In 1994, I was an exchange student in Köln, Germany, and my host family took me to Prague, then a recently-dissolved Czechoslovakia. Last time I was here, the city was still adjusting to Western influences, everything was cheap (combo of the de-Easternizing process and a strong US dollar), and it was HOT (mid-June!). This time, Prague has definitely modernized since then, and while not using the Euro, things have gotten a little more expensive, and it was still fairly warm!
We got to Prague around 6 am, bought open tickets for Berlin, stashed our luggage, and hit the dark streets. We got to Charles Bridge (Karlův most) around dawn, which all those photography hints are right- perfect lighting for picture taking! Unfortunately, my battery was dying and my back-up was already dead- NOT a good combo for a clear, sunny day in Prague! We found a cute little coffee shop for some breakfast, and I saw a plug in the corner of the room so I plugged in my battery pack to charge. An hour later, we were back on the bridge and I was taking pictures like crazy! Then we went in search of the Astronomical Clock (Pražský orlojgot). We got there at 5 minutes to the hour (perfect timing!) watched the saints march on through, and then wandered around the Christmas Market set-up in the exact square I had sat in 12 years ago, sweating my bum off waiting for the clock to chime the hour (it turned out it was broken and I never did see the chiming back then). By this time, the sun had really burned through the clouds and it had turned into a bright and sunny day! I even took off my coat! December in Prague? I was thoroughly impressed.
As we did in Budapest, we took various trams around the city and jumped off when the mood struck. We walked all around (for the second day in a row) and I saw a lot of things I didn’t see my previous visit (of course I saw things then I didn’t see this time too). We ended our day with a visit up to the Prague Castle, with more pictures and more shopping at the little booths lining the Old Castle Stairs (Staré zámecké schody). Truly the most perfect day we could have picked to be in Prague.
Then we returned to the train station to find that the train to Berlin was leaving from a different train station, so we headed back to the metro to go to the other train station. Along the way we stopped off at a convenience station for an authentic Prague souvenir and candy for our train ride to Berlin.
13.12.06
Eastern European Adventures: Part 1 - Budapest
The last of my “European Adventures” was a fast-paced journey through some of Eastern Europe’s capitals. The first stop was Budapest (Buda and Pest). After cleaning my BSN room all day, packing, and studying for my last final, I checked out of my dorm, walked to BI, took my International Firm final (which fortunately for me, was pretty easy), then I was off! My final ended at 18:00 and our Eskspressbus left Oslo S at 18:40 – plenty of time! When we arrived at Torp, I had made the world’s largest blonde mess-up…I had booked our tickets for the 12th, not the 11th. BIG OOPS! Oh well, after some negotiating and credit card usage, we were back on track. We got to Frankfurt just fine, suffered through our 5-hour overnight lay-over (along with SEVERAL other passengers!) and checked into our flight for Balaton (PLUS I got yet another passport stamp!). Since it was now 6:00 and I hadn’t slept for almost a day, I was out the moment I sat down on the plane. Unfortunately, I slept right though the thick fog and the announcements saying that Balaton was fogged out and we were being diverted to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. Wasn’t on my list of capitals, but hey- I got a stamp from Slovakia, and technically (only *technically*), I made it to yet another country! We landed 30 minutes late (and a whole other country and currency away) and waited around for about an hour for a bus to come pick everyone up and drive us to Balaton. If we had been thinking, we should have just figured out how to get to Budapest from here, but being tired and SO VERY disorientated, we just followed the masses and boarded the bus to Balaon. Seriously, 4.5 HOURS later, we FINALLY got to Balaton! And talk about your Eastern European cities! The airport? I swear to God was an old bomb shelter or army barracks- it was seriously like we’d gone back in time to WWII. Once we got there, we ran into the airport, hit the cash machine for some HUF, and bought tickets on the first bus headed to Budapest (leaving in 5 minutes) – another 2 hour bus ride later- we FINALLY got to Budapest! So really, I saw a lot of Hungary- more than I thought I would!
Once in Budapest, we found out hotel- which was VERY cool- we had a balcony/terrace with an amazing view of the Buda Castle and the Pest embankment (including the Chain Bridge). We had a wonderful dinner- delicious and the cheapest I’ve had in over 6 months! It was great!
