I know I skipped a week, but hey, a girl can’t be blogging all the time! Kidding- mostly.

Last weekend we went to Edinburgh again. I could live there. Seriously. We didn’t do much aside from just walk around the city. We did go up to the castle even though we didn’t go inside. The views of the city are stunning; it’s pretty comparable to the view from Salisbury Crags.

I also had my first steak and ale pie at The White Hart Inn on Grassmarket in Edinburgh. The White Hart Inn is said to be the oldest pub in Edinburgh. We were able to hide away from the drowsy weather. I have to say that it was probably the most Scottish day I’ve had since I’ve been here, at least weather wise. The weather has been a bit more rainy and overcast but I love it.

One of my favorite moments that I’ve had thus far was when we were on our way to St. Giles’ Cathedral. As we were crossing the square to get into the church, the streets were a bit empty, on account of the rain I suppose, but I have to paint the picture. Imagine empty streets leading into this Cathedral with rain misting down around you in the cold, with the sound of a lone bagpipe playing in the distance. Guys, the poetry of the moment was so incredible. I had to pause to savor the moment. Maybe I sound like a big dork and my literature nerd has finally broken free and consumed me but in that moment I was just in awe. It was seriously one of the most hauntingly beautiful things I’ve ever experienced. I had a moment, alright.

 

 

St. Giles’ Cathedral was so incredibly lovely. It was quiet and gorgeous. We just sat inside for a while to take a moment of rest and hide from the rain. I can’t think of a better place to escape into. We didn’t do much else besides walk around Edinburgh. They also had a farmers market on Grassmarket. They had booths that were cooking food from all over. I still regret not buying any paella. Still bitter.

Not only did I go to Edinburgh last weekend, I also went on Wednesday for my Research Skills class. Now, I know I haven’t talked much about that class, but basically we tour libraries to get an idea of the resources that are available to us and we have seminar lectures from time to time. On Wednesday we took a tour of the National Library of Scotland. Guys, the sheer number of books in that library is insane. One of the benefits of being on a university tour of the libraries is that we get behind the scenes access. So we got to go in the underbelly of the National Library to see where all the books are pulled from. They have book runners whose sole job is to go and pull books from the shelves. They are said to walk about 10 miles a day from pulling and reshelving books. I also feel that I should tell you that you don’t have access to stacks in the National Library of Scotland. You have to request the books you want access to and they are pulled for your use then you return it. Hence the mass amounts of walking that book runners do.

After the library tour, we had lunch at one of our administrator’s parent’s home in new town. We just chatted with people from the programs and got advice from Elspeth. While everyone else headed back to Glasgow around 2pm, Melissa and I decided to stay in Edinburgh a bit longer. We ended up in a pub on Grassmarket called Biddy Mulligans. It was very nice. We spent the evening there, where I had a latte with chocolate Bailey’s in it and y’all- it was so good! I also got a kick out of seeing two couples come in that, based strictly off how they were dressed, I was convinced were American, but southerners as well. The sorority girl fashion is a dead give away. After hearing them speak to the bartender my assumptions were proved correct. After an hour long train ride back filled with ranting about Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights we finally made it back to Glasgow Central Station.

And this weekend was Halloween!

Friday night I went to a flat party with my friends, Merce and Marie. It was quite fun. Even though I was losing gumballs all night. I did get to be the acting rulebook for beer pong. That was mildly entertaining.

On Saturday I went to my first football match. It was Celtic vs Aberdeen. I am happy to say that Celtic won! It was a really fun experience. Like most sporting events they have chants and dances and other tradition things they do. We joined in even though we had no clue why we were doing it. I have to admit I’m not sure what I found more entertaining the drama of the players or what the fans were yelling. I’ve always heard that football players have a tendency to be a bit dramatic when they take a hit but man, I wasn’t quite expecting it to be so much. I was cracking up at how they lay out on the field for a solid three minutes while nothing has been called, only to pop up a few minutes later like nothing ever happened. I will say I think I was more entertained at the fans though. There was one guy who sat above us who was yelling things left and right and I didn’t understand 95% of what he was yelling aside from the cursing.

After the game we went to a Mexican restaurant. Oh man, how I missed Mexican food. And margaritas. It was so good.

Even though I wanted to be a bum and stay in and watch How To Get Away With Murder we ended up dressing up and going out for Halloween. I’m glad we did, even if it was to people watch. We headed to a club on Sauchiehall Street called abc and it was packed. I also noticed that people like to throw their wigs in the air when they’re drunk. It seemed like everyone and their brother was out last night. I had a lot of fun just seeing everyone. There was a guy dressed up as Cruella D’Ville in front of us in the queue last night and his costume was very good. Along with a Triton. My feet hurt pretty badly by the time I got home. But I did get complimented on my costume and I am happy to say I didn’t see another gumball machine anywhere!

Yes, that is my newest coffee cup, I mean, I am the queen.

Now that my fun filled weekend is over it’s back to work for me. I have a ton of reading calling my name. Until next week!

Sláinte, darling.