Flew into Edinburgh this morning. Edinburgh is the most beautiful city I have seen. I am enthralled – entranced – captivated, scintillated. I cannot describe how wonderful this city is.

As the bus rounds the corner onto Princes Street you see Edinburgh castle and old town. It is so stunning – the scintillating sounds and colours, the buildings and gardens – hills covered in ancient artwork of generations past– history literally etched into the mountain right before your eyes. I felt like I was in a fairy tale looking up at the ancient kingdom of legends. I got off the bus from on Princes Street and walked from 3:30 until 9:45. I’ve only just touched the surface of this wonderful city. I’ll start getting pictures as soon as I can download and clear my memory card. The feelings of wonder and desire to stay and explore here for years are beyond my ability to describe. Without second thought and immediately I knew that I could live here – that in fact I wanted to. I’ve got so much to do here and only eleven more days. Not to mention I need to visit the highlands and all the rest of Scotland. I am sad already that there is such limited time. But I plan to make the most of every moment.

Love you and thinking of you – Wishing mum the best and you know I’m thinking about you all while I’m here.

Last few days-

Pretty darn excited to be here in Edinburgh. It is an unbelievable city. Without a doubt one of my favorite places. This last weekend was a trip – spent Friday through Sunday on day trips. Slept 14 hours from Thursday night to Monday night – killer but so worth it. When I get home I’m going to crash for a few days lol! So, Friday went up into the Highlands stunning scenery Loch’s, waterfalls, and a whisky distillery what a trip the emerald green hills, heather and fern, bracken and flora and fauna from around the world. Sheep, sheep, a few more sheep, then a sheep here, and another sheep right over there, two more sheep up there and four down below! Some cattle big toffee furry beasts. Ate haggis and lots of potatoes. The waterfalls were amazing because of the peat draining into the rivers due to all the rain the rivers looked like huge flowing rivers of Guinness splashing and sparkling its dark deep colour across the rocks. Beautiful – stunning – clouds and mist ranging across the mountains and glens. Windows of sunlight breaking through and illuminating the world as thought covered in a sparkling silver veil. Each day trip took all day leaving at 8:15 and returning between 5:30 and 7:30 each time.

Saturday I went to Stirling Castle – Saw the Wallace monument and explored a little there then headed out to two huge nature reserves before winding down a single lane roadway to Inversnaid on the banks of Loch Lomond. I couldn’t stop myself from singing the song as I sat on the shores. We hiked our way up to a high overlook and explored the beauty of the Loch. Again the Greenery, rushing tumbling and falling streams playing amongst each other splashing and frothing on their mad dash to the loch from the heights of the mountains. Unbridled beauty – indescribable the feelings which filled me as I stood and climbed through such land. Birds, rabbits, squirrels, sheep…. Stunning. The view from the top of the path left me completely breathless. We emerged just as the rain broke and the sun broke through and illuminated where we were standing then spread along the gap in the clouds and join the waters giving them a scintillating prismatic effect as the water sparkled within the loch.

Sunday – Down south – southern Scotland down toward the border lands. Melrose Abbey, Scots view, And Roslyn chapel. Roslyn is an unforgettable experience, unbelievable stonework, carving and unique expression in the stone. Each spire on the external is different and original the stained glass and the pillars are all ornate and then the carved cherubs, faces, and scenes from the bible each express through the stone emotion and stories without need of words. Saw the building where they cloned Dolly!!!!

Monday – Upper Highlands, Glencoe – Loch Ness – I went swimming!!!!!!! – Inverness – all around that area. Again the surrounding land is stunningly beautiful – high cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, caves and jagged juts of stone. Loch ness was FREEEEEEEZING! But I felt so alive as I jumped in the second time! I have video as well. Muhahahhahaha.