Wednesday morning, we got up bright and early and hit the streets! We went on an inadvertent tour of Budapest’s train stations. We needed to get our tickets for a night train to Praha (for that night) but every train station we went to, we were told to go to another one. Finally, we got to Keleti (West) train station – and after standing in line (and the window shutting in our faces) we FINALLY got out tickets and then we had a little over 7 hours to explore the city. We started with the Parliament building- which was an impressive sight. Then we wandered around, took pictures and accidentally found Vörösmarty tér (and Europe’s Largest Christmas Market???). We drank some Gluhewein, did some craft shopping, and even ate a “Hungarian specialty” – or tried to, it was NOT good, which I thought some kind of corn meal substance, sour cream, and something THEY called bacon (but I would not), kinda heated? Had a couple bites and that was it for me! We then headed across the Chain Bridge (one of the outstanding landmarks of Budapest, the first permanent bridge across the Danube, originally built in 1849. Sadly, that first bridge was destroyed by Nazi dynamite during WWII. The 1949 opening ceremony for the reconstructed bridge was held 100 years to the day after its original inauguration.) from the Pest side to the Buda side, in order to see the Buda Castle, which is on top of Castle Hill. Since neither of us felt much for climbing 100+ steep steps, we opted for the Funicular (sikló) ( the funicular is the easiest way to get to the Royal Palace, taking just a minute or two. Originally built in 1870, it too was destroyed in World War II and was not rebuilt until 1986.). Once at the top, we pretty much had Castle Hill to ourselves (being December and it was literally freezing, technically, below freezing with a temp of -2¬ºC, then with the wind? SO COLD!) Unfortunately, it was foggy and you really couldn’t see too far (at this point we just chalked Hungary up to being foggy in general!). But it was nice, and we saw the Castle and Matthias Church (Mátyás templom) (Officially called the Church of Our Lady, this symbol of the Castle District is universally known as Matthias Church because the Renaissance monarch, Matthias Corvinus, one of Hungary's most revered kings, was the major donor of the church and was married twice inside it.). After wandering around trying to take pictures of the impressive – but foggy view- we headed back down the funicular, and then jumped on the first bus we saw. We then jumped from tram-to-tram, and bus-to-bus and jumped off where we liked and just saw a lot of the city by riding around. Then it was back to the Christmas Market to get rid of our remaining HUF before heading back to the train station and Prague.
Speaking of which though- we’re headed from one Eastern European capital to another, through yet another Eastern European country- we were on a slightly less than luxurious train…flat out a very old, very sketchy, very dirty, very…Eastern European train…Remember that Russian train from Finland? We weren’t too far off here. But we had a very nice train car man to show us where to go – and warned us about all the passport checks at border crossings - last one of the three was at 1:00 am). Luckily we also had the room to ourselves, and the train guy warned us to lock the door to keep out pick-pockets, and I swear to God, I heard that door knob turn more than once in the middle of the night! By the time we got to Prague, I had 2 new passport stamps and a new appreciation for Norwegian night trains. Our first passport check, from Hungary to Slovakia, the official just looked at my passport cover- didn’t even open it! Guess having a US passport means something? I just couldn’t believe the guy didn’t even open it!
Final thoughts on Hungary? Aside from the fog, and the entire day bus rides, it was a lot of fun. Everything was pretty cheap- which was an welcomed change from expensive Oslo, but on the other hand, the country was very old and dirty- exactly what you would expect an Eastern European country to be... even though an EU member, they still have a lot of modernizing to do, but in the meantime, it was great place – would enjoy another visit, as long as it was NOT in the winter!
Once in Budapest, we found out hotel- which was VERY cool- we had a balcony/terrace with an amazing view of the Buda Castle and the Pest embankment (including the Chain Bridge). We had a wonderful dinner- delicious and the cheapest I’ve had in over 6 months! It was great!
Wednesday morning, we got up bright and early and hit the streets! We went on an inadvertent tour of Budapest’s train stations. We needed to get our tickets for a night train to Praha (for that night) but every train station we went to, we were told to go to another one. Finally, we got to Keleti (West) train station – and after standing in line (and the window shutting in our faces) we FINALLY got out tickets and then we had a little over 7 hours to explore the city. We started with the Parliament building- which was an impressive sight. Then we wandered around, took pictures and accidentally found Vörösmarty tér (and Europe’s Largest Christmas Market???). We drank some Gluhewein, did some craft shopping, and even ate a “Hungarian specialty” – or tried to, it was NOT good, which I thought some kind of corn meal substance, sour cream, and something THEY called bacon (but I would not), kinda heated? Had a couple bites and that was it for me! We then headed across the Chain Bridge (one of the outstanding landmarks of Budapest, the first permanent bridge across the Danube, originally built in 1849. Sadly, that first bridge was destroyed by Nazi dynamite during WWII. The 1949 opening ceremony for the reconstructed bridge was held 100 years to the day after its original inauguration.) from the Pest side to the Buda side, in order to see the Buda Castle, which is on top of Castle Hill. Since neither of us felt much for climbing 100+ steep steps, we opted for the Funicular (sikló) ( the funicular is the easiest way to get to the Royal Palace, taking just a minute or two. Originally built in 1870, it too was destroyed in World War II and was not rebuilt until 1986.). Once at the top, we pretty much had Castle Hill to ourselves (being December and it was literally freezing, technically, below freezing with a temp of -2¬ºC, then with the wind? SO COLD!) Unfortunately, it was foggy and you really couldn’t see too far (at this point we just chalked Hungary up to being foggy in general!). But it was nice, and we saw the Castle and Matthias Church (Mátyás templom) (Officially called the Church of Our Lady, this symbol of the Castle District is universally known as Matthias Church because the Renaissance monarch, Matthias Corvinus, one of Hungary's most revered kings, was the major donor of the church and was married twice inside it.). After wandering around trying to take pictures of the impressive – but foggy view- we headed back down the funicular, and then jumped on the first bus we saw. We then jumped from tram-to-tram, and bus-to-bus and jumped off where we liked and just saw a lot of the city by riding around. Then it was back to the Christmas Market to get rid of our remaining HUF before heading back to the train station and Prague.
