has a theme (the one next door was Edinburgh pubs*), and the beds in the rooms each have a name, which makes it easier to book beds and give out the right set of keys when guests arrive.

Adam Smith and St Giles Cathedral

I immediately put my stuff down, pulled on an extra layer (Scotland is pretty far north and quite a windy place!), and headed back to High Street.  Since this area is mostly pedestrian, there are often street performers (like guys who juggle flaming torches atop of a 10ft unicycle!) doing shows in front of St Giles Cathedral (I'm sad that I didn't get a chance to peek inside ... next time).  My favorite thing about St Giles, however, is not its beautiful architecture (which I do admire), but rather the LARGE statue of Adam Smith that stands in front of it.  Catholicism and the epitome of Enlightenment thinkers sharing the same space?!  If that isn't symbolism slapping you in the face, I don't know what is.

Mr. Invisible Hand himself is actually buried a little ways down the Royal Mile, which was a cool place to visit.  The Scots are very proud to claim the invention of Capitalism as their own!

On the opposite side of St Giles sits another Enlightenment philosopher, David Hume.  For some reason, the artist who designed his sculpture dressed him in a toga, something Hume probably never wore in his life, let alone anywhere around Scotland.

Street performer (he happened to be Irish)

But wait, Adena, what about all those KILTS men in Scotland like to wear?  Well, wouldn't you like to know!  Fortunately for you all, I actually asked a real Scottish man to explain it:

Me: Doesn't it get cold?
Scotty: You better believe it's cold, but that's the traditional way [commando] to wear one.  It's a sign of masculinity.
Me: So it's basically a contest to see who can withstand freezing testicles the longest?
Scotty: Haha, yeah!  And a man who wears anything underneath his kilt is just wearing a skirt!

WOWZA!  It was so refreshing to be in a place where frankness is welcomed!  Brits, primarily the English, never say what they mean because reservation is a virtue, all in the name of being polite.  Not in Scotland!

Remember all the stairs I was telling you about?  Well, because of the crazy hills in Edinburgh, the city is built in layers, which means that you'll miss a lot of cool things if you're only seeing what's on eye level.  The bridge from which this photo was taken looks like an ordinary street when you're just walking down it because the buildings are built up right next to it.  In fact, when I popped into the library on this street, I was actually on the 5th floor!  The ground floor dumped me out on the street you see in this picture.  Most buildings here are like that.  When I got to the hostel, I went down two flights of stairs to get to my room.

Edinburgh, the layered city

On this same street is a very famous cafe.  It seems unremarkable, but it is a truly magical spot.  The Elephant House is where J.K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter novel.  Then, as a single parent, she often moved from cafe to cafe when her apartment didn't have heat, which was apparently pretty often.  She sat in the back room, where the large bay windows look out to Edinburgh Castle, a very old cemetery (containing some familiar names like McGonagall, Potter, and Moody), and a very prestigious private school, with majestic architecture and four houses of its own!  This was quite literally the birthplace of the wizarding world.  Inside the bathrooms of the Elephant House, the walls are graffitied with messages from Harry Potter fans from all over the world.  They say things like "Hermione and Ronald forever" and "mischief managed."  Others are letters of thanks to J.K. Rowling for her creation.  My own sharpie left the words "Thank you for my childhood! <3 Adena" on the top of the door jam.  I'm excited to see it again soon!

sign in the window reads "the birthplace of Harry Potter"

Greyfriars graveyard

(Lucky me, there was an AMAZING rainbow across the sky!)

So much more to tell you (I took something like 87 pictures on this trip!) ... thanks for reading!


*Edinburgh has over 700 pubs ... most of which are within a 20 minute walk of Old Town.

Visiting Victoria

Victoria Station (ignore the construction)

I realize I mention Queen Victoria every chance I get, which is why you'll be pleased to hear that this post has nothing to do with her.  Victoria Street is just one of the main drags that runs from Victoria Station to Parliament Square, a route I took a few weeks ago on a free afternoon.  I saw many well known sites like Parliament and Westminster Abbey, as well as some random spots that most tourists many not stumble across.

(This study break is much too short for an Edinburgh post, but they are coming ... I promise!)

