Or at leats it should be called that, because it sounds suitably Scottish.
I had an absolutely wonderful time in Scotland, and I wish I was able to spend more time there. I took a tour with the same company Erin and I took to Wales, and the tour was just as phenomenal. The weather cleared up and was an unseasonably warm 22 degrees on one day, a little misty on the next, and warm with blue skies on the third. I saw the Isle of Skye, visited the William Wallace Memorial (freedom!), ate haggis, and resisted the urge to buy every little cheesy Scottish souvenir I could find (Nessie hats and snowglobes, anyone?). I served as bait for the Loch Ness Monster, climbed a hill entirely shrouded in mist, used the Loo of the Year (2006), and heard the fairies piping at Kilt Rock. All in all a successful trip, I might say. (Oh, except for my failure to find a fried Mars Bar anywhere, probably due to the fact we only stayed in small towns. The only chip shop we found refused to make one, even when we offered to pick one up ourselves from the nearest newsagent. Boo. Next time.)
In Cambridge now at Nic's, where I've been lazing in the sun all day along with the cats. After all that traveling, I needed a little relaxing. Next stop: London!
= :)
Jul 9, 2006
Jul 5, 2006
So Cold
So, so, so cold.
Edinburgh is a very pretty city. Edinburgh is also freezing, even in the middle of summer. No one told me this. I assumed it would be colder in Edinburgh than in London - I just didn't expect a temperature change of 15 degrees Celsius on a 5-hour train trip (33 in London, 18 but feels colder in Edinburgh).
I am not equipped. I don't even really have warm clothes. Fed up with the weight of The Beast, I dropped off some clothes in London...including my coat. Awesome. But whatever, it probably wouldn't have been adequate enough, anyway, as everyone else seems to be wearing winter coats.
Is this a commonly known fact? Are you supposed to wear hats and gloves in Scotland, even on July 4th, when I should be sitting on a porch somewhere, eating watermelon? I feel so ignorant and naive. I also fear hypothermia.
If you don't hear from me within the next few days, you'll know what has happened. Remember me fondly.
= :(
Edinburgh is a very pretty city. Edinburgh is also freezing, even in the middle of summer. No one told me this. I assumed it would be colder in Edinburgh than in London - I just didn't expect a temperature change of 15 degrees Celsius on a 5-hour train trip (33 in London, 18 but feels colder in Edinburgh).
I am not equipped. I don't even really have warm clothes. Fed up with the weight of The Beast, I dropped off some clothes in London...including my coat. Awesome. But whatever, it probably wouldn't have been adequate enough, anyway, as everyone else seems to be wearing winter coats.
Is this a commonly known fact? Are you supposed to wear hats and gloves in Scotland, even on July 4th, when I should be sitting on a porch somewhere, eating watermelon? I feel so ignorant and naive. I also fear hypothermia.
If you don't hear from me within the next few days, you'll know what has happened. Remember me fondly.
= :(
Jul 3, 2006
End of the Affair
So, I'm back in Bucharest, and it's my last day in Romania. What a short, strange trip it's been. Romania has been an experience, to say the very very least, and I'm glad I got a chance to visit before globalization (further) wreaks its havoc. I'd like to come back here in a couple of years and see what joining the EU does to change the country.
In a way, this also feels like the end of my big backpacking adventure. I'm off to Scotland on Tuesday, but really, it's in the same country as London and everyone speaks English (kinda). I didn't really think I could travel alone at the beginning of all this, and it's had its tough bits, but I really, really enjoyed being able to travel around and see places I had only read about before. It's given me the traveing bug, though, which should be interesting on a student's budget for the next 2 years. To celebrate my successful conquest of (parts of) Eastern Europe, I think I'll get a nice pasta dish from the local Italian place. All that meat has made me consider the vitues of vegetarianism. A vegetarianism that contains a little more variety than cheese, bread, and more cheese. Yummm.
In the spirit of last days, here are some pictures from my last night out in Camden (my last night out before tomorrow night, that is, when I'm going to treat myself to a big jug of Pimms - all for me, of course). Please note: we were very, very inebriated at the time - I bear no responsibility for how ridiculous we may look. :P
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.b1pl39q7&x=0&y=9b60vj
= :)
In a way, this also feels like the end of my big backpacking adventure. I'm off to Scotland on Tuesday, but really, it's in the same country as London and everyone speaks English (kinda). I didn't really think I could travel alone at the beginning of all this, and it's had its tough bits, but I really, really enjoyed being able to travel around and see places I had only read about before. It's given me the traveing bug, though, which should be interesting on a student's budget for the next 2 years. To celebrate my successful conquest of (parts of) Eastern Europe, I think I'll get a nice pasta dish from the local Italian place. All that meat has made me consider the vitues of vegetarianism. A vegetarianism that contains a little more variety than cheese, bread, and more cheese. Yummm.
