Pure Dead Brilliant Scotland

Preface: When you read this blog, I expect you to pronounce the word Edinburgh as Ede-in-Burra, nothing less will suffice. Also, don't forget that you can click on pictures to enlarge them! 

I drug my bag along the street, over the cobbles, down to the tube, to Kings Cross, over the footbridge to platform 0 where the train to Edinburgh waited for another 8 minutes before it’s journey began.

Julia and Ayanna are my travel companions on this journey to the north. As the train tugs along north of the wall the scenery gets better and the girls sleep on. At the station, we met another girl, Beatrice from Brazil who will be joining us on our adventure. Ayanna asked me one question about Scotland before we left, “They don’t really wear kilts still do they?”. My answer: Oh yes dear, they certainly do.

The train north was nice until the weird sisters woke up and started cackling like they were the only ones in the cabin. I’ve never heard people laugh so loud. It is deemed rude to be so loud, by my standards, considering people are trying to nap on this train. At least it was laughter and not crying or shouting.

We have discovered that the trip we paid for with Anderson Tours is basically just the train tickets and hotel… the ghost tour was not included in the 189 pounds. Alas, we will make this a good trip on our own. Especially with a wonderful tour guide like me, trained by the best, my father.

I look out the window on the left to see a vast lake of crystal glass cut off by the rugged mountains of Scotland. The green countryside is broken up by small stone walls and little cottages. The occasional field is flooded with white specks that will provide warm woolen sweaters. The trees here don’t change like they do in America. They are speckled with yellow and orange leaves mixed in with the green; they fall before the whole tree is painted with the sunset. It is a different kind of beauty here; the unkempt grass that grows, turns gold and blows in the wind has an appeal over the straight short cut green lawns of Suburbia USA. 

My sequence of thought is interrupted by the Scottish accent over the loud speaker of the train. “We are approaching Edinburgh, don’t forget all of your belongings.”As we unloaded from the train a man was standing in front of us. His shoes had a shiny black gloss that went over the oxford pattern. Cream colored socks went up to his knees with a small dagger slipped in the side of his right leg. A white shirt was tucked into the green, blue and red plaid kilt which situated under the traditional black furry bag that the Highlanders wore. His outfit was a perfect introduction to his trip. Ayanna’s question was answered for certain now.

He was friendly and quick to start conversation in any language he thought you might speak. This Scot could speak Hindi, English, Portuguese, Spanish and probably some other language. After a while, the switching of the languages was annoying. Alas, we did have people from Brazil, Mexico and India in our group. We tugged our bags off the platform, up an escalator, over a footbridge, and onto the street. A big coach was waiting for us. The coach took us around the city while the Scottish man told us stories of Edinburgh (Ed-in-Burra).

We got to the Holyrood Palace and stopped for lunch. This palace is the Scottish residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She is such a nice German lady. I left the group and started walking up the Royal Mile by myself in search of Studio XIII, where I had an appointment to get my tattoo finished. Brian grew up in Amsterdam and was raised by a Native American dad and Dutch mom. He’s lived and worked all around the world, and ended up in Edinburgh where he was destined to draw 4 tiny trinities on my back. The studio was two floors. The first floor was reception and one tattoo station. The entrance and reception walls were covered in every sort of art imaginable. There wasn’t a spot left on the wall for a tack. A neat-o Slayer poster stood out to me and made me think of my fiancé back home. He would have loved that, but it was cartoonish, which is a small talent that I have. It wouldn’t be difficult to recreate.

After a small consultation and panic, Brian drew my trinities properly and lead me down to his inking area. He was done in 20 minutes or less. He talked about his life, where he had lived, and how he loves Los Angels the most. He droned on about horror films and scary shows on TV. Being the second person to recommend doing an Edinburgh ghost walk, I decided it was going to happen.

I wandered around outside on the street before deciding to take a cab. Edinburgh cab drivers are 5,000x friendlier than the ones in London. This cabby spoke to me about my studies, travels, and tattoo. “Yer braever thane meh, that’s fer sure” said he when I told him I just got it done. He dropped me off at the hotel where I found the other girls. We decided we would go out to a museum, dinner, and out. Since it was insisted on the we take a bus (against my recommendation since we don’t know this city, let alone it’s bus routes) we arrived at the incorrect museum and it had 30 minutes until it closed, as well as the one we were supposed to go to. So instead of going to the Museum of Edinburgh, we went to the National Museum of Scotland, which was fine by me since I am Captain History. We wandered around the museum for 25 minutes. My favorite finding was the 15^th -18^th century torture devices. Edinburgh had a lot of witches, you know. This Guillotine has seen over 150 deaths.

After the museum we 4 wandered around aimlessly and decided to remain doing that until we found a place to eat, once we got hungry that is. We ran into The Elephant House, which is where JK Rowling starting writing the Harry Potter books! It was the weirdest place I've been to for coffee. There were elephants everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. We stopped and had an espresso and cookie... neither was very good unfortunately  and the waiter was a bit rude... so anyhow we pressed on.

