I know I should be finally updating you about my disasterous trip to Portugal but there are some more pressing matters at hand today. The weather.
For nine months, I have remained pretty accepting of Scottish weather. The freak January snow aside, I have survived and enjoyed living in this rather chilly country. My arrival in August meant a well needed escape from the heat and humidity of DC and I was never happier to embrace the 60's. Autumn is my favorite season so I enjoyed a prolonged one this year. And winter is winter. Frankly, it gets colder at home but for not as long. And the infamous Scottish "rain"? Hardly an issue. As stated in past blogs, it rains almost daily but rarely for the endless day(s) as seen in the movies. I have needed an umbrella twice...maybe...
It was two Fridays ago that I finally lost the plot (is that the phrase?). After a brief tease of nice weather (see Spring Break- Part 2) it has been cold. Scarves, winter jackets, gloves, hats cold. I picnicked a few weekends ago with Lou's family (sans Lou) at the lovely Glen Clova and all of us ended the day bundled up. So when I entered school on May 7th, I just lost it. I complained and whined and desperately begged anyone and everyone to give me hope that Spring would finally show its sunny face. This was May after all. Unfortunately, all my colleagues were feeling the same way.
And then last Saturday it happened. Hardly tropical weather but made it to the upper 50's and it was beautiful. Knowing that consistent weather is not a Scottish trait, I didn't have much hope that this break would last. And I was right! It got even better. The past three days have been in the mid-70's. Many of my colleagues have actually been caught complaining about doing work because it is so hot. But not me. I hated my kids so much on Tuesday but come Wednesday, very little dampened my spirits. I've been wearing skirts and flops at every opportunity. I'm outside as much as the midgies (little awful bugs that sent me inside today after only a 20 minute walk - did I say awful?) will allow because I know come Monday, I could be bundling up again.
As for now, I'm going to enjoy the Barbeque Weather (as people phrase this type of weather here) tomorrow by going to a Farm Fair (sort of like a Four H Fair) in Cupar with my friend Jenni. I might get burnt and eaten by midgies but I'll do it all with my toes hanging out and a spring in my step.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
The April Update 2 - Calm Before the Storm
Glad to think the worst of the worst was out of the way at the beginning of my spring break - and that is my two days of food poisoning - I was happily picked Cindy and Mike from the airport on Tuesday, April 6. Only a bit late, I was entertained at International Arrivals by a group of teenage footballers who came through customs a few at a time and were greeted by wild applause from waiting parents. When one of the kids showed up with a HUGE trophy it became evident that I was about to be disappointed by the appearance of Cindy and Mike. And sure enough, when Cindy and Mike finally made it to me, they were trophy-less thus confirming my suspicions. There had surely been a competition in customs and my friends lost to a large group of lanky Scots-boys. I could barely contain my disgust as I hugged them in greeting and escorted them out to the car.
My good friends had spent the better part of a day travelling from Baltimore so I thought the best thing to do once they arrived was immediately force them to sit for another 3 hours as we ventured up to Loch Ness. It may seem cruel but in reality, I have come to discover when people first arrive in Scotland from the States, they are more or less useless from the travel and time difference. Instead of wasting a day of rest, I thought we should cover some ground that first day to get us where we needed to be for the 7th. It turned out to be a good mood and Marvin got us to our B and B in record time (though he couldn't actually find our B and B - Cindy had to call and have them talk us in). Our family room was more like a huge suite where I had my own set of bunk beds and Cindy and Mike shared a huge king bed in a room with a full kitchen and hot tub out back. It was called the Great Glen B and B and all three of us would highly recommend it for those traveling up the Loch Ness way. Perfect location on a beautiful farm, reasonably priced, and a yummy breakfast. It was also only 5 minutes from the Loch Ness cruise we wanted to take in the morning.
When thinking of Loch Ness, the legend of a sea monster naturally comes to mind. Before actually seeing Loch Ness, I really couldn't understand how hard it could possibly be to NOT find a sea creature in a lake. And then I saw the lake. Over 20 miles long and as deep at 755 feet at its deepest (more than two Statue of Liberties with base put together). If you were to look at Loch Ness on a map, it almost separates the top third of Scotland off from the rest of the country. It holds the most volume of water out of all the Scottish lochs and, as if its sheer size isn't enough, it is BLACK. So though there are many dedicated scientists (and fanatics) who spend all their energies searching this massive black lake for a mystical sea creature, I have a much better understanding as to why very few people have claimed to glimpse it. Really an amazing body of water worth spending an afternoon exploring. And that's what we did. We took a rather chilly 30 minute boat ride down part of the lake before getting off to explore the Urquhart Castle ruins for an hour. A 30 minute boat ride back - this time opting for the lounge inside the boat - and we were on our way to the Isle of Skye.
