Hello all,
Here's a link to some of my photos from this weekend at Loch Ness: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=187686&id=579896063&l=500b8ee72d
I took over 750 photos this weekend, so I've managed to narrow it down to 160 of the best...still lots of photos, but they're gorgeous! It'll make you want to hop on a plane to Scotland tomorrow...
Back to work...
~L
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Best Weekend EVER. No, really.
So...Loch Ness definitely makes the top five in most beautiful places I've ever been. Possibly even the top three. It's right up there with Rocamadour, France, and Sounion, Greece. Absolutely gorgeous...and yes, pictures will be coming soon (probably tomorrow when I'm looking for an excuse not to go back to homework...).
The trip started on Saturday with a study group trip to Stirling Castle, which was anticlimactic to say the least. Not recommended. There are castles and then there are castles. Unfortunately, Stirling wasn't too impressive. The grounds were pretty, and the view was nice, but nothing particularly special, especially after the other castles I've now visited. However, while in Stirling, we also visited the Wallace Monument, courtesy of the Frank Bank, which was definitely worth the trip and the intense climb to the top. It was smoggy, so we couldn't quite see to Edinburgh, but we could see some amazing mountains to the north that I now really want to visit. And the architecture of the monument is gorgeous, even though the base is asymmetrical and it bothers me. That's what monuments should look like, not some silly white obelisk...
Anyway, from Stirling we took the world's longest and most nausea-inducing train ride to Inverness, where we took the world's longest and most nausea-inducing bus ride to Fort Augustus, a town on the southern tip of Loch Ness. Let's just say I was really, really happy to get off that bus! We checked into our hostel (Morag's Lodge), which not only was really nice (like, hotel level nice) but had some of the best service I've ever encountered anywhere. It was really late when we got there and nowhere in town was still serving food, but the bartender/receptionist/trivia leader offered to fix us "just something from the freezer," which turned out to be homemade chicken curry and rice and garlic bread. It was amazing. They were so helpful with everything, it was unbelievable. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it.
Sunday morning we set out to explore the famous Loch. We found a pier that ran out just far enough to get a good view up and down the lake, and that first look was breath-taking. The sky was completely blue--and that NEVER happens in Scotland!--and the surrounding mountains were covered in snow, and the water was so clear and still that everything was perfectly reflected in it. Absolutely gorgeous. It was the perfect day to see it, and honestly I think winter might be the best time to see it. The snow and cold just adds something to how beautiful it is that I don't think would be the same if everything around it was just green. Maybe I'll have to go back in April and see what I think then. ;-)
We wandered through town for a little while, trying to find another good view of the lake. What we discovered was that the old abbey on the bank of the loch has been turned into apartments--I want one!! I can only imagine how gorgeous both the place and the view must be from there. Someday...
Also, this might be a good time to mention the obsession with Hairy Coos (Highland cows--those shaggy, adorable cows found in Scotland) that Brandon and I seem to have developed. We asked at the hostel if there was anywhere nearby (besides the petting zoo, which was closed for the winter--sadness!) where we could see some coos, and the receptionist told us about this lakeside path that's technically private property but leads to a B&B on the lakefront and passes some fields where a crazy old lady keeps her pet coos. So we followed the path, which was indeed gorgeous, until we rounded a bend and saw a house with dogs that decided to come running toward us. We debated whether this was private or not, but then we saw a sign for parking and figured it was the B&B, so we went towards it. Unfortunately, the Crazy Coo Lady apparently also runs the B&B, and she was not particularly happy to see us. She was really rude, even when we asked about staying there on another trip because it was literally right on the lake (and has coos!) and kind of scary. So we fled the scene, without even seeing a single coo. The walk was beautiful, though, so it was worth the effort.
That afternoon, we took a cruise on the loch that circled the southern third of it. Loch Ness is 23 miles long and holds more water than all the other bodies of water in Britain (or something like that--pretty sure that's right) so it just kind of goes on forever. We looked for Nessie, of course, but no luck. She has plenty of room to hide, that's for sure. But it was a great trip around the lake, and a fun way to spend part of the afternoon.