 I was told to stop and watch the street shows, as they are usually very good, so we did just that. We saw bagpipes in front of the City Cambers. Next to St. Giles Cathedral there was a man playing his guitar and singing “hallelujah”. We went over and listened to him for a while. He had to stop because the trash pick up truck was being rude. What rubbish. (lol, I went there: pun) We chatted with him a bit about ourselves, and he said he’ll sing us the best love song just as soon as this truck left. We hung around a bit, and at last he could start his song. Lineal Richey’s I’m Glad You Stayed. It was so cute! I didn’t understand the song at first because I live under a rock and didn’t know it. But once the end came around and the chorus “I’m so glad you stayed”, it was so appropriate and adorable. We tipped him, and began to go on our way when he said “Might I recommend a place for you to go to supper tonight?” He told us to go to the Green Market and go to Mamma’s Pizzaria.

We did! It was great pizza, but the aftermath was rude. We won’t talk about it. We will talk about the best beer I have had in the UK since I have arrived. Three Hops is a Lager brewed in Edinburgh and it was perfect. The picture here describes my emotions when I tasted it better than I can. I was shocked at the delightfulness.

We continued to wander around Edinburgh, up and down the narrow haunted allies and narrow streets. This ancient city was full of wonder and excitement. JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter in this city and it was no wonder how crazy her imagination could get. The city itself was a real life Hogwarts. You could feel the magic in the air with the city’s medieval aura.

The next day we woke early, had breakfast and went to 60 High Street where Haggis Adventures was situated. We arrived way too early, and had a bit of a rocky start to the morning. Eventually we boarded the bus with mostly men on the Whisky Adventure Tour. Our guide was a girl called Angela who told us stories of William Wallace who was not a Highlander and certainly did not wear a kilt, Rob Roy McGregor who was the best swordsman in Scotland and a cow thief who shamed his name so terribly it was banned in Scotland. His kinsmen changed their names to colors, so if you know someone whose surname is a color, they are most likely descendant from the Scottish Clan: McGregor. Rychele, I’m sorry, I don’t trust you around my cows anymore.

We drove by deep blue Lochs and rustic mountains. Sometimes it was hard to define where the mountains ended and clouds began, they blended themselves together in the sky. We came upon the Wallace Monument which is the biggest monument dedicated to one man (without religious affiliation) in the entire world! The Scottish love William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, who by the way, did not actually betray Wallace… Stupid Braveheart making up lies. 

We hiked up the giant hill that the monument is situated on within 10 minutes, took pictures of this giant building, scurried in the giftshop and back outside. It was 8 quid to get in the tower and go up it, but I had hiked enough for the morning, and only had 15 minutes left there so I opted out. I regret not buying a certain coffee mug that I found in the gift shop there, it was a Scottish flag and it was the best one I saw the entire trip. Oh well.

The next stop was to see Hamish the Scottish Cow thing. It was all shaggy and smelled like cow. He was pretty cool and had a few friends with him. The view from his pen was pretty spectacular; he is a lucky cow thing. Next stop was the Whisky Distillery! This was not included in the 30 pounds we paid to go on this adventure with Angela. So we coughed up another 7 quid to go tour the distillery, which in the end was well worth the money. We got 2 tastings in the end as well. I may or may have not gotten my ole dad a birthday gift here.

We made our way to a remote area where the guide took us down a park path and to a beautiful waterfall! Scotland is so beautiful with all sorts of natural magnificence. I can only imagine how many people before we walked along this path to look at this waterfall. Do you think Romans did? I couldn’t tell you.

Why is it I can write three pages about 24 hours in Scotland but I can’t squeak out one for a paper? Sheesh.

After the wilderness exploration we went to Dunkeld, a small Scottish village with a great Cathedral. Angela pointed us on the path that would take us to the cathedral. As we approached you could hear a faint musical note in the air. Closer and closer the bagpipes got louder. The only way to listen to the bagpipes is in Scotland in the air and tucked into the hills. The notes float through the air like they belong there and own the country. We got to the cathedral only to see that there was a wedding about to begin. The bridesmaids were dressed in black and gold while the groomsmen wore the Highlander outfit of course. There was not sight of the bride of course. As to not disturb, I moved around away from the wedding party towards the river that flowed by the cathedral. The bridge and sunset were a sight to behold. I don’t think there was a moment I was unimpressed here.

Once we got home we wandered around looking for dinner which was difficult because we couldn’t agree on a place. I insisted a pub because I needed to try traditional Scottish food while I am here. I will not eat pizza or Chinese while I am in Scotland, it’s a sin in my book to not experience the culture of food! So we go to the Castle Arms which, obviously, is situated right by the castle. After a mental and out loud debate on whether or not to order the Haggis, Tatties and Napes, I did. When the food arrived it was not as I had expected, it looked carefully prepared and very formal. I glanced up and noticed the couple next to me were staring at my plate. I looked at the man and he said "What is that?", I told him it was haggis and a comical look of disgust came about his face. His girl shrugged and said haggis is great and not to listen to the sod because he doesn't like meat anyways. We all laughed and stared at the food that was in front of us. We also ordered some nachos, so I smashed on those before attempting the mysterious dish in front of me. Once I summoned the courage to eat that Haggis, I stabbed it off with my fork and went to put it in my mouth when I felt 8 eyes staring at me. With anticipation carved into their faces, the girls and the couple were staring at me and the fork. When they were busted for staring we all broke out into fits of laughter. What a scene for such a ‘normal’ Scottish dish.