Speaking of which though- we’re headed from one Eastern European capital to another, through yet another Eastern European country- we were on a slightly less than luxurious train…flat out a very old, very sketchy, very dirty, very…Eastern European train…Remember that Russian train from Finland? We weren’t too far off here. But we had a very nice train car man to show us where to go – and warned us about all the passport checks at border crossings - last one of the three was at 1:00 am). Luckily we also had the room to ourselves, and the train guy warned us to lock the door to keep out pick-pockets, and I swear to God, I heard that door knob turn more than once in the middle of the night! By the time we got to Prague, I had 2 new passport stamps and a new appreciation for Norwegian night trains. Our first passport check, from Hungary to Slovakia, the official just looked at my passport cover- didn’t even open it! Guess having a US passport means something? I just couldn’t believe the guy didn’t even open it!
Final thoughts on Hungary? Aside from the fog, and the entire day bus rides, it was a lot of fun. Everything was pretty cheap- which was an welcomed change from expensive Oslo, but on the other hand, the country was very old and dirty- exactly what you would expect an Eastern European country to be... even though an EU member, they still have a lot of modernizing to do, but in the meantime, it was great place – would enjoy another visit, as long as it was NOT in the winter!
9.12.06
Sadly, I am that good!
I arrived in Dublin around 23:00, and all I had the energy for was to find my hotel and call it a night. I got up early on Wednesday and found one of those hop-on/hop-off bus tours like I did in London. The plan was to go all around the city for one lap, and then jump off at places of interest. Except the problem was my first bus driver was a singer (and I started to wonder if he was a little tipsy) so I got off pretty quick- I appreciate the “real Irish experience” but seriously? Danny Boy and Molly Malone sung off-key over a loudspeaker? Just so happened the next stop was the Guinness Storehouse. Which was perfect since I wanted to go there anyway! The museum part was MUCH more interesting and in-depth than Carlsberg was, but I can officially say: I’ve had my FIRST and LAST Guinness! Which I can’t think of anything more appropriate (I’m in Dublin, I’m at the St. James Gate Guinness Plant, it’s a Free- sorry, COMPLIMENTARY, Pint, and I’m 7 floors up overlooking the Dublin skyline!) Perfect! Add a Canadian CPA hitting on me and my experience was complete! After my pint, I actually had about 1.25 (I could NOT even get going on a second pint!), I hit the gift shop. Yikes! It was HUGE, and I was a bit tipsy- I think that’s the way they plan it though! They had everything imaginable there! Pretty funny to see baby accessories with Guinness written all over them…(sorry Evelyn, I refrained).
Jumped back on the bus and a few stops later, I came to the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery. Since I employed the logic of “when in Scotland” I HAD to do the same with Ireland! (Plus the bus driver said the views from their lounge were even better than those of Guinness) But of course, I had a horribly blond moment, and my camera’s battery had been dying since Scotland, and well, it just died. So while I did go on the Jameson tour, and drank a shot of Irish Whiskey, I didn’t get to take any pictures ☹ But I’m not sure if the views were “better” than the Guinness, it was just a different part of town.
After this, I took the bus back around, completed the tour and stopped in Temple Bar at a Dublin Tourism Office to book a day tour out of Dublin. Since most of them operators weren’t running tours in the winter, I didn’t get to go on the one that took you through the streets of Killiney (where the rich and famous Irish live…I’m not going to give names if you don’t know- cause that means you don’t know me!). But I signed up for another tour to Wicklow (which is where, if you read my Scotland blog- Mel Gibson won his battle as William Wallace…Braveheart was 95% filmed in Wicklow County, Ireland, while only 5% in Scotland). I actually got the best seat on the bus for this tour, one advantage of traveling alone. I got to sit up front next to the driver (like where the tour guide would sit?) – which meant I was able to take pictures from the bus- while we were driving, and I got to see BOTH sides of the road when he pointed out things of interest. It was VERY windy again, and VERY rainy!
We then went to St Kevin’s Monastic Ruins. Still not sure what St. Kevin was known for…something about converting Pagans and keeping people (along with valuables) safe from the Vikings? Not too sure… After I got soaked being out in the rain, since my umbrella had gotten turned inside out for like the 48th time, and I saw a vicious looking mountain goat with the BIGGEST horns I’d ever seen on a goat, I gave up and returned to the bus…which I found several others had done as well, and the bus driver (for the passengers’ benefit only!) had pulled out a few bottles of Jameson. Why the heck not?
Then it was back into Dublin, where I found the HRC for Nicole’s shirt, and then I did the craziest thing ever. Let’s just say I put my stalking skills to use! Since no tour bus was going to drive through Killiney, I found a DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and took myself to Killiney! I had read on the internet- Vico Street, overlooking Killiney Bay. That’s all I had to go on, but I knew Killiney was a very small town, so I just wandered. Believe it or not- I found the gates I was looking for! (but how ironic would it have been if I could write “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”?) I took a few pictures, not my best work, but out of respect (or perhaps fear?) I was quick and headed back to the DART station. Turned out, I’d walked around the town for nothing! Literally like 200 meters down the road was the station, if only had turned right and not left! Oh well, I had officially made a pilgrimage!
Thankfully it was not raining in Killiney, which perhaps one of the factors that makes it so desirable? (That and I saw the view, I get it!) But when I got back to Dublin it was still rainy and windy so I decided to just head back to the hotel and get some sleep before my 8 am flight back to Glasgow, then back to Oslo. It’s strange for me to think about “going home” when really, it’ll only be “home” for another 3 nights. I cannot even express how sad I am that my time in Oslo is winding down and soon I’ll be returning home. Not that I’m sad to go home, in fact I’m very excited, but I’m sad to leave Oslo. Took me so long to get used to it, I finally feel comfortable here, and I’m going to miss all my new friends! But I guess I now have ample excuses to come back to Europe to visit! But before we all depart, we have a ice-skating, Nobel Day festivities and just one last weekend together planned. I will be heading to Budapest on Monday night, and everyone else will be gone before I get back to Oslo (of course I do get to see Katja again in Helsinki!).