Along the way, we came across Eilean Donan Castle. I loved this castle! I'm sure you've seen pictures of it (and I'll post some as well so you can have a look see - wait! - my camera was dead by then so Cindy and Mike will have to hook me up). This is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland and is used in many movies (so obviously I was intrigued). There's nothing like touring an old castle, reading about historical battles on one sign and finding pictures of Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert shooting Highlander on the opposite wall. My type of castle tour! Put this stop on your list.
We finally made it to Skye which now has a bridge connecting it to the main land. For years, you would have to have taken a ferry to Skye - maybe 300 meters. When the bridge was finally built, the toll was something ludicrous like 5 pounds one way. Needless to say, that fee was eventually eliminated and Skye remains one of the only Hebrides you can reach without needing a ferry. We drove about an hour north to the lovely Portree where we staying in a B & B I was hoping would be walking distance to town. Oh, well. Armed with Rick Steves, Mike found us a nice little restaurant right on the water in downtown Portree called Sea Breezes. At this point in the day, we realized how hungry we were! Known for its seafood, I bravely ordered the special of the day - langoustines. Oh my...they are basically mini-lobsters and absolutely delicious. Just writing about them now makes my mouth water and I think I am going to have to hunt down another restaurant where I can enjoy them for when my parents visit. Cindy enjoyed some mussels (so did I, she gave me one!) and Mike...well I can't remember what Mike had. Hm...
The biggest surprise in the evening came when we looked for a pub to whittle away the hours. Even Rick Steves warned us that there wasn't much of a night life in Portree but seeing how this is the major town on this touristy island, I think all three of us thought Rick didn't know what he was talking about. Oh, but he did! After wandering about, we found the one pub that looked open and, luckily, found it had a roaring fireplace, football match on TV, and a nice selection of whisky for me (as there was no other hard liquor to be had). Mike had the double excitement that night of driving in Scotland for the first as well driving my car for the first time. But he did great and we all crashed pretty hard in our family room knowing the next day would be long one.
Up and fed by 8:30ish, we hit the road and let Rick Steves do the steering. We visited most of the major sites on Skye that day starting with Kilt Rock. The Western Hebrides get significantly more rain than any other part of Scotland so we were very nervous our only real day on Skye would be miserable. Though some rain crept into our day, for the most part it only served to decorate the sky with beautiful rolling clouds. We were quite lucky. My car didn't appreciate all aspects of driving around the Isle but managed much better than I would have expected. We stopped by the Museum of Island Life where thatched cottages housed told the history of the island at the turn of the century. Perhaps the most exciting part of this excursion was that we heard islanders using Gaelic to chit chat in the gift shop while waiting for us to buy postcards. Still considered by many to be a dying language, there has been a recent effort in trying to preserve the language by enticing younger generations into using it more regularly. As of 2001, there were less than 60,000 Gaelic speakers left in the world.
Meandering about, we managed to plan everything perfectly so the real rainy bit of the day coincided with our trip to Tallisker distillery. I definitely whisky but mainly just the smoky and peaty ones. They are very warm and toasty in my belly. And Tallisker is a very smoky single malt. Yum Yum! Dinner was at a pub down the street from Tallisker before heading back the B & B. There was a brief consideration of heading out to that lone Portree pub again but we were knackered and decided to call it a night.
We spent much of the next day meandering back to Fife. Though I had hoped for more time to show off my neck of the woods, the trip back from Skye was longer than expected and we didn't get a good start after poking around the shops of Portree. Lunch was at pottery store half way home and by the time we reached Fife, I figured we could still venture to St. Andrews. Though all the shops would be closed, I figured we could still walk through the ruins of the cathedral, one of my favorite places to visit in the city. Alas, disappointment. Who knew they could lock up ruins! But it was a gorgeous evening and we were able to meander along the coast enjoying the warm breeze and sunset. The temperature differential between Skye and St. Andrews (really opposite sides of the country - look on a map) was significant. I think the three of us were sad to admit hunger was getting the better of us and head back to the car.
I took us to Anstruther where Jen and I had okay fish and chips at the award winning Fish and Chip Bar. The line was out the door and I really had my heart set on trying the Wee Chippy as recommended by Andrea and Brian as well as being the locals' favorite. Cindy put up a bit of resistance knowing this other place has won tons of awards but I was driving and won that dispute. The Wee Chippy is just a counter where you place your order, watch your food get dumped in a big box, and pay. Most of the customers were locals - you could tell by their level of informality with the staff and their annoyance with our cluelessness during ordering. But 3 fish dinners and an order of onion rings (I like to live on the edge!) later, we parked ourselves outside hoping the Wee Chippy was not a mistake. This is what fish and chips should taste like!! Everything was so good. Plus we didn't have to wait in a long line and were able to eat while watching the sun set over Anstruther harbor. When we finally got back to my place, Mike consulted with Rick Steves and it turns out Lisa Mueller is quite the good tour guide of Fife. Just saying...for those on the fence about having a good time over here that is...
