Well, a little more than a month left and I can't believe I'll be headed back. School's crazy here and I'm trying to get classes wound up so that I can focus on finals. Last week I went on a conference through the Philosophy School at a country mansion called the Burn House. It was a gorgeous 18th century mansion that is on the banks of the North Esk, which is a salmon river deep in a canyon. Both the trip and the river were awesome. There were about 20 or so philosophy students from all over and about 5 professors that went on the trip. In the evenings certain students presented papers, about two a day. On Wednesday, Dr. Beaty and I were able to go fly-fishing on the Esk. It was a different kind of fishing than I have ever done before, I caught two and Beaty caught one brown trout. The salmon were what made the experience though, they were tough to spot and impossible (except for the scots!) to catch but were gorgeous and scary big. I made it back to St. Andrews on Thursday afternoon. Friday, I went to the University fashion show and after party, which was a ton of fun. I guess it was actually a big deal (i didn't know what I was getting into); it was held at this huge and old stone barn just outside of town and there were all kinds of people there. Thats about all thats going on here in St. Andrews, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do the week between classes and finals (besides study). me and 5 other guys are considering renting an RV and seeing as much of the UK as possible, we'll see if that happens or not. Anyways, miss ya'll and hope things are well. Let me know whats going on in Texas.
Will
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Monday, 9 April 2007
Hey all, I'm exhausted but finally back in Scotland. My spring break trip was so much fun. London was awesome, there were about 10 of us Baylor Students and Dr. Beaty. We did all the tourist stuff, Beaty got us up early in the morning and made sure we went all day. The first day of break we took a train to Oxford then checked into our hotel. Afterwords, we went and took a tour of C.S. Lewis's house, called "The Kilns." There is now a graduate/doctoral study program where the students live and study. The house was interesting, it was kind of crazy to sit in the same room where Lewis lived and wrote. The tour guide was from Texas and is now in charge of the study program, she showed us around the house and told us all kinds of stories of Lewis' life, conversion, and death. Later that evening the group of us went to "The Eagle and Child;" one of three pubs where the 'Inklings' would sit and discuss their books, faith, and ideas. The Inklings were a reading group centered around Lewis of which Tolkein was also a part.
The next morning we got up and toured as much of Oxford as possible. In the morning we toured Magdalen college, which is where Lewis as well as many other famous academics taught. The college is gorgeous and houses a 300 year old herd of Fallow deer. Midday, we met a Professor studying for a doctorate in Legal Philosophy who had studied at Baylor and he gave an inside tour of Queen's college. We saw where some scenes of Harry Potter had been shot (in the courtyard, i think in the most recent movie) and then climbed to the top of a tower where we were afforded a 360 degree view of the town. Oxford was incredible, the architecture and heritage is amazing. Luckily, it wholly survived WWII because Hitler so respected it as a center of learning and wanted to make it an important part of the third reich, so he refused to bomb it.
After Oxford, we went to London and spent the next couple of days in London. We saw the Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards, Big Ben, the London Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and probably a couple of places I have failed to list. Needless to say, we were very busy but it was a lot of fun and I'm glad we were able to see so much. On the day we were planning on going into Westminster we learned that there was a ceremony celebrating the 200th year of abolition of slavery. We waited outside of the ceremony and were lucky enough to see both the Queen and Tony Blair and his wife walk out. It was really cool and the Queen looked good, ha i'm sure she looked at me and waved. Later that evening we went to Evensong in Westminster Abbey which was amazing. In London, we saw Les Miserable and The Lion King, both of which were incredible. We took a day trip to Campbridge which was also a lot of fun, although I think I like Oxford better. There we saw King's college and some others, the cathedral at King's college was gorgeous from the outside and the grounds were very impressive. We also went to Stonehenge which was pretty cool, although the weather was typically British, occasionally sunny but mostly raining. Me and Blake, a guy from Baylor, missed out on the trip to Canterbury because we had catch a flight to Venice.
We flew into Venice and most of it was gorgeous. I was partly surprised that portions of it were pretty dirty but on the whole it was very nice. The food was amazing, as it was throughout my stay in Italy! We saw the palace of the Doge and most of the sights to see in Venice, it was incredible to think how they built the city out of the water and depressing to know that it is slowly sinking back into the sea. The second afternoon in Venice we met a guy named Jimmy and Evan, both from my hall and took a short water-bus to the island of Lido (about 5-10 minute ride from the main islands of Venice). Jim is from Boulder Colorado and Evan is from New Jersey. We spent the evening and next day in Lido, then back to main Venice, where we walked around some and then caught a 8 or so hour train to Naples. The train ride was gorgeous, it took us through parts of the Appenine mountains and through a large part of the Italian countryside. Naples was impressive but very different than what I expected. There is a much smaller tourist industry in Naples and for good reason. It is gorgeous from a distance, on the Bay of Naples with Pompeii and other mountains surrounding it. However, it is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe and the crime rate is astronomical. Our Hostel however was very nice and we were perfectly safe walking around during the day (although we still made sure to watch our pockets.) At night however, even as four guys, the city felt pretty unsafe to walk around, although there were some nicer areas. We saw many of the sights in Naples, including the Royal Palace, some other castles, and the Umberto Gallery. Sadly, we didn't have time to visit Herculaneum or the city of Pompeii. In those pictures from Naples, the distinctive mountain you can see in the landscape is Pompeii. From Naples, you can see both the Island of Capri and Ischia. Naples is the home of the Pizza and I have never had any food taste so amazing.