Jumped back on the bus and a few stops later, I came to the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery. Since I employed the logic of “when in Scotland” I HAD to do the same with Ireland! (Plus the bus driver said the views from their lounge were even better than those of Guinness) But of course, I had a horribly blond moment, and my camera’s battery had been dying since Scotland, and well, it just died. So while I did go on the Jameson tour, and drank a shot of Irish Whiskey, I didn’t get to take any pictures ☹ But I’m not sure if the views were “better” than the Guinness, it was just a different part of town.
After this, I took the bus back around, completed the tour and stopped in Temple Bar at a Dublin Tourism Office to book a day tour out of Dublin. Since most of them operators weren’t running tours in the winter, I didn’t get to go on the one that took you through the streets of Killiney (where the rich and famous Irish live…I’m not going to give names if you don’t know- cause that means you don’t know me!). But I signed up for another tour to Wicklow (which is where, if you read my Scotland blog- Mel Gibson won his battle as William Wallace…Braveheart was 95% filmed in Wicklow County, Ireland, while only 5% in Scotland). I actually got the best seat on the bus for this tour, one advantage of traveling alone. I got to sit up front next to the driver (like where the tour guide would sit?) – which meant I was able to take pictures from the bus- while we were driving, and I got to see BOTH sides of the road when he pointed out things of interest. It was VERY windy again, and VERY rainy!
We then went to St Kevin’s Monastic Ruins. Still not sure what St. Kevin was known for…something about converting Pagans and keeping people (along with valuables) safe from the Vikings? Not too sure… After I got soaked being out in the rain, since my umbrella had gotten turned inside out for like the 48th time, and I saw a vicious looking mountain goat with the BIGGEST horns I’d ever seen on a goat, I gave up and returned to the bus…which I found several others had done as well, and the bus driver (for the passengers’ benefit only!) had pulled out a few bottles of Jameson. Why the heck not?
Then it was back into Dublin, where I found the HRC for Nicole’s shirt, and then I did the craziest thing ever. Let’s just say I put my stalking skills to use! Since no tour bus was going to drive through Killiney, I found a DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and took myself to Killiney! I had read on the internet- Vico Street, overlooking Killiney Bay. That’s all I had to go on, but I knew Killiney was a very small town, so I just wandered. Believe it or not- I found the gates I was looking for! (but how ironic would it have been if I could write “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”?) I took a few pictures, not my best work, but out of respect (or perhaps fear?) I was quick and headed back to the DART station. Turned out, I’d walked around the town for nothing! Literally like 200 meters down the road was the station, if only had turned right and not left! Oh well, I had officially made a pilgrimage!
Thankfully it was not raining in Killiney, which perhaps one of the factors that makes it so desirable? (That and I saw the view, I get it!) But when I got back to Dublin it was still rainy and windy so I decided to just head back to the hotel and get some sleep before my 8 am flight back to Glasgow, then back to Oslo. It’s strange for me to think about “going home” when really, it’ll only be “home” for another 3 nights. I cannot even express how sad I am that my time in Oslo is winding down and soon I’ll be returning home. Not that I’m sad to go home, in fact I’m very excited, but I’m sad to leave Oslo. Took me so long to get used to it, I finally feel comfortable here, and I’m going to miss all my new friends! But I guess I now have ample excuses to come back to Europe to visit! But before we all depart, we have a ice-skating, Nobel Day festivities and just one last weekend together planned. I will be heading to Budapest on Monday night, and everyone else will be gone before I get back to Oslo (of course I do get to see Katja again in Helsinki!).
6.12.06
And the answer is…NOTHING!
I arrived in Scotland around 13:30 on Sunday – in the midst of “gale force winds”. I flew into Glasgow- Prestwick airport and caught the 14:00 train into the heart of the city. It was terribly windy (remember, I live(d) in the Hurricane state, I KNOW windy!), rainy and cold, just flat-out crappy! Made it to my Guest House without too much hassle- other than I’d find out later I took the most obscure way walking up more hills than necessary! After dropping my bags and discovering: Channel 4 was televising a “U2 Weekend”, I had free WiFi, and Charmed is on Scottish TV, I pulled myself away from English-language TV and ventured back into the darkening city to see what I could find. I found Scott Street (important for name alone), tons of stores, a used-book bookstore, a mall, and a restaurant for dinner. After wandering around the streets and seeing some monuments and stuff in the dark and rain, I returned to my room, and went online to find myself a tour through the Scottish countryside. I was in luck and there was a tour to Loch Ness leaving from Edinburgh at 8:20 the next morning. Of course I was still in Glasgow, but only being a 40-minute train ride, I figured that wouldn’t be a problem. HA! So I got up EARLY to make it down to the train station, planning on taking the 6:30 train (there is a train running every half hour between the cities). But for some reason the 6:00 train was delayed until 6:15 so they canceled my 6:30, so I had to take the 7:00, which was also delayed. So I missed the tour by the time I got to Edinburgh. Although a bit disappointed, I signed up for the tour on Tuesday, and had the whole day free to explore Edinburgh!