It was good, at first. After I ate about a quarter it started to taste too much like onions. After I had eaten half of my portion, I could not continue because all I could see was a sheep baaing in my face. As you all should know, I adore sheep, and the fact that I was eating a sheep’s stomach made me want to vomit and curl up into a little ball. I am not a vegetarian but I won’t eat sheep or veal. This is the first time I have ever consciously eaten sheep, and I felt like a murderer of innocence.

After dinner, Julia got sick from thinking about the Haggis. Poor girl. While we waited for her, I decided to continue my search for the perfect Sticky Toffee Pudding. This wasn’t the place, but it was still good.

We made our way to St Giles Cathedral, to Mercat Cross. Mercat being the Gallic word for Market. PS: There is a difference between Gallic (Scottish) and Gaelic (Irish), but if you know one, you can probably understand the other. Here at Mercat Cross we met with our Ghost and Ghouls tour guide, an elderly woman called Liz. She was a very theatrical guide. Her stories were spooky and interactive. Mercat Cross is where people were punished for their crimes, in front of St Giles is where the gallows stood, and under the streets of Edinburgh is a hidden city of stone. The vaults are all over the city, many near the south bridge. It is here where people would set up shops, brothels, and poor residences. The vaults are said to be the most haunted place in Britain (the title is from the BBC itself).

While we were in the last and most ‘unpleasant room’ I had an upsetting encounter. We all piled into this small short room. There was no one standing next to me and there was a space about 2 feet from the wall. I was holding very still standing next to Julie (while linking arms because we are babies) when something touched by black leather boots. It felt as if someone’s nails pulled along the outside heel section of the boot, touching the leather. A grumbling exhale sounded from the floor and my heart dropped. Something just touched my boot and I do not think it liked them. I crush on to Julia and remain calm. I don’t remember Liz’s exact stories of this rom, but I remember the end. The man that haunts this room was a whisky sodden Scotsman called “Mr. Boots”… Why? Because the way they distinguish him is from his black leather boots. Then she blew out the candle and I ran for my life out of the vaults and into the area where we were to have our ‘refreshment’.

Whether or not Mr Boots liked my boots, I do not know. But the entire night, and still I feel a nasty feeling on the back of my left foot. It is extremely unpleasant. After we returned to the hotel I decided to have a look at my boot and see if there were marks on the spot that I felt being touched. There was indeed a mark that scratched the outside of my boot in the location that I felt. But I am a clumsy walker so it could have just been my own making. Although that spot of my boot is an odd spot to rub the leather on.

The next day I did not want to get out of bed. I am exhausted. I made my way to breakfast, and back to my room to pack up. We all decided we were going to go to the castle and they wanted to take the bus… again. So we go and get on the wrong bus, end up on the outskirts of Edinburgh. By now it is 10:30 and we are supposed to be back at the hotel at 2 to get our bags and train tickets. Julia and I decide to catch a later train. I won’t talk more about the irritating bus tour of rural Edinburgh, but know that Julie and I ended up going to the castle by ourselves. This is ok, because traveling is much easier with two people. So we worm our way to the castle, after going to a few shops where I got a few Christmas presents. My wallet was pissed off at me. Once we got to the castle we spoke to a guard and she told us it would be best to order them online and come back after we check out of the hotel, since the que is so long at the moment. So we go to Starbucks, have a coffee and book our tickets. We then slide next door to Garfunkel’s to get some safe chain food that won’t make anyone sick. We shared a burger while I messaged Emily about my trip. I am 98% sure I left voda sitting on the table. How depressing. I will have to figure out how to get that back tomorrow, if I can at all. Maybe they will hold it for me and dad and I will pick it up.

We went back to the hotel, got our bags and got on the Anderson tour bus that would take everyone else to Waverly Station (that took a while, thank you traffic). After we got there we (Julie, me and our bags) made our way up the giant hill to the castle. This was an adventure in its own but we got there before we knew it. We tugged our suitcases along the cobblestone road, into the castle, to information and found out that since this is a working military base, unattended bags are not allowed, so we had to keep them with us at all times. This 3 hour adventure explained to me why they use the phrase “Backpack through Europe”. You do not “Drag your suitcase through Europe”. Anyhow, we got to thoroughly explore the castle with each other and only got stared at a few thousand times. Wheelie suitcases make a lot of noise on cobbled castle grounds. Hehe.

In the castle we saw the main attractions: the view, Mary Queen of Scot’s Apartments, The Crown Jewels of Scotland, Prison of War, and another jail. We also stopped into the whisky shop that was situated in the castle to have a look. I was speaking to the salesman, Brian. (I swear, everyone I speak to in this country’s name is Brian…) Anyhow, Brian explained to me what his favorite whisky was and why, all the distilleries that daddy and I can visit when he comes, and the story behind the Scottish seeking their independence from the United Kingdom.