After our second night we took a ferry to Ischia which is a gorgeous dead volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples. The owners of our hostel are brothers and their mother owns a restaurant and their dad manages their vineyard. Needless to say, the food and drink was incredible, fresh, and local. Every night they would pick us up and take us to their mother's restaurant where we would have a three or four hour meal. Naples was covered by vineyards, citrus groves, gardens, and millenia-old buildings. The fruit was incredible as was the scenery. Two of the days we made it down to some hot springs, which felt amazing. You sit literally in the ocean but the water is boiling hot, while waves will occasionally crash over you and cool the water down. It was very relaxing. Me and Blake hiked to the top of the mountain, which was a good hike and afforded an amazing view of the Island. Ischia was amazing and beautiful, a cheaper cousin of Capri without as many tourists and more local charm. We met a ton of people at the hostel and around the town, everyone was very friendly. We left Ischia after three nights and went to Rome, where we were lucky to get room at a hostel on Friday night (good Friday). Saturday we tried to see as much as we could of room but I was exhausted from travelling and it is impossible to see Rome in a week, much less a day. We however attempted it. We tried to get into the Vatican but because it is Holy week the line just to get in the city was like 7 hours long so we didn't make it. The colliseum and ruins however were incredible. Saturday night we caught a night train to Venice (or at least thought we did). Halfway through the trip, about 3 am, we realized we were on a train headed to Germany and immediately got off and had to wait for the proper train to Venice. Luckily we made it and just barely made it to the Venice airport in time for the flight to London. The flight went well (I easily slept the whole way) and we made it to King's Cross in London no problem, only to learn that they were doing maintenance on the Northern line so we would have to take busses north then catch the line above the maintenance. We did so and made it although the travelling made for a ridicuously hectic and stressful Easter. I made it back and never thought I would be so happy to see Andrew Melville hall and my small room, or to hop in the shower.
Classes today were good and its nice to back to some normality. Weather is much better and it doesn't get dark until about 8:30. Supposedly we are far enough north so that soon it won't get dark until aroun 10 or so. Tourist season is beginning and the population of the town seems to have doubled since I left. It is a lot of fun although crazy, tourists are walking around speaking all kinds of languages and street vendors are beginning to come out in force. Everything is super nice and clean too, the city has done an amazing job cleaning everything, planting flowers, and making sure everything is ready for the summer. I hope things are going well back in the states. I am having an amazing time, spring break was awesome and I am exhausted! I miss ya'll and let me know what is going on. Also, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do this summer so if you have any ideas, let me know!
Will
The next morning we got up and toured as much of Oxford as possible. In the morning we toured Magdalen college, which is where Lewis as well as many other famous academics taught. The college is gorgeous and houses a 300 year old herd of Fallow deer. Midday, we met a Professor studying for a doctorate in Legal Philosophy who had studied at Baylor and he gave an inside tour of Queen's college. We saw where some scenes of Harry Potter had been shot (in the courtyard, i think in the most recent movie) and then climbed to the top of a tower where we were afforded a 360 degree view of the town. Oxford was incredible, the architecture and heritage is amazing. Luckily, it wholly survived WWII because Hitler so respected it as a center of learning and wanted to make it an important part of the third reich, so he refused to bomb it.
After Oxford, we went to London and spent the next couple of days in London. We saw the Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards, Big Ben, the London Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and probably a couple of places I have failed to list. Needless to say, we were very busy but it was a lot of fun and I'm glad we were able to see so much. On the day we were planning on going into Westminster we learned that there was a ceremony celebrating the 200th year of abolition of slavery. We waited outside of the ceremony and were lucky enough to see both the Queen and Tony Blair and his wife walk out. It was really cool and the Queen looked good, ha i'm sure she looked at me and waved. Later that evening we went to Evensong in Westminster Abbey which was amazing. In London, we saw Les Miserable and The Lion King, both of which were incredible. We took a day trip to Campbridge which was also a lot of fun, although I think I like Oxford better. There we saw King's college and some others, the cathedral at King's college was gorgeous from the outside and the grounds were very impressive. We also went to Stonehenge which was pretty cool, although the weather was typically British, occasionally sunny but mostly raining. Me and Blake, a guy from Baylor, missed out on the trip to Canterbury because we had catch a flight to Venice.