After that, we wandered up the Caledonian Canal (it connects three lochs using--locks! So clever) which was pretty, but by that time we were all getting pretty tired, so we retreated to the hostel and read for a couple of hours before dinner. I watched the mountains turn pink with the sunset, and I missed the Sandias a little--but just a little! When we got back from dinner, we proceeded to sit in the lobby and horrify the eavesdropping receptionist (well, maybe not eavesdropping--we were kind of loud and hard to miss) with our various stories about Colgate. It was nice to just to hang out and relax after such a busy day.
This morning we discovered that no one in Fort Augustus eats breakfast before 10am, which was unfortunate because we got up at 8:30 and were starving by 9. We finally found a place that literally had just opened today, that was pretty good and very friendly. We then took a bus (ugh) to Urquhart Castle, which I would happily live in, ruined or not, on the banks of the northern half of Loch Ness. Again, it was basically too beautiful for words. The hills were green, the sky and loch were blue, the mountains across the loch were covered in snow, and the castle was destroyed just enough to look artistic. I loved it. I can't decide if it beats Linlithgow as far as best castles in Scotland, but I'm leaning toward saying it does. Certainly the setting is the best ever for a castle, even if the ruins themselves aren't as awesome as Linlithgow.
I took the early bus back to Inverness by myself (relax--it was perfectly safe, Mom) and had a couple of hours to kill before the others joined me. I walked down along the River Ness, which is quite pretty (rivers are so clean here...) and admired the castle, which, though built in the 19th century, is still pretty awesome. If I ever get arrested, I hope it's in Inverness, because the castle is their courthouse and you can't go inside as just a tourist. Just saying.
I also managed to do some shopping and find a Starbucks (naturally) before it was time to head back to St. A. The train ride wasn't terrible, just long, and almost ended in disaster when they didn't announce our stop and we didn't realize we were there until we looked out and saw the station and had approximately thirty seconds to get off the train. Not the best way to end the trip, but we survived and (I think) managed to get all of our belongings.
Overall a great weekend, and a nice way to recover from the nightmare that was last week. I repeat, if you're ever in Scotland, GO TO LOCH NESS. It's not a tourist trap. It's actually amazing and one of the coolest places I've ever been. Don't miss it!
Back to the real world tomorrow...sigh. But I'm headed to Dublin on Friday, so I won't be in the real world for long! :)
A bientot,
~L
The trip started on Saturday with a study group trip to Stirling Castle, which was anticlimactic to say the least. Not recommended. There are castles and then there are castles. Unfortunately, Stirling wasn't too impressive. The grounds were pretty, and the view was nice, but nothing particularly special, especially after the other castles I've now visited. However, while in Stirling, we also visited the Wallace Monument, courtesy of the Frank Bank, which was definitely worth the trip and the intense climb to the top. It was smoggy, so we couldn't quite see to Edinburgh, but we could see some amazing mountains to the north that I now really want to visit. And the architecture of the monument is gorgeous, even though the base is asymmetrical and it bothers me. That's what monuments should look like, not some silly white obelisk...
Anyway, from Stirling we took the world's longest and most nausea-inducing train ride to Inverness, where we took the world's longest and most nausea-inducing bus ride to Fort Augustus, a town on the southern tip of Loch Ness. Let's just say I was really, really happy to get off that bus! We checked into our hostel (Morag's Lodge), which not only was really nice (like, hotel level nice) but had some of the best service I've ever encountered anywhere. It was really late when we got there and nowhere in town was still serving food, but the bartender/receptionist/trivia leader offered to fix us "just something from the freezer," which turned out to be homemade chicken curry and rice and garlic bread. It was amazing. They were so helpful with everything, it was unbelievable. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it.
Sunday morning we set out to explore the famous Loch. We found a pier that ran out just far enough to get a good view up and down the lake, and that first look was breath-taking. The sky was completely blue--and that NEVER happens in Scotland!--and the surrounding mountains were covered in snow, and the water was so clear and still that everything was perfectly reflected in it. Absolutely gorgeous. It was the perfect day to see it, and honestly I think winter might be the best time to see it. The snow and cold just adds something to how beautiful it is that I don't think would be the same if everything around it was just green. Maybe I'll have to go back in April and see what I think then. ;-)
We wandered through town for a little while, trying to find another good view of the lake. What we discovered was that the old abbey on the bank of the loch has been turned into apartments--I want one!! I can only imagine how gorgeous both the place and the view must be from there. Someday...