A few years ago, Scotland was granted its own Parliament, now the Parliament is talking about separating from the United Kingdom, Give a little power, and they want more theory in my eyes. In September of next year (2014), this will be purposed to formally. The Scottish people ask who would be King or Queen of Scotland or if they will have a presidential country. No one really has the answers. But the answer to me is that some ‘nobody’ will have to pipe up with history linking them to the House of Stewart… Who knows?

I hope you enjoyed going on the journey to Edinburgh with me, and I hope to see you all reading and commenting on my blog. If you haven’t got a Google account, make one. Google controls basically the entire internet, so it won’t hurt to have an account. Then you can comment on my posts. 

PS: Blogger was being a turd and wouldn't let me upload all of my pictures, so these do not accurately depict the beauty of this land! 

My Canterbury Tale

The lack of blog posting has left me overwhelmed with too many things to write about and a lack of details. But I will do my best!

On Sunday the 22st, Kat and I went woke up early (in my case) after the game and went to Gloucester Road Tube stop to be picked up by our tour bus. Kat didn't get to sleep that night and was also incredibly hungover, poor girl. Anyhow, we made the best of our circumstances and pushed onward to Dover. There were about 8 of us in total on the Mercedes Mini Coach, with one bizarre tour guide. She was quite a character and wonderfully informed. Hailing from Ecuador, she spoke Spanish as her first language, while looking and dressing very English. We stopped at a rest stop on the Motor way to get some breakfast items. I was on the hunt for anything with an egg in it. I found a 'free range egg, and mushroom English muffin'. I was disturbed by the mushrooms but pleased to find out that it was not as gnarly as I had expected.

Our arrival in Dover was fascinating as we passed a huge steep hill covered in Sheep that are specific to Dover alone. I love sheep. We all know I love them. Dover Castle was a shock to me as I had not known about all of it's history. I knew it was a Castle built my William I, and that's about it. Come to find out it has much more significant history all the way up WWII.

We started our tour at the oldest part of the area within the castle walls: The Roman Lighthouse. It truly was an old Roman lighthouse! Partially crumbling and made up of rocks that are found all over the beaches of England, the lighthouse still prevails. Next to the lighthouse is an old Anglo Saxon Church! There was a baptism going on inside, so we didn't enter.

Moving forward in time, we entered the Keep that Henry II built for himself to live in. This is the king that had Thomas Becket murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. The Pope supposedly made Henry II crawl to Canterbury and pay respects, or be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. So he did it, and that was the start of the pilgrimages to Canterbury (and the stories from the Canterbury Tales) originated. Anyhow, the Keep was huge, square and tall! Walking up the many spiral staircases was no feat for the faint of breath. I searched most of the floors (that I could find) and saw them beautiful recreated to period decor. After the keep we had a light lunch/snack and moved on to the gift shop. I tried Honey Mead, Celtic Mead and spiced Mead and let me tell you, it was the most bizarre thing I had ever tasted. I told Kat she should try it and she was disgusted by the idea (probably due to the hangover). It should have gotten a bottle, but I didn't want to carry it around all day. Maybe I will next time I see a bottle of it.


Keeping on a timeline, apparently there is a Medieval Tunnel system under the Keep, but we didn't have time to make it over there, nor did we even know about it until it was too late. So we are skipping that.

We are now transported to the 1800s where there stands a large building which was used as military officer's quarters. It is now hollowed out completely and waiting for restoration funds. The outside of the building is fantastic! (Regular soldiers barracks are located some ways away on the hill, and are now comprised of a restaurant, and other touristy things)

During the second World War, Dover played an important role! Since the entire castle area is built on a huge hill, with the rest of the things I mentioned surrounding it, more stuff is at the bottom of this hill. There is an entrance to a series of tunnels that functioned during WWII as a military safe base complete with barracks, a hospital, offices, and much more. The tunnels are multiple layers and were used a lot during the war. We toured the hospital since the complete tour would have taken over an hour. This was amazingly creepy. I can only imagine actually having to work down here when the land above is being bombed. Dover is the closest point to the French mainland, the enemies had guns on the other side that could reach Dover. The castle went without harm, but everything else was targeted. How 'respectful'? Anyhow, the tunnels were a fascinating surprise.

We carried on to the Admirals lookout which was from WWII, and got great views of the ocean and the distinct white cliffs of Dover. PS: the rocks here are rather crazy distinct as well, I snatched a couple to bring home... oops.

After we conquered the Castle we got back on the bus and headed down to Dover Marina and spend some time by the water taking pictures and enjoying the view.

On our way to Canterbury, we both caught a wink. Our mission once we were there was food. Our guide told us about a pub that has been there since the 14th century that was straight down the street, so naturally the historian in me wanted to go there. We got there, and it smelled old, so Kat didn't want to eat there (or anywhere without wifi)... Oh well. We had fish and chips at a little place up the street. It was really good though!

The town of Canterbury was extremely adorable. I could have stayed there for an extended period of time. It was so cute! I loved it! The shops were great: ranging from sweet shops to clothing to anything you can think of.