Two days of sight-seeing in Edinburgh were highlighted with an ambitious ramble up Arthur's Seat on Saturday afternoon. Before I talk about that rather difficult hike, let me convey how beautiful the weather was. Mid-60's and bright sunshine. It was lovely at the time, and looking back, I am glad I took advantage of it while we had it. Because, since then, it has been freezing. Literally, Edinburgh got snow this morning (May 13th). I have been fine with the weather this whole year but last Friday I finally lost it and was in a temper about it at school. I WANT SPRING!!! SUN does not equal SPRING. I suppose, if forced to choose, I would prefer this cold raw weather to the 90 degree weather DC got a week or so ago but still. So this one weekend sightseeing with Mike and Cindy was the most perfect weather I've had all year.
We headed up Arthur's Seat in the late afternoon so we could watch the sunset. It's not an easy walk. I've done it before, in 1997 and though it sucked then. But surely, I am in better shape now, right? Apparently not. So after huffing and puffing, we did reach the top and had a beautiful view over the city. I could even point out my Lomond Hills (I live just off the base of the East Lomond). We took an "interesting" route back down that required a bit of rock climbing skills but felt quite proud of our efforts. In a fine moment of spontaneity, we ventured into a vegetarian restaurant recommended by, you guessed it, Rick Steves. I can't remember its name - I'll get back to you. It was delicious and hit the spot. We even enjoyed a little dessert in a post-hike celebration.
Sadly, Sunday came quickly and I was soon dropping Mike and Cindy off at the trust Travelodge next to the airport. They left too early the next morning and I had yet to prepare for my trip to Portugal. There are certain people you can vacation with well and Cindy and Mike are two of those people. I think after 10 years of raiding the lake house together we know what to expect from spending so much time in each other's company. I loved having them visit and was sad to see them go. Had I known how the rest of the month would turn out, I would have been even sadder and begged them to come with me. But, at this point, I was still optimistic and excited about my first jaunt to mainland Europe in this year abroad. Looking back, the best I can say about that trip to Portugal is that I am finally in a position to look back on it. bum bum bum
My good friends had spent the better part of a day travelling from Baltimore so I thought the best thing to do once they arrived was immediately force them to sit for another 3 hours as we ventured up to Loch Ness. It may seem cruel but in reality, I have come to discover when people first arrive in Scotland from the States, they are more or less useless from the travel and time difference. Instead of wasting a day of rest, I thought we should cover some ground that first day to get us where we needed to be for the 7th. It turned out to be a good mood and Marvin got us to our B and B in record time (though he couldn't actually find our B and B - Cindy had to call and have them talk us in). Our family room was more like a huge suite where I had my own set of bunk beds and Cindy and Mike shared a huge king bed in a room with a full kitchen and hot tub out back. It was called the Great Glen B and B and all three of us would highly recommend it for those traveling up the Loch Ness way. Perfect location on a beautiful farm, reasonably priced, and a yummy breakfast. It was also only 5 minutes from the Loch Ness cruise we wanted to take in the morning.
When thinking of Loch Ness, the legend of a sea monster naturally comes to mind. Before actually seeing Loch Ness, I really couldn't understand how hard it could possibly be to NOT find a sea creature in a lake. And then I saw the lake. Over 20 miles long and as deep at 755 feet at its deepest (more than two Statue of Liberties with base put together). If you were to look at Loch Ness on a map, it almost separates the top third of Scotland off from the rest of the country. It holds the most volume of water out of all the Scottish lochs and, as if its sheer size isn't enough, it is BLACK. So though there are many dedicated scientists (and fanatics) who spend all their energies searching this massive black lake for a mystical sea creature, I have a much better understanding as to why very few people have claimed to glimpse it. Really an amazing body of water worth spending an afternoon exploring. And that's what we did. We took a rather chilly 30 minute boat ride down part of the lake before getting off to explore the Urquhart Castle ruins for an hour. A 30 minute boat ride back - this time opting for the lounge inside the boat - and we were on our way to the Isle of Skye.
Along the way, we came across Eilean Donan Castle. I loved this castle! I'm sure you've seen pictures of it (and I'll post some as well so you can have a look see - wait! - my camera was dead by then so Cindy and Mike will have to hook me up). This is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland and is used in many movies (so obviously I was intrigued). There's nothing like touring an old castle, reading about historical battles on one sign and finding pictures of Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert shooting Highlander on the opposite wall. My type of castle tour! Put this stop on your list.
We finally made it to Skye which now has a bridge connecting it to the main land. For years, you would have to have taken a ferry to Skye - maybe 300 meters. When the bridge was finally built, the toll was something ludicrous like 5 pounds one way. Needless to say, that fee was eventually eliminated and Skye remains one of the only Hebrides you can reach without needing a ferry. We drove about an hour north to the lovely Portree where we staying in a B & B I was hoping would be walking distance to town. Oh, well. Armed with Rick Steves, Mike found us a nice little restaurant right on the water in downtown Portree called Sea Breezes. At this point in the day, we realized how hungry we were! Known for its seafood, I bravely ordered the special of the day - langoustines. Oh my...they are basically mini-lobsters and absolutely delicious. Just writing about them now makes my mouth water and I think I am going to have to hunt down another restaurant where I can enjoy them for when my parents visit. Cindy enjoyed some mussels (so did I, she gave me one!) and Mike...well I can't remember what Mike had. Hm...