Canterbury and Dover, London since Tuesday –

On Monday we boarded the bus at 8:30 am and went off to Canterbury and Dover. It was cold, wet, and miserable. Freezing wind and horizontal rain all day. However that aside Canterbury cathedral and Dover castles/cliffs were amazing. Canterbury was beautiful, strong evocative masonry. The armor of the Black prince, and a memorial to Thomas More. Moore’s memorial was interesting, two iron swords piercing an iron cross. The two reflected swords made up a total of four swords. I believe it was to represent the four knights which murdered him. We went down into the crypts and walked around, there was a cat sitting in the middle of the crypt hall just wandering and returning to a padded section in front of the lower alter. That was pretty odd. Then as we continued around the horseshoe shaped crypts we walked past memorials and tombs of people interred inside the cathedral. We remerged and went through the giant carved rock screen and deeper into the church. We passed where the choir would sing (beautiful books full of hymns) and walked around the altar. Behind the altar was the memorial to the former tomb of Thomas more which had been sacked by the king a few hundred years before. There was a commemorative chandelier. We left the cathedral and went back out into the cold. I joined a group of girls and we wandered down the streets of Canterbury. We found a small Italian restaurant and I ordered spaghetti. We gobbled down the hot food then continued around the city. At 1:00 we reconvened and got back on the tour bus then rode to Dover.
We disembarked outside Dover castles and hiked the entry road in the cold rain. Anyone trying to storm that castle must have been insane. We walked through the gate over the old moat now filled with greenery and began to explore Dover castle. Luckily for us there was a Living history exhibition going on so there were men and women dressed as each of the occupying forces of the castle had been. Britons, Roman legionnaires, Germans, Americans, WWI British army, and Special Forces. It was pretty darn cool. After circling the grounds and seeing the castles, fortifications, roman lighthouse, and port from the view of the walls we prepared for our tour of the secret WWII tunnels inside the castle. Sadly the annex (Hospital) wing was closed however the upper floor (Napoleonic tunnels which were expanded for communications use) was open. We toured the inside and then it was time to come home. We came home, freezing, cold and miserable and headed to the student union to kick back relax and enjoy the evening.

Tuesday – We went to Tower hill – after class we met at the tube station at 1:00pm and then went and toured tower hill – with the thousands murdered there – beheaded and tortured the place has an eerie feel. We toured the grounds following a Beef eater (no idea on why that’s the name) and then continued on to see the crown jewels. The First Star Diamond is HUGE just for future reference. I’ve never seen so many jewels, covered in gold, held secure by silver, coated in Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, and every other precious material you could image. There was a room full of scepters which must have been at least five feet and probably 8 or nine inches in diameter of SOLID gold. It was quite the experience to see so much wealth in a ten minute walking space. Once outside again we wandered the bloody tower, white tower and a third which I’ve blanked out the name. There are pictures of it up. The tower was a trip….

We then jumped back on the tube and headed out to Battersea to find Thomas Moore’s house. We found the monument to him and took our pictures (it’s part of a scavenger hunt we need to complete) with the monument. That done we completed the long walk home and I crashed. The necessities like cooking dinner etc all happened.

Wednesday – The Dean is HERE! Woke up for class at the appointed 8:00am and made it to class on time. Had a lively discussion about war, its positives, its costs, and whether it was worth it. After class I ran home and got ready then by 3:00 it was time to meet at the imperial War Museum. We met up outside by 3:15 and toured the building. Amazing. It is stunning how much pain, destruction, and cruelty humanity wishes unto itself. The museum was a great memorial to the sad defects of humanity. Their exhibits on world war one and two as well as Korea, Vietnam, the holocaust, and crimes against humanities section were excellent. After leaving the last two I was sick to my stomach – the displays were that powerful.

After the trying experience in the museum we were taken to dinner by the dean. There were 25 of us and we all ordered the bill came to a healthy £486. Dinner was great and discussion with the dean was fabulous (I sat to his right) dinner over we retired to the student pub for some House/techno dancing and a few drinks.

Thursday – Woke up – Class – Napped – ate lunch – napped – met with Nigel and sue for a wonderful dinner. At first we were to meet up at an alternative cafe but it was booked for the night. The cafe was an amazing example of bohemia, art and cloth all over the walls, small hole in the wall feel, and a group of women in heavy makeup and strange clothes in the back cutting up the communal meal that would be served for the evening – a very interesting experience. As it was booked we retired to a favored pub of Su and Nigel and ate there. I had breaded chicken. It was quite nice. They dropped me off home and I went out dancing. First we went to a club called ruby blue but one of the girls brought the wrong ID so instead we ended up (for less money) getting into a club on the upper levels of a building 7th floor. We could see out across all of London, the eye, big Ben all of it. That was quite a bit of fun. The DJ though was awful so after a few hours we wandered the streets and ended up in a bar a bit down the street. The bar was fun we relaxed had some fun and talked with a few of the locals. We took the buses home – got in at 3:40ish and hit the sack.

