I just need some time to play

Oh boy, do I have lots to share! Where to begin...

The last time I posted was 20 July at midnight, so I have technically 3 whole days to catch you up on. Here it goes.

20 July:

We had our first class in St. Leonard's Hall--which is literally a miniature castle, I might add--and it was so, so cool to see such a beautiful building and take part in a lecture inside it. We watched Behind the Lines (the movie version of Regeneration, a book I love) and discussed some of the finer points.

Lunch at the bar with the Jets and Magee before heading off on a bus tour of Edinburgh. Our little pub here on campus is adorable, and the food is SO much cheaper than London (but still delicious). Along those same lines, we get ENGLISH BREAKFAST EVERY DAY and it's amazing.

The tour of Edinburgh was an excellent way to get an overview of the city before delving into our wandering. We saw everything (literally, everything) and I was blown away by how beautiful the city is. I know I said I loved London and didn't want to leave...but Edinburgh beats London any day. It's gorgeous here in the highlands; I just can't get over it! I've taken a million pictures and I'll probably take a million more.

Double-decker buses are pretty awesome too, by the way. :)

Before dinner, we wandered Princes Street (which is where all the shopping is!) and I finally got myself a belt. I've lost a significant amount of weight here, so my pants are struggling to stay up... Problem solved though! We then found a nice little pub called Rose & Brewery, where I discovered Scottish mozzarella sticks (they were cajun, it was bizarre) and then learned exactly how much I love Jameson (I'm a whiskey girl all the way!).

Following dinner, we strolled back home to grab the newly arrived Kristine (her interview at the House of Lords went incredibly well, and we were very proud of her!). We had some Spanish wine at the Salisbury (yes, we have a new corner pub, of course) and then I went to the hospital.

Yeah, let's gloss over that. I was really sick, couldn't breathe, blah blah blah, breathing treatments and lots of drugs...incredibly gorgeous Scottish doctor...got home at 4 am... It was a long night.

21 July:

Class was a bit rough, considering we got minimal amounts of sleep the night before (I will not disgust you by explaining exactly how much coughing up I did instead of sleeping). But it was an interesting class, talking about Utopian ideals and the common themes across Utopian theories. It is interesting to know so much about WWI and Wilson now...puts a lot of things in perspective for me.

After class, I managed to rest a bit and then we went right to Edinburgh Castle, which I am in LOVE with! I could have spent forever there. The view from Castle Hill is breathtaking, and the castle itself is so powerful and beautiful, so much to take it... We saw not only all of Edinburgh from the top of the hill, but we also went inside and saw the crown jewels, which I thought was very neat. I had a great time in the castle, and I would love to go back again one day and take a million pictures.

It was in the castle yesterday that I realized how much I love my girls here. You guys are the best, you really are! :)

That night, we went on a search for a good whiskey store (of course) and then grabbed dinner and a whiskey flight (to decide what we would buy the next day) from a nearby pub. We had a good time, as always... Perhaps that's the greatest thing about this trip, the company we keep. The conversation is never dull, I assure you, and it's so nice to be with people who are enjoying everything just as much as you are. Nobody likes to travel with someone who can't be positive and have a good time; I got so lucky in my friends here!

Last night was a blast, too. We attempted to do homework (never works out) but ended up hanging out and chatting about life and love and dancing and everything else you can think of. A couple of us might take a ballet class up at school this fall, and I'm pretty pumped about that. I hope we can do it!

22 July:

After little sleep again (I need to kick this cold and actually do my homework at reasonable hours) we ventured into town to get our whiskey and hang out for the day. I'm pretty excited about my selection, but I can't explain why I bought it on here...surprising people back home makes me too happy to spill the beans! :)

We saw the Museum of Childhood--full of old fashioned toys and dolls and books and all things childhood--and then the Museum of Edinburgh and The People's Story, the museum of social change and progression. The Museum of Edinburgh was interesting because it just happens to contain the National Convenant, a VERY important and VERY old document that Magee was super excited to see. I don't know much about it, but apparently it is the foundation for the Presbyterian church as well as for the Scottish government. Pretty impressive stuff, just hidden away in a tiny museum! That would be like the Constitution being at a little bookshop in DC, with only one thin pane of glass between it and the outside world. So crazy.

We shopped a bit and got some interesting things (so much plaid, all the time) and then decided to take a rest before supper, which is where you now find me. Perhaps a nap is in order; all of this falling in love with Edinburgh is wearing me out.

In our class blogs, we had to discuss perception of time and space and how it differs for us between London and here. Here in Edinburgh, it feels like time has stopped; I literally cannot perceive the concept that the rest of the world has continued to spin, that I am not in a bubble here, dissociated from everything back home... I feel so content here. I needed this, badly. I needed to get away from the laundry list of things demanding my attention back home. That's all too easy here; the hills make you feel like you're in your own little part of the earth, secluded from everything else, tucked away and safe from any harm.

Perhaps that is the best word I could use to describe how I feel here. Safe. Warm and cozy in my new Edinburgh Uni sweatshirt, soaking in castles and hills and monuments. Making the most of every second I have.

I wish this could last forever.