We flew into Venice and most of it was gorgeous. I was partly surprised that portions of it were pretty dirty but on the whole it was very nice. The food was amazing, as it was throughout my stay in Italy! We saw the palace of the Doge and most of the sights to see in Venice, it was incredible to think how they built the city out of the water and depressing to know that it is slowly sinking back into the sea. The second afternoon in Venice we met a guy named Jimmy and Evan, both from my hall and took a short water-bus to the island of Lido (about 5-10 minute ride from the main islands of Venice). Jim is from Boulder Colorado and Evan is from New Jersey. We spent the evening and next day in Lido, then back to main Venice, where we walked around some and then caught a 8 or so hour train to Naples. The train ride was gorgeous, it took us through parts of the Appenine mountains and through a large part of the Italian countryside. Naples was impressive but very different than what I expected. There is a much smaller tourist industry in Naples and for good reason. It is gorgeous from a distance, on the Bay of Naples with Pompeii and other mountains surrounding it. However, it is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe and the crime rate is astronomical. Our Hostel however was very nice and we were perfectly safe walking around during the day (although we still made sure to watch our pockets.) At night however, even as four guys, the city felt pretty unsafe to walk around, although there were some nicer areas. We saw many of the sights in Naples, including the Royal Palace, some other castles, and the Umberto Gallery. Sadly, we didn't have time to visit Herculaneum or the city of Pompeii. In those pictures from Naples, the distinctive mountain you can see in the landscape is Pompeii. From Naples, you can see both the Island of Capri and Ischia. Naples is the home of the Pizza and I have never had any food taste so amazing.
After our second night we took a ferry to Ischia which is a gorgeous dead volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples. The owners of our hostel are brothers and their mother owns a restaurant and their dad manages their vineyard. Needless to say, the food and drink was incredible, fresh, and local. Every night they would pick us up and take us to their mother's restaurant where we would have a three or four hour meal. Naples was covered by vineyards, citrus groves, gardens, and millenia-old buildings. The fruit was incredible as was the scenery. Two of the days we made it down to some hot springs, which felt amazing. You sit literally in the ocean but the water is boiling hot, while waves will occasionally crash over you and cool the water down. It was very relaxing. Me and Blake hiked to the top of the mountain, which was a good hike and afforded an amazing view of the Island. Ischia was amazing and beautiful, a cheaper cousin of Capri without as many tourists and more local charm. We met a ton of people at the hostel and around the town, everyone was very friendly. We left Ischia after three nights and went to Rome, where we were lucky to get room at a hostel on Friday night (good Friday). Saturday we tried to see as much as we could of room but I was exhausted from travelling and it is impossible to see Rome in a week, much less a day. We however attempted it. We tried to get into the Vatican but because it is Holy week the line just to get in the city was like 7 hours long so we didn't make it. The colliseum and ruins however were incredible. Saturday night we caught a night train to Venice (or at least thought we did). Halfway through the trip, about 3 am, we realized we were on a train headed to Germany and immediately got off and had to wait for the proper train to Venice. Luckily we made it and just barely made it to the Venice airport in time for the flight to London. The flight went well (I easily slept the whole way) and we made it to King's Cross in London no problem, only to learn that they were doing maintenance on the Northern line so we would have to take busses north then catch the line above the maintenance. We did so and made it although the travelling made for a ridicuously hectic and stressful Easter. I made it back and never thought I would be so happy to see Andrew Melville hall and my small room, or to hop in the shower.
Classes today were good and its nice to back to some normality. Weather is much better and it doesn't get dark until about 8:30. Supposedly we are far enough north so that soon it won't get dark until aroun 10 or so. Tourist season is beginning and the population of the town seems to have doubled since I left. It is a lot of fun although crazy, tourists are walking around speaking all kinds of languages and street vendors are beginning to come out in force. Everything is super nice and clean too, the city has done an amazing job cleaning everything, planting flowers, and making sure everything is ready for the summer. I hope things are going well back in the states. I am having an amazing time, spring break was awesome and I am exhausted! I miss ya'll and let me know what is going on. Also, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do this summer so if you have any ideas, let me know!
Will
Monday, 19 March 2007
Hey, hope things are going well back in Texas; I'm starting to miss it a little. It's been a busy couple of weeks here, I've traveled a bit and had a huge paper due yesterday. Everything is done though and I am very ready to go on Spring Break.
Holland was a lot of fun, although Amsterdam was certainly a shock. I've got a couple of pictures up on Flickr. Amsterdam was a very pretty town but it seemed dirty/degenerate. We went to the Rikjsmuseum, which was very impressive and saw both Rembrandt and Van Heyden exhibits, both of which I enjoyed. I went to the Van Gogh museum on Saturday, but they had already closed. I spent most of the weekend just walking around town and looking at different sites; there were some really cool parks and statues. The city is laid out with rings of semi-circular canals so most roads parrallels a canal, which made Amsterdam both easy to find your way around and pretty. We got back and last school week was largely uneventful. We stayed in a Hostel called the Shelter which was quite a bit different than I expected. It was actually quiet, which was welcome but the building itself wasn't very nice nor clean. I had a good time though.
This last weekend was a lot of fun too, me and some other guys from the hall went to York on Saturday and Durham yesterday (both in the UK). York was a very pretty and ancient town, where the Romans had been and there was quite a bit of historical stuff to see. We went to an Evensong service in the York Minster, which is the largest Medieval building in Britain. The Minster was awesome and immense, though somewhat covered by scaffolding. That night we hung out in York and went out with some people we met at the hostel for St. Patrick's day. Durham was cool too, there was a pretty interesting castle and then a beautiful cathedral. We couldn't really walk around inside it because services were going on (it was Sunday morning) but were able to see most the building nonetheless. I have a couple of pictures of both Amsterdam and Durham that should be up.