Being there at 8 am, not a whole lot of touristy things were opened. So I found my hostel, asked if I could store my bag there, and even had some breakfast! Then it was time to wander the main streets in the New Town (not that it is “new”, but it is not as old-as-Old Town). Then I headed over to Old Town, specifically High Street, also known as the Royal Mile. With the Edinburgh Castle on one end and the Holyroodhouse Palace at the other end, with hundreds of pubs and little shops in between. I even found the Historical Scottish Whiskey Tour – while there is no distillery on the Royal Mile, there is a museum (complete with tours and samples) dedicated to the hundreds of Scotch distilleries across the 4 Scotch-producing areas of Scotland. I figured “when in Scotland…” and drank my dram (2 oz.) of Scotch provided, I must say, I was proud of myself for doing it (when else is alcohol drinking considered an honor?) but I think 2 oz. of Scotch was all I needed to tide me over!
Perhaps I should have had more, cause after my Scotch tour, I wandered up and down the street for hours until the wind got to be too much for me (maybe a few more drams of Scotch could have kept me warmer longer?) In fact, there was so much wind that the Edinburgh Castle was even closed due to sheer force winds! (The following day our tour bus driver said someone literally blew off the castle once- but I don’t know if he was serious or joking – or if it was since the 19th century – but I did believe him that the castle is always closed on very windy days.)
Then I headed back down to the New Town to a Christmas Carnival/German Christmas market (getting warmed up for next week!). After all the stores started to close I headed back to the hostel to get some sleep since my Scottish Countryside tour was supposed to leave at 8 am. At my hostel, I was in a 4 person room but only 2 other people were there- a young girl from Australia (who was really sweet), and a crazy old Scottish/Australian woman who wanted to talk and talk and talk (6 years of karma coming back to haunt me?).
Next morning, I checked out early and headed back up to the castle for my tour. Unfortunately, the tour doesn’t “go” unless 6 people sign up, and I was the 5th :( so for the second day in a row, I didn’t get to go on my Loch Ness tour. Instead, they gave me a discount and sent me on the Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Stirling Castle tour. It was nice, the weather went from nice, to rainy, to windy, to downright crappy, and any other combination of the four. The majority of this tour was all about William Wallace (Braveheart anyone?) and Red Roy McGregor. Also heard a great deal about Mary, Queen of Scots, and saw where she was born and raised (Stirling Castle) which I felt was fitting since I had already saw her tomb at West Minster Abbey a few days before. Stirling Castle, or rather the land it overlooks, is where William Wallace (NOT Mel Gibson) won his most successful battle (you know before getting his “arse handed to him, captured then tortured to death” – guess it has been awhile since I’ve seen the movie?).
And of course our tour guide let us in on the most elusive secret of Scotland. What do they wear – if anything? A true Scots man, wearing a true Scottish kilt (which is made of about 5 meters of fabric – very unlike today’s kilts) wore nothing at all, and the kilt is the length it is, because the Scots men were constantly walking through fields with grass up to their knees, and the “skirt” was an alternative to having wet pants. Of course my Scottish tour guide would probably have a fit if he knew I just referred to a kilt as a “skirt.”
After the castle tour, it was back to Edinburgh, which I went straight from the tour right to the Edinburgh airport to continue on my journey…Next stop: Dublin!
Being there at 8 am, not a whole lot of touristy things were opened. So I found my hostel, asked if I could store my bag there, and even had some breakfast! Then it was time to wander the main streets in the New Town (not that it is “new”, but it is not as old-as-Old Town). Then I headed over to Old Town, specifically High Street, also known as the Royal Mile. With the Edinburgh Castle on one end and the Holyroodhouse Palace at the other end, with hundreds of pubs and little shops in between. I even found the Historical Scottish Whiskey Tour – while there is no distillery on the Royal Mile, there is a museum (complete with tours and samples) dedicated to the hundreds of Scotch distilleries across the 4 Scotch-producing areas of Scotland. I figured “when in Scotland…” and drank my dram (2 oz.) of Scotch provided, I must say, I was proud of myself for doing it (when else is alcohol drinking considered an honor?) but I think 2 oz. of Scotch was all I needed to tide me over!
Perhaps I should have had more, cause after my Scotch tour, I wandered up and down the street for hours until the wind got to be too much for me (maybe a few more drams of Scotch could have kept me warmer longer?) In fact, there was so much wind that the Edinburgh Castle was even closed due to sheer force winds! (The following day our tour bus driver said someone literally blew off the castle once- but I don’t know if he was serious or joking – or if it was since the 19th century – but I did believe him that the castle is always closed on very windy days.)
Then I headed back down to the New Town to a Christmas Carnival/German Christmas market (getting warmed up for next week!). After all the stores started to close I headed back to the hostel to get some sleep since my Scottish Countryside tour was supposed to leave at 8 am. At my hostel, I was in a 4 person room but only 2 other people were there- a young girl from Australia (who was really sweet), and a crazy old Scottish/Australian woman who wanted to talk and talk and talk (6 years of karma coming back to haunt me?).
