Nineteen

Apparently, that is my age as of 1:42 pm today (Minnesota time of course).

I awoke at 8:03 this morning by nearly falling out of bed as I tried to shut off my alarm (some things never change I suppose). Then, I got ready and headed off to Morrison's Grocery to pick up some goodies. I bought cream cheese, blueberries, 10 donuts, eggs, and digestive cookies. All under 6 pounds (hopefully I won't gain 6 lbs. in weight! Ha). The donuts I set out for my classmates for a breakfast snack. I took some treats to my room with a cup of coffee and relaxed while listening to Frank Sinatra. Since we don't have any classes, Sam and I watched Sense and Sensibility while eating Blueberry Cream Cheese Grilled Cheese sandwiches sprinkled with powdered sugar. Delicious and the movie was most amusing. What a classic!

Later on, I went on a walk through the pastures and along the roads to the East of Alnwick. Upon returning, those classmates, which were not out traveling, presented me with a handmade Irish-themed birthday card. For lunch, I ate digestive cookies. (Mom, I am so hooked!) Num Nom. And I had about five more cups of coffee over the course of the day. Quite the habit of mine:) Then, I discovered a BBC TV series that was in the DVD library. It depicts Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit. Naturally, I spent the rest of the day watching that cooped up in my room alone totally engrossed in the show. I know probably a lame way to spend my birthday, but pog mo thoin. That is what I felt like doing so I just did as I pleased:)

Scottish Highlands

Friday

7:00 – Departed Alnwick via 8 person taxi to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We were jamming to the music and talking about all the places we were adventuring to! Mike and Cassie were dropped off at the airport and the rest of us (Marie, Sam, Felicia, Sara, Kirstie and I) were taken to the bus station.

9:10 – Picked up by tour bus. We quickly realized we were the youngest people on the tour by about 20 years. That wasn’t a problem! We made lots of good friends soon enough.

10:00 – Break in Hexham . Sam and I visited the Hexham Abbey and were showed around by a sweet old lady. The crypt of the church dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, while the majority of the church was built in the Norman style of the Middle Ages.

12:45 – Dinner break in Moffat. We all decided to go out to eat at the Rumbling Tum. I had Scotch Pie. Afterward, I went to the candy store and bought some dark chocolate truffles. I know I have a problem. Then, I went to the market and purchased a pack of blueberries, which were gone by the time we boarded the bus again.

4:00 – Arrival at Arrochar in the Southern Highlands! After settling in, we went for a walk and since the tide was out explored the weedy and shell covered beach of Loch Long. The purple shells crunched under your feet as you walked.

6:00 – Supper. A lovely 4 course meal. We were very impressed with the quality of food. Next, we got to make good use of our 4 drink vouchers for the night. We talked with several couples from the UK for hours.

Saturday

8:00 – Breakfast. I had a full vegetarian breakfast along with 6 pieces of toast. I was grizzly hungry.

9:30 – Depart for Callander, driving through the mountains and forests of the National Park. Enchanting.

11:00 – Callander Stopover. Marie and I went on a nature walk and checked out several of the shops.

1:00 – Dinner stop within the Trossachs. I had a roll and a raspberry shortbread treat.

2:00 – Loch Lomond, one of the largest lakes in the UK. The girls and I went on an hour long boat ride and tour.

6:00 – Gala Dinner. Another tasty 4 course meal followed by live entertainment and dancing. My favorite drink of the weekend was a Blackcurrant Brandy Lemonade Ginger Ale. Yum yum. After some local girls performed a series of highland dances, it was our turn to show off our moves. We definitely set the trend because it didn’t take long for others to join the American out on the dance floor.

Sunday

8:00 – Breakfast and final pictures outside the hotel. Many Brits came up to us asking to take pictures with us. I guess they enjoyed us the night before. We truly had a grand time.

9:00 – Departure. The trip didn’t feel too long due to the scenery and Frank Sinatra being played and sung by the passengers.