I am very excited about spring break (and in a little trouble for not telling my parents my plans); so here they are. Tomorrow (saturday) the Baylor group is taking the train to Oxford, where we have a tour of C.S. Lewis' house. We are staying in Oxford and hanging out in the town and university on Sunday. Later in the day Sunday, we are going to London and staying at Bayswater Inn near Kensington Park for the next 5 nights. We are going to see the sights Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday then take day trips to Canterbury, Cambridge, and Salisbury. On Friday, I am flying out of London Stansted to Venice, Italy. I am going to Venice with another guy from Baylor, Blake, and we are meeting two of my friends from Melville in Venice. The plan is to stay in Venice Fri. and Saturday night. On Sunday, we are going to take the train to Naples and stay there Sunday and Monday night. Tuesday morning, we are going take a ferry from Naples to the Island of Ischias to the city of Forio. We are staying there through Friday night, then going back to Naples, where we will catch the train and work our way back to Venice, stopping in Rome either on Good Friday or Saturday. As it is, I don't think we can get rooms in Rome over Holy Week, but it will still be really cool to see. I am flying from Venice back to London on Easter Sunday. The trip is going to be awesome, Croatia and Morocco were both deemed to dangerous or inconvenient because of language and lack of anyone that had ever been to either place before. Anyways, hope things are going well back home; I miss ya'll!
Holland was a lot of fun, although Amsterdam was certainly a shock. I've got a couple of pictures up on Flickr. Amsterdam was a very pretty town but it seemed dirty/degenerate. We went to the Rikjsmuseum, which was very impressive and saw both Rembrandt and Van Heyden exhibits, both of which I enjoyed. I went to the Van Gogh museum on Saturday, but they had already closed. I spent most of the weekend just walking around town and looking at different sites; there were some really cool parks and statues. The city is laid out with rings of semi-circular canals so most roads parrallels a canal, which made Amsterdam both easy to find your way around and pretty. We got back and last school week was largely uneventful. We stayed in a Hostel called the Shelter which was quite a bit different than I expected. It was actually quiet, which was welcome but the building itself wasn't very nice nor clean. I had a good time though.
This last weekend was a lot of fun too, me and some other guys from the hall went to York on Saturday and Durham yesterday (both in the UK). York was a very pretty and ancient town, where the Romans had been and there was quite a bit of historical stuff to see. We went to an Evensong service in the York Minster, which is the largest Medieval building in Britain. The Minster was awesome and immense, though somewhat covered by scaffolding. That night we hung out in York and went out with some people we met at the hostel for St. Patrick's day. Durham was cool too, there was a pretty interesting castle and then a beautiful cathedral. We couldn't really walk around inside it because services were going on (it was Sunday morning) but were able to see most the building nonetheless. I have a couple of pictures of both Amsterdam and Durham that should be up.
I am very excited about spring break (and in a little trouble for not telling my parents my plans); so here they are. Tomorrow (saturday) the Baylor group is taking the train to Oxford, where we have a tour of C.S. Lewis' house. We are staying in Oxford and hanging out in the town and university on Sunday. Later in the day Sunday, we are going to London and staying at Bayswater Inn near Kensington Park for the next 5 nights. We are going to see the sights Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday then take day trips to Canterbury, Cambridge, and Salisbury. On Friday, I am flying out of London Stansted to Venice, Italy. I am going to Venice with another guy from Baylor, Blake, and we are meeting two of my friends from Melville in Venice. The plan is to stay in Venice Fri. and Saturday night. On Sunday, we are going to take the train to Naples and stay there Sunday and Monday night. Tuesday morning, we are going take a ferry from Naples to the Island of Ischias to the city of Forio. We are staying there through Friday night, then going back to Naples, where we will catch the train and work our way back to Venice, stopping in Rome either on Good Friday or Saturday. As it is, I don't think we can get rooms in Rome over Holy Week, but it will still be really cool to see. I am flying from Venice back to London on Easter Sunday. The trip is going to be awesome, Croatia and Morocco were both deemed to dangerous or inconvenient because of language and lack of anyone that had ever been to either place before. Anyways, hope things are going well back home; I miss ya'll!
Friday, 2 March 2007
Hey, its a beautiful Friday afternoon and I am sitting in the library; classes and reading assignments are really starting to pick up. I still like my classes and schedule though. I'm doing well, staying busy, and still like it here. In my last post I wrote that I would be potentially going to the rugby game in Edinburgh, however a group of us last minute decided to go to a Dave Matthews concert in Glasgow. It was an acoustic concert, so Dave and Tim Reynolds were alone onstage with just their guitars. The concert was incredible, the hall it was in was pretty small and Dave really interacted with the audience. We ate at a restaurant right next to the concert beforehand; the sign said it was a casino, and thats what we expected, but it ended up being just a restaurant. Anyways, Dave was sitting at a table two away from ours, so we got to see him and Tim Reynolds beforehand, which was pretty cool. After the show, we walked some around Glasgow (not quite as nice as Edinburgh) and went to a couple of different pubs. After much difficulty finding a place to stay, we finally found a room.