When you think about London transportation you think of the Underground, those black cabs, and, of course, the red double-decker buses.  The buses, known as Route Masters, have actually undergone a recent makeover, and are my favorite way to get around London.  At first, I was terrified of sitting on the top level, not because I'm afraid of heights, but because I was afraid of missing my stop.  Now I have no problem, and it is great fun to sit upstairs!

Do you remember this part of the Beatles song A Day In The Life:

Found my coat and grabbed my hat

Made the bus in seconds flat

Found my way upstairs and had a smoke

And somebody spoke and I went into a dream

Newest Route Master model, upstairs view

It always confused me how he went from being on a bus to going up the stairs.  As an American teen, I guess it never occurred to me that going upstairs meant going to the upper deck of a red Route Master bus.  Or maybe I never thought too much about it because sometimes you're better off not trying to make sense of Beatles songs.

In any case, I like riding the Route Masters because they are half the price of taking the Tube and you get to see more of London on your commute (most Tube stations look the same underground).  The old red buses used to be open on the back so people could hop on and hop off easily - I've seen people do this and it is terrifying when they barely make it onto that open rear platform.  And, the best part is that the conductors don't care - they are more of the "jump at your own risk" opinion.  If you make it, you have the privilege of paying the bus fare.  The next model that replaced the oldest ones still on the road have a closed back but two entrances (front and middle) instead of one.  But, the newest model (pictured) is pretty awesome: it has three doors (front, middle, and back) and a return to two staircases (like the older model).  The cool thing about the newest Route Master is the way the windows follow the staircases - natural light moves with you.

Here are some of the sites I saw around Victoria and Parliament Square:

The Albert Pub, Victoria Street

Oh dear, I know I promised, but what would Victoria Street be without the Albert Pub?

This picture is actually quite a great example of how London is built.  Unlike Philadelphia (my beLOVEd hometown), there is no old town and new town in London.  Since expanding out is not really an option on this tiny island, the old and the new exist in the same space.

Cardinal Walk, Victoria Street

Just a bit further down the block is this awesome covered outdoor shopping area called Cardinal Walk.  I'm not really sure how it got its name, but I can guess.  If you look straight through, you may see a candy-striped building way in the distance.  That is Westminster Cathedral, the main Catholic church in England (which is predominately Protestant thanks to Henry VIII) - this photo is also a great example of the old and the new!  Since Cardinals are associated with the Catholic Church, that may be how the shopping area got its name.

Modern buildings in London are almost always glass front - they really like the sleek look here.

Westminster Cathedral, and Catholic churches built in the same era, are generally a bit less grand than cathedrals like St Paul's or the Liverpool Cathedral (I guess in the attempt not to out-do the Vatican ... though I'm not sure that is even possible!).  This cathedral was really nice inside, but had dark ceilings; some of the smaller chapels had colorful mosaic work on its ceilings.

Westminster Cathedral (interior)

Westminster Cathedral (front)

As you can tell, it was a challenge getting the whole Cathedral in one shot!  Between you and me, it took a few (5 or 6) tries.

As nice as it is, I think the candy stripes make it look a bit ridiculous.

But, who am I to judge?  I do belong to a synagogue that looks like a space ship (thanks, Frank Lloyd Wright)!

Next, I walked to the end of Victoria Street to Parliament Square.

Westminster Abbey

Here is Westminster Abbey.  I don't mind posting about it before I've actually had a chance to go inside because they don't allow photography inside.  I hope to go soon because I hear it's not something to miss.  This is where most of the monarchs are buried, and where most Royal weddings, christenings, and coronations happen.  Princess Diana is the only exception - she insisted on being married at St Paul's Cathedral (which she was) because she thought it was more of a "people's church" than Westminster Abbey.  Neither the Royal Family nor Parliament were happy with this, which is partially why she is buried at Westminster Abbey.

Buxton Fountain

In the gardens behind the Houses of Parliament is the Buxton Memorial Fountain, dedicated to Thomas Fowell Buxton, a major leader in the anti-slavery movement.  He was buddies with William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, Granville Sharp, etc.  The Fountain (it's a drinking fountain) commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire (1833).  This was cool for me to see because my research topic (aka my whole reason for being in London) is the investigation into the origins of abolition in Britain.