Next morning, I checked out early and headed back up to the castle for my tour. Unfortunately, the tour doesn’t “go” unless 6 people sign up, and I was the 5th :( so for the second day in a row, I didn’t get to go on my Loch Ness tour. Instead, they gave me a discount and sent me on the Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Stirling Castle tour. It was nice, the weather went from nice, to rainy, to windy, to downright crappy, and any other combination of the four. The majority of this tour was all about William Wallace (Braveheart anyone?) and Red Roy McGregor. Also heard a great deal about Mary, Queen of Scots, and saw where she was born and raised (Stirling Castle) which I felt was fitting since I had already saw her tomb at West Minster Abbey a few days before. Stirling Castle, or rather the land it overlooks, is where William Wallace (NOT Mel Gibson) won his most successful battle (you know before getting his “arse handed to him, captured then tortured to death” – guess it has been awhile since I’ve seen the movie?).
And of course our tour guide let us in on the most elusive secret of Scotland. What do they wear – if anything? A true Scots man, wearing a true Scottish kilt (which is made of about 5 meters of fabric – very unlike today’s kilts) wore nothing at all, and the kilt is the length it is, because the Scots men were constantly walking through fields with grass up to their knees, and the “skirt” was an alternative to having wet pants. Of course my Scottish tour guide would probably have a fit if he knew I just referred to a kilt as a “skirt.”
After the castle tour, it was back to Edinburgh, which I went straight from the tour right to the Edinburgh airport to continue on my journey…Next stop: Dublin!
3.12.06
London, Baby!
That’s right, while my friend quotes Robert Frost, all I can seem to emulate is Joey Tribiani. Sad really, and even sadder when you realize I can quote all six of them… But its true, I spent the last few days in jolly ole’ Britian – London specifically. The trip got off to a bit of a chaotic start before it even started when BI rescheduled my Corporate Responsibility final, forcing me to reschedule my Ryan Air flight. I went to change my pre-existing ticket, just from the morning flight to the evening one, and while an entirely new ticket would run me 340 NOK or 55 USD, to rebook the one I had would have cost me an additional 500 NOK or 82 USD (for a flight I originally paid 130 NOK or 21 USD- in case I haven’t said it enough- Thanks BI). So instead of getting to London at 14:00, I got there at 23:30 – just in time to find a hotel near the airport and go to sleep. But Thursday morning- very bright and very early, I got up and after finding the Stansted Express, I was on my way to town! The train had some delays (which Sally would tell me later is VERY common), so I got to town around 10 am. Following Sally’s detailed and precise directions, I found my way to the Underground (the “Tube”) and on the Circle Line, to the Tower Hill stop.
Ask anyone who has been to London, calling the city’s subway (pardon my “Yankee” phrasing) system complicated is an understatement. There are 12 (TWELVE) subway lines in London- as opposed (“a posed”) to the 5.5/6 in Oslo). First off, the stations have horrible to no ventilation- so each step you went down, it was like 1 degree warmer- so it would be freezing on the street, but by the time you got to the station’s platform (well below ground), it was really warm and sometimes you’d be forced to take off your coat! Other stops only had “lift” access – meaning no escalators, you had to wait for the elevators to go down to/and up from the tracks – I did NOT enjoy these stations! PLUS, part of London’s underground is 100 years old! Amazing to think that something built 100 years ago is still in use today! Of course, that’s the oldest of the lines (Bakerloo – connecting Baker Street and Waterloo), which is one I used quite often as Picadilly Circus and Oxford Circus stops (where all the shops are!) are both on that line.
To describe my trip to London in one word, it would have to be: educational. I know so many (useless?) trivial facts about London (I know why its called "Green Park” and that Hyde Park Corner is the busiest traffic circle in the whole world- just ask Guinness), had many pre-conceived notions corrected (Tower of London is NOT a tower, and Fergie, it should be “everytime you come around my TOWER Bridge", not “my London Bridge” as shown in your video, oh and not only do the British use pounds, but miles too!), and even picked up a few Latin words (Regina and Circus). And even though I know the importance of 10 Downing Street, it took me two days to figure out who that guy with the cell phone in the picture is! (See- so don’t deserve a good grade in GP!)!! But if I use a second world, it would have to be “ace”!
Thursday I just spent on the bus riding around the city listening to the tour guides point out everything. Then, in the evening, I went down to Oxford Street to do some shopping. Unfortunately, for me (and 300 million other Americans) the dollar is economically “un-strong”, nicely put, the Pound has never been worth as much as it is right now ($1=£2) ☹ Which is too easy of a conversion- everything is just double the price. So unfortunately, I know exactly how much I’m spending. And while Oslo IS the world’s most expensive city, London is either 2nd or 3rd. (At least by the time I visit Sean in D.C., I’ll think it’s cheap!) My shopping didn’t last long; I was exhausted. It was only 20:00 (but 21:00 in Oslo-time), but by the time I walked to the hotel, checked in, and realized I was too tired for “British-humor” television, it was 21:00 and I went straight to sleep!
Fortunately, this got me up and out of the hotel around 8:45, making me like the third person at the Tower of London on Friday. I spent 2.5 hours there, with very few other people, ONE benefit of off-season and rainy weather. I went through every building, saw the Crown Jewels to my heart’s content (did a few “moving sidewalk” laps), ducked some low-flying Ravens, and watched all the films on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot (how did I NOT hear about him before this year? Thanks Natalie Portman.)