Also, this might be a good time to mention the obsession with Hairy Coos (Highland cows--those shaggy, adorable cows found in Scotland) that Brandon and I seem to have developed. We asked at the hostel if there was anywhere nearby (besides the petting zoo, which was closed for the winter--sadness!) where we could see some coos, and the receptionist told us about this lakeside path that's technically private property but leads to a B&B on the lakefront and passes some fields where a crazy old lady keeps her pet coos. So we followed the path, which was indeed gorgeous, until we rounded a bend and saw a house with dogs that decided to come running toward us. We debated whether this was private or not, but then we saw a sign for parking and figured it was the B&B, so we went towards it. Unfortunately, the Crazy Coo Lady apparently also runs the B&B, and she was not particularly happy to see us. She was really rude, even when we asked about staying there on another trip because it was literally right on the lake (and has coos!) and kind of scary. So we fled the scene, without even seeing a single coo. The walk was beautiful, though, so it was worth the effort.
That afternoon, we took a cruise on the loch that circled the southern third of it. Loch Ness is 23 miles long and holds more water than all the other bodies of water in Britain (or something like that--pretty sure that's right) so it just kind of goes on forever. We looked for Nessie, of course, but no luck. She has plenty of room to hide, that's for sure. But it was a great trip around the lake, and a fun way to spend part of the afternoon.
After that, we wandered up the Caledonian Canal (it connects three lochs using--locks! So clever) which was pretty, but by that time we were all getting pretty tired, so we retreated to the hostel and read for a couple of hours before dinner. I watched the mountains turn pink with the sunset, and I missed the Sandias a little--but just a little! When we got back from dinner, we proceeded to sit in the lobby and horrify the eavesdropping receptionist (well, maybe not eavesdropping--we were kind of loud and hard to miss) with our various stories about Colgate. It was nice to just to hang out and relax after such a busy day.
This morning we discovered that no one in Fort Augustus eats breakfast before 10am, which was unfortunate because we got up at 8:30 and were starving by 9. We finally found a place that literally had just opened today, that was pretty good and very friendly. We then took a bus (ugh) to Urquhart Castle, which I would happily live in, ruined or not, on the banks of the northern half of Loch Ness. Again, it was basically too beautiful for words. The hills were green, the sky and loch were blue, the mountains across the loch were covered in snow, and the castle was destroyed just enough to look artistic. I loved it. I can't decide if it beats Linlithgow as far as best castles in Scotland, but I'm leaning toward saying it does. Certainly the setting is the best ever for a castle, even if the ruins themselves aren't as awesome as Linlithgow.
I took the early bus back to Inverness by myself (relax--it was perfectly safe, Mom) and had a couple of hours to kill before the others joined me. I walked down along the River Ness, which is quite pretty (rivers are so clean here...) and admired the castle, which, though built in the 19th century, is still pretty awesome. If I ever get arrested, I hope it's in Inverness, because the castle is their courthouse and you can't go inside as just a tourist. Just saying.
I also managed to do some shopping and find a Starbucks (naturally) before it was time to head back to St. A. The train ride wasn't terrible, just long, and almost ended in disaster when they didn't announce our stop and we didn't realize we were there until we looked out and saw the station and had approximately thirty seconds to get off the train. Not the best way to end the trip, but we survived and (I think) managed to get all of our belongings.
Overall a great weekend, and a nice way to recover from the nightmare that was last week. I repeat, if you're ever in Scotland, GO TO LOCH NESS. It's not a tourist trap. It's actually amazing and one of the coolest places I've ever been. Don't miss it!
Back to the real world tomorrow...sigh. But I'm headed to Dublin on Friday, so I won't be in the real world for long! :)
A bientot,
~L
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Longest Weekend Ever...
I probably shouldn't complain, but I must say, a four day weekend with nothing to do but homework (ok, and a castle visit) can be rather dull. Fortunately, the homework was interesting, the castle was beautiful, and I managed to find many other ways to procrastinate (i.e. lots of bad American tv...)! I'll be glad when classes start again tomorrow though.
