Hello Collegiettes!
I honestly can’t believe it’s already Tuesday again! This week flew by and I am still trying to recover and settle back in!
First Edinburgh was amazing. I got to see my roommate from Fordham, Emily, and she accompanied my brother and me on our tourist excursions around the city. On an extremely windy day, we toured Edinburgh castle, which is the center of the town. At the castle we not only took in some incredible views, but also got to see the Scottish Crown Jewels. After the castle the three of us went to Elephant House. Now I referenced on my last post that I am a fairly large (extremely large) Harry Potter fan, so Elephant House was the somewhat Holy Grail of my trip. If you are possibly not the big Harry Potter nerd I am, Elephant House is the café in which J.K Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in America). I honestly can’t put into words how it felt to sit where she sit, it is still an experience I am trying to comprehend.
In Edinburgh, my brother and I stayed in an adorable Bed and Breakfast called Priestville Guest House. It is run but a husband and wife, Colin and Trina. They were so kind and wonderful to my brother and I. At breakfast we tried the traditional haggis! We both liked it, when we didn’t think about what was in it… We also visited the National Museum of Scotland, which is huge. Dolly the sheep rests here, amongst countless other exhibits. My favorite was a modern Scottish history exhibit. The exhibit concluded with a section dedicated to Scottish identity, and how Scottish people identify themselves based on nationality, character, food, language, stereotypes, and so on. It was extremely relevant to some of my studies about British identity in London, so I found it really interesting.
Unfortunately our time in Edinburgh had to end, but we were both looking forward to our peaceful 5-hour train ride back home where my parents had arrived and were awaiting our return. However, because a family vacation in my family isn’t complete with chaos and sickness, my brother caught a nasty stomach virus and was sick the entirety of Thursday night, and felt weak the rest of the trip. However, not all was a loss!
My parents and I visited Buckingham Palace Friday morning as well as did some shopping in the area. And then my whole family sat down for a proper English Afternoon Tea at our hotel Friday afternoon. Everyone needs to have a proper English tea! Now granted it is expensive (hence I waited for my parents to visit to try it out), but you get your own pot of the loose leaf tea of your choice, and then in three courses you get finger sandwiches, fresh scones, and a pastry assortment. So while it was expensive, you get a lot of food! We even had some pastries to save for later!
After tea, we all quickly changed for the theater because we were seeing Les Miserable in the West End. The show is my dad’s absolute favorite, and my brother and I have always loved the music. It was as incredible as we thought it would be, and even had my parents proclaiming it was the best show they have ever seen ( they have seen a lot of shows so take that as a gushing review!).
Saturday my family and I toured the Tower of London. Probably the most incredible part of this tour for me wasn’t the intricate explanations of the countless beheadings that took place there, but the ironic architecture that lay in the background to this 11 century castle. The Tower of London sits on the Thames overlooking Canary Warf, the main business sector of London. There are actually some pretty impressive pieces of modern architecture in London, and they add such a unique contrast to the historical aspects of London. My favorite picture I took while visiting the Tower of London was in front of one of the oldest walls in the castle that dates back to the Roman Empire, in the backdrop of this wall you can see the Shard on the other side of the Thames. The Shard is one of the most famous pieces of modern architecture in London. This contrast of the old and the new is just another reason I love London.
To conclude my families visit, Saturday night we visited some possibly long-lost family in a village south of London called Otford. To explain the “possibly long-lost family” part, my dad has always been very into genealogy, and about 25 years ago when he was doing some digging on his family tree, he found a woman working for his company from England with the last name “Featherstone”, while doing some digging, and after she visited him in America, my dad is convinced there is a connection in the family tree, even if he hasn’t found it yet. Regardless my dad has formed a friendship with the woman, Shelia, and her brother Simon, over the last twenty years and when they heard I was studying in London they invited us to their home. Simon brought us all around his village, and even treated us to pint at the local village pub! After the tour Simon and his girlfriend Rebecca had us back to their home for a beautiful authentic English meal!
So now all the visits and travels have calmed down for a solid period, and I SHOULD be adjusting into my internship phase, but I still have not gotten my placement. I know, it’s very frustrating and the placement coordinator and I have basically been chatting on an hourly basis…the only calming factor is I know of at least 3 other people who have also not received their placement yet. So fingers crossed that next week when I write to you next week I will be happy and smiling at my internship!
Until next time,
Emily
Read all my previous posts from arrival to now:
Hopping Across the Pond!
Being a Tourist
A Food Affair in Brussels
Adjusting from American Super-Size to London Minimize
Snow, Cliffs, and Castles, Oh My!
The View From Above