After which I found the sight-seeing bus again (another benefit of off-season- 2 days for the price of 1), and went to Buckingham Palace (not much to see there), then to Westminster Abbey (only tombs there), and then to St Paul’s (to see where Lady Diana got married), and Trafagar Square (which I probably saw at least a dozen times- ask me anything about Nelson- I know it!) Oh and 2 James Bonds (Connery and Dalton) live on Eaton Street (even though I think that’s wrong considering there’s an actual Bond Street.)
After another pass down Oxford Street, I jumped back on the tube and headed for Euston to meet Sally’s train from Manchester. Met up with Sally with no problems and headed back to Trafagar Square for some Pizza Express. After some catching up, it was time for sleep!
Saturday morning we got up and walked down the Thames to see the non-original (and mistakenly placed) Globe Theatre (the most famous of Shakespeare’s four theatres). On our way to the Globe, we passed the coolest farmer’s market, and even though I’m from the Seattle area, I have to say this market put Pike Place to shame! So many booths selling all sorts of goodies, Sally and I got fresh squeezed OJ for breakfast and sampled enough baked products to fill our breakfast void, and even picked up some delicious brownies for dessert. We continued on our riverside walk and came to the quickly-growing queue for the London Eye. Sally whipped out her mobile and called to “pre-order” tickets, which we just walked in, picked up and went on the Eye. The whole experience was “brilliant”! Plus, the morning clouds had burned off and it was a clear day- perfect for a ride on the world’s largest “Ferris wheel”. After that, we went to Mongolian BarbeQue for lunch, which is a stir-fry restaurant – very good and fun, an excellent choice indeed! After lunch, it was starting to get dark, so we headed towards Hyde Park to see the Princess Diana Memorial.
Our journey to the Diana Memorial was a long, tiring, and frustrating walk to say the least. We walked across Hyde Park (as I learned from my bus tour- it is the largest of the Royal Parks), trying to follow the sporadic signs. When we got to what we thought was the end of the park (Nope! Just a road cutting across the park!), we gave up and put my American Accent to use- couldn’t very well have Sally (with her knowing British accent!) ask! So I played it up- even tried to work in an “y’all”, and got directions- we were almost there- but since it was getting darker by the minute (swear it was daylight when we started out!), we decided to check another sign. Again, NOT on the map! But we found it, and it was closed or turned off, but I took pictures regardless- we’d walked almost 3 tube stops, our feet were killing us, I was going to take a picture! After the memorial, we FINALLY found maps displaying the park’s location (Another example of the British-humor I’m too tired for?)
After this, we decided to head back towards Oxford and Picadilly Circus to do some shopping. I had a “London Shopping List” – something like this- I REALLY wanted a pair of those adorable ballerina flats, a cute hat, a British-band CD, and an English-language book to read on my Budapest trip (English books in Norway, like everything else in Norway, are expensive!). Somehow we managed to kill a few hours, even went into Europe’s Largest Toy store, and I decided I should go to the First Hard Rock Café, since I’ve been going to all the other HRC’s. After which we walked back to the tube and back “home” to arrange some packing- sent some stuff home (I mean Florida-home, not home-home) with Sally since she was going on Tuesday. Yeah, I know I’ll be in Edinburgh on Tuesday, but I’m still so jealous Sally gets to go play with Keri, Ben, Nikki, Keith, Jason, Nicole… EVERYONE! this week in Florida ☹.
Sunday morning we woke up and headed to Liverpool Street station so I could catch the Stansted Express back to the airport for my flight to Glasgow. The only glitch there was that the train wasn’t running. Instead, they were running coach buses, but I only had an hour to get to the station (despite London traffic!) Made it there just in time- had to run from the bus to the desk, checked in at 11:13, and the ticket counter supposedly closed at 11:15, but I think it stayed open longer due to that whole Stansted Express train situation.
So, now I’m on my way to Glasgow…largest city in Scotland, the country’s industrial heart. I’ll be staying there for one night, and sometime Monday I’ll be making the 40-minute train journey to Edinburgh – Scotland’s capital. Just hoping I can understand the accents!
Ask anyone who has been to London, calling the city’s subway (pardon my “Yankee” phrasing) system complicated is an understatement. There are 12 (TWELVE) subway lines in London- as opposed (“a posed”) to the 5.5/6 in Oslo). First off, the stations have horrible to no ventilation- so each step you went down, it was like 1 degree warmer- so it would be freezing on the street, but by the time you got to the station’s platform (well below ground), it was really warm and sometimes you’d be forced to take off your coat! Other stops only had “lift” access – meaning no escalators, you had to wait for the elevators to go down to/and up from the tracks – I did NOT enjoy these stations! PLUS, part of London’s underground is 100 years old! Amazing to think that something built 100 years ago is still in use today! Of course, that’s the oldest of the lines (Bakerloo – connecting Baker Street and Waterloo), which is one I used quite often as Picadilly Circus and Oxford Circus stops (where all the shops are!) are both on that line.
To describe my trip to London in one word, it would have to be: educational. I know so many (useless?) trivial facts about London (I know why its called "Green Park” and that Hyde Park Corner is the busiest traffic circle in the whole world- just ask Guinness), had many pre-conceived notions corrected (Tower of London is NOT a tower, and Fergie, it should be “everytime you come around my TOWER Bridge", not “my London Bridge” as shown in your video, oh and not only do the British use pounds, but miles too!), and even picked up a few Latin words (Regina and Circus). And even though I know the importance of 10 Downing Street, it took me two days to figure out who that guy with the cell phone in the picture is! (See- so don’t deserve a good grade in GP!)!! But if I use a second world, it would have to be “ace”!
