Edinburgh

A Windy Day at Rosslyn Chapel

Edinburgh Expeditions

Yesterday, a few friends and I ventured through the wind and rain to visit Rosslyn Chapel. After missing the bus (and noting that the 15A wouldn’t drop us off at the Chapel), we were off to a late start. Killing time with a cappuccino, we caught the later bus and were off, an hour after we had meant to.

But that was okay. We drove about a half hour outside of Edinburgh to Roslin, and a quick walk up to the chapel’s visitor center. Then through the sliding glass doors to see the chapel itself.

No internal photography is permitted, but we took full advantage of there still being daylight to shoot the exterior. There’s some lovely stonework, which I find beautiful, even in its decay.

Stonework, Rosslyn Chapel

(C) Beth 2012

I loved wandering around the building, looking at the statues of saints and angels. Living in Italy, if only for four months, instilled a fascination with these images. At Rosslyn, my favourites were on a memorial stone.

Love Conquers Death

(C) Beth 2012

I think I photographed all of the angels on this stone…there were so many! This one was my favourite photograph, though.

Hope

(C) Beth 2012

The interior of Rosslyn was stunning. Not being allowed to take photographs, I sketched instead (but none of my sketches were quite up to par, so sadly I shan’t share).

The carvings were beautiful. I can’t even begin to describe them without falling into cliche. A place that must be seen by one’s own eyes!

 

Eight Things I Love About Edinburgh

Edinburgh Expeditions

1. My Degree Programme

Yeah. If I didn’t like my programme, living in this fabulous city would be hell. Why? I pretty much live inside my programme building. But I don’t care. I’m learning so much, working on cool projects, and expanding my knowledge. I’ve got a lot of freedom to do what I like (within the grounds of the brief), and with the upcoming term, that will probably only expand. At the moment, I’m becoming a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. I can model and animate in 3D well enough, code HTML/CSS decently (and a little bit of Java and ActionScript), and so forth.

But on top of this, my coursemates are awesome. We’re a social bunch, getting together outside of class, and chatting when working on projects. We help each other out as best we can, answering questions and generally supporting each other. We’re little cheerleaders for each other. No one gets left behind.

2. Swing Dancing

Swing dancing is my social life outside of my coursework. I dance approximately three nights a week. It’s a great form of exercise and its so much fun. I went to my first ball this weekend, and haven’t enjoyed myself at a dance, well, ever. There was awkward dancing, as I’m not the most skilled (I’ve only been dancing for three months) but regardless, a wonderful time was had by all.

Lindy hop has definitely got me thinking about how I dress as well. I’m conscious of wearing clothing that permits movement, and skirts and dresses I can dance in. Shoes, always my weakness, have become more important. I look for shoes with comfortable padding in the balls and heels, and soles that are smooth yet not too smooth so I don’t wipe out. I’m now the proud owner of a lovely pair of wine t-strap heels, perfect for dancing or just wearing with jeans or a skirt.

3. Wandering through Old Town

Ah, the part of Edinburgh where I spend most of my time! I love exploring this part of the city, when my coursework permits.

I think I was a Romantic in a former life. One of the first places I wandered during some time off was Greyfriars Kirkyard. It was so atmospheric, that blustery, dreaded sunny day in October, so naturally I went to the cemetry (ten points for mildly obscure music reference). I brought my sketch book and camera, sitting down, observing the visitors, watching the clouds, and wandering.

The Grassmarket is another favourite neighborhood. I like to look in the shops, to look up at the Castle, to dash into Avalanche and see what they have for used CDs.

4. Cafe Culture

I love coffee. I love tea. I love sitting in cafes and enjoying these hot beverages. Edinburgh has a plethora of cafes. I have some favourite places to get my caffeine fix in my neighborhood (some of the best coffee I’ve had is at a police box coffee stand in my uni’s main campus). It’s a fabulous way to meet up with friends–getting a coffee. Far superior to Boston, where most of the cafes were, well, Starbucks. Not that we don’t have chains over here, but there are some great options that are smaller.

5. Charity Shops and Vintage Stores

Ah, the charity shop! A place where you can get just about anything, if you’re willing to look. From books to jewellery to dresses and skirts, these are often an affordable option for students in search of new clothes. Which reminds me, I need to go in search of some swing-dance appropriate attire.

6. The Pubs

Ah, the pubs! The places where I can get a good burger and a good beer. Excellent places for a meet up with coursemates and friends. The one problem: there are so many, it’s difficult to plan where you meet up!