On Friday, we visited Linlithgow Palace (I promise I'll put up pictures soon! I mean it this time...), which is about an hour and a half away by train. It's right outside a cute little town, and the castle itself is on the banks of a beautiful loch, with absolutely amazing views in every direction. The best part about the castle is that you can basically go everywhere--from the kitchens in the basement, to the royal apartments, to the highest watchtower. It's not terribly touristy--there are plaques that label everything, but there aren't cheesy reconstructions of what it would have looked like, just the remains of the castle itself, which are impressive enough. My favorite part may have been that in one wing, the upper floors had fallen out so you could see up to the next level, which had a fireplace that looked like it was just floating halfway up the wall with no floor. It was kind of amusing. The view from the top of the tower was incredible, and I could see all the way to the mountains to the northwest of us (yes, apparently Scotland has actual mountains--who knew?). It was a sunny day for the most part, so it was really a great time to be there. It's hardly advertised at all, but if you're ever in Scotland, it's well worth a trip!
Yesterday we went to the Scottish equivalent of the Student Activities Fair, and of course I signed up for the various dance clubs. Hopefully that will be a good way to finally meet some people who aren't from Colgate! Ballroom in particular sounds like it will be a lot of fun, so I can't wait for it to start.
Other than that, I've been buried in Gnostic gospels for most of the day. Confusing, but really cool. I may be the only one who feels that way in class tomorrow though...I also did some more translations for my Greek New Testament course--NT Greek is sooooo much simpler! I love it. I don't miss the optative one bit...
Back to Greek...
~L
On Friday, we visited Linlithgow Palace (I promise I'll put up pictures soon! I mean it this time...), which is about an hour and a half away by train. It's right outside a cute little town, and the castle itself is on the banks of a beautiful loch, with absolutely amazing views in every direction. The best part about the castle is that you can basically go everywhere--from the kitchens in the basement, to the royal apartments, to the highest watchtower. It's not terribly touristy--there are plaques that label everything, but there aren't cheesy reconstructions of what it would have looked like, just the remains of the castle itself, which are impressive enough. My favorite part may have been that in one wing, the upper floors had fallen out so you could see up to the next level, which had a fireplace that looked like it was just floating halfway up the wall with no floor. It was kind of amusing. The view from the top of the tower was incredible, and I could see all the way to the mountains to the northwest of us (yes, apparently Scotland has actual mountains--who knew?). It was a sunny day for the most part, so it was really a great time to be there. It's hardly advertised at all, but if you're ever in Scotland, it's well worth a trip!
Yesterday we went to the Scottish equivalent of the Student Activities Fair, and of course I signed up for the various dance clubs. Hopefully that will be a good way to finally meet some people who aren't from Colgate! Ballroom in particular sounds like it will be a lot of fun, so I can't wait for it to start.
Other than that, I've been buried in Gnostic gospels for most of the day. Confusing, but really cool. I may be the only one who feels that way in class tomorrow though...I also did some more translations for my Greek New Testament course--NT Greek is sooooo much simpler! I love it. I don't miss the optative one bit...
Back to Greek...
~L
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Theology of the Musical, and other Scottish stories....
So classes started yesterday, and contrary to what I had expected, I actually love all of them. A lot. Like, to the point that I'm sad the ones on Thursday and Friday were canceled until next week. Well ok, almost sad. A four day weekend will be nice. :)Anyway, I'll talk a bit about my classes and then a bit about the rest of what I've been up to, since apparently I'm failing at writing regularly...
Anyway, my first class is on the Gospel of Matthew, and it does in fact meet both Tuesday and Friday (glad I figured that out!). My main work for it will be an epic-length paper on a passage of the original Greek text, which should be really cool. Even in the first class, we got to talking about how the grammar and structure of the original text gives us clues to the authorship of the gospel, since of course we don't know who actually wrote it. Basically, I'm really excited to finally do work with both Greek and religion!
My second class is possibly the coolest ever invented: Theology of the Musical. The point is to study how religion can be found in musical theater and also how musical theater can mimic or even replace the religious experience for many people, and why. The professor wrote the book we'll be using, and today we watched a bunch of video clips that featured him as the expert on the subject. It helps that we also spent the last half hour of class in a sing-a-long to songs from various musicals! Weird, but hilarious. And my coursework will be made up of a group presentation on Les Mis (we may film part of it in the cathedral ruins in St Andrews--so cool!) and a "sermon or act of worship" based on any musical (obviously I want to use Wicked). I'm really, really excited! And now I even have an excuse to listen to musical soundtracks all day long...
