Safe and sound in Stirling

Today, I arrived back in Scotland. As I’m writing this post, I’m sitting on the train between Glasgow and Stirling, so I should be back in residence very soon. I haven't taken any pictures on the ground yet, so I'm going to place some pretty in-the-air photos instead.

The plane ride started off a bit rough. The plane taxied away from the gate towards the runway, but then the engine would not start. It tried for a few minutes, but then the pilot realised it wasn’t going to work, and we would have to go back to the gate. 

At the gate, we sat and waited for more than two hours while mechanics replaced the engine starter. I took it as extra time to sleep, although it was a bit worrying, as I’ve never had a problem like that on a plane. However, as it was pointed out to me, if the plane is going to fail, the engine starter is the best thing to fail. At least we wouldn’t be going in the air until it was fixed! 

After that issue, it was a rather smooth plane ride. I slept for the majority of it, waking up for dinner and to readjust myself in the oh-so-small seats. I suppose I now understand why Air Transat’s plane models are called Airbuses. I’m pretty sure I get much better legroom on a bus. Thank goodness I’m only 5’2”. Note to any big people, particularly those over six feet: Do not take Air Transat, unless you’re some sort of contortionist. 

I loved that I could fly directly into Scotland. Last time, I couldn’t get a direct ticket, so I landed to London. While it was nice to see a new city, it’s so much faster to fly directly in, knowing that I only have one bus ride to the train station (25 minutes), and the 45 minutes on a train that I’ve taken many times. It’s much less scary! 

I’m looking forward to getting back to my room, visiting my friends, and most of all right now: taking a shower. Oh, plane rides. Just one more transatlantic flight for me this year, thank goodness.

Almost the end... part 3: From Stirling to London

This is going to be my final post from Stirling for this year, so I'm going to finish up with my Chanukah party, then begin my London adventure.

As usual since I started university, I wasn't able to be with family for Chanukah. Therefore, I decided I'd introduce my flatmates to this fun and deliciously oil-filled holiday.

To make latkes, my flatmates and I made an assembly line, which had some people on peeling potato duty, then others on grating, another on mixing, and finally actually frying.

We had a lot of potatoes. A lot. And it made for a lot of latkes. It was my first attempt at making them completely from scratch, and I must say, they turned out pretty delicious! Sure, some of them were falling apart upon picking them up, but they tasted like latkes, and that's what matters.

I also decided it was time to satisfy my craving for Challah. I haven't been able to find it anywhere in Scotland, so I baked it myself, with some help from my flatmates. As with the latkes, it was my first attempt, but it definitely looked like Challah, and it tasted mostly how it should taste. It definitely reminded me of home, and helped make my Chanukah party a bit more authentic.

I wasn't able to locate a chanukiah or dreidals anywhere around Stirling, so I made my own version for the candles. I couldn't quite figure out how to make my own dreidals though. I'll have to wait for next year. I did, however, find gelt at Marks and Spencers, so I gave some out to my friends.

Before leaving Stirling, I met up with some friends from the local knitting group. We meet weekly at the Tolbooth, knitting and sipping tea. It's been a great way to meet friends and learn tips from really experienced knitters! Some of them even spin their own wool. I'm hoping I can find a group as good as this one when I get back to Toronto. So far, I haven't been so lucky in London, but I suppose it's just another reason to look forward to getting back to Stirling.

I stroll through the Stirling Arcade on my way to the local knitting shop, and I noticed that they decorated it for Christmas. The whole city is filled with lights, trees, and decorations, which makes it quite cheery.

I'm just going to show off my knitted jumper. It's my first attempt at a garment, and took two and a half weeks of intense marathon knitting to finish it. Unfortunately, from washing it improperly, I've managed to stretch it a bit and cause a hole, but hopefully with a bit of sewing I'll be able to wear it again. I'm quite happy with how it turned out! I'll have to try another one as soon as I find a pattern I like.

I spent the last few days in Stirling spending as much time with my flatmates as possible. For the final time this year, we went out all together to play bowling. As usual, I was trailing far behind everybody else in my score, especially since I didn't know there were sensors disqualifying my points every time I toed past the line. I'm pretty sure I've never had this problem in Canada! Regardless, it was nice to have everybody together, especially since Matti (centre) won't be in Stirling next semester. It will be very strange to have somebody new living in our flat!

On Dec. 4, I woke up early, said goodbye to Stirling, and made my way to London.

Goodbye Stirling! See you again in February!

Almost the end... part 2

As I wrote before, when the snow comes, Scotland closes down. Therefore, the castles were mostly closed throughout the rest of the days leading up to St. Andrews Day, so I wasn't able to make it to Stirling Castle, but I decided I should visit it regardless since I was leaving so soon.