7. The Architecture

There’s something very welcoming about Edinburgh’s architecture. It isn’t too tall, the windows are pleasantly sized, and the neighborhoods are downright inviting. I love strolling through the streets. There’s always something interesting around the corner, either an old school that’s been turned into flats or a side street I’ve never noticed before.

8. The Libraries

I love the libraries. My uni library, the central city library, the music library…I spend too much time in the libraries, thinking about which books I want to read.

They’re great places to conduct research, and of course…there are just so many books. So many books, so little time. Now, excuse me, I have a new book I need to read now that term is over!

Thanksgiving Abroad

Edinburgh Expeditions

As I snoozed my alarm for the third time this morning, two thoughts came to mind. The first, that I hadn’t rendered my animation to a high enough quality, proved false as I sat in the computer lab at 8.45 this morning, watching it on three different machines.

The second was that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It’s snuck up on me, worse than Halloween and my birthday. Thing is, I know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I really do. I’m going to a couple of Thanksgiving dinners over the course of the weekend. But it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving.

It could be that I’m living in Edinburgh. I hang out with a few Americans, but the full work week (and major submission due Friday) kind of remove the Thanksgiving feeling. Knowing that I won’t be entering a food coma tomorrow is a bit strange.

Seeing my across-the-pond friends and family post messages about their Thanksgiving plans on Facebook is really what reminds me that, yes, tomorrow is the day of turkey-eating. Friends who have moved to Colorado and beyond mention that its strange not to be with family for Thanksgiving. Neighbours express their happiness of seeing their children again. And here am I, who otherwise would have forgotten.

No American football. No left-over turkey sandwiches. No pumpkin pie for breakfast the following morning. But I’ll be here with friends, my Uni family, celebrating. And for that, I’m thankful.

A far too early almost-Thanksgiving dinner.

A NaNoWriMo Confession

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I’m not participating in NaNo this year. Well, not writing a story for NaNo. I like looking through the forums and putting in my two-cents. But I’m not writing a novel.

My muse is on vacation, and I am soaking in all that Edinburgh has to offer. Coursework, swing dancing, hwal moo hapkido, just sightseeing in general. I’m enjoying my experiences, tucking them away, to be explored at a later date.

I’m being absorbed by my world. With hope, the City of Literature will rub off on me. But I don’t foresee it rubbing off in time for NaNo. And where writing fiction and I are spending some time apart, I don’t think it would be wise to attempt NaNo. It just wouldn’t be fun. There is no point in forcing something creative–it just will not work.

A Minor Interruption

Edinburgh Expeditions

Ladies and gentlemen, please pardon the minor interruption to She Thinks Too Much. I’m running away to join the Circus  the new Number Two flying off to Scotland to study for my master’s degree.

Don’t panic, and do not adjust the dial on your television set. You haven’t entered the Twilight Zone.

I’ll be posting regularly. I’m just going to need a couple of days to settle into my new home and new city.

I’m really excited to be journeying to Scotland. It will be a completely different experience from when I studied abroad in Florence. For one, I will be receiving a degree at the end of it! For another, I’ll be there for a year. And for a third, I don’t think that I’ll be doing as much weekend traveling. I hope to get down to London at least once each semester, but trips probably will not be all that frequent. I fully think that my programme will keep me very, very busy.

Sunny Scotland

(C) Beth 2010

Excuses, Excuses

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

I apologize for my absence from the blogosphere. I didn’t mean to vanish. It sort of just happened.

But I’m back now.

Well, sort of.

I’ve left Italy for the sunnier weather of the UK (yes, there was very little rain, only last Sunday when I tramped across London with my friend C). I went adventuring up to Scotland, where I’m hoping to attend graduate school.

I do love adventuring, and places like Edinburgh. There’s an underlying current to the city that inspires me. The wheels in my head start turning, creating scenarios and situations. Boston is like that. So is Florence.

My favorite Scottish adventure was our hike up (and down) Arthur’s Seat, the mountain (or hill) near Holyrood Palace at the base of the Royal Mile. Legend has it that King Arthur hung around up there. It’s the result of a volcano.

We sat and enjoyed a pleasant lunch on another peak, watching the world below us. We were so elevated that the birds flew below eye level. A truly unique experience.

I see myself returning there, notebook in hand, plopping down on the grass and writing a short story. Years ago I wrote one that was partially set on Arthur’s Seat; it’s funny how painfully off I was about the environment.

Here’s to new experiences and silly mistakes in previous works!