The third is Georgia's class on heresy, which, despite being a three hour marathon, was quite enjoyable this afternoon. We had a great discussion on what we mean by the term "belief" and how it relates to heresy and orthodoxy. I haven't had a class with Georgia since freshman year, so it's great to be studying with her again. She always pushes the discussion to a level I didn't expect, so I'm really happy she's leading the trip this year!
Anyway, those are my classes for the semester--actually more than a regular St Andrews student would be taking, since the first two are honors courses, and they generally two of those as a full courseload for the semester. Pretty sure I can handle it...
What else...we took a trip to Edinburgh on Saturday (I'll post pictures sometime during my excessively extended weekend...) to explore the castle and part of the town. Except for the fog/mist/rain/variants thereof, it was a really fun day, and the castle is quite impressive. We also had lunch and coffee at The Elephant Cafe, which is where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book! For a die-hard HP fan like myself, that was pretty exciting. The back of the cafe looks out at Edinburgh Castle, so you can only imagine it must have been at least part of the inspiration for Hogwarts. The town itself was overrun with rude Frenchmen there for a rugby match the next day, but we still managed to do a bit of shopping and see the cathedral. I definitely want to go back sometime soon to see the art museum and its collection of Impressionist paintings. It's a beautiful old city, so I would love to spend more time there.
I posted this on facebook, but it's worth sharing again: on the train ride home, I had the great good fortune to be sitting next to an extremely drunk old man who found it hilarious to play air guitar and sing to me. He kept doing it off and on, always followed by an evil cackle as I tried to ignore him. It was mortifying, but pretty amusing too. But I'm definitely never taking the last train home from Edinburgh again!
Also, we were at a local pub for dinner on Sunday night when they started playing Don't Stop Believing--the Glee version!! Scotland is awesome, what can I say.
I'm off to trivia later (for the second time this week!). I'll post pictures soon!
A bientot!
~L
Anyway, my first class is on the Gospel of Matthew, and it does in fact meet both Tuesday and Friday (glad I figured that out!). My main work for it will be an epic-length paper on a passage of the original Greek text, which should be really cool. Even in the first class, we got to talking about how the grammar and structure of the original text gives us clues to the authorship of the gospel, since of course we don't know who actually wrote it. Basically, I'm really excited to finally do work with both Greek and religion!
My second class is possibly the coolest ever invented: Theology of the Musical. The point is to study how religion can be found in musical theater and also how musical theater can mimic or even replace the religious experience for many people, and why. The professor wrote the book we'll be using, and today we watched a bunch of video clips that featured him as the expert on the subject. It helps that we also spent the last half hour of class in a sing-a-long to songs from various musicals! Weird, but hilarious. And my coursework will be made up of a group presentation on Les Mis (we may film part of it in the cathedral ruins in St Andrews--so cool!) and a "sermon or act of worship" based on any musical (obviously I want to use Wicked). I'm really, really excited! And now I even have an excuse to listen to musical soundtracks all day long...
The third is Georgia's class on heresy, which, despite being a three hour marathon, was quite enjoyable this afternoon. We had a great discussion on what we mean by the term "belief" and how it relates to heresy and orthodoxy. I haven't had a class with Georgia since freshman year, so it's great to be studying with her again. She always pushes the discussion to a level I didn't expect, so I'm really happy she's leading the trip this year!
Anyway, those are my classes for the semester--actually more than a regular St Andrews student would be taking, since the first two are honors courses, and they generally two of those as a full courseload for the semester. Pretty sure I can handle it...
What else...we took a trip to Edinburgh on Saturday (I'll post pictures sometime during my excessively extended weekend...) to explore the castle and part of the town. Except for the fog/mist/rain/variants thereof, it was a really fun day, and the castle is quite impressive. We also had lunch and coffee at The Elephant Cafe, which is where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book! For a die-hard HP fan like myself, that was pretty exciting. The back of the cafe looks out at Edinburgh Castle, so you can only imagine it must have been at least part of the inspiration for Hogwarts. The town itself was overrun with rude Frenchmen there for a rugby match the next day, but we still managed to do a bit of shopping and see the cathedral. I definitely want to go back sometime soon to see the art museum and its collection of Impressionist paintings. It's a beautiful old city, so I would love to spend more time there.