My flatmate Matti had to leave the university due to a family emergency so he has been gone back to Finland for a few months. This week, he came back to move his belongings out, so we spent our last few days as a full flat.

Matti hadn't been to Stirling Castle, so we waited for him to come back and we went together (although Tyla and Anton weren't able to make it to the castle due to end of the year assignments).

The view from the castle was just as incredible as the first time I visited in September, but this time there was snow everywhere. We strolled up the long hill, past the Tolbooth where I go every Tuesday for a knitting group, continuing along past the Old Town Jail, up and up until we reached the top of the hill at the centre of the town.

There, we got a view overlooking the entire Stirling city. We could see the all-important Wallace Monument (which was closed due to snow, so I'll have to visit next semester) and Stirling Bridge, where William Wallace defeated the English. The town is filled with old buildings and narrow streets, with double-decker buses in which I race to the top for the ultimate view as we drive by fields of sheep and small houses and buildings.

It's definitely getting much colder, so there were very few tourists in the castle whilst we were there. I'd imagine it would be quite a different experience when filled with people, as was the case with Edinburgh Castle.

The castle has a bit of construction whilst they try to restore it to its original form. It won't be done for many years, and it takes away from the early-modern style, but it has become part of its charm.

Much of the castle is dedicated to James IV, James V, and James VI, who contributed to the construction of the castle. Additionally, a lot of it is devoted to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was crowned at Stirling Castle when she was less than one year old.

The castle is built on a hill around which the rest of the town has been built. It's high up and is surrounded by cliffs, making it easy to defend against attackers.

Inside the castle were rooms filled with props and statues to give visitors an idea of what it was like at the time shortly after it was built. It helped to visualize a scene in history, although some of it was a bit silly with the cheesy sound effects.

We took advantage of the lack of tourists, running around the castle and taking silly pictures.

Creepy statues adorned the exterior of the castle, getting very cold with the snow.

 
The sun sets so early in Stirling, and generally by 4:00 at the latest, it's completely dark. However, it means that I catch the sunset while I'm out a lot more often than usual! Stirling looks at its best this time of day. I just can't wait to see it again.

Only one more part to go in this series, and then I'll get to my London adventures!

A few weeks later...

Wow, I’ve been neglecting this blog. I swear I intended on writing a post many times over the past couple of weeks but then something would come up and I never got around to it.

I shall fill you in on some of the highlights.

I made my way to Glasgow on Sept. 25. I discovered a Sunday isn’t the best time, especially on a bank holiday, since many of the museums and other attractions were closed. I walked through the city with my flatmate Donald, as well as a few other friends. Donald is from Cumbernauld, which is about 20 minutes from Glasgow by train (though he has a tendency to miss the train, which significantly increases his travel time). He knew his way around Glasgow, so he acted as a tour guide, showing us the many sites.

We visited the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art, which showcased many fine artwork, such as a piece of music bevelled onto a white paper, so unless you stand millimetres away from it, it just looked blank. I just don’t understand modern art. On the way out, there was a donation bowl since the museum is free. Some of our group donated, but Donald insisted we shouldn’t since it was a waste of money. Great tour guide!

Bad tour guide! He walked across the street just as the light was turning red, so the rest of us were left behind.

All joking aside, it was a fun day. The city isn’t nearly as pretty as Edinburgh. I think I would have liked it if I hadn’t seen Edinburgh first, but it just couldn’t compare. I have to separate them in my minds, and try to see it for its own beauty. It has the reputation of being a very modern and stylish city, as well as being quite industrial. It’s also known for its high crime rate. It seems to me to be the Scarborough of Scotland. If anybody hears of a crime, they seem to assume it happened in Glasgow. However, it seems to be the shopping hub of this area of Scotland, and I’ll have to go back for their many concerts and events.

Of course we had to have lunch in a pub. A pretty good deal too! £4.99 for the full meal and a pint!

They have a ridiculous number of condiments on the table.

I’ve been to one show since arriving in Scotland: a Scottish stand-up comedian Danny Bhoy. I had never heard of him, but he was performing on campus on Sept. 28. My friend Kyle told me he had seen him before in Canada, but I wasn’t sure if a comedian performing inside the university could be any good, especially when I saw the plethora of empty seats. However, it was probably the best comedy show that I’ve seen live. He played with the audience quite a bit, and the jokes didn’t come off as simply reciting lines, as was the case with many comedians I’ve seen in the past.

From left: Saori, Donald, me, and Gavin.