Friday- relaxed. Watched the game – did some laundry – went out dancing – crashed early still fighting that bloody head cold.

Sat – woke up at 8:00AM went to portabella road – found a gift for mum and some decorations for the wall of my apt in PHX. Bought a bouquet of wooden roses for Su since she is headed out of town and couldn’t take care of live ones – (perfect Idea gooooo me!) arrived at their house at 1:00 – did a little more laundry – fixed some problems with their computers – went out for a walk and wandered Brixton (heavy ethnic population) then walked north to Oval – then went west to Clapham north, then walked from Clapham north to Clapham commons station and then walked to Clapham south station and then Walked back to Su and Nigel’s home. Had a wonderful curry, with prawns, miniature corns, scallops and monk fish (AMAZING!!!) combined with rice – Cucumber and yogurt and a traditional hot side (can’t remember) and retired back home – crashed at around 12:30 –

Well. Where to start. Saturday ended at 5:25Am this morning with a quick journal entry and a response to Su’s message about today’s dinner invitation. Sunday started at 1pm after my quick nap to try and regain some composure. At 1 I woke up, came down to the computer lab and wrote some quick E-mails, and then I headed out and spent around £4 on lunch. Came home and exchanged the down and dirty life details and life stories with my roommate William.

I think I’ve found a good and trustworthy exploring companion in that one. Someone to share the trip with and have some good comradery. After that I ran out and got stuck in delays and all sorts of messes trying to make it over to Su and Nigel’s flat. The train I was on unexpectedly went out of service after twenty minutes of waiting for the doors to close then ten with them closed they finally announced that we needed to switch trains. Then I had misfortune in the timings at the Kennington station and had to wait another 15 minutes for that train. There were a few other minor delays resulting in a good hour and 45 minute trip which I had only allotted an hour for. I felt awful being forty five minutes late but Su and Nigel were quite gracious about it.

Her daughter Ruth came to dinner as well. We spoke around the table as Su put the finishing touches on an amazing meal. Lamb, caramelized vegetables, potatoes and drinks. Then for dessert she produced an exquisite pudding which was simply marvelous. We sat and talked for a while and joked. Su made tea and made me a fresh squeezed Lemon and Honey tea which hit the spot. After a bit Su had me watch a little segment of a show about these large Iron men who had been put up as sculptures on buildings around London ( I had asked about them earlier and she had managed to catch this segment for me ) we watched that and then headed off to home. Su drove me home which was quite nice as the weather is now quite cold and rainy.

Beautiful mind you…. but cold…. and….. rainy…. and well cold. hehehe. Once back at the apartment she ran upstairs to my room with me and collected my laundry! How sweet they are that they offered to do so. It may seem trivial but the effort she will put in doing that chore and saving me from hand washing it is marvelous.

I’m caught in awe of their gracious hospitality and the help they are offering for my stay here in London. They also gave me further advice on places to visit and things which should be seen whilst here. They have made London a much more hospitable place for me and quite a bit more manageable.

Getting ready for bed. I need to do some reading and snuggle down and keep warm (I’m picking up a head cold despite my best efforts (Airborne, Emergen C etc). I have my suspicions that it’s a combination of the weather change and the germs etc I’m exposed to riding the Tube (hand railings etc so I don’t fall over).

I think I promised more about Bath and Stonehenge and didn’t really go into detail about the trip so here goes. Our day trip to Bath and Stonehenge was wonderful. For such an ancient place it seems huge, strong, and mystical. The energies flowing around the stones sent tinges down my spine. I can’t really describe it to you, it was simply startling and awe inspiring. I only wish I had gotten the chance to get closer, perhaps touch the stones and be able to experience their wonder firsthand. We spent about an hour and a half walking the circle and reveling in the innate wonder which stems from that magical place upon the hill, cleared pasture lands all around make it even more stunning because it is alone surrounded by plains. We boarded the bus and drove on.