I posted this on facebook, but it's worth sharing again: on the train ride home, I had the great good fortune to be sitting next to an extremely drunk old man who found it hilarious to play air guitar and sing to me. He kept doing it off and on, always followed by an evil cackle as I tried to ignore him. It was mortifying, but pretty amusing too. But I'm definitely never taking the last train home from Edinburgh again!
Also, we were at a local pub for dinner on Sunday night when they started playing Don't Stop Believing--the Glee version!! Scotland is awesome, what can I say.
I'm off to trivia later (for the second time this week!). I'll post pictures soon!
A bientot!
~L
Friday, February 5, 2010
A very long morning at St Andrews...
I've done it--against all odds, I have found a system more unnecessarily confusing and pointlessly complicated than Colgate housing selection. I was thinking that it might only be a tie, but no, St Andrews matriculation/registration actually beats Colgate ResLife in the ability to make a simple process as painful as possible.
Class registration and matriculation took all morning and then some. We had to go to advising first, which involved chatting with a department member for each subject we wished to register for, so I spent twenty minutes with the Divinity representative trying to convince him that no, I did not want to take Theology in Africa even if it was a great new course with only five people registered and he clearly needed more to sign up. My real question was when my Greek class meets, and while I'm signed up for the class, I still have no answer, so apparently I'm supposed to show up to a seminar on Tuesday that may or may not be included in my course. I'll just find out when I get there! Clearly I'm thrilled. And instead of Theology in Africa, I'm signed up for Theology of the Musical (along with at least half the Colgate study group) even though Georgia may have a conniption and once again try to make me change my mind. My third course is hers, with the rest of the study group, on heresy in early and medieval Christianity. It should be an interesting semester...
So my schedule will as far as I know involve class on Tuesday morning, all day Wednesday, and Friday morning...not bad. And I still don't know if the Tuesday seminar is part of my schedule or not, but I guess I'll find out!
Oh, and I finally figured out my mailing address, in case you want to send me cards or letters or Oreos or all of the above. :) It is:
NH/1004 New Hall
North Haugh
St Andrews
Fife, Scotland, UK KY16 9XW
Anyway, I'm off to wait for my phone interview with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation for an internship in London this summer--wish me luck!
~L
Class registration and matriculation took all morning and then some. We had to go to advising first, which involved chatting with a department member for each subject we wished to register for, so I spent twenty minutes with the Divinity representative trying to convince him that no, I did not want to take Theology in Africa even if it was a great new course with only five people registered and he clearly needed more to sign up. My real question was when my Greek class meets, and while I'm signed up for the class, I still have no answer, so apparently I'm supposed to show up to a seminar on Tuesday that may or may not be included in my course. I'll just find out when I get there! Clearly I'm thrilled. And instead of Theology in Africa, I'm signed up for Theology of the Musical (along with at least half the Colgate study group) even though Georgia may have a conniption and once again try to make me change my mind. My third course is hers, with the rest of the study group, on heresy in early and medieval Christianity. It should be an interesting semester...
So my schedule will as far as I know involve class on Tuesday morning, all day Wednesday, and Friday morning...not bad. And I still don't know if the Tuesday seminar is part of my schedule or not, but I guess I'll find out!
Oh, and I finally figured out my mailing address, in case you want to send me cards or letters or Oreos or all of the above. :) It is:
NH/1004 New Hall
North Haugh
St Andrews
Fife, Scotland, UK KY16 9XW
Anyway, I'm off to wait for my phone interview with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation for an internship in London this summer--wish me luck!
~L
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Chaos that is St Andrews Matriculation...
Hello all,
So much for Scotch efficiency. The matriculation process at St Andrews is one of the most absurd exercises in futility I've ever encountered, including housing selection at Colgate! Part of it is online, part is in person, you have to select your classes but the schedules are nowhere to be found, I can't figure out if the Greek Gospel of Matthew class also meets when the English one does for a combined seminar....it's a nightmare. And my adviser is once again interfering just when I've made up my mind...! It's been quite a frustrating day dealing with all of it. Tomorrow, though, we'll be all registered and ready to go on Monday. And we're taking a day trip to Edinburgh on Saturday, so it's uphill from here. I hope...
