First week of classes

I finally started classes this past week! I will typically have 11 hours of class a week, which is much less than I usually have at DU. My engineering course didn’t meet for the first week because the lecturer is in Singapore, so I only had Philosophy and Archeology. My Philosophy class meets 3 times a week for lecture and 1 time in smaller groups for discussion. My Archeology class meets 2 times a week, 1 time in smaller groups for seminars, and there are 2 field trips as well!

The Sunday before classes started I went to the Riverside Museum with Joe. The museum won the European Museum of the Year for 2013. It was a neat museum that had lots of artifacts from Scotland all related to transportation. 

  

On Tuesday, I went to the Partick Trinity Church for a Ceilidh and BBQ. There I met some fellow Americans that were in their late 20’s from Florida. It was a really fun event and everyone at the church was extremely welcoming. We already got invited back for a Thanksgiving dinner! The rest of my week I tried to recover from being sick, again. I have obtained “freshers flu”, but it’s only a cold and cough. My Latvian flat mate told me I keep getting sick because I don’t wear socks when I am in the flat.... Yesterday was Megan’s 21^st birthday, so I went out to lunch with her and Shannon in the city centre and then had a small birthday party in our flat. We also went to “The Barras” which was supposed to be a bargain market with lots of good deals on just about everything. It was in a sketchier area and we didn’t find it to be too great. I did try a deep fried Mars bar however and it was surprisingly good! 

Shannon and Megan enjoying doughnuts at the Barras.

Deep fried Mars bar! 1/3 of the bar was plenty...

 Last week I went to an "American" party put on by on of the two student unions on campus. At the event they were selling hot dogs, had a mechanical bull, and American flags hung up. It was strange...

Highlands, Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, and Edinburgh!

I took the opportunity of not have classes or any required meetings/events for a week and went on a 3 day tour of the Highlands, Isle of Skye, and Loch Ness. Joe joined me on the adventure! We left from Glasgow on Tuesday morning and headed towards our destination for the night, Portree. The first stop along the way was at Loch Lomond where I had already been with the Uni. The stop was short but I was able to see a different part of the Loch than before which was nice. I somehow managed to delete about 60 pictures off my camera from the first day :( 

We were able to see where part of Skyfall, a recent James Bond movie, was filmed. It was close to a ski resort, which I can’t remember the name of...

Bond landscape

29 passenger tour bus!

We stopped to eat lunch in a town called Glencoe. After lunch we stopped at Inverlochy Castle which was off the beaten path thanks to our tour guide, John! 

Next was a stop in Dornie Hall for a view of Eilean Donan Castle, on the third day we came back to the castle. We spent the night in Portree, I stayed at the Bayfield Backpackers hostel. My bed was in a room with 4 other girls who were all from China. A few of them were on a 3 day tour as well. The hostel had a great view of the harbour was was close to the center of town. Joe and I splurged and had a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Outside the hostel

My room

The next day while half the group toured the Talisker Distillery, John took us on a short hike to a waterfall that overlooked Loch Brittle. It began pouring as we headed down, but John fearlessly ran down the hill in his kilt to escape the rain. 

After the waterfall, we saw Dun Beag Broch and were able to see ruins of hollow walled stone structures. The tour had another option of going to Dunvegan Castle, I opted to not go and John took us to see the west coast. Here I saw the Duirinish Stone and a great view of MacLeod’s Tables which look over the city. 

MacLeod's Tables

Next, we stopped in Uig where I visited Uig pottery and bought a small bowl as a souvenir for myself!

Then we headed east to see Kilt Rock and the Old Man of Storr before heading back to Portree for the night. I had fish and chips for dinner which seemed fitting since the town is on a harbour. Portree is the largest town on the Isle.

Before reaching Loch Ness, we stopped at the Commando Memorial and again at Eilean Donan Castle. At Loch Ness there was an option of taking a cruise on the Loch which I opted out of because it was a very cloudy day. Instead I explored the shops and locks around. The locks are on the Caledonian Canal which links Inverness to Fort William. 

Eilean Donan

Sheep!!!