Thursday I just spent on the bus riding around the city listening to the tour guides point out everything. Then, in the evening, I went down to Oxford Street to do some shopping. Unfortunately, for me (and 300 million other Americans) the dollar is economically “un-strong”, nicely put, the Pound has never been worth as much as it is right now ($1=£2) ☹ Which is too easy of a conversion- everything is just double the price. So unfortunately, I know exactly how much I’m spending. And while Oslo IS the world’s most expensive city, London is either 2nd or 3rd. (At least by the time I visit Sean in D.C., I’ll think it’s cheap!) My shopping didn’t last long; I was exhausted. It was only 20:00 (but 21:00 in Oslo-time), but by the time I walked to the hotel, checked in, and realized I was too tired for “British-humor” television, it was 21:00 and I went straight to sleep!
Fortunately, this got me up and out of the hotel around 8:45, making me like the third person at the Tower of London on Friday. I spent 2.5 hours there, with very few other people, ONE benefit of off-season and rainy weather. I went through every building, saw the Crown Jewels to my heart’s content (did a few “moving sidewalk” laps), ducked some low-flying Ravens, and watched all the films on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot (how did I NOT hear about him before this year? Thanks Natalie Portman.)
After which I found the sight-seeing bus again (another benefit of off-season- 2 days for the price of 1), and went to Buckingham Palace (not much to see there), then to Westminster Abbey (only tombs there), and then to St Paul’s (to see where Lady Diana got married), and Trafagar Square (which I probably saw at least a dozen times- ask me anything about Nelson- I know it!) Oh and 2 James Bonds (Connery and Dalton) live on Eaton Street (even though I think that’s wrong considering there’s an actual Bond Street.)
After another pass down Oxford Street, I jumped back on the tube and headed for Euston to meet Sally’s train from Manchester. Met up with Sally with no problems and headed back to Trafagar Square for some Pizza Express. After some catching up, it was time for sleep!
Saturday morning we got up and walked down the Thames to see the non-original (and mistakenly placed) Globe Theatre (the most famous of Shakespeare’s four theatres). On our way to the Globe, we passed the coolest farmer’s market, and even though I’m from the Seattle area, I have to say this market put Pike Place to shame! So many booths selling all sorts of goodies, Sally and I got fresh squeezed OJ for breakfast and sampled enough baked products to fill our breakfast void, and even picked up some delicious brownies for dessert. We continued on our riverside walk and came to the quickly-growing queue for the London Eye. Sally whipped out her mobile and called to “pre-order” tickets, which we just walked in, picked up and went on the Eye. The whole experience was “brilliant”! Plus, the morning clouds had burned off and it was a clear day- perfect for a ride on the world’s largest “Ferris wheel”. After that, we went to Mongolian BarbeQue for lunch, which is a stir-fry restaurant – very good and fun, an excellent choice indeed! After lunch, it was starting to get dark, so we headed towards Hyde Park to see the Princess Diana Memorial.
Our journey to the Diana Memorial was a long, tiring, and frustrating walk to say the least. We walked across Hyde Park (as I learned from my bus tour- it is the largest of the Royal Parks), trying to follow the sporadic signs. When we got to what we thought was the end of the park (Nope! Just a road cutting across the park!), we gave up and put my American Accent to use- couldn’t very well have Sally (with her knowing British accent!) ask! So I played it up- even tried to work in an “y’all”, and got directions- we were almost there- but since it was getting darker by the minute (swear it was daylight when we started out!), we decided to check another sign. Again, NOT on the map! But we found it, and it was closed or turned off, but I took pictures regardless- we’d walked almost 3 tube stops, our feet were killing us, I was going to take a picture! After the memorial, we FINALLY found maps displaying the park’s location (Another example of the British-humor I’m too tired for?)
After this, we decided to head back towards Oxford and Picadilly Circus to do some shopping. I had a “London Shopping List” – something like this- I REALLY wanted a pair of those adorable ballerina flats, a cute hat, a British-band CD, and an English-language book to read on my Budapest trip (English books in Norway, like everything else in Norway, are expensive!). Somehow we managed to kill a few hours, even went into Europe’s Largest Toy store, and I decided I should go to the First Hard Rock Café, since I’ve been going to all the other HRC’s. After which we walked back to the tube and back “home” to arrange some packing- sent some stuff home (I mean Florida-home, not home-home) with Sally since she was going on Tuesday. Yeah, I know I’ll be in Edinburgh on Tuesday, but I’m still so jealous Sally gets to go play with Keri, Ben, Nikki, Keith, Jason, Nicole… EVERYONE! this week in Florida ☹.
Sunday morning we woke up and headed to Liverpool Street station so I could catch the Stansted Express back to the airport for my flight to Glasgow. The only glitch there was that the train wasn’t running. Instead, they were running coach buses, but I only had an hour to get to the station (despite London traffic!) Made it there just in time- had to run from the bus to the desk, checked in at 11:13, and the ticket counter supposedly closed at 11:15, but I think it stayed open longer due to that whole Stansted Express train situation.
So, now I’m on my way to Glasgow…largest city in Scotland, the country’s industrial heart. I’ll be staying there for one night, and sometime Monday I’ll be making the 40-minute train journey to Edinburgh – Scotland’s capital. Just hoping I can understand the accents!
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