The biggest surprise in the evening came when we looked for a pub to whittle away the hours. Even Rick Steves warned us that there wasn't much of a night life in Portree but seeing how this is the major town on this touristy island, I think all three of us thought Rick didn't know what he was talking about. Oh, but he did! After wandering about, we found the one pub that looked open and, luckily, found it had a roaring fireplace, football match on TV, and a nice selection of whisky for me (as there was no other hard liquor to be had). Mike had the double excitement that night of driving in Scotland for the first as well driving my car for the first time. But he did great and we all crashed pretty hard in our family room knowing the next day would be long one.
Up and fed by 8:30ish, we hit the road and let Rick Steves do the steering. We visited most of the major sites on Skye that day starting with Kilt Rock. The Western Hebrides get significantly more rain than any other part of Scotland so we were very nervous our only real day on Skye would be miserable. Though some rain crept into our day, for the most part it only served to decorate the sky with beautiful rolling clouds. We were quite lucky. My car didn't appreciate all aspects of driving around the Isle but managed much better than I would have expected. We stopped by the Museum of Island Life where thatched cottages housed told the history of the island at the turn of the century. Perhaps the most exciting part of this excursion was that we heard islanders using Gaelic to chit chat in the gift shop while waiting for us to buy postcards. Still considered by many to be a dying language, there has been a recent effort in trying to preserve the language by enticing younger generations into using it more regularly. As of 2001, there were less than 60,000 Gaelic speakers left in the world.
Meandering about, we managed to plan everything perfectly so the real rainy bit of the day coincided with our trip to Tallisker distillery. I definitely whisky but mainly just the smoky and peaty ones. They are very warm and toasty in my belly. And Tallisker is a very smoky single malt. Yum Yum! Dinner was at a pub down the street from Tallisker before heading back the B & B. There was a brief consideration of heading out to that lone Portree pub again but we were knackered and decided to call it a night.
We spent much of the next day meandering back to Fife. Though I had hoped for more time to show off my neck of the woods, the trip back from Skye was longer than expected and we didn't get a good start after poking around the shops of Portree. Lunch was at pottery store half way home and by the time we reached Fife, I figured we could still venture to St. Andrews. Though all the shops would be closed, I figured we could still walk through the ruins of the cathedral, one of my favorite places to visit in the city. Alas, disappointment. Who knew they could lock up ruins! But it was a gorgeous evening and we were able to meander along the coast enjoying the warm breeze and sunset. The temperature differential between Skye and St. Andrews (really opposite sides of the country - look on a map) was significant. I think the three of us were sad to admit hunger was getting the better of us and head back to the car.
I took us to Anstruther where Jen and I had okay fish and chips at the award winning Fish and Chip Bar. The line was out the door and I really had my heart set on trying the Wee Chippy as recommended by Andrea and Brian as well as being the locals' favorite. Cindy put up a bit of resistance knowing this other place has won tons of awards but I was driving and won that dispute. The Wee Chippy is just a counter where you place your order, watch your food get dumped in a big box, and pay. Most of the customers were locals - you could tell by their level of informality with the staff and their annoyance with our cluelessness during ordering. But 3 fish dinners and an order of onion rings (I like to live on the edge!) later, we parked ourselves outside hoping the Wee Chippy was not a mistake. This is what fish and chips should taste like!! Everything was so good. Plus we didn't have to wait in a long line and were able to eat while watching the sun set over Anstruther harbor. When we finally got back to my place, Mike consulted with Rick Steves and it turns out Lisa Mueller is quite the good tour guide of Fife. Just saying...for those on the fence about having a good time over here that is...
Two days of sight-seeing in Edinburgh were highlighted with an ambitious ramble up Arthur's Seat on Saturday afternoon. Before I talk about that rather difficult hike, let me convey how beautiful the weather was. Mid-60's and bright sunshine. It was lovely at the time, and looking back, I am glad I took advantage of it while we had it. Because, since then, it has been freezing. Literally, Edinburgh got snow this morning (May 13th). I have been fine with the weather this whole year but last Friday I finally lost it and was in a temper about it at school. I WANT SPRING!!! SUN does not equal SPRING. I suppose, if forced to choose, I would prefer this cold raw weather to the 90 degree weather DC got a week or so ago but still. So this one weekend sightseeing with Mike and Cindy was the most perfect weather I've had all year.