I'll write more tomorrow about life at St. Andrews and such, but in the meantime, I've included the next round of photos from Paris. Still not all of them though!
A bientot!
~L
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182042&id=579896063&l=24f1def0e5 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181806&id=579896063&l=92bcec70ca (same album as the one I posted yesterday, but with 119 more photos!)
So much for Scotch efficiency. The matriculation process at St Andrews is one of the most absurd exercises in futility I've ever encountered, including housing selection at Colgate! Part of it is online, part is in person, you have to select your classes but the schedules are nowhere to be found, I can't figure out if the Greek Gospel of Matthew class also meets when the English one does for a combined seminar....it's a nightmare. And my adviser is once again interfering just when I've made up my mind...! It's been quite a frustrating day dealing with all of it. Tomorrow, though, we'll be all registered and ready to go on Monday. And we're taking a day trip to Edinburgh on Saturday, so it's uphill from here. I hope...
I'll write more tomorrow about life at St. Andrews and such, but in the meantime, I've included the next round of photos from Paris. Still not all of them though!
A bientot!
~L
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182042&id=579896063&l=24f1def0e5 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181806&id=579896063&l=92bcec70ca (same album as the one I posted yesterday, but with 119 more photos!)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The City of Lights!
Bonjour tout le monde!
I made it back to St. Andrews this afternoon after a whirlwind trip to Paris, which, naturally was fantastic. It's hard to go wrong in such a beautiful city, and considering we were only there for three full days, we managed to see quite a lot! Photos are included at the bottom of the entry.
The highlight of the trip was definitely climbing the bell towers of Notre Dame, something I've always wanted to do but never had time to do before. For the record, it's a LOT of stairs. Like, the Persson steps. Seven times. In a circle. But even the stairs are amazing, with the footprints of 600 years' worth of climbers. And it's hands down the best view of Paris from a high point in the city (a close second is L'Arc de Triomphe, with the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre a distant 3rd and 4th). We were there on a beautiful day, so we had blue skies and sunshine over the city. We made friends with a few gargoyles, too, which you can't do on the ground looking up at the cathedral. They're awfully cute. Oh, and the other highlight of the trip to Notre Dame was that it was a Sunday morning and a service was going on--so I got to hear a choir AND the Notre Dame organ(!) play! And the religion major in me was geekily delighted to see all the rituals of Mass take place in this site where they've been being performed (albeit in various manners) for centuries. It was definitely a visit I'll never forget.
Notre Dame was followed by a failed shopping excursion, as everything was closed on Sunday, and then we ascended Montmartre for a very interesting evening. Our waiter at the brasserie was an Irishman, who had plenty to say (much of it inappropriate!) about Scotsmen and just about us in general. I don't believe I've ever laughed so hard at a dinner in my life.
Monday in Paris was quite a special treat: we experienced freezing rain, blizzard levels of snow, and clear blue skies, all before 11am. It makes for very interesting photos of the Eiffel Tower: the ones up close show the Tower in a blizzard, while the distance ones look sunny and beautiful. But they were all taken the same morning! That's Paris weather for you, I suppose.
Other highlights included seeing the Code of Hammurabi at the Louvre (along with the usual other exhibits: my standard favorites are Winged Victory and the Napoleon III apartments), touring the Opera Garnier (basis of the Phantom of the Opera--sadly, Erik didn't join us on the tour), and lots of delicious pastries and crepes (which we consumed in moderation--NOT!).
We started ranking the things we could do for 5 Euros in Paris, so here is my list of favorites:
1. Climb the bell tower of Notre Dame.
2. Drink chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) at Cafe Francais on the Place de la Bastille.
3. Tour Opera Garnier.
4. Collect an assortment of pastries from the patisseries along Rue Faubourg-St. Antoine and eat them on the steps of the Opera de la Bastille.
5. Buy a Nutella crepe (well, two!) and eat it as you walk home through the City of Lights.
Also, for you intrepid adventurers heading the Paris yourselves, here are a couple of restaurant recommendations:
1.Cafe Francais, located on the main circle of Place de la Bastille directly opposite the opera house. Prices are decent, and if something is more expensive, it's because it's well worth it (for instance, their hot chocolate...).