This past week has been pretty uneventful, just class and hanging out around St. Andrews. I don't think I'm going to do anything significant this weekend, I may go on a hike on the Fife Coastal path tomorrow or I may just hang out. Next weekend me and some guys I have met in Melville are going to the netherlands, flying into Amsterdam on thursday and back to edinburgh on sunday. You can find some very cheap flights here within the EU, which is nice, and the University has a travel service that books flights and stuff without charge. I am in the process of figuring out what I want to do over spring break. I think I will either go to Morocco and visit Casablanca and Marrakesh (work on that arabic!) or fly to Croatia and visit Croatia and Greece. In both places the exchange rates make life much easier and both promise a ton of fun. I think me and one or two other guys from Baylor are going to travel together. Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions on spring break, I'm going to be booking something next week. I really want to visit Rome also, and haven't yet ruled it out, but the week I would visit is Holy week (Easter) so it is packed! Lots of fun but can't get rooms. Well, I'm out but hope things are well at home and keep me in your prayers.
This past week has been pretty uneventful, just class and hanging out around St. Andrews. I don't think I'm going to do anything significant this weekend, I may go on a hike on the Fife Coastal path tomorrow or I may just hang out. Next weekend me and some guys I have met in Melville are going to the netherlands, flying into Amsterdam on thursday and back to edinburgh on sunday. You can find some very cheap flights here within the EU, which is nice, and the University has a travel service that books flights and stuff without charge. I am in the process of figuring out what I want to do over spring break. I think I will either go to Morocco and visit Casablanca and Marrakesh (work on that arabic!) or fly to Croatia and visit Croatia and Greece. In both places the exchange rates make life much easier and both promise a ton of fun. I think me and one or two other guys from Baylor are going to travel together. Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions on spring break, I'm going to be booking something next week. I really want to visit Rome also, and haven't yet ruled it out, but the week I would visit is Holy week (Easter) so it is packed! Lots of fun but can't get rooms. Well, I'm out but hope things are well at home and keep me in your prayers.
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
Hey, things are still going really good here, let me know how it is back in Texas. School is going, classes really haven't been all that tough so long as I stay on top of the reading and the schedule is awesome. Last weekend, 6 of us went to Stirling, which is a small town right on the edge of the highlands. It was a gorgeous day, its worth staying here through all the nasty weather to catch those incredible days when the weather is perfect and the sun is shining. We went first to Stirling castle, which was pretty impressive and a lot more like what I expected than Edinburgh Castle. It was on top of a hill with incredible views (some are in the pictures). I toured the castle, walked around the great hall, the chapel and the palace. The great hall and chapel were very impressive. The palace was in the middle of a lot of archaelogical work and was stripped down, so although we could walk through it and learn a lot, it was little more than an immense (and impressive) stone building with no furnishings. After the castle, we went to Bannockburn Battleground (remember Braveheart). This is where Robert the Bruce soundly defeated the English. Today, there is little to see, except for a couple of monuments, although it would be easy to imagine (and an incredible image) thousands of Scots up against the English running across what is today open fields. I found a fly-shop in Stirling! Picked up a bunch of flyers and Dr. Beaty and I are tentatively scheduling a trip to the loch this friday, where I hope to catch a bunch of trout. Ha, we also ate at Pancho Villas, a Mexican restaurant that really was pretty reasonable. I miss Mexican food! Finally, we went to the William Wallace memorial, which is a very impressive tower built on a hilltop that provides amazing views of the surrounding mountains. Catching a glimpse of the highlands makes me very excited to get up there, I believe I'll go the next weekend with suitable weather. Next saturday we are still planning on going to the Ireland/Scotland rugby game, weather permitting, although we are counting on buying tickets from scalpers (people swear they are easy and cheaper at the stadium...we'll see). Well, thats about it, I'll let you know how things are going.
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Sunday, 11 February 2007
First week of Classes, Edinburgh
So it seems that the lousy weather of the past couple of days has finally gotten to me, I think that I have contracted a cold or something. But I don't really have anything to do today (Sunday) so I can afford to rest up and not go out. If I still feel bad in a couple of days I'll go to the doctor but right now I'm just taking some cold medication and getting plenty of rest.
The rest of the week went very well, I finished up my first week of classes without a hitch and am ready for the next. I have dropped Arabic, deciding that it is too much daily work than I want to deal with while I am here, I would rather spend my time out in Scotland than stuck in the library. To replace Arabic, I have enrolled in a class called Aesthetics, which not only promises to be easy but one that I get substantial credit for back in the States. So far I have managed not to have classes on Fridays and I plan to keep it that way, barring me getting assigned to a Friday tutorial (each class requires a certain number of meetings called tutorials). My philosophy course have so far been awesome, from the classroom I can look out the window onto the North Sea. I saw my first wild seal the other day, there is a large number of them in an estuary just North of town.
Saturday a large group of us went to Edinburgh, which was a lot of fun except for the nasty weather. The whole day the temperature hovered right at freezing and there was consistent sleet. Despite the weather, we toured Edinburgh castle. This is the first castle I have seen that is not in ruins and it was very impressive. I was surprised at the thickness and heighth of the walls. The castle is perched on an extinct volcano and gives incredible 360 degree views of the medieval city of Edinburgh. We saw the crown jewels of Scotland, as well as many other of its national treasures on display. After the castle (we got run off of it quickly thanks to the freezing mountaintop winds) we walked to St. Gyle's Cathedral. The cathedral is immense although not quite as awe-inspiring as Notre Dame. After the cathedral, we went to a restaurarant where we watched the rugby game against Wales (scotland won) which we were planning on attending but the weather discouraged it. I still may go to the game two weekends from now against the Irish. A short train-ride and taxi later, we made it back to St Andrews.