The Cathedral was magnificent. With it's towering Gothic ceiling and vast nave, it was truly a Holy place. Upon my entrance to the nave, a fat calico cat was wandering around. Cathedral cat and I spent a couple minutes together as I pet her and took her picture. She then went on her way, and I went on mine. I wandered through the giant Cathedral wondering where the shrine to Thomas Becket was until I came upon it's location and realized that Henry VIII would have destroyed it during the Reformation. Of course he did, the tard. Anyhow, there is a candle burning in it's location and it is pretty interesting. The actual location of Becket's death is marked clearly on the left side of the Nave.

The crypt underneath the Cathedral was a whole other experience. It was dark and somber there with little mini chapels all over. There were some creepy unique things lurking in it. I didn't really enjoy the feeling down there, but I lite a candle, said a pray and went on my way.


The bus home from Canterbury went quite quickly since I slept the entire time. Although once we entered London the traffic was horrendous. I finally got home, and awaited the return of my roommates whom have been in Paris for the weekend.


PS: If you click on pictures, it enlarges them.

The Premier League

My friend Katharine (kat) has graciously invited me to go to the Chelsea Vs. Fulham Premier League game with her! Tickets to these games are rare to the common non member, but with a few connections she managed to get them.

Chelsea's stadium, Stamford Bridge, is on Fulham Street, so you can imagine the closeness of the teams and the rivalry that comes with their location. A few hours before the game starts we head to Fulham Broadway  on the tube and find ourselves at a pub: The Rose. We met Kat's friends there who are exceptionally friendly and welcoming, buying us a round of Amsteds (Delicious Lager). We sit and chat about the game, where we are from, why we are in London, why we like Chelsea, and why we like football in general, since we are Americans after-all.

After an hour or more, slightly intoxicated, we make our way to Stamford Bridge to watch the match. This game was much better than the last! The teams played well, and Chelsea won 2-0! A victorious match. At halftime we ran out to use the toilets, and get another beer. Unfortunately this time, the beer tasted like horse urine, so I was hesitant to finish mine.

We returned to the game in the nick of time, finished watching the second half, drunkenly sprinted to the gift shop, bought a 40 pound jersey, and walked back to the pub.I love my jersey to this day, but I know I wouldn't have bought it if Chelsea would have lost, and if I wasn't drunk. But I will cherish it even more!

Unfortunately all the rest of this seasons' games are sold out! Hopefully we can worm our way into a match before we leave.

Chelsea and the Lack of Class

The title to this post has a double meaning. Firstly, Chelsea FC has lacks 'class' (which I will explain more in a moment) and secondly, I had class this week, but somehow I missed some? Oops!

Monday morning, I woke up to my alarm at 7:45, for my 9:00 class. I decided I was going to skip breakfast, and sleep a bit more because I felt dreadful. I woke back up at 8:30, sat up, looked around to my roommate who is also in the same class, and told her I am not going, I feel like dying, and I fell back asleep. Please remember at this point in the week, I still had absolutely no voice. So I slept until about 12. I made it up for my next class and scurried along in jeans and a tshirt, looking like a bum in South Kensington. Sometimes I feel like the bums dress nicer than me in this area.

Katharine Emily and I went about to get some Chelsea gear for the game later in the day on Monday. I picked up the tickets, and we went to the stadium to get our scarves and jerseys. (I didn't get a jersey as I am poor). I don't remember which day we went to Primark, I just remember going. This place was a sight to behold. It was the most amazing shop I had ever been to! If I was British and got paid in pounds, I would shop here for eternity! (the exchange rate kills, so buying anything anywhere is retarded). But at any rate, this was amazing. I got a sweater, a long sleeve blue shirt for the Chelsea game, and two scarves for 25 pounds! Horay! I will not freeze.

Tuesday I bummed again and slept, not missing any classes though. Wednesday I did not miss any classes nor did I miss breakfast! For my History of London class we were supposed to meet at Tower Hill (by the tower of London) but I thought we were to meet at St. James Square. I was wrong. But my friend Emma was also late, so she missed the tour as well. We were both so bewildered but I met her at Tower Hill (thinking I could grab the next group's tour and go with them, but they met at the end of the first one...). We had tea and cakes at a Costa next to the Tower and watched the Ravens flutter around and do their thing. Then we went back to the statue of Emperor Trajan and the original Roman wall of Londinum, and took a few pictures!

Wednesday night was the Chelsea vs Basel game. The game was in Chelsea's favor as Basel is not a very good team. After finding out they do not serve beer at Champions League games, Emily and Katharine were quite disappointing. Emma and I didn't really mind, as I don't think she really drinks, and I am on antibiotics.The first half of the game was pretty good. Basel's team seemed to be quite pathetic because every time a Chelsea player would touch them, they fell to the grass and held themselves like they were dying. It was really pathetically annoying. At one point the crowed started chanting "pranker" because the guy acted like he broke his ankle, hobbled off the field, then started jogging on it like he was fine. So lame. Anyhow, Chelsea scored with about 30 seconds remaining in the first half.