12:00 – Gretna Green blacksmith stopover. This famous Scotland town is their Las Vegas when it comes to eloping. We had tea and other refreshments. No one in our group got married, just in case you were concerned. Ha.

2:30 – Dropped off in Newcastle. We headed over the bus station and boarded a double-decker bus to Alnwick.

5:00 – Back at the castle once more accompanied by great memories. 

one week break!

Wow, I can hardly believe it has come. I am worried by how fast the time is flying by. Tomorrow, I am headed off at 7 am to go to Newcastle. From there, five other girls and I are being picked up for our bus tour of the Scottish Highlands for three days. Its an all-inclusive trip, so it should be fairly stress free. We will be staying in Arrochar on Loch Long. During the weekend, we will also be touring Loch Lomond, the Trossachs, and Callander. One of the nights is supposed to be a gala. We are all hoping for a Kayleigh dance with that:)

Castle Tour of the State Rooms

Grandeur. Magnificent. Breathtaking. Priceless. These are several words which may come to mind as you stroll through the state rooms of the Percy family's palace-like home. Our history professor's husband spent two and a half hours taking us through the rooms and telling us all sorts of knowledge in relation to what we were viewing. He is quite an expert. I am still in complete amazement of the beautiful Italian Renaissance design and style in which the rooms were done. We were not allowed to take photos, but I have used some photos from the Alnwick Castle website to show several of the state rooms.

Upon entering through the inner keep gate, you find yourself in a beautiful stone courtyard. Across the courtyard, we entered a room adorned with historic weapons. Guns, horns, swords, and spears artistically placed on the walls. It is the most 'castle-like' of all the rooms we viewed with the stone walls. The rest of the house is more like a palace behind a fortress of stone. Up a large, grand staircase and to the left, we walked into a spacious room which ultimately served no real purpose outside of show. It had a huge chandelier, marble statues, and famous portraits of the family members from centuries ago hung on the walls. The white and gold ceiling was of plaster, which featured various designs and flowers of no particular significance. On to the room before the library. Possibly, one of the most valuable rooms in terms of wealth do to the rare collection of paintings and frescoes. One of the earlier dukes was quite a collector when it came to fine art. The library, drawing room, dining room, and others were all very similar in appearance. All the fireplace carvings were done by Italian artists and all the ceilings were intricately created from wood. The splendor of it all in a single room could be admired for hours.

Class updates and more

Although, this semester is a walk in the park in terms of academics, it stresses travel and cultural reflection. I already have a much better sense of the culture, which comes naturally when living in another country. However, the travel planning is the big time consumer. I have realized my top 5 'strengths' are coming in to play big time with the travel planning. According to the StrengthsFinder test, my top five are Achiever, Command, Responsibility, Activator, and Significance. This skill test read me like a book. I was very surprised by how accurate the results were, in relation to my core values. The activator and command skills I am definitely making the most use of at this time. I basically am the leader/go to person of two major trips (Scotland Highlands and Ireland) for the one week break and I helped plan another group's trip to Amsterdam. I find this kind of humorous, since I have no previous international travel experience, but I suppose that is where quality time spent researching can suffice. However, I doubt I will be in any such position during the London or two week break, because I haven't made any plans or have the slightest idea about what I want to do during those times.

Anyways, the past two days I have gone about my usual business of classes. At the moment, I am working on a photography set titled Uneasy. I have explored the use of the straiten tool and cropping in Photoshop. My art professor has repeatedly tried to convince me to switch my major to art. I would never major in art, but I will always exercise my talent as a hobby. Here are some photos from the collection:

In Contemporary Britain, we have been discussing the pyramid of power in the US and UK and how it has shifted over the centuries. Weekly, we get together to debate and talk about world news. This week, the article I am bringing forward revolves around the increasing violence outside and within the Bolshoi Ballet. In case you don't know, at the end of January, the artistic director and former dancer, Sergei Filin, had acid thrown in his face. Since then, other threats have arisen, some so serious that one of the top ballerinas has taken a leave of absence and fled to Canada. Its been quite the upheaval. In regards to assignments, my research paper is coming along well for this class, largely due to my growing fixation with polo. It is a sport with incredible history and it is on the rise in terms of popularity and accessibility in the US and UK. 