I'll get some pictures posted soon, I got a different battery for my digital camera and it is working much better. Hope everything is going well in the States!
The rest of the week went very well, I finished up my first week of classes without a hitch and am ready for the next. I have dropped Arabic, deciding that it is too much daily work than I want to deal with while I am here, I would rather spend my time out in Scotland than stuck in the library. To replace Arabic, I have enrolled in a class called Aesthetics, which not only promises to be easy but one that I get substantial credit for back in the States. So far I have managed not to have classes on Fridays and I plan to keep it that way, barring me getting assigned to a Friday tutorial (each class requires a certain number of meetings called tutorials). My philosophy course have so far been awesome, from the classroom I can look out the window onto the North Sea. I saw my first wild seal the other day, there is a large number of them in an estuary just North of town.
Saturday a large group of us went to Edinburgh, which was a lot of fun except for the nasty weather. The whole day the temperature hovered right at freezing and there was consistent sleet. Despite the weather, we toured Edinburgh castle. This is the first castle I have seen that is not in ruins and it was very impressive. I was surprised at the thickness and heighth of the walls. The castle is perched on an extinct volcano and gives incredible 360 degree views of the medieval city of Edinburgh. We saw the crown jewels of Scotland, as well as many other of its national treasures on display. After the castle (we got run off of it quickly thanks to the freezing mountaintop winds) we walked to St. Gyle's Cathedral. The cathedral is immense although not quite as awe-inspiring as Notre Dame. After the cathedral, we went to a restaurarant where we watched the rugby game against Wales (scotland won) which we were planning on attending but the weather discouraged it. I still may go to the game two weekends from now against the Irish. A short train-ride and taxi later, we made it back to St Andrews.
I'll get some pictures posted soon, I got a different battery for my digital camera and it is working much better. Hope everything is going well in the States!
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Sunday and Start of Class
Well, I am still here in St. Andrews and loving it. Class has started and things are starting to get busy but I am very much enjoying my professors and the format of classes here in the UK. I guess I'll begin on Sunday since my last post was Sat., but I think from here on out I will just let ya'll know major stuff that happens rather than go day by day, that'll get old for you and for me. Sunday morning happened as I imagine church would have gone in the time of lords, knights and serfs, but with a contemporary sermon. I went with about 3 others and Dr. Beaty to St. Salvatore's cathedral, a gorgeous cathedral built around 1450. The Cathedral is run by the School of Divinity so it is largely non-denominational, though considerably different than any church we have back at home. Service opened at 11 am with some familiar hymns and scripture readings, which would have been rather typical, were it not for the setting. Most of the students in attendance wore Scarlet Robes, signifying their attendance at St. Andrews University. Two sides of the Cathedral were covered by immense and intricate stained glass windows, each depicting a different Biblical story. The other sides of the Cathedral are covered in carvings and typical medieval architecture. There is an aisle that runs through the center of the cathedral, splitting the pews which sit, not facing forward, but rather facing each other. There is a sort of large balcony toward the back of the cathedral, where the choir sits (although one can barely see them except from the very front of the cathedral. The choir is that of St. Andrews University and was absolutely incredible. During the anthem and closing hymns, the choir sang classical songs in Latin and I cannot give credit to the experience in words. The music echoed through the cathedral and angelic is the best descriptor I can give it, as the Sun shone through the stained glass, filling the cathedral with all colors of the rainbow. The sermon was good but not especially notable, calling all Christians to step out into the "deep water" and attempting to address some contemporary problems that the church faces, such as declining youth attendance (especially in Europe). The University brings in different Speakers each week, this year the Bishop Philip Tartaglia of Paisley gave the sermon. Notably, after the service, the Bishop asked all in attendance to go and have a drink with him in a nearby room; I found this an interesting contrast from First Baptist of Amarillo. I think that I will be attending church quite often here at St. Andrews, it was a very enjoyable and memorable experience.
We were able to watch most of the Super Bowl on Sunday, kick-off was around 11:25 pm here in the UK, and the commentators have no idea what they are talking about. Watching the game with the commentary on was worse than watching it with it off, it is very basic considering few here in the UK know the rules. I watched the game at a pub called the Dunvegan, owned interestingly enough by an Aggie born in Austin. It was full of mostly Americans; about half of the pub sang the National anthem, partly out of pride and partly out of defiance to some in the pub that had been claiming the superiority of European 'football.' The pub closed at one, because of licensing, so I returned to my dorm, expecting to be able to finish the game there, sadly, however, the common room with the TV was closed so I had to follow along online.
I think that I am going to like my classes. Arabic is going to be incredibly difficult, only 1 semester left! The Arabic here is quite different than back home, besides the Scottish accent. The course I am taking here is designed to teach 'fous-ha' Arabic, the literate and more traditional version than the colloquial I have taken at Baylor. I dropped the Social Contract class and decided to take instead an interdisciplinary course called Science and Ethics, which promises to be very interesting. The other courses have gone well so far, although I have had considerable difficulty finding my classes, as they are integrated into the town and most of the university buildings are rather indistinct from the rest of the buildings.
