Adventures Galore!

I've had an adventure and a half since last the last post! More Scotland, more Harry Potter, and more ART! I've walked through the Scottish Highlands, talked with a living avante garde theater legend (who looked exactly like Bilbo), and most importantly, watched Braveheart.

Miss you all so much from home. Wish you could be here to walk the Edinburgh Castle Terrace with me, and eat baked potatoes from the Hottest Tatties in town fastfood place!

1) On Sunday, we took a daylong tour from Haggis Adventure Tours that brought us from the William Wallace monument, to Loch Lomond, lunch at the quaint town of Aberfoyle, through the Scottish Highlands, and to the medieval Duone Castle. We proudly drove through mist covered highlands in a bus that claimed Scotland's wild and sexy origins. Our brave tourguide/bus driver Daniel gave us a wild and sexy rendition of Scottish history, as he drove us through winding mist covered Scottish hill sides and mountains. The rain gave beautiful ambience, and the tour was topped off brilliantly by a viewing of Braveheart we held back at the apartment (you may be surprised, but that movie is surprisingly historically inaccurate!!).

2) In Aberfoyle, I met a very friendly kitty! After worrying it would give me scabies, I named it Wallace.

3) The best part of the tour was the medieval Duone Castle, which not only was the Monty Python and the Holy Grail castle, but allowed you to go up the tiny winding staircases of the turrets, and explore the well, kitchen, great hall, bed rooms, and lavatory! It was my absolutely favorite of the trip so far -- touching and learning about the everyday life of the medieval Scots.

4) We had our second class Monday, which consisted of Oedipus story analysis (great tips on plot mapping!). After class, we took a trip to Craigscrook castle, an old countryside retreat of writers such as Alfred Tennyson, Charles Dickens, George Elliot, and Sir Walter Scott. Today it is an office for Scottish arts councils, and we listened to an extensive lecture by Sir Richard DeMarco, an eighty year old hobbit-esque legend of the avante garde performance world. Through the rambling, odd references, and negative feelings toward computer scientists, he inspired me to always give art an important place in my life. Writing, here I come!

5) Today we ventured back to the Elephant House for coffee and cake. This time, I noticed in the bathroom notes written in all languages to JK Rowling, thanking her for their childhood, declaring themselves a Ravenclaw, or offering themselves up to Ron Weasley. I didn't have a pen, so I must go back to leave a note myself. :)

6) After a walk through the Museum of Childhood (which was filled with Victorian toys, play sets, and a rather creepy doll room that I unfortunately walked in alone), we decided the Elephant Room could only be followed by a viewing of Harry Potter 7p2 in a BRITISH THEATER! There's not a bad seat in the house, with the front row back 20 feet, and at least 4 feet between seats. Beforehand, many warnings of "strobe lights!" and "we are night-vision filming throughout the movie, so DON'T RECORD IT" clarified the Britishness of the theater.

7) Today was a class day (we went from modern, to post-modern, to Dada, to Fluxus, to post-post-modern, to dualism! hooray!), then I ran some errands and then adventured to not one but TWO libraries! One for old books, one for borrowing -- but I got two cards (free souvies!) and more shortbread books!

8) My adventures for the daylight hours ended on Calton Hill -- where I sat surrounded by monuments with a view of the whole city, and wrote my travel journal. :)

9) This evening we have a Haunted Tour, where we venture to a graveyard and then beneath the streets of Edinburgh to catacombs that held many victims of the plague (it's supposed to be super spooky -- wish you were here!!). Plays start tomorrow and Friday, maybe an Ireland v Scotland rugby game on Saturday, and a Viewpoints of Movement Acting Workshop on Saturday (taught by our TA -- for beginners, thank goodness!). I love vacation -- I mean education!

10) Miss you. ;)