We headed up Arthur's Seat in the late afternoon so we could watch the sunset. It's not an easy walk. I've done it before, in 1997 and though it sucked then. But surely, I am in better shape now, right? Apparently not. So after huffing and puffing, we did reach the top and had a beautiful view over the city. I could even point out my Lomond Hills (I live just off the base of the East Lomond). We took an "interesting" route back down that required a bit of rock climbing skills but felt quite proud of our efforts. In a fine moment of spontaneity, we ventured into a vegetarian restaurant recommended by, you guessed it, Rick Steves. I can't remember its name - I'll get back to you. It was delicious and hit the spot. We even enjoyed a little dessert in a post-hike celebration.
Sadly, Sunday came quickly and I was soon dropping Mike and Cindy off at the trust Travelodge next to the airport. They left too early the next morning and I had yet to prepare for my trip to Portugal. There are certain people you can vacation with well and Cindy and Mike are two of those people. I think after 10 years of raiding the lake house together we know what to expect from spending so much time in each other's company. I loved having them visit and was sad to see them go. Had I known how the rest of the month would turn out, I would have been even sadder and begged them to come with me. But, at this point, I was still optimistic and excited about my first jaunt to mainland Europe in this year abroad. Looking back, the best I can say about that trip to Portugal is that I am finally in a position to look back on it. bum bum bum
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The April Update - 1
I knew this month would fly but I definitely had no way of predicting the utter chaos my Spring Break would turn into. We all know (thanks to Maria) that it's best to start at the very beginning and in this case, that was Friday, March 26. Though my spring break wasn't meant to start until the following Thursday, Jen Sohl was on her way to visit me for the week of her Spring Break which, obviously, fell a week earlier than mine. I start on this Friday because it seems to be the last normal event I can recall over the past month. My staff at school had arranged a going out night in a neighbouring town where we enjoyed a tasty dinner, good conversation, and a fair amount of drinks. So many, in fact, that I was almost hung over. There was no headache or upset stomach but my body just knew something wasn't quite right. So it was in this almost hung over state that I headed to the airport at 9 AM to pick up Jen the next morning.
For those who have never seen Edinburgh Airport, it is the perfect size. One one end of the terminal is a little International Arrivals area and on the other is an area for Domestic Arrivals. Each end is punctuated with a newstand and Costa Coffee for those waiting for their loved (or not) ones to arrive. Between these two waiting areas are the ticket counters. It's maybe a 3 minute walk from one end to the other. And that's about it. So you can imagine my surprise when I show up in time for Jen's flight and she does not walk out of the Domestic Arrivals section of the airport. And before you jump down my throat, she was domestic because she first flew into London. So I wait and wait and wait. I go to baggage claim, I go to International Arrivals, I check my email and phone 10 times, I go outside, I come inside, and I wait. It might be worth noting that Jen had the unfortunate timing of arriving during the British Airways strike but when I checked her connecting flight online at home (her one BA flight), it was on-time and in fact, had landed when I arrived at the airport. Turns out I should have checked her other flights because the other two were the ones that caused the real problems for Jen. And Jen should have checked my phone number when she called me the day before to tell me her flights were delayed/cancelled because that caused the real problem for me. Turns out, I have message waiting for me on my cell phone in the States letting me know she was going to be about 4 hours late. At the time, however, I certainly didn't know where she was and resigned myself to wait in the airport for all the other flights from London to make their way to Edinburgh - about 1 an hour. But sitting in an airport for 4 hours, people watching, working on Sudoku, eating a panini, and drinking coffee is quite enjoyable - especially in an almost hung over state.
Jen and I had a great week while she was here. My friend Jenni joined us that first weekend to poke around St. Andrews and Jen learned how to drive on the wrong side of the road as she ventured up to Pitlochry, Glamis Castle, and Edradour Distillery. Quite finished with driving (for the most part), she planned on spending two days in Edinburgh poking around. Yet more craziness came in the form of SNOW!! and sleet during those last few days of March. The weather was awful so Jen braved Edinburgh one day and simply braved Freuchie on another day. I brought her to enjoy fish and chips in Anstruther and she even met my class on our last day of school before my Spring Break. We spent an afternoon driving windy, windy roads through Trossachs National Park on our way to Oban where we enjoyed the tastiest seafood dinner at the Sea Temple (highly recommended). There were no more than 8 tables in the entire place - it was built in the former public toilets of a seaside park in Oban that you would never ever find unless someone told you where to go. Reservations definitely needed. The next day we took the ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull where we were to spend the night. It was recommended to head over to Iona, a small 3 mile wide island off the southwestern tip of Mull that houses an ancient abbey and lots of sheep. The most amazing part of Iona, however, are the beaches. White sand and crystal blue waters that cry Caribbean! Granted, they are probably not warm and inviting but absolutely beautiful and unexpected.