We were able to watch most of the Super Bowl on Sunday, kick-off was around 11:25 pm here in the UK, and the commentators have no idea what they are talking about. Watching the game with the commentary on was worse than watching it with it off, it is very basic considering few here in the UK know the rules. I watched the game at a pub called the Dunvegan, owned interestingly enough by an Aggie born in Austin. It was full of mostly Americans; about half of the pub sang the National anthem, partly out of pride and partly out of defiance to some in the pub that had been claiming the superiority of European 'football.' The pub closed at one, because of licensing, so I returned to my dorm, expecting to be able to finish the game there, sadly, however, the common room with the TV was closed so I had to follow along online.
I think that I am going to like my classes. Arabic is going to be incredibly difficult, only 1 semester left! The Arabic here is quite different than back home, besides the Scottish accent. The course I am taking here is designed to teach 'fous-ha' Arabic, the literate and more traditional version than the colloquial I have taken at Baylor. I dropped the Social Contract class and decided to take instead an interdisciplinary course called Science and Ethics, which promises to be very interesting. The other courses have gone well so far, although I have had considerable difficulty finding my classes, as they are integrated into the town and most of the university buildings are rather indistinct from the rest of the buildings.
This is Crail, the fishing Village we hiked to on Saturday.
The Isle of May in the background, on our hike. (barely visible, there is a lighthouse on the horizon) Dr. Beaty in the foreground, trying to explain rugby.
The tall building is part of the ruined St. Andrews Cathedral, taken from the old graveyard.
Rule's Tower, near the Cathedral
The Philosophy School, where some of my classes are located. (Directly behind it is a cliff, then the North Sea)
The ruins of St. Andrews Castle.
St. Salvatore's Cathedral, where I attended Church
Saturday, 3 February 2007
Saturday and some Pics
Today was long but it is one I will likely never forget. 9 of us, including Dr. Beaty, left St. Andrews at 11 and caught a bus to Anstruthers (pronounced Insters), about a 25 minute ride. Anstruthers is a small fishing village nestled on the SE coast of the kingdom of Fife (similar to a state in the USA?). We arrived there in time for lunch, where we ate at a small fish and chips place. The UK is known for its good fish and chips (and little other foods) and this place was, according to the signs, voted #1 the last two years running. The food was certainly good, although I was expecting something a little more incredible for its popularity and for 7 pounds ($14), a little more than Long John Silvers. Food here and all over the European Union is incredibly expensive! After a good meal, we walked along the coast 4 and 3/4 miles toward the NE to another fishing village, Crail. There is a walking path, the Fife Coastal Path, that runs the majority of the Fife coast, and we walked a portion of this. The walk was beautiful, the sea was rough and breaking against the shore although the weather was clear. There were a couple of fishing boats just outside of the breakers that I am certainly glad I was not on, as my stomach couldn't have handled these seas. The rocks along the coast were massive and eroded by both wind and rain, so they had a number of caves and crevasses to explore. The hills to our left were either grazed by sheep or covered in heather, and I did notice some deer sign, although did not see any. We arrived in Crail, and then, after a short break, 5 of us decided to attempt to continue along the path towards Kingsbarns, the next coastal village with a bus stop. About 1 and 1/2 miles into it, however, we realized that we would soon run out of daylight so turned back to Crail. There, we watched Scotland lost to England in Rugby sitting at a pub surrounded by locals, it was quite an experience. The group of us are considering going to Edinburgh next weekend to watch Scotland play Wales. Finally, we caught a bus back to St. Andrews and I am here in the hall, exhausted and finishing this post. Hope you all are enjoying it. My digital camera has broken, everytime I try and zoom in it freezes, so I am a little low on pictures. Also, it is somewhat difficult to post pictures on this blog so I am going to try and get something linked up or figure something out, until then, here are a couple of pictures.
Here is my room, looking in from the doorway. Just to the left out of sight is a closet and sink.
Here is my room, looking in from the doorway. Just to the left out of sight is a closet and sink.
This is the Sporting complex, where the sports are played (and a small disc golf course) and the building in the background is part of the complex.
The harbor at Anstruthers, just across the street from the fish and chips place.
Somewhere between Anstruthers and Crail
Some of our hiking group at Anstruthers
Friday, 2 February 2007
Well, I am here and finally adjusting to the time. I cannot believe that I will be living here for a semester, it seems so surreal. There are 11 of us students and the professor travelling with us, Dr. Beaty. Before the trip I barely knew any other students but hours of traveling forces friendships and I now know all of them relatively well. The flight left on the 30th and we arrived into Glasgow early morning here (about midnight in Texas). There was allocated about 45 minutes to clear customs and make our connecting flight to Edinburgh, which everyone in the group made but just barely. We then had a short flight to Edinburgh, where we collected our luggage, met two representatives from St. Andrews University, and got on a bus.