The second half was not in their favor. Basel scored in 10 minutes, putting Chelsea in shock. Towards the end of their game, after Basel had scored on them a second time, they decided to quit trying. There has over 35 minutes left in the game when I noticed a total lack of esteem. They truly are the spoiled brats of the UK football team! I was so disappointing to see their lack of enthusiasm during their game. Although it is early in the season and they can afford a lose in the Champions league, I am sure Jose (Their new/old Manager) will flog them for their actions. They were scored on twice by Basel, not due to the attentiveness of their goalie, Petr Cech, but because the defenders where no where to been seen and if they were seen, they were not playing, but rather walking around like little girls in peewee football. By the end of the game I noticed the only one to be still attentive was actually Cech. At any rate the game was a good time and a great experience. Katharine, Emily, Emma and I really enjoyed going!

Leaving the game was a total catastrophe. It was the biggest crowd of people ever. We decided to not even bother trying to get on the tube. We walked home instead and we found that it was quite a short walk! (well, not short perhaps, but doable.) We stopped at BK to get some chow before we went home. Not even 30 minutes after eating that, I wanted to die. So I am not making that mistake again. BK sucks.

So overall this week has been a success. Look for my next post about the Chelsea Vs. Fulham Premier League game on Saturday, and the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle, and Canterbury Cathedral Sunday.

Cheers!

The Healing Waters of Bath

Emily and I woke early and chugged along the street to the bus stop where the coach would pick us up to take us to Stonehenge and Bath for the day. We got a breakfast baguette sandwich and a tea and smashed it before we got on the bus.

The bus was about 20 minutes late and came on the opposite side of the street which was not a problem, because it ended up closer to us, so we were the first to board. We got on the double decker coach and scored the front seat with a big window in front of us. It was so wild to see how close the bus got to other cars; the view was amazing. It didn't take long to exit London, and before we knew it we were rolling along next to green fields filled with sheep. It did not take long for me to fall asleep.

I was awoken by the tour guide coming on over the speakers to tell us a bit about Stonehenge and it's "origins"... Even though no one really knows about its origins at all, so that is slightly irritating... I do not like mysteries.

Upon our arrival to Stonehenge I was very awake, and we scurried out into the rain (as usual) and into the que. We didn't have to que long, but it was windy and Emily and I were froze. Luckily I had brought my rather large dome umbrella which served as a shield for our faces from the offensive elements.

Stonehenge itself was rather interesting, and exceptionally crowded. It is quite amazing how so many people gather around every single day to see a bunch of rocks all stacked up next to each other in a sheep field... I mean, it was cool to see this "Wonder of the World", but I just don't understand the pile of rocks. WHY THE HELL ARE THEY THERE?! Ill never know, and I think that is irritating to me. It is a piece of information I will never receive. So, at the least, I got to see this irritating mystery for myself, with about a thousand other people.

After Stonehenge we piled back on the bus and started our journey to Bath. On the way, since we had front row seats, we got such an amazing view of the English country side. At one interval I saw a peculiar sign that made the whispering wonder burst out a terrifyingly ugly laugh. "Tank Crossing". What in the 7 hells is that sign doing out here in the middle of nowhere?! I found it so funny, I was doubled over in my seat laughing. Not very long after that though, we passed a military base which is obviously where there was a "tank crossing" sign down the road. The base was small and there were soldiers walking around carrying large rut-sacks going about their day as our large coach passed by. The base made my mind wander back to my Sailor on his base in the US. I miss him!

Our arrival to Bath was swift. I enjoyed the ride since being on the road makes me happy (gypsy). Bath was just as I remembered it. Cute, Compact and lively. This time however, I actually go to adventure into the great Roman Baths. It was fantastic to see such an old place. There were many different sections for different baths. Hot baths, cold baths, in the middle baths... I learned quite a lot from this little adventure to Rome. At the end of the tour, I got to drink the spring water, which is said to have 'healing powers'... "We will just see about that" says the whispering wonder. And presto! What do you know, 2 days later I am speaking again! I claim it was the healing water and nothing to do with the antibiotics ;)


After the baths, Emily and I went to find some lunch as we were about to fall over dead from famine. We decided to get off of the main streets and find a place that was A: not as crowded, and B: cheaper. And we did just that! We found a pub called Molloy's where we got two burgers with chips for 8 pounds! (together!) That costed as much as our breakfast sandwiches in Kensington. See, I could live in Bath without breaking the bank, but DANG, Kensington is expensive. (Donations are welcome and appreciated). After lunch we did a spot of shopping around. This is where I found the dreaded PASTY company that sold me the pasty of death 5 years ago. No no pasty company, you shall not poison me this time!

Before we left we grabbed a sweet treat from a place by the baths. I got a brownie that was sent from heaven that made the ride home less painful. The way home it rained, so the coach was much less enjoyable. Our wonderful vista out the front window was disrupted by a thick layer of fog that could not be tamed. So I decided to nap instead. I threw my coat around my neck as one of those travel pillows and that did quite nice for a while, then it was just impossible to sleep any longer. 24 miles to London, so I remained awake.