I took a nap, it’s still a bit hard for me to wake up at 7:00 and not nap on the bus. We arrived then in the most beautiful (well a tie with Oxford) city I have seen here in London – Bath. Gorgeous stone works, natural parks, obelisks, and of course the highlights, the Abbey and the Roman baths. We wandered the streets of bath for an hour and a half before our tour began of the Baths. I found a hole in the wall pub up the street from the abbey and enjoyed a hearty meal of corned beef and mash. Then I wandered up to the top of the hill and looked at the crescent (HUGE building full of apartments) and its front lawn (huge park). Then we wandered back toward bath and found the Jane Austen Center, We walked around a bit and had a blast on our way back down to the abbey. We arrived back at the Roman baths at 10 till our tour and decided to grab some fresh fudge from the little shop across the way. It was DELICIOUS! After sitting outside and admiring the stonework and the beauty of the abbey and rebuilt bath complex (museum) we started our tour of the Baths. I’ve got plenty of pictures.

The baths themselves are filled with that trademark green murky water, full of minerals and who knows what. The old ruins have been built over so there’s only segments left, but once down into the ruins (below street level) there’s chunks left of the old roman architecture and ruins. Steam rooms, changing rooms piping and of course the font of the water itself the spring, steaming and gurgling forth into the complex pipes below our feet. The stonework that was left and the engineering that was done by the Romans is awe inspiring. To have accomplished such a thing at such a time is simply amazing. Note that the idea of bathing is one that should always be strongly considered.

There were pieces of bronze gilding and pieced together parts of walls and carved art. It really was wonderful to see it; I only wish it had been more preserved. We finished the tour and I bought a glass for the spring water to drink. We’ll see how it works out for me. Personally I found the entire trip to be quite satisfying. The wonder of Ancient Stonehenge combined with the awe of the architectural mastery of the ruins of the roman baths was stunning. To top it off me also explored the Abbey next to the baths. The abbey itself was beautiful, with stained glass and what seemed like embroidered ceilings. The graves and the sculptures which marked the loved held for those residing within were beautiful. With the exploration completed we wandered back to the bus and headed home.
Stonehenge allowed me a deeper understanding of English prehistory through its myriad of probable uses. Was it religious? Or a show of force? Regardless it is a symbol of an ancient people making a statement about their power, culture and beliefs and that statement is standing tall thousands of years after it was constructed. Whoever those people were who first erected Stonehenge they were competent, able and constructed a wonder that has lasted throughout time. The Romans and their influence on England seem positive. Bringing advanced construction techniques, bathing, social structure, and order they impacted Britain and helped created the civilized society which is here today. Seeing remnants of that mighty influence really brings home just how much of and impact it really had.

Journal Three-
What an exciting morning. I awoke today to discover that it was bright and sunny, such a different city with a little sunlight. We met up with some others in our floor kitchen and decided to all head over to the Natural History museum, an unbelievable place full of wonders and excitement! As we wandered through the museum it felt like we could stay for hours more and only touch the surface of the history enclosed therein. My two favorite displays were the Green display (wildlife, birds etc) and the gemstone collection on the third floor. The collection of Aurora diamonds was beyond compare, and in black light some of them glowed different colours. Sparking, gorgeous rocks which captivate and scintillate. Out of the green exhibit the most terrible and yet beautiful piece was a long glass window approximately 8 by 5 filled with what seemed like thousands of birds. Layered four deep there literally were only a few inches between each bird on branches inside the case. It was sad because all those birds were killed and stuffed to make the display, but beautiful for their feathers and stunning colours.

I stayed later than my companions at the museum and later caught up with them outside where they had been waiting for me. We walked back toward the housing and ended up stopping at a little sandwich place where I bought some spaghetti, it was the first food I had bought all day, and without a doubt it was amazing. Ordering it was interesting; I was trying to learn how this baguette sandwich worked. I asked the girls at the counter who gave me odd glances and shrugs… despite the fact that they make them… that was fun. Instead I turned to a man in a suit next to me and asked him. He was happy to help and I managed to order without a hitch. After getting some food we walked up to Hyde Park and lay out in the sun in the thick grass. We rested for a few hours then came back to the housing to nap for a while.