The next morning I indulged in a Swedish massage at our hotel - something I have wanted since before I came to Scotland. Shoulder surgery dashed all those hopes last July so this was a treat I was not going to miss. Thinking the world was looking to be a good place, despite random snow storms and delayed flights, Jen and I headed back through rollercoaster roads to get home before her flight the next morning. Now I also don't get motion sickness so I figured the roads must be particularly nauseating for me to start feeling a bit queasy. I knew Jen was trying to sleep to ignore her own discomfort but she managed well and we finally made it down to flat, Fife land. But I didn't feel better. In fact, as soon as we got home, I was welcomed with the realization that I still don't get motion sickness. Yay! But I do get food poisoning (or at least that's what I reckon). And I was sick! You probably don't need details but in the course of 14 hours, everything in my body had left my body by any means available. The worst part was that I definitely could not drive Jen to the airport and she had to cab it 25 miles! to catch her flight. That is not a cheap fare. There are not many people you want around when you are sick as a dog and I was so grateful that out of all of my visitors, it was her. She took great care of me and took care of getting herself home from a foreign country. Not having to worry about her while I was sick was a blessing - thank you Jen!
After two days on the couch - caught up on a lot of TV - I managed to pull myself together for the first real week of my Spring Break and the arrival of Cindy and Mike. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that story. I loved my visit with Jen as we never really get to see each other very often. I am constantly amazed at those people in your life who you may not see or talk to often but when you do, life continues as though you were never apart. I guess that's what family's all about.
Two more interesting facts from this first week of Spring Break (that wasn't actually my Spring Break):
1. My niece, Ana Joan (AJ), was born on March 31!! Elisa was in labor for 48 hours but the world's cutest baby made it all worthwhile (for me at least). Tim is constantly looking up statistics and analyzing baby percentiles while Elisa simply enjoyed a week or two of passing diaper duty on to her husband. I imagine AJ is simply dying to meet her favorite aunt.
2. On a lesser note in terms of the world, but much grander in regards to my own effort (as the birth of AJ required no effort from me), my students successfully participated in their Dance Festival on March 29. We spent over a month of PE time choreographing a dance to "I Gotta Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas. The sense of relief when we were done was indescribeable. Elisa may have been in labor for 48 hours but I spent over a month coercing 23 rather unique students to pull off a 3 and half minute routine. Now that is exhaustion.
For those who have never seen Edinburgh Airport, it is the perfect size. One one end of the terminal is a little International Arrivals area and on the other is an area for Domestic Arrivals. Each end is punctuated with a newstand and Costa Coffee for those waiting for their loved (or not) ones to arrive. Between these two waiting areas are the ticket counters. It's maybe a 3 minute walk from one end to the other. And that's about it. So you can imagine my surprise when I show up in time for Jen's flight and she does not walk out of the Domestic Arrivals section of the airport. And before you jump down my throat, she was domestic because she first flew into London. So I wait and wait and wait. I go to baggage claim, I go to International Arrivals, I check my email and phone 10 times, I go outside, I come inside, and I wait. It might be worth noting that Jen had the unfortunate timing of arriving during the British Airways strike but when I checked her connecting flight online at home (her one BA flight), it was on-time and in fact, had landed when I arrived at the airport. Turns out I should have checked her other flights because the other two were the ones that caused the real problems for Jen. And Jen should have checked my phone number when she called me the day before to tell me her flights were delayed/cancelled because that caused the real problem for me. Turns out, I have message waiting for me on my cell phone in the States letting me know she was going to be about 4 hours late. At the time, however, I certainly didn't know where she was and resigned myself to wait in the airport for all the other flights from London to make their way to Edinburgh - about 1 an hour. But sitting in an airport for 4 hours, people watching, working on Sudoku, eating a panini, and drinking coffee is quite enjoyable - especially in an almost hung over state.
Jen and I had a great week while she was here. My friend Jenni joined us that first weekend to poke around St. Andrews and Jen learned how to drive on the wrong side of the road as she ventured up to Pitlochry, Glamis Castle, and Edradour Distillery. Quite finished with driving (for the most part), she planned on spending two days in Edinburgh poking around. Yet more craziness came in the form of SNOW!! and sleet during those last few days of March. The weather was awful so Jen braved Edinburgh one day and simply braved Freuchie on another day. I brought her to enjoy fish and chips in Anstruther and she even met my class on our last day of school before my Spring Break. We spent an afternoon driving windy, windy roads through Trossachs National Park on our way to Oban where we enjoyed the tastiest seafood dinner at the Sea Temple (highly recommended). There were no more than 8 tables in the entire place - it was built in the former public toilets of a seaside park in Oban that you would never ever find unless someone told you where to go. Reservations definitely needed. The next day we took the ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull where we were to spend the night. It was recommended to head over to Iona, a small 3 mile wide island off the southwestern tip of Mull that houses an ancient abbey and lots of sheep. The most amazing part of Iona, however, are the beaches. White sand and crystal blue waters that cry Caribbean! Granted, they are probably not warm and inviting but absolutely beautiful and unexpected.