We passed Fuller's Brewery, where they brew London's Pride Ale. This brewery has been in operation since it brewed for Hampton Court Palace for Henry VIII's court. Tour? Yes please. Its on the list now.

The Whispering Wonder

Saturday morning I awoke late morning. I couldn't speak. Not a single word could vibrate through my vocal chords. I also felt like I got hit by a train.

I decided to get a shower and go to the doctor since I am so over being sick. Today marks the 7th day of my sickness. So I get a hold of my Resident Director and ask her where I should go. She said to go to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for the A&E Urgent Care. I sit there and think, what in the world is A&E? Isn't that a TV channel? It stands for accident and emergency. I tossed on my Lennon shirt for some company and left.

Coco Mono was my choice for breakfast today and it was by far the most delicious breakfast I have ever had. Ordering it was an experience, since I could not speak. I whisper. Eggs, bacon, toast and tea. I never thought eggs, bacon, toast and tea could taste that good! It was amazing and all perfectly cooked. It was a peaceful breakfast in the nice restaurant where customers can bring in their small dogs. They were all so well behaved, like they did it all the time... which they probably did. I carried on to Boots to talk to the pharmacist before I went and waited at the British ER for hours. She advised me to see the doctor since my lymph nodes were swollen.

A nice woman drove my cab to the A&E, which was not very far away. I checked in, and sat down across from a young girl and her mother. Those two were such a delight to sit next to. I was shocked at how much I laughed and snickered with these two. The girl reminded me of my niece, Rylie, but with a British accent. She was a hoot. Next to us were two old men who also butt in once in a while with something funny. While we were there we saw many weird things. A boy came in about 14 or 15 with a stabbed arm. His clothes were soaked in blood as he told us how his friend had jumped him for not letting him borrow 50 pounds. Yikes. I also saw a woman who was guided in by a man, she couldn't see anything so something must have been wrong with her eyes, obviously. The other weird thing I saw was a girl not much older than I, with a big bandage around her head. The blood soak was near her right eyebrow so I wonder what happened to her! It was a wild time at the A&E. The time past quickly with the giggles and writing of post cards.

I got called to see the doctor, who was about 25 maybe, and rather handsome. So the whispering wonder attempts to explain to this young doctor what is wrong. I couldn't even say "ahhh" when he looked at the back of my mouth. My chords seriously did NOT work. Not a bit. At any rate, he gave me a script for antibiotics and said to take it to any chemist. So out I go, and I walk over to boots and who do I see but the girl and her mother! Whispering, I say hello and how funny it was to see them again". Then we carried on our own ways. I trugged back home after grabbing some food for the rest of the day. I napped, and went to bed late because of the nap. My sleeping schedule is still messed from that stupid nap and it is Monday! (I still dont have a voice, BUT I was able to talk for about 30 minutes after we had dinner..)

Sunday is Bath and Stonehenge Trip, which will be my next post!

The King Summons an Audience

On the morning of Friday the 13th of September, I awoke early to fulfill a dream. I am going to Hampton Court Palace, home of Henry VIII and his infamous wives. If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with the Tudor Dynasty and it's 100 year rule over the beautiful country of England. I am not the biggest fan of Henry VIII himself, as he was quite an ass, but hey, we all have our faults.

Margie and I leave Gloucester Road Station by 10, after I had gotten some medicine since I am still sick, and seeing no hope of getting better. The menthol cough syrup created a hot yet pleasant burn down my throat when I drank it. We got off at Wimbledon Station, to get on the National Rail service. We asked where to get to Hampton Court and were directed to Platform 8. In our haste to see the home of Henry, we jumped on the first train that came, not paying attention to it's destination, which was, in fact, definitely not Hampton Court. Alas, after jumping on a couple of different trains, we made our way to our stop.

As you walk away from the station, you approach a bridge crossing the river Thames, (this river is everywhere, I swear) and across the river you see Hampton Court Palace in all its red brick glory. It felt like Christmas! The joy was overwhelming.

We chose to get lunch before embarking on the Palace. We ate at the Palace's touristy cafe, which was amazing. I loved the Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew over rice. It was probably one of the best meals I have had since I have been in England. Thank you Henry for the delicious food out of your kitchens ( wait until I tell you about Henry's kitchens!). Walking from the cafe to the Palace, we pranced through a small garden full of various roses. It was so beautiful. There were roses growing all over the place, on walls, the ground, alone, in bunches, you name the color. Purple roses? Yes.

The Hampton Court Palace allows you to get the full Tudor effect by borrowing a velvet robe to sport around. Mine was a deep green and matched my eyes nicely. We got audio guides which were awesome because now I don't have to interact with anyone. Hermit.

We started in the great kitchens. Henry's court was 600 people strong, and needed a kitchen staff of 200 to feed the court twice a day. So you can only imagine the size of this kitchen factory. There were 16 fireplaces for roasting. Roasting is a very special form of cooking, and only the wealthiest can enjoy it. Eating meat was also very expensive. Henry's diet was 70% meat. From Oxen to deer, the Royal Court devoured thousands a year. The wine cellar was also quite large and was refilled every week! We finished the kitchen tour off at the gift shop (of course). It was such a cool shop though. Bronze cookery and cute recipe books!