The arrival into Scotland was incredible, I have never seen the color green as it is here. The bus ride, about an hour, was gorgeous. We crossed a long suspension bridge over the River Tay shortly into the trip which gave me my first shoreside view of the grey and forbidding North Sea. The drive was through populated low hills with alternating fields of grass and hay, forests, and glens. About 20 KM outside of St. Andrews, we drove past the Scottish Deer Centre which afforded me my first view of the Scottish Red Deer. Supposedly, there are wild herds in some forests just North of St. Andrews. Shortly before you reach town, you cross the river Eden which is gorgeous (it looks cold!) and supposedly has a reasonable salmon run which I hope to encounter. The golf courses are on your left as you enter town, and they are incredible, I hope to play this sunday (supposedly we can get a student pass where I can play as much as I want over the course of the semester).We arrived on the 31st, about noon and had to stay awake that whole day so as to allow our bodies to adjust, which was difficult. We spent that day and evening unpacking, moving into our halls, and then ate out as a group at an Italian place named Zizzies. I then returned to my room and crashed, only to wake up at 4 am unable to get back to sleep.
Andrew Melville Hall is an ugly building but it more than makes up for it in location; it was constructed to resemble a ship so many of the windows are round and it has a very distinct architecture. The view from my room is incredible, Looking NE, on my left there is forest and straight ahead I can see the North Sea. Just beyond the trees is the Old Course (not 3 minutes walk away). However, It is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the building where my classes will be held.
I spent my thursday at different orientation meetings and shopping for soap and all that kind of stuff I forgot back at the states. Last night three of us Baylor students and some guys I met in my hall went to a couple different pubs which was a lot of fun. We met a really really drunk old scottish man who wouldn't stop challenging me to a game of darts (there weren't any darts) and kept calling me Bob Dylan, no idea why. We also met an Englishman who overheard our accents and came over to tell us how much he loved America, saying we take our V-8s, guns, and girls for granted. The one thing he really didn't like about America was that everyone was seemed so religious (there are many beautiful churches here but they are often empty). That was an interesting conversation because I was with two American Divinity students. I have met a lot of students here, though am having a difficult time keeping their names straight. Also, most of the ones here so far are American or international, the scottish students are still on break and won't arrive till tomorrow or Sunday.
Today we registered for classes and filled out some forms at the medical center which was a pain. I am taking some awesome classes but it is a really full load: intermediate arabic, contemporary moral theory, the social contract, and the problem(s) of divine goodness. This afternoon I walked down to the beach (crossing the old course) where four of us from the hall played frisbee in full view of the 18th green of the old course on the same beach where the famous running scene in Chariots of Fire was filmed. The weather has been absolutely incredible, right at 50 degrees F. and very little wind. However, this is not expected to last but I plan to make the most of it as long as it does.
The arrival into Scotland was incredible, I have never seen the color green as it is here. The bus ride, about an hour, was gorgeous. We crossed a long suspension bridge over the River Tay shortly into the trip which gave me my first shoreside view of the grey and forbidding North Sea. The drive was through populated low hills with alternating fields of grass and hay, forests, and glens. About 20 KM outside of St. Andrews, we drove past the Scottish Deer Centre which afforded me my first view of the Scottish Red Deer. Supposedly, there are wild herds in some forests just North of St. Andrews. Shortly before you reach town, you cross the river Eden which is gorgeous (it looks cold!) and supposedly has a reasonable salmon run which I hope to encounter. The golf courses are on your left as you enter town, and they are incredible, I hope to play this sunday (supposedly we can get a student pass where I can play as much as I want over the course of the semester).We arrived on the 31st, about noon and had to stay awake that whole day so as to allow our bodies to adjust, which was difficult. We spent that day and evening unpacking, moving into our halls, and then ate out as a group at an Italian place named Zizzies. I then returned to my room and crashed, only to wake up at 4 am unable to get back to sleep.
Andrew Melville Hall is an ugly building but it more than makes up for it in location; it was constructed to resemble a ship so many of the windows are round and it has a very distinct architecture. The view from my room is incredible, Looking NE, on my left there is forest and straight ahead I can see the North Sea. Just beyond the trees is the Old Course (not 3 minutes walk away). However, It is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the building where my classes will be held.
I spent my thursday at different orientation meetings and shopping for soap and all that kind of stuff I forgot back at the states. Last night three of us Baylor students and some guys I met in my hall went to a couple different pubs which was a lot of fun. We met a really really drunk old scottish man who wouldn't stop challenging me to a game of darts (there weren't any darts) and kept calling me Bob Dylan, no idea why. We also met an Englishman who overheard our accents and came over to tell us how much he loved America, saying we take our V-8s, guns, and girls for granted. The one thing he really didn't like about America was that everyone was seemed so religious (there are many beautiful churches here but they are often empty). That was an interesting conversation because I was with two American Divinity students. I have met a lot of students here, though am having a difficult time keeping their names straight. Also, most of the ones here so far are American or international, the scottish students are still on break and won't arrive till tomorrow or Sunday.
Today we registered for classes and filled out some forms at the medical center which was a pain. I am taking some awesome classes but it is a really full load: intermediate arabic, contemporary moral theory, the social contract, and the problem(s) of divine goodness. This afternoon I walked down to the beach (crossing the old course) where four of us from the hall played frisbee in full view of the 18th green of the old course on the same beach where the famous running scene in Chariots of Fire was filmed. The weather has been absolutely incredible, right at 50 degrees F. and very little wind. However, this is not expected to last but I plan to make the most of it as long as it does.
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