2. Cafe/Restaurant Latin St-Germain, across from the Museum of the Middle Ages on Boulevard St. Germain-de-Pres. Best quiche I've ever had and some of the most reasonable prices I've seen in Paris. Also, they have shark steak--what's not to like?
Paris is still my favorite city in the world, and I am already planning a return journey later this spring to see the Luxembourg Gardens, the Tuileries, Giverny, and the Loire valley when they are most beautiful. Can't wait!
Well, tomorrow it's back to the reality of St. Andrews orientation...more about St. A later! It's bedtime for me.
A bientot!
~L
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181806&id=579896063&l=92bcec70ca
PS- More photos will be coming soon! I took 959 on this trip, so sorting through them may take awhile.... :)
I made it back to St. Andrews this afternoon after a whirlwind trip to Paris, which, naturally was fantastic. It's hard to go wrong in such a beautiful city, and considering we were only there for three full days, we managed to see quite a lot! Photos are included at the bottom of the entry.
The highlight of the trip was definitely climbing the bell towers of Notre Dame, something I've always wanted to do but never had time to do before. For the record, it's a LOT of stairs. Like, the Persson steps. Seven times. In a circle. But even the stairs are amazing, with the footprints of 600 years' worth of climbers. And it's hands down the best view of Paris from a high point in the city (a close second is L'Arc de Triomphe, with the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre a distant 3rd and 4th). We were there on a beautiful day, so we had blue skies and sunshine over the city. We made friends with a few gargoyles, too, which you can't do on the ground looking up at the cathedral. They're awfully cute. Oh, and the other highlight of the trip to Notre Dame was that it was a Sunday morning and a service was going on--so I got to hear a choir AND the Notre Dame organ(!) play! And the religion major in me was geekily delighted to see all the rituals of Mass take place in this site where they've been being performed (albeit in various manners) for centuries. It was definitely a visit I'll never forget.
Notre Dame was followed by a failed shopping excursion, as everything was closed on Sunday, and then we ascended Montmartre for a very interesting evening. Our waiter at the brasserie was an Irishman, who had plenty to say (much of it inappropriate!) about Scotsmen and just about us in general. I don't believe I've ever laughed so hard at a dinner in my life.
Monday in Paris was quite a special treat: we experienced freezing rain, blizzard levels of snow, and clear blue skies, all before 11am. It makes for very interesting photos of the Eiffel Tower: the ones up close show the Tower in a blizzard, while the distance ones look sunny and beautiful. But they were all taken the same morning! That's Paris weather for you, I suppose.
Other highlights included seeing the Code of Hammurabi at the Louvre (along with the usual other exhibits: my standard favorites are Winged Victory and the Napoleon III apartments), touring the Opera Garnier (basis of the Phantom of the Opera--sadly, Erik didn't join us on the tour), and lots of delicious pastries and crepes (which we consumed in moderation--NOT!).
We started ranking the things we could do for 5 Euros in Paris, so here is my list of favorites:
1. Climb the bell tower of Notre Dame.
2. Drink chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) at Cafe Francais on the Place de la Bastille.
3. Tour Opera Garnier.
4. Collect an assortment of pastries from the patisseries along Rue Faubourg-St. Antoine and eat them on the steps of the Opera de la Bastille.
5. Buy a Nutella crepe (well, two!) and eat it as you walk home through the City of Lights.
Also, for you intrepid adventurers heading the Paris yourselves, here are a couple of restaurant recommendations:
1.Cafe Francais, located on the main circle of Place de la Bastille directly opposite the opera house. Prices are decent, and if something is more expensive, it's because it's well worth it (for instance, their hot chocolate...).
2. Cafe/Restaurant Latin St-Germain, across from the Museum of the Middle Ages on Boulevard St. Germain-de-Pres. Best quiche I've ever had and some of the most reasonable prices I've seen in Paris. Also, they have shark steak--what's not to like?
Paris is still my favorite city in the world, and I am already planning a return journey later this spring to see the Luxembourg Gardens, the Tuileries, Giverny, and the Loire valley when they are most beautiful. Can't wait!
Well, tomorrow it's back to the reality of St. Andrews orientation...more about St. A later! It's bedtime for me.
A bientot!
~L
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181806&id=579896063&l=92bcec70ca
PS- More photos will be coming soon! I took 959 on this trip, so sorting through them may take awhile.... :)
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