After the kitchens, we went to Chapel Court to watch a 'skit'. We waited outside in Henry's gardens by the Chapel for quite sometime when George Boleyn came scurrying about and told us its far to wet outside to have this meeting with the king. His Majesty requests an audience in his chambers. We are all ordered to follow George to the King's Apartments. He hurries us along and urges us to walk faster as the king is waiting. Once we arrive, the king pops out of his bedroom and starts talking to George about the Lady Anne (None of the names are obvious, but I know who they are from context clues of course). They speak of getting Anne a title, chambers, no more letters or gifts from Katharine of Aragon, and some presents. It was a really good skit and the actors were great!

After that we were really close to the Royal Bedchambers Exhibition so we decided to pop in there. It was really interesting to learn how monarchs in the 17th century ruled from their bed. They were extravagant beds, but they were rarely ever slept in. As we entered the exhibition, there was a large room with a bunch of old time mattresses on the floor. I was so confused. We figured out that you are supposed to lay on them and watch the show that is projected onto the ceiling. It was awesome and the beds were like heaven! We almost fell asleep! We walked through the exhibit and were not permitted to take pictures, so sorry for that. We got to see a couple royal chamber pots, a shaving kit, 4 big beds, and much more!

After the Bedchamber exhibition we went to the Georgian side of the palace that was obviously built during the Georgian era, not Henry's Era. From the windows of the Georgian side, you can see a magnificent garden that sprawls out into the horizon. What a fantastic view waking up every morning. I am not much into the Georgian period (yet) so I didn't pay AS close of attention as I did to the Henry parts. Probably because I was getting overwhelmed by the vastness of this Palace.

We moved back to Henry's side of the Palace and got to see the Great Hall where all the balls, masquerades, feasts, and meals were held. Wow. Just wow. Henry and Anne designed the Hall together, and some of their "remembrances" are still left there today, although most were stricken from the room after Anne's beheading. The waiting room for Henry (where the skit took place) was outside his bedroom and was a room where people would come and wait and wait and wait for his presence. They would come from all over to get to speak to the King on any sort of petition. Sometimes the king did not emerge from his room for days at a time. There was a bathroom connected to the waiting room so guests could relieve themselves without having to travel far. Henry was rather ornery.  Connecting his waiting room to the Privy Chamber (where the Privy Council would do all their meetings) was a hallway that was recently (2009) decorated in red drapes and new portraits of the king. This hallway is said to be haunted by the late 'Queen' Katherine Howard. I agree that this hallway was haunted, as my gypsy senses told me to GTFO. There have been numerous reports of people having difficulty in this hallway until 2009 when the red drapes went up. So hopefully they do not take them down, as I am sure the visitors do not want to be punched in the stomach by Katherine Howard. The Privy Chamber was fantastic. Henry's chair (or a remake rather) was seated in the center and the others formed around it in a circle. I recall reading about so many council meetings and such. It was crazy to actually be in that VERY room! It still overwhelms me.

The gardens are another magnificent part of this Palace that we were unable to see due to the lovely English weather. We made our way back home (a quick 20 minute ride to Wimbledon, then 30 on the tube) after we spent a few pounds in the gift shop. Naturally I purchased a Tudor Rose pin to pin on my backpack with all of my other pins I have been collecting, a cheap little quick Monarch guide to the British Isles, and a "Christmas ornament" of a velvet Tudor rose, which I am hanging on my tack board at the moment.

After our return, I went to a club with my roommate and a couple of friends. To say the least, I was so irritated because we got there at 10:30 (to avoid the cover charge) so nothing was going on except some casual people chilling. That was lame, and all the girls wanted to do was take pictures of each other. No, that isn't a good 'night out' to me, so that was lame. I finally got a glass of wine after Nicole and I waited for 15 minutes probably. So, I tried to be chill and have a good time, but I decided that after I finish my wine, I am going to go on home and hit the hay since I was sleepy anyhow. I set my glass down on the counter.

Apparently I am the Hulk because I crushed the glass under my hand and a shard of the stem sliced open my pinky finger in two places. I screamed and some people around me freaked out, and we stared at my finger until it started bleeding, and once it started it was like a fountain of blood! I haven't cut myself in so long that it was insane. Someone told a member of staff and they drug me to the backroom where a nice Italian man bandaged me up. He was really funny, making jokes about how it is like wrapping a burrito up. Then he said he has never really wrapped a burrito, which isn't shocking since he is Italian. I think he was the owner or something. The manager woman ran in as well to make sure I was ok. We all laughed a bit, and she said I need a shot of tequila for the pain. I didn't argue. She left and returned with a shot for me, and for herself. *Cheers* and my night began.

Eventually the bandage fell off somehow, so I had to get a new one, which called for another shot. Then I saw the Italian guy somewhere in the club and he asked if I wanted another, and before I knew it, I was dancing the time away with my friends. The people I came with decided they wanted to leave around 12, and I was NOT leaving now that I was having fun, so I stayed with Haily and we had a good time.

I got home and went to sleep.