I woke up a little late at 6:45 after my nap, which was unfortunate because I was to meet some girls at Kings Cross at 7:00. I felt bad but it worked out for the best. They had left by the time I arrived and I had the pleasure of wandering about Kings cross for two full hours. I stopped by a local market and picked up some pastries and a 700ml bottle of water. I wandered some more and found myself intrigued by a sculpture which had been erected on an ally wall. I walked down the alleyway and found myself at a restaurant which was doing a pre opening special. I got a whiskey and sour and had a nice conversation with the bartender.

The bartender was friendly and offered me advice on places to go dancing. One place he mentioned was a club called salsa. This club played primarily its namesake in dance with a lot of Meringue and a tiny amount of Bachata. There was a live band that played Salsa, Mambo and Raeggeton. After midnight there was a DJ who picked songs. I paid the £8 cover which was hefty and stayed from nine until 2 when the club closed. They dance a slightly different style but I figured it out and after starting their way drew the women to my way of dancing. I had a blast and danced all night.

When I left an older women recognized my accent as foreign and asked if I’d ever ridden the bus. I said no so she walked me to the bus station and showed me how to tell which line to ride. I caught the bus and learned a stop too late that the drivers don’t announce the stops. One must know where they want to stop before they board and what it looks like. It only added ten minutes onto my walk which was fine. By three I had made it to Sainsbury’s a local grocer and picked up supplies to make sandwiches for the next trips and cheap lunches. I wandered home and was in bed by four. All in all, a great day.

Collected Experiences of first two weeks in London:

Day 1: 16-5-06

After a safe arrival, we have landed in Heathrow. We disembarked from our aircraft and moved through security, excited by the new smells, temperatures and sensations of our destination. After passing through security we were escorted outside and got on a tour bus hired to take us to our new accommodations. This bus ride was to be our first exposure to London. Riding the bus, new sights and sounds surrounded us. As I looked around I saw old brick buildings, stone, mason work, mixed in with new high-rises and steel, and everywhere about us, Green. The city around us is a wonderful change from the hot, dry desert of phoenix. Instead of the eleven shades of brown there are a million shades of green.

We made it to our accommodations and proceeded through the steps which would allow us to start to explore Chelsea and Kensington. After a brief tour and registration for the computer labs we were allowed thirty minutes for a quick meal and some exploring. My room-mate, William Cook, and I began exploring and four our way to The Prince’s Regent, a small pub right around the corner from our new lodgings. After a startlingly refreshing Guinness (Much better than the American Guinness) we were back on our way. We arrived at the university which is hosting us and geared up for a brisk walk to our orientation. After some quick speeches on safety, shopping, and the general expectations and areas in London we were released to find our way around and get a real dinner.
We returned to our room and grouped up with four others, and then we decided to head to the pub and look for some grub. When we left the apts. we discovered it was raining, much to our glee. Sadly by the time we made it to the pub we discovered that the kitchen was closed and had to change our plans.

We hiked down Gloucester rd. and made our way to a super market a little over three blocks away. After figuring out the cheapest alternatives for food we decided to head over to the counter and pay.

This was a nightmare. I having a debit card began to pay for my groceries. The Debit card my father had worked diligently to procure for me, free of fee’s and charges for overseas use incurred a flurry of angry questions from the teller and the involvement of the manager. The ATM/DEBIT card is in dad’s name, the signature on the back is also his. Because the signature is his and not mine, I am legally not allowed to use the Card. After telling the manager again and again that it was my father’s card and that I did not realize that it was a problem I was forced to pay using my VISA Chase credit card. I was told that if I tired to use the card again, it was illegal and would not be accepted. It seems from here on out I use Cash until I can figure out whether the charges are waived on my credit card like they are for the debit card. Despite being frustrating I know there’s a way around it.
We came home, and after some thought I continued on with the help of William and cooked penne pasta with an excellent tomato and herb sauce mixed with minced lamb. The meal was excellent and quite filling. Now I’m about to do some class work for tomorrow’s first class – 9:00am!