The next morning I indulged in a Swedish massage at our hotel - something I have wanted since before I came to Scotland. Shoulder surgery dashed all those hopes last July so this was a treat I was not going to miss. Thinking the world was looking to be a good place, despite random snow storms and delayed flights, Jen and I headed back through rollercoaster roads to get home before her flight the next morning. Now I also don't get motion sickness so I figured the roads must be particularly nauseating for me to start feeling a bit queasy. I knew Jen was trying to sleep to ignore her own discomfort but she managed well and we finally made it down to flat, Fife land. But I didn't feel better. In fact, as soon as we got home, I was welcomed with the realization that I still don't get motion sickness. Yay! But I do get food poisoning (or at least that's what I reckon). And I was sick! You probably don't need details but in the course of 14 hours, everything in my body had left my body by any means available. The worst part was that I definitely could not drive Jen to the airport and she had to cab it 25 miles! to catch her flight. That is not a cheap fare. There are not many people you want around when you are sick as a dog and I was so grateful that out of all of my visitors, it was her. She took great care of me and took care of getting herself home from a foreign country. Not having to worry about her while I was sick was a blessing - thank you Jen!
After two days on the couch - caught up on a lot of TV - I managed to pull myself together for the first real week of my Spring Break and the arrival of Cindy and Mike. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that story. I loved my visit with Jen as we never really get to see each other very often. I am constantly amazed at those people in your life who you may not see or talk to often but when you do, life continues as though you were never apart. I guess that's what family's all about.
Two more interesting facts from this first week of Spring Break (that wasn't actually my Spring Break):
1. My niece, Ana Joan (AJ), was born on March 31!! Elisa was in labor for 48 hours but the world's cutest baby made it all worthwhile (for me at least). Tim is constantly looking up statistics and analyzing baby percentiles while Elisa simply enjoyed a week or two of passing diaper duty on to her husband. I imagine AJ is simply dying to meet her favorite aunt.
2. On a lesser note in terms of the world, but much grander in regards to my own effort (as the birth of AJ required no effort from me), my students successfully participated in their Dance Festival on March 29. We spent over a month of PE time choreographing a dance to "I Gotta Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas. The sense of relief when we were done was indescribeable. Elisa may have been in labor for 48 hours but I spent over a month coercing 23 rather unique students to pull off a 3 and half minute routine. Now that is exhaustion.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Belfast - The Fulbright Way
As you probably could see from my pictures that I have been to Belfast not once, but twice over the past three months. To say I have "done" Belfast, however, would be quite wrong as there are still many museums, churches, pubs, and theaters that were not blessed with my presence. It would be fair to say, however, that I have a MUCH MUCH better understanding of history behind the years of violence that still haunt this broken city.
Our friends at the British Council put together a fairly packed weekend for not only the Fulbrighters (all from the USA) but other exchange teachers from Australia and Canada. When we arrived Thursday morning at the Ulster Museum nestled in the middle of the botanic gardens outside Queen's University, it was so nice catching up with those I haven't seen since our October trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. We were treated to a rather unorthodox lunch (the food was on a buffet table and we were sitting in chairs sans tables on the perimeter of the room balancing food and drinks on our laps) before the exchange teachers listened to a number of lecturers from Belfast. One gave us a rundown of the educational history of Northern Ireland - needless to say religion still plays a major role in school segregation. In fact, only something like 12% of schools in NI are integrated. Our other lecturer gave us a brief overview of the history surrounding the issues between the Catholics and Protestants. As I was soon to discover, most people from NI were optimistic about how far the country has come towards making peace with its violent past but every single person was also quick to reveal their own religion - even to a room of complete strangers. Interesting...
The rest of the day was spent on a bus tour that was even better than the double decker ones I love so much. That was because it was chilly and we were on a nice, toasty bus just for us with our own personal tour guide - a very elderly woman from NI with the driest sense of humor. I was quite tired at this point as I got up at 5:00 to catch my flight and wanted nothing more than to sleep after our large group dinner at Pizza Express. Peer pressure got the better of me, however, and I was dragged along to...I can't remember the name of the pub...one of our Fulbrighters, Brad, and his son found where they could jam along with a makeshift music group. Even in England and Scotland you would be hard pressed to find any pub where strangers congregate with random instruments on a regular basis to just play. What a great Irish tradition! Just like senior year of college, when I would come home so tired from class on Thursday nights but Dara would force me to go out, I was so very glad to partake in the gossiping and music making. I even had an odd 10 minute conversation with the locals at the bar where I think I held my own but really have no idea what was being said the whole time. The NI accent is quite different than the Scottish one. The only truly troubling part of the evening was our lively discussion during dinner about the status of our income taxes and whether we get a break for living outside the country or not. I was sure I didn't but now I'm going to have to bring my taxes to someone else when I get home - any suggestions?