In the spirit of last days, here are some pictures from my last night out in Camden (my last night out before tomorrow night, that is, when I'm going to treat myself to a big jug of Pimms - all for me, of course). Please note: we were very, very inebriated at the time - I bear no responsibility for how ridiculous we may look. :P
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.b1pl39q7&x=0&y=9b60vj
= :)
Jul 1, 2006
Village People
Hey everyone -
They keyboard here is not agreeing with me, so bear with the typos and short entry.
The tour is getting better day by day. On Friday morning, we headed off to a little village called Viscrii (from the Saxon "Weisskirche"), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had to travel on a bunpy, bumpy dirt road to get there (damn you, back seat!), but it was worth it. The village is almost completely isolated, and its cute little houses are all well-kept and brightly-painted. There are all sorts of foundations supporting the village and its inhabitants, so it's much cleaner and more beautiful than surrounding villages. Inhabitants take part in the "Sock Project," in which they earn money by knitting various items (socks included, obviously), and sell them to the public.
You have to wonder who they sell them to, though, since there were only 2 other tourists in the town with us. The main attraction of the village is the White Church itself, a fortified Saxon church from the 1600s. It still has a loyal congregation of about 15 people, descendants of the original Saxon (German) population that moved there in the 1500s or so. The Church is in decent condition, but climbing the rickety tower was still an adventure. The people who take care of it are amazing. They still speak the Saxon dialect and maintain all of the traditions of their people - even after living among Romanians for over 400 years! A Saxon family invited us for lunch, in what was definitely the highlight of the trip (shush, Nic). They made homemade wine and plum brandy, and this fantastic tomato soup and cabbage stew, all made with ingredients freshly grown from their garden. We ate it at a long table in their garden, among their dogs and cats, and it was by far one of the best things I've done while traveling.
We're in Sigisoara now (birthplace of Dracula!), which is cute and old and all the buildings lean to the side. Off for the England gane and one last Romanian feast tonight, and then back to London on Monday. Sadness. I know Romania will all be changed when (if?) I come back, but it's been a great experience to be here now. Yaay Romania. :)
Off to Scotland next - on July 4th - woohoo! Talk soon!
= :)
They keyboard here is not agreeing with me, so bear with the typos and short entry.
The tour is getting better day by day. On Friday morning, we headed off to a little village called Viscrii (from the Saxon "Weisskirche"), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had to travel on a bunpy, bumpy dirt road to get there (damn you, back seat!), but it was worth it. The village is almost completely isolated, and its cute little houses are all well-kept and brightly-painted. There are all sorts of foundations supporting the village and its inhabitants, so it's much cleaner and more beautiful than surrounding villages. Inhabitants take part in the "Sock Project," in which they earn money by knitting various items (socks included, obviously), and sell them to the public.
You have to wonder who they sell them to, though, since there were only 2 other tourists in the town with us. The main attraction of the village is the White Church itself, a fortified Saxon church from the 1600s. It still has a loyal congregation of about 15 people, descendants of the original Saxon (German) population that moved there in the 1500s or so. The Church is in decent condition, but climbing the rickety tower was still an adventure. The people who take care of it are amazing. They still speak the Saxon dialect and maintain all of the traditions of their people - even after living among Romanians for over 400 years! A Saxon family invited us for lunch, in what was definitely the highlight of the trip (shush, Nic). They made homemade wine and plum brandy, and this fantastic tomato soup and cabbage stew, all made with ingredients freshly grown from their garden. We ate it at a long table in their garden, among their dogs and cats, and it was by far one of the best things I've done while traveling.
We're in Sigisoara now (birthplace of Dracula!), which is cute and old and all the buildings lean to the side. Off for the England gane and one last Romanian feast tonight, and then back to London on Monday. Sadness. I know Romania will all be changed when (if?) I come back, but it's been a great experience to be here now. Yaay Romania. :)
Off to Scotland next - on July 4th - woohoo! Talk soon!
= :)
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