I have to go to the library soon to print two essays which I'll be handing in tomorrow. The only other assignment I have until finals in May is a 2,000 word essay for Art History, which I plan to write this week. With this in mind over the past month, I have constructed a fairly exciting and spontaneous series of trips (the largest of which is my Easter Break, which I detailed in an earlier entry).
Yet, before I divulge the shape of my travels to come, I must reflect on the last forty-eight hours or so. Friday at 2pm I struck out from Edinburgh with other students in my exchange program (collected from other colleges all over the States) to the Argyll Forest. The trip was a few hours, during which we passed through Glasgow briefly. I only caught glimpses but it looked very different - more modern, more industrial - from the Burgh. We put the massive bus on a ferry and crossed a loch, and soon we were finding our rooms inside of a hostel that had once been a medieval castle turned Victorian manor up until the 1920s. The spot was relatively isolated (though apparently actor Emma Thompson lived just twenty minutes away), and home to a massive botanical garden.
Pops, you would have had a field day: over 1,500 species of rhododendron with roughly another 1,500 subspecies, what I can only imagine to be one of the most extensive collection of rhodies in the world. Most were not yet in bloom, but their sheer size (massive - pictured Right) and quantity, mixed amongst various evergreens, &c was staggering. The landscape itself reminded me considerably of Colorado, with its low valleys and high, often snow-capped peaks. The only difference is that the surrounding land formations were by no means mountains, merely tall hills, made to seem taller by the surrounding lakes and deep valleys. Regardless, the landscape was a serene and picturesque change of pace from the vital thrum of Edinburgh's city streets.
Friday night included a 'night line,' in which myself and five others embarked into the pitch-black wilderness, relatively unequipped aside from tall rubber boots, instructed to find our way through the void only through the direction of a thin rope strung between some trees. In the daylight the task would be absurd, as you could simply see where you were going, yet the smothering dimness of the countryside's star-pocked night made romping through the trees a struggle. Pitfalls into streams, invisible branches, logs, and brambles meant staying in touch with your group and treading with care.
The next morning we arose early and were split into groups. I desperately wanted to kayak or canoe, but was still satisfied with hiking and mountain biking as my activities for the day. The morning's hike led us through Puck's Glen - named after Shakespeare's mischievous satyr - and down through commercial pinelands grown up over thirty years only to be cut down and grown back up again. Most of the landscape we trekked through is actually classifiable as 'rainforest,' which was interesting to encounter in Scotland - not that I'm surprised there's a lot of rain here. Our guide, Joe, had been working with the wilderness program for eight years, ever since he moved up from Oxford, where he'd been a consultant to Tesco (a massive food-distribution corporation) for most of his life. One day he decided that wearing a tie every day just wasn't worth it in return for two-weeks' vacation every year, and now spends his time leading hikes and kayaking five days a week, approaching fifty years old.
In the afternoon Joe also led our group on mountain bikes through the hills and woods - sometimes literally through the woods, where there was no trail (but lots of mud!). Thoroughly knackered after our active day we retired to our lodgings, showered up, and changed clothes (I had gone mountain biking in jeans and a v-neck sweater....clearly prepared for extreme sports), then proceeded to dinner.
That night held a showing of Braveheart, which, I must say, I actually read into differently after understanding the culture here for two months. I stayed until Gibson's speech at the Battle of Stirling ("They may take our lives, but they may never take our freedom, &c...") and sat down to write for a while, where I met some interesting people studying at St. Andrews, and plan to meet up with in the future.
The ride back today took us past Loch Lomond - we only had fifteen minutes to wander around/take photos, but it's a thoroughly beautiful spot.
That said, it was a wonderful weekend as much about getting outdoors and having a refreshing break from city life as much as it was about seeing the country. As an added treat, I was amongst four other fummers, all studying in Scotland - variously in Glasgow, St. Andrews, &c.
Looking ahead, I have quite the month or two coming up. Tomorrow I'm seeing The Wombats live in Edinburgh, a Scottish pop band that had a popular hit or two in the States about two years ago. That will act as one slice of bread to pair with my 21st birthday on Friday, sandwiching the writing of my 2,000 word Art History essay during the week. Friday and Saturday likely being occupied by celebration and recovery regarding my having survived 7,665 days on the planet, I'll have Monday and Tuesday to take it easy until next Wednesday the 16th, the night of which I'll be taking off for Cologne, Germany.
I booked my flight and stay in Cologne relatively spontaneously (and cheaply, too). It came over me suddenly that I am only going to be here so long, and that the funds I'd saved since last June for my time here should not simply idle away in clubs and pubs around Edinburgh. Cologne seemed like a good choice for a few reasons, being a lovely place in itself, a swift train ride from Brussels and Amsterdam, and in Germany, which I won't be hitting over Easter Break. After the sun has risen and set five times I'll be flying back to Edinburgh, my backpack slightly heavier and my travels complete - for the time being.
Returning Monday the 21st I will have three days to attend class, pack, make final arrangements, and mentally prepare for my 19-day excursion by rail from the bottom of Britain to the boot of Italy. I feel relatively prepared already, and this weekend at Argyll taught me valuable lessons. Taking only a backpack requires a certain kind of packing. I'm certainly not taking my laptop, so that will free up space. Still - basic items such as a toiletry bag, a small bath towel (I'm staying in hostels, after all), and clothing take up considerable space. As far as clothing goes, I'll be packing substantially light - in layers, to be safe. Instead of a book I'll load up my kindle with some good reads and tote that handy item along. After Argyll, I'm going to invest in a reusable, Nalgene-esque water-bottle, and be sure to pack an array of snacks to tide me over in between meals while I'm en route. Thanks to John and Kim I already have a UK.US.European electrical plug adapter, and I only need to charge my phone and the kindle, anyway (my ipod too, I guess).
It kinda feels like I'm playing that game Oregon Trail from 1997, except instead of packing 200lbs. of mutton and three spare wagon axles I have to cram my bare necessities into a bag on my back. Hopefully I'll avoid dysentery, as well (for those of you unfamiliar with Oregon Trail this reference is probably puzzling).
My Grand Tour of the Continent ends Wednesday April 13th, although I'll leave again two days later for the Isle of Skye with my exchange program again for three days. After that I'll have to screw my head back on and somehow take final exams (of which I only have two, one being a take-home essay). May, however, bodes only good tidings. My best friend from Glen Rock, Tom Brande, is visiting some time after the 18th for a week, and Mr. and Mrs. Brown are planning to make an appearance either before or after his visit, depending on when my one sit-down exam falls. While Tom's here it is possible we will go to Dublin with some of my Edinburgh mates, and I'm sure I'll see some sights with the Parents, as well.
That pretty much accounts for May, and my last stop is London again to depart on the 30th for chemical-sunset Newark. If time allows I may end up spending a day or two prior to that taking trains down through England seeing some sights. I'd like to visit Stratford and Oxford, if possible.
In other news, I sent in my contract to Northfield Mount Hermon, so my summer is looking like: June - live in Glen Rock and substitute teach at GRHS; July - teach writing/public speaking at NMH in Massachusetts; August - live in Lancaster at 249 once more and hopefully be a PA for PIT at F&M (kind of a counselor/supervisor for a great community service program I took part in as a volunteer the week before my Freshman year). Quite a plan, I think, and with ample opportunity to make back all the money I will have turned over to the EU since January, with time for leisure and shenanigans included.
I'll keep you updated with my experiences! Hope everyone is healthy, happy, and safe!
We remember the Oregon trail! Notice your new follower? Happy Birthday - take another bow.
ReplyDelete