Friday was a bit interesting as each of us was paired up to visit a local school for the whole day. Our large bus from Thursday brought many of us - myself included - to our schools while the rest of the teachers took taxis. Lucky for me, at least at this point of the day, I was able to avoid the taxi fiasco of 2010. The taxis were late or in the wrong place, charged people when their services were paid for by the British Council, and I believe there were more than one tiffs between driver and passenger that ended in a stony silence. I certainly did not dig for more details but it was the talk of the town when we all caught up with each other later that night.
My school was a Catholic School about 30 minutes outside of Belfast, St. James in Newtownabbey. My visiting partner was Ena from Jamaica who is in England for a 3 month administrator exchange. She is the Head Teacher at a school with over 1,000 students and has individual classes as large as 45 students. I couldn't even begin to imagine. We were welcomed for the first hour or so by Mr. McKeague, a wonderfully warm head teacher who spent much time introducing us to staff and enthusiastically talking about his school, students, and teachers. The rest of the day we were brought around the classrooms by...I am losing my mind, why can't I remember any names anymore...who was the equivalent of an ESOL teacher. My favorite part of the day was seeing the emphasis placed on music and art in the classroom. While visiting a P6 classroom, Mr. McKeague and our wonderful host teacher performed a mini-concert for us. The students played the tin whistle (and even prepared a surprise Yankee Doodle for me!), Mr. McKeague sang to the class while playing the guitar, and two of the teachers played the harp, yes, the HARP! After lunch, the whole school gathered to put on an entire school concert for us where each grade sang, recited poetry, danced, and played instruments (again, I'm back to the harp - they have a harp program at the school!). What an amazing celebration of talent! And I left feeling like a celebrity after all the attention we received throughout the day. We really should, as educators, visit other schools on a more regular basis.
Though having avoided the taxi drama, our own came after the assembly when we discovered the students are dismissed at 2, not 3 on Fridays. Our bus was due to pick us up around 2 but seeing how it had multiple other schools to visit and we were definitely not the first ones dropped off, it was unclear as to when we were going to be picked up. To top it off, no one from the British Council was on the bus so each time I called to see what was happening, I ended up talking to someone who had no idea where the bus was and could not contact our driver. Deep breath... After waiting like idiots on the street for about 35 minutes, very cold Jamaican Ena realized we could walk to one of the other schools where some of our exchange partners were also still waiting for the bus. By the time we made it there, the bus had finally arrived but this was, for me, the only major screw-up I felt happened all weekend. (so all things considered, it was a fairly well run weekend for us)
I was convinced our late departure from the schools meant we were no longer going on the Black Taxi Tour Melissa had planned for some of us later that day. Fortunately, I was wrong. What is a Black Taxi Tour you say? Well, when we were on our Thursday bus tour of the city, we were brought around to look at some of the propaganda murals all over the city. We also drove through the Peace Wall in West Belfast which divides the Catholic Falls Road area from the Protestant Shankill Road. Our funny tour guide suggested a Black Taxi Tour where we could actually learn the history of the Peace Walls and can get out and walk around both sides. There are over 90 Peace Walls in Belfast whose purpose is to simply prevent the Catholics and Protestants from having easy access to one another, especially at night. The Falls Road/Shankill Road one is one of the largest walls and is a few miles long and some 25 feet high. There are a limited number of cross streets that allow people to drive from one road to the other and all of them are gated and locked around 6:30 each night. Isn't that crazy? I think so many people think that issues such as these can only exist in areas of Afghanistan or Iraq but this is the UK. It just seems to be a strange reality for 2010. Especially in a city where everyone keeps saying, "Things are really so much better." And I was told things are better by someone who should know, our Black Taxi tourguide, Tom. Tom grew up on the Falls Road side of life and went to school having to circumnavigate burning buses on the street. Every few years, the British army would raid his household, cart of him and a few of his four brothers to be questioned about their knowledge of IRA activities. They would be gone for up to 3 days and his parents were never told where he was taken or when he'd be back. How nerve wracking for a parent (and a teenager!). But, to Tom, this was part of growing up. I learned so much from that tour and have some great pictures. I could probably write a blog and half on the information I learned but I won't. I'm happy to pass on what I have learned if you ask, however.
Upon returning, we headed out for dinner and ended up at the Crown Liquor Saloon, an old bar owned by the National Trust. Much of the place is still gas lit and there are booths that are essentially little rooms so your party can, well, party in private. There are even buzzers in the booths to page a waiter or waitress to come get more orders. It was there I decided I would partake of my first ever half pint of beer. Knowing that Guinness is the least offensive to my palate, I spent the next 45 minutes really nursing it. It was only when I was being threatened with abandonment from my tired friends that I downed the last little bit. Smooth going down but what an odd aftertaste. We met some nice Welsh at the next bar, ran into some old friends, met some new ones, and headed home quite exhausted. So it was to my utter dismay to discover it was only 11:15 by the time I walked back into the hotel room I was sharing with Mindy. But that meant we were able to chat and get a decent night's sleep before our big trip to the Giant's Causeway. But, at this point, that will be another blog.
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