Locks

The tour ended in Edinburgh where I was given a ticket to take the train back to Glasgow. Instead of going back Thursday evening, Joe and I decided to stay the night in Edinburgh and travel back to Glasgow Friday night. Another friend from DU, Dan, met up with us in Edinburgh! 

We all stayed at the Caledonian Backpackers which was a funky hostel located just off Princes Street. Here we were in a 12 bunk room that housed us, 3 Irish girls, 1 French man, 1 Australian man, and another guy who moved in in the middle of the night. All of us went out that night for drinks, it was fun to hang out with people with different backgrounds. The hostel also served a free breakfast in the morning!!! Dan, Joe, and I went to Edinburgh Castle the next morning and then walked along the Royal Mile. My camera died and would not charge...so these pictures are from Joe and Dan. The castle was huge and a lot of ground to cover, we spent over 2 hours exploring. After the castle and Royal Mile we stopped at a market and I got a wild boar and apple burger! We took the train back to Glasgow that night after a tiring day. 

A sign in the hostel, "You dropped food on the floor, do you eat it?"

View from the Castle

Week 1

Sorry about the delay... I had some problems posting because of the internet. I originally intended on posting this on Monday.

Campus is in the background.

I had International Orientation this past week which included figuring out all of my classes and more about the University. If everything works out I will be taking Archeology of Scotland, Philosophy, and Mechanics of Materials and Structures 3. I did have an option to take a bagpipe class but I get light headed blowing up balloons so I figured passing out in class would not be the best. I am becoming more familiar with where I am living and the 1 mile walk to campus. On Thursday I went to my first Ceilidh, a traditional Gaelic social gathering. I participated in lots of dancing, it was tiring but thankfully they had food too!

View of the River Kelvin on my way to campus.

I got a little lost trying to find my flat the first time and found a Curves!

Instructions that came with my phone on how to make fake calls, "you can simulate an incoming call when you want to get out of meetings or unwanted conversations".

Blackberry Cider

 

On Thursday I also went on a bus tour of the city that the University provided. This was a great way to see more of the city that I can not easily walk to.

Clydesdale horse in the park

Large turf chairs outside the Riverside Museum.

A friend of mine, Joe, who I know from DU will be studying abroad at Lancaster University in England. We had previously bought tickets to see one of our favorite Seattle artists, Macklemore. Unfourtunately Joe’s flight got delayed and he missed the concert : ( I invited my friend Shannon to come along with myself and another DU friend, it was a great concert. I found it interesting how Macklemore referenced things like the SAT and Honda Civics which I am guessing most people in Scotland aren't familiar with, however they still clearly loved his music.

Earlier that day I attended the school sponsored tour to Dumbarton Castle and Loch Lomond. Dumbarton Castle is a 30 min drive from Glasgow. The 1,500 year old castle is situated on a volcanic rock where the River Clyde meets the River Leven, which is called the Firth of Clyde. The castle was used to guard this meeting point.

View from Dumbarton Castle

Gumby in a cannon.

Claw game that had Furby's!

Cool owl rocks.

After Dumbarton Castle we went to Scotland’s first National Park, Trossachs National Park, established in 2002. This park is known as “the Gateway to The Highlands”. Loch Lomond is located in the park the largest loch in the UK. Many people spend time on the loch in the summer when the weather is a little nicer....We went on a 1 hour cruise around the loch, it was nice but a little cold. From the loch you could see Ben Lomond, which stands at 3192 feet. Any mountain over 3000 feet is called a Munro.

On Saturday I explored the City Centre with my flatmate Megan and my friend Shannon. There are lots of shops, street musicians, and tons of people. We took the Subway for the first time which is fairly simple since it goes in a circle and only has two tracks. I purchased Baked Apple tea at a store called Whittard, it tastes like an apple pie! Afterward we walked through the Botanical Gardens that are very close to my flat. It was a nice day out so there were lots of people outside in the gardens! 

My cold is finally gone and I am feeling much better! This week I am finishing registering for classes and headed on a 3 day tour of the Highlands with Joe.