Random Things about England

Here are some random things about England that are notably different than in America. I like to pick up on these cultural differences that I had no idea about until I got here.

-They don't have a sheet to cover up with. It's just a sheet to cover the mattress, and then a duvet (sp?) cover to put over a thick comforter type blanket. This was very confusing at first. In Edinburgh, I used the duvet cover as a sheet but thought it was weird that there were like 2 sheets glued together. I was also afraid to use the comforter they gave us, because it looked gross. Eventually learned that the double sheet was a duvet, and the comforter probably was gross but meant to be covered by a clean duvet.

-Bath mats. Paper squares about two feet by three feet to put on the floor instead of a rug.

-In America, on a walking path, you typically walk on the right side. We drive on the right side. Still figuring out if we should walk on the left side in England.

-Road Signs:
Give way=yield
Humps Ahead=Bumps Ahead ( I wonder if America is the only place that calls them bumps. They were called humps in Belize too )

-Wellies=Boots

-Cheers! = a commonly used parting comment that I think means, generally, "Have a good one"

-Obession with fire safety. The first week here, I noticed the large amount of green colored signs saying "fire assembly point" and "fire exit this way". Each place we go, they commnunicate over and over the fire exits and fire safety. We've also dealt with three fire alarms and evacuations--two in the flats at Edinburgh and one last night, at 3 AM, here at St. Deniol's library. Upon finding the room which made the alarms go off, which happened to be a room two from our team are staying in, the library peopel asked "We're you smoking??" to which they replied "No, we were sleeping!" to which the library people said, "Oh, another possibility is that a spider crawled in to the fire alarm." We were too tired at the time to speculate how the presence of a spider could set off fire alarms throughout the whole building.

-Obsession with their dogs. People take their dogs every where with them, and half of the articles in the daily paper are about "How to travel with your dog" and "England's Oldest Dog Dies". There are dogs tied up on their leashes outside the supermarket and other stores.

To Her Fair Works Did Nature Link The Human Soul That Through Me Ran ...

After leaving Edinburgh, we traveled to the island of Lindisfarne, also called the "Holy Island". It is a place steeped in Celtic history, a place where monks and saints once lived and created the basis for their mission to the pagan people in surrounding Northumbria. Their history is very important to them there, and all the islanders know and respect the stories of St. Aiden and St. Cuthbert.

A unique thing about this island is that it is totally dependent on the tide. At high tide, the road is covered by the sea, and impassible, trapping those on the island, on the island until the morning, and low tide, comes. It was a wonderful place to stay--very idyllic and welcoming, and we stayed in a bed and breakfast that had comfortable beds and a home cooked dinner.

In the morning at low tide I walked about gathering sea glass, enjoying how much slower life goes when you are not in the city.

We only stayed a night there, and went on to Durham, the sight of England's greatest Roman style cathedral. The town of Durham almost felt like the Edina of Minnesota--kind of ritzy and rich. The Cathedral itself was beautiful, and we attended evensong there. It was amazing to hear the huge, open building fill with the sound of the choir.

Durham was also a one night stay, and finally we came to the Lake District. Along the way, we stopped at Hadrian's Wall, a stone wall built by some king long ago to mark the border of the northern Roman empire. We got to hike along it in the wind and the rain, up and down steep rocky inclines with beautiful views at the top.

Now I am in the Lake District, which was one of the draws for me for coming on this trip. We are staying in a town called Keswick, right in the heart of all the mountains (called fells), which are splashed in purple heather and covered with pine forests. The town kind of feels like a Colorado town, with many outdoors shops and focus on getting out and exploring the Lakes.

We visited the house of William Wordsworth, poet, a necessity for us literature nerds. We had an outdoor activities day, guided by outdoor adventure guides. Although it was downpouring and freezing, we built canoe rafts and took them out on Derwentwater Lake. After, we got to do archery and orienteering. The best part about this day was wearing the "waterproofs" (rain jackets and pants) and "wellies" (rain boots). We all looked strange. That was enjoyable for me.

Today I hiked up around the area, saw some breathtaking views of the surrounding fells, and walked through a field with sheep and black horses. My life is complete!

The Rest of Edinburgh

The past 4 or 5 days in the city have provided me with so many new experiences that I've absolutely loved. We have started class at this point, which adds the dynamic of doing homework, planning out how to spend my time wisely, and remembering to wake up in the morning to walk to class. Beyond that though, plenty has been happening.

The great thing about this city is that we can get everywhere we need to by walking. I've never walked so much in my life, but it's so convenient and easy to get around and see all I want to see. I visited the Scottish History Museum, had coffee in the Elephant House (the cafe where J.K Rowling wrote Harry Potter), toured the Edinburgh Castle, climbed a mountain/hill called Arthur's Seat, and saw a few shows.

One of the shows, called "Tattoo", was this Scottish military band performance that was held in a temporary stadium type thing built right in front of the Castle. It was a huge spectacle, and people from all over the world were there to see it. It was a wonderful thing to be a part of, a very Scottish thing. There is nothing like the sound of a hundred bagpipes playing "Auld Lang Syne" in front of the towering castle ramparts.

Saturday the group got out of the city and bussed out to visit the ruins of a castle called Linlithgow and tour the restored Stirling Castle. Both held so much history and beauty, but I liked wandering around the ruins at Linlithgow the most. It was set beside a blue loch and walking around the grounds and crumbling stone was quite peaceful and reflective.

Today is the last day in the city. I know I will miss it but I can't wait to get out into the countryside and explore the Lake District in England.

Sipping Lattes in Edinburgh

I made it safely to the UK! We got in to Edinburgh in the afternoon yesterday (August 18), exhausted, jet-lagged, but extremely excited! We are staying in University of Edinburgh housing "flats" which give us each our own room. Mine is on the third story with a window across from a beautiful old church and looking down on busy Clerk Street. It's very noisy but perfect, because we are in walking distance from all the necessary Edinburgh sites.

Today, with a few other members of my team, I walked down the "Royal Mile" where the Fringe Festival crowds hurried about in the cold, gray wind. I love the weather--it's exactly how I pictured Scotland to be. At the center of the city is the old castle that towers over everything from its stone hill. We explored the National Gallery of Scotland, found a little "Writer's Museum", and marveled at the many tall spires of churches throughout the city.

As far as the overall feeling I get from the people is one of indifference. Not many are overly friendly or unkind, they just walk quickly to their destinations and keep their eyes level. I definitely stand out as an American and tourist, what with my dorky huge camera bag and huge camera. But, with the Fringe Festival going on, we are not the only tourists here. For the next few days, we will be seeing shows, continuing to explore in our large amount of free time, and starting classes.