Scotland: Edinburgh, the Highlands and Loch Ness

Scotland was absolutely amazing! It is such a beautiful country. Think Appalachia times ten. Joseph and I stayed at the Castle Rock Hostel which was pretty nice. We roomed with eight Canadians who were studying at a Bible College in London (I didn't know they had those here). We arrived by train on Friday (it was about a six hour ride from Oxford). We went to The Scotch Whisky (no e) Heritage Center, aka 'Malt Disney' where we sampled some Whisky, learned how it's made and went on a thrilling barrel ride through the history of Scotch Whisky. We also went to a tartan factory and saw tartans being made. We had dinner at Deacon Brodie's Pub, who lived in the 18th century and was the inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. On Saturday, we went on an awesome bus tour through the Highlands and up to Loch Ness. On Sunday, we explored Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland. Here are some of my many pictures:

This is the boat tour of Loch Ness we went on. It was rainy, windy and quite cold- just what I had hoped for out of Scotland. Loch Ness is a huge freshwater lake, about 25 miles long, a mile wide and up to 1000 feet deep. According to our "Oxford-instructed" crypto-zoologist guide, there are 18 animals in the lake, which belong to the family of dinosaur-like Plesiosaurs. They live 180 years and only reproduce when one dies. Recently, a body of a large animal washed up on the shore of Loch Ness and DNA testing showed that the animal shares 72% of the same DNA as a Plesiosaur (which actually isn't that much). There was sonar on the boat so we could see what was beneath us. I think I am more skeptical now than I was before I went. But, I try to keep an open mind.

Do you see her?

Here are some beautiful pictures of the Highlands of Scotland. The one of the right is Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK at a staggering 4000ft.

More pictures of the Highlands.

This is Hamish, who is a 'herry coo' (hairy cow) or a highland cow. He is actually a bull. They are very hardy animals. I am feeding Hamish treats from the goody bags they sold on the side of the road. He was very gentle and enjoyed his carrots, potatoes and rutabagas very much.

These are some pictures from Edinburgh Castle. The one of the left is the pet cemetery where the Scottish soldiers can bury their service dogs. The one in the middle is a shot of New Town from the castle. The one on the left is obviously a picture of Joseph and William Wallace (who was raising money for Leukemia).

More pictures from the Castle. Edinburgh Castle was originally built in the 11th century as a stronghold for Scottish kings. The middle picture is what is looks like in the castle grounds. The next picture is of Arthur's seat, the highest point near Edinburgh.

This first picture is of the Palace of the Holyroodhouse, where the queen lives when she comes to Scotland. The one in the middle is the Millennium Clock in the National Museum of Scotland. This next one is Edinburgh Castle.

This is what the soldiers wear in Scotland. The tartan is called Black Watch. Another shot of Edinburgh Castle.

The Scots have a thing about Unicorns. Here is a bagpipe player.

The one in the middle is the new Scottish Parliament building. Parliament returned to Scotland in 2000 after a three hundred year absents (oppressed by the English). Even though the building is hideous, it is a great source of pride for the Scots.

The black tower is the Sir Walter Scott monument. They worship him. The middle one is from the tartan mill. The next one is the outside of 'Malt Disney'.

This is St. Giles Cathedral. Here is a shot of Old Town at Sunset (about 9:45pm). And yes, this is a Friday's. Potato Skins were about $18.

Overall, Scotland was my favorite trip so far. Joseph really enjoyed it too. He is sick right now, but is doing well in his tutorials, as am I. We have about 5 weeks left (7 papers) and we still hope to get to Ireland, some cities in England, London once more and maybe Paris the last week. Anyway, miss you all and hope you're enjoying summer. I miss warm weather! I've been wearing a coat for two weeks because it's been cold and rainy. Oh well, that's the UK.

Until next time,
Sara and Joseph

London and Wales!!!

Since I last updated, our seminars have ended and our tutorials have begun. We are beginning the third week of the Oxford term (there are 8, but we will be here one additional week). So far so good. Joseph and I both like the tutorial we have together (Chaucer), although it is rather difficult. It is at Trinity College- I hope to put pictures of it up tomorrow. I am enjoying Spanish. We are doing a mixture of language and literature. So far I've read two Garcia Lorca plays: La casa de Bernarda Alba and Bodas de sangre. Spanish is at Christ Church College (snooty) which is really beautiful and boasts the only cathedral in Oxford. Cardinal Wolsey founded Christ Church in the 16th century. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement was a student here:

So far, I have written eight papers (in five weeks) and have at least eight more to go. Joseph and I also decided not to go to the Keble Ball. It was just too much money. So... we traveled! Last Saturday, we took a day trip to London. We saw Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Hard Rock, Hyde Park, and HARRODS!!! Here are some pictures:

Lucky for us, London is only about an hour away by train or two hours by bus. In the next couple weekends we hope to go back and see the Tower, London Bridge, Piccadilly Circus etc.

This weekend we went to Wales with some friends. Tenby, which is on the west coast of Wales is about 5 hours by train. This was my first time on a train and it was AWESOME. Very easy to travel, cheap (thanks to our Britrail Pass) and really relaxing. I highly recommend it. Tenby was absolutely gorgeous. It's one of the oldest resort towns in Wales and has one of the nicest beaches in the UK. Oddly, people there must be very hot natured. We saw people in shorts and tank tops when I was cold in a jacket and jeans. Here are some pictures (note the tidal extremes):

Wales is a very interesting place. Welsh, a Gaelic language, is still spoken. There is a dragon on their flag which represents Uther Pendragon, King Arthur's father. Wales also boast more castles than anywhere in the UK. I would definitely go back!