Meanwhile, Biology has been mainly focused on global ecology and environmental issues. I have begun collecting articles in relation to the structure of the National Parks systems in the US and UK. I must admit this class is a little slow for most students. We have spent a lot of time reviewing basic science knowledge that every college student is already aware of. 

History is, of course, fascinating in this grand castle setting of ours. Its amazing how much your interest increases when you are living among such historically influential places. I am surprised by how much the Percys have been involved with the development of Great Britain. Today, we watch a video on medieval and  early modern armor and learned about the long complex process of Henry VIII's break with Rome. 

British Studies is the easiest class by far. It comprises mostly of writing journals and documenting our travels. However, we do discuss British values, such as tradition and status. We have been observing culture differences as well. Britons are so up to date on world news, much credit due to BBC. They also hold and use their eating utensils in a different way. In some areas, their media on tv and in magazines is more vulgar. Flare jeans are never seen. Bathrooms in restaurants are always up or down stairs. The term pants is not used, but trousers. Alfredo cannot be found in the grocery stores. Most stores are not open on Sunday and often close by 7 pm during the week. Cheers and hiya are the most common greetings. There are deep prejudices against the French and Scots hate the English. America is just a child among the world powers in terms of age and experience, however a powerful toddler at that. The trunk is the boot. Wellies are rain boots (I knew that already!). To queue up is to get in a line. Chips are french fries. Crisps are chips. 

Other random facts and updates:

I ate a plateful of haggis for lunch. 

Commercials are replaced with British commentators during the Superbowl in the UK. 

I didn't over eat at supper for the first in time in many days.

The lush green grass never turns brown in England. 

I miss driving vehicles (A love my Papa and I share). 

Our server Lee got a new tattoo. 

I drink a lot of coffee, since I can run down to the kitchen between classes to make more:) 

Strove Tuesday is next week. 

I am leaving for Scotland in three days. 

Wade is hilarious.
I will stop now.

north sea

This morning, Danielle decided to join me at church. So, we both enjoyed a lovely service and she got to meet Richard and Carol, whom I spent last Sunday with. Then, I was picked up by my homestay family for Sunday Dinner. Sara, my classmate, is also their homestay daughter. After our traditional English meal, we headed northeast to Newton-by-the-Sea to take a walk on the beach. We had a grand time exploring the tide pools and collecting sea shells in the fresh salty breeze.

Tonight, we are having a party at the castle and watching the Super Bowl from 11:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. I don't think I want to stay up for the whole game. But, it will be fun to watch it for awhile. 

Rugby news: Italy beat France! All the English people are happy, because they hate the French. Its so odd seeing the different grudges that people hold for wars and conflicts which took place hundreds of years ago. 

Hiking at Hulne Park

My main goal today was to get out and see Hulne Park, somewhat similar to a State Park back home except that it is private property. There are three main hiking routes. The shortest is over 4 miles. I figured I would wait a little until I did a whole trail route. Instead, I just walked around getting familiar with the place. It is quite beautiful as you can see from the photos. Sam came with me for half of my walk, but later left to get some groceries. She loved it as well. We even spotted a herd of deer within the forest. On my way back, I noticed that the Percy flag was flying signaling the Duke's residence and it just so happens that he was leaving  the castle as I was coming in through the barbican. The guard and I exchanged a wave with him as he drove through. So, that was neat. I finally got to see the man who pretty much owns all of Northumberland. 

Later on, I watched a rugby game. England versus Scotland. It was very interesting. I am not quite sure I really understand it yet, but it was nonetheless entertaining. England won. I also cooked myself some onion and mushroom soup and an onion and mushroom wheat pie for supper. Overall, it was a day well spent.