An aside: the movie Amazing Grace, with a young Benedict Cumberbatch as Prime Minister William Pitt, is a great movie about the abolitionists in Britain (despite a few historical inaccuracies)!  I recommend you check it out.

In the background you can see Victoria Tower.  This is where the Queen gets ready before she addresses Parliament.  This is another place I haven't visited yet.  Though, I do have some friends who are interning for a few MPs (Member of Parliament, US equivalent = Congressperson), so they get to work in there every day and see things that tour groups do not!  Lucky duckies!

Channel 4 Studios

On my way back to Victoria Station to catch a bus back to South Kensington, I came across the Channel 4 building.  And, because I am taking an architecture elective, I can confidently identify this building as a Richard Rogers product.  Rogers is known for putting the "guts" of a building (ventilation, air shafts, elevator shafts, etc.) on the outside, articulated with vibrant colors.  Virtually every other modern building in London is a Richard Rogers creation - the other half is by architect Norman Foster (the two architects used to be best buds, in business together, but are now THE two competing firms of London.  Though I'm pretty sure they are still friends).

Norman Foster is known for his sleeker designs.  I actually prefer his work to Rogers'.  Foster designed the new parliament building for Germany, and also the HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) building in Hong Kong.


I hope you enjoyed this random post of mostly portrait-orientated pictures.  I promise Edinburgh is next!  Thanks for reading!

Embarking for Edinburgh

When I was accepted into the London program, I fantastically imagined Austen-esque situations in which I could exclaim “how insufferable!” mostly because I had never been to the UK (or Europe, for that matter) and because of too many BBC period films.  Of course, most people in Britain are quite nice, and not a’tall insufferable, but, alas, the fantasy manifested on my way to Edinburgh.

Newcastle, England (by border of Scotland)

Southern Scotland (waistband of UK)

The train journey from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh, Scotland, is anywhere between 4 to 6 hours, depending on how many stops it makes.  I was a bit stressed about going away for the weekend because I had so much work to do: a novel to read, a term paper to write, and a research topic to outline.  The train would provide the perfect blocks of time to appease my “I can’t believe I got zero work done this weekend” sentiment.  It was a good plan … until the train arrived in York.  I should preface this by saying that it is common courtesy to use indoor voices on public transportation, even if you are not riding in the quiet coach of the train.  The chaos that ensued upon departing from York was unbelievable (and still is, as I write this post*):

A group of about 15 or 20 LOUD women filled in the previously quiet spaces of Coach E, laughing and yelling down the aisle.  It looked like a hen (bachelorette) party, or perhaps a birthday.  Before I knew it, they were popping champagne bottles and filling flutes full of the bubbly liquid, many of which overflowed onto the floor.  Common decency???  I guess not!  I have never witness a more unruly pack of women over 30, in a public place!  The worst part about it was that they were all talking at the same time; all competing for airtime, resulting in an exponential growth in the decibel level every time someone opened her mouth.  It literally sounded like a bunch of squawking chickens.  It was insufferable behavior!  And, just my luck, they were headed for Edinburgh.  At one point, one of the Scottish police officers on board came into our coach.  I thought he was finally going to ask the ladies to settle down.  Obviously they did, too, because they all started to hush up.  The officer looked at them, took off his hat, and, with a grand sweep of his arm, announced, "the entertainment is here!"  The burst of laughter almost shattered the windows around us, but I have to admit, it was pretty funny - I'm pretty sure a giggle slipped out of me.

If I was sitting closer to the hen party, I would have inconspicuously snapped a photo, so pictures of trainside scenery will just have to do.**  Posts about my adventures in Edinburgh are coming soon!  Thanks for reading!

First glimpses of Edinburgh, Scotland

* I call this my "freshest post" (definitely not from concentrate) because I wrote it while all this was going down ... it was too ridiculous not to document in real time!

** About the pictures:
Newcastle is England's northern most city on the east coast.  The border between England and Scotland, historically marked by Hadrien's Wall and called the "waisteband" of Britain (the thinnest part), is not far.

Once we crossed into Scotland, we primarily skirted the coast, which was lucky for me because I was sitting on the east side of the train.

In the last picture you can see North Bridge over Edinburgh Waverly Station with New Town in the background.