Another big highlight: Ceilidh. Traditional Scottish dancing. The international society hosted the Ceilidh night on Sept. 29 at the Golden Lion Hotel. There was a live band playing traditional Scottish music, with instructions for each dance immediately before the song began. It was a lot of fun, though I took at least half of each song to learn the dances. Many girls were dressed up (though I hadn’t realized it was such a fancy gathering, so I was not) and many men were in kilts. Even Donald wore his kilt, though he was quite embarrassed by it, running from the bus stop to the hotel in hopes people wouldn’t recognize him. People did not recognize him, but they were pointing and laughing quite a bit. It isn’t so unusual, but I suppose it’s like wearing a tuxedo in public–except that it’s a skirt. Donald insists it isn’t a skirt, but his reasoning is that it is partially pleated and double layered. As if that makes all the difference. (In all honesty, I think kilts look great! I want to get one before I go home.)

My skirt and his kilt look the same...

Some of the dances were fairly simple, with pretty basic line dances. Others were a bit more complicated, like one that involved getting in a circle (two girls and two guys) and the guys lifting up the girls and spinning us around really quickly. It was lots of fun, if a bit scary!

The International Society said they’d host another Ceilidh next semester, and I really hope they do. It was such a fun experience, and apparently it was quite an authentic representation of Scottish traditions.

Classes have really gotten underway. I handed in an essay worth 30 per cent this week (hence my lack of time for blogging) and I have a bunch more coming up. Autumn reading week is just two weeks away, which means all of my classes either have major assignments due right before it begins, or the week we get back.

Other than that, I haven’t done too many exciting things over the past two weeks. I feel completely settled in, though I still haven’t fixed my sleeping schedule, so it’s still bedtime around 3:00 a.m., but I suppose that will fix itself in time. I’ve introduced my flatmate Anton to the Daily Show and Colbert Report, and my mum mailed me some Tim Horton’s coffee, so I’m quite the happy camper.

Tomorrow, I’m taking a weekend trip to Dublin with Saori, a few friends from the US, and a friend from Switzerland. I’ve never been to Dublin, and we’re mostly going to leave our itinerary open. If you have any suggestions on what to see/do, please post a comment!

More fun before school begins.

Had another excellent few days. I thought I'd be writing my blog more often but I am quite busy seeing all the sights and meeting everybody.

A view of Stirling from the top of Stirling Castle.

I took a bus tour of the city on Wednesday. We drove into town up to Stirling Castle, which is at the very top of the hill that the town is built upon. It was first constructed in the 12th century, though it has been rebuilt to maintain its structure since then. One of the sides is fairly new and so the colour is totally different from the rest of the castle, but the tour guide said it is the same material, so it will slowly fade into the old-style look of the castle.

My flatmate Saori and me, sitting at the top of Stirling Castle.

I just love the view here.

This is Alessandra from Switzerland.

Kelley from Texas, Colleen from Boston, me, and Alessandra.

There are a lot of monuments to Scottish heroes William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Both are very important in Scottish history, and the Scottish like to honour them throughout the town.

This is a statue of Robert the Bruce, an important Scottish king who led Scotland in fighting the English for Scottish independence.

Saori and I have been participating in tons of events together. Here we are standing near the Robert the Bruce statue. There is so much beautiful greenery around Stirling!

There are sheep everywhere. We could see them constantly as we drove on a highway out of Stirling to a nearby city of Dunblane.

We visited a medieval church, Dunblane Cathedral, also from around the same era. There are roughly 9,000 people living in the city, but it is still called a city as per a Scottish law that says anywhere there is a cathedral, there is a city.

I've never seen such a gigantic bible. I'm thinking it is a bible for all those religious giants.

The city is very small, but it is a very nice city and there is so much history here. I can't wait to learn about the history in my class, and then go out and actually see the places where the history happened.

Later that night, I went to a pub called the Corn Exchange where international students got to meet locals who were assigned as our "buddies." Unfortunately, my assigned buddy did not show up, but I got to meet a lot of locals and see the two Stirling students who were on exchange to Carleton University last year.

Thursday wasn't too eventful until the evening, when I went with my flat to a pub called the Birds and the Bees. It was an international society event, and we competed in a pub quiz. My team consisted of most of my flat, a Scottish guy named Jimmy, and a Swedish guy named Johan (though one of his parents is Scottish, and he has a mostly Scottish accent). The first round was to recognize skylines and landmarks, and Toronto was there! The next round was general Scotland questions, so it was very helpful having Scottish people on our team. Third was a sports round, so I was mostly useless, although I did learn that curling was invented in Scotland. Next was a music round, in which we had to name anthems. I only recognized USA and France, but it was fun hearing the different anthems. The last round was random questions. In all, we tied for first, but lost in the sudden death round tiebreaker, in which our team representative incorrectly guessed the number of steps to the top of the Wallace Monument.

Friday will be my first day of class: Kingship and Nationhood. I'm looking forward to seeing how different classes are, and whether or not I'll be able to locate the classroom. Crazy Scottish room-numbering system...