Gloaming

There is apparently distinct type of twilight found in Scotland, especially in the summer. They call it gloaming. It is specifically not sunset, but is the time that is neither day nor night. It also happens to be my very favorite time of day. A few weeks ago I took some pictures from the top floor of one of classroom buildings during this time. I posted some of them below. Gloaming was also discussed in a short story we read for my Scottish Lit class called "The Library Window" by Margaret Oliphant. Here is one of the excerpts I especially liked:

"Sometimes, as I have said, he would turn round in his chair and turn his face towards it, and sit there for a long time musing when the light had begun to fail, and the world was full of that strange day which was night, that light without colour, in which everything was so clearly visible, and there were no shadows. 'It was between the night and day. when the fairy folk have power.' This was the after-light of the wonderful, long, long summer evening, the light without shadows. It had a spell in it, and sometimes it made me afraid: and all manner of strange thoughts seemed to come in, and I always felt that if only we had a little more vision in our eyes we might see beautiful folk walking about it in, who were not of our world."

Crocuses Galore

First of all, I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently. We're finishing up classes and my attentions have been elsewhere. Classes end here on March 26th, which is so soon I can't even believe it. After that we have a 3ish week spring break followed by an insanely long exam period that last from the middle of April to the end of May. I'm hoping to do lots of traveling around Scotland and some further exploring of Edinburgh during this time. That's in between all the very serious studying I'll be doing for my exams of course. I wish I was kidding about the last bit. oof. The exams here sound a little bit terrifying, but it will be fine, right? Right. Moving on...

It seems that spring has arrived in Edinburgh. This weekend saw the blooming of copious crocuses. They're so beautiful and colorful that I kind of just want to roll around in the fields of them.

These pictures are from The Meadows, the enormous park not far from my flat. You can sort of make out all the daffodil shoots in the background that are about to bloom as well. I can't wait!

In addition to the floral harbingers, the weather has also turned a bit spring-like. We've been lucky and have had quite a few bright, shiny, relatively mild days here. The only downside is the wind. This weekend I noticed that even the wind had started to change and smelled like spring and storms. Now I don't have time to notice what the wind smells like because I'm too busy trying to not fall over. It was so strong today that it literally almost knocked me down. It was like walking into a wall. It's not quite this blustery yet though...yet. My Scottish flatmate said that they only very occasionally get big, proper thunderstorms here. This wind and the dark clouds that it brought with it today make me think we get a taste of one soon.

My friend Lily visited this past weekend and gave me a good excuse to check out some of the touristy spots I hadn't been to yet. I've uploaded pictures from St Giles, Holyrood, Calton Hill, and other places around the city to my Picasa Album, otherwise known as the 'Photographic Snippets' section to the right of the page. I'm planning on writing more posts about the places we visited very soon, and I mean it this time.

Foodstuffs: More Crisps, Haggis, et. al

Hello! Sorry for the lack of postings lately. To be perfectly honest, I've been pretty boring these last few weeks. An increase in homework combined with a spell of being sick haven't left much time for adventures. I have a whole three-week spring break coming up in a month or so; I'll have adventures then.

For now, I'll try to catch you up on some of my culinary tourism. There has certainly been plenty of it. First of all, the continuing crisps investigation. Two new flavors have been cross off the list. 1.) Flame Grilled Steak:

I liked these a lot better than the bacon flavored ones. They were also much thicker and crunchier, which I think helped. To be perfectly honest, the flavoring on them tasted like the seasoning used in beef-flavored Ramen noodles. My friend Karin called them, "flamboyant". So we're not talking about fine cuisine here, but they sure do make a tasty snack, especially after a pint or two.

and 2.) Worcester Sauce:


This is currently one of my favorite flavors. They're very similar tasting to salt and vinegar crisps, only with a little extra flavor. Though they're not quite as strong and salt and vinegar, they've still got a bit of that same sharpness to them. yum yum yum

And now the moment you've all been waiting for: Haggis.

I'll be honest. I hated it. I had it as part of a Scottish Breakfast spread which included many other things as well. The first bite was okay, the second bite tasted really strongly of blood/iron, and the third bite...well, I didn't make it to the third bite. I'm still willing to give it another try, I think I might like it a bit better when it's not the first thing I've eaten in the morning. I also tried vegetarian haggis, which is made with oats and lentils. That was much, much tastier. I suspect veggie haggis, neeps, and tatties would be a delicious combination.

While we're on the subject of meats and sausages, I had a scrumptious steak and ale pie the other night for dinner. It was the first thing I had eaten after being sick for two days and not having an appetite. I think it, along with the healthy portion of mashed potatoes it was served with, played a large role in my recovery.


Lastly, I've been spending a lot of time at Elephant House (JK Rowling's old haunt). They do in fact have excellent filter coffe, which is a large part of why I keep going back, but they also have really good food and desserts. As an added bonus, they always have a cheap lunch special and give students a 10% discount. What's not to love? When I went a couple of weeks ago, the lunch special (pictured below) was a particularly tasty meatball baguette that came with a salad.


Well that about does it for the food highlights...We went to church at St. Giles Cathedral (the home of Presbyterianism) this morning. That account will have to wait until tomorrow, though. Now it is late and I must head to bed. Until tomorrow....

Happy (late) Valentine's Day from Scotland!!

Here's a little postcard-turned-valentine I made. We all know those big hairy highland cows are all probably just big softies at heart. Here's hoping you all had a wonderful Valentine's whatever you did and whomever you were with. I had a pretty lazy day myself. This weekend was fairly light work-wise, so I took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep and laze about. Finally, I did get a little stir-crazy and went for an outing in the afternoon. I left my building and turned to head for a coffee shop when I heard bagpipes. And yes, I know. I'm in Scotland. They play the bagpipes a lot here. However, our neighborhood is not one where one usually hears Scotland the Brave being piped on the sidewalk. I started walking, looking a bit befuddled, and located the source of the music when I walked by the Himalayan store/cafe a few doors down from me. There was a fact a piper, in full dress, piping away in this tiny, tiny Himalayan store. There were also two people dancing and laughing enthusiastically while another woman took pictures. I almost popped in and asked what was going on, but instead just smiled, shook my head, and walked on. When I passed by later that evening, the store was playing host to a meditation circle with someone playing the sitar. That scenario made a bit more sense.

The first part of the outing was spent reading at a coffee shop. Now, ss fun as it was sitting by myself amidst couples sharing cakes and listening to sappy Elvis songs being played on the stereo, I decided to continue on pretty soon after I finished my coffee and cookie. For the most part, I just walked around in the misty twilight, popping into stores every now and then. I did treat myself, however, to a few poetry books (A.E. Housman and The Mentor Book of Major British Poets) at a used bookstore as a Valentine's Day present to myself. I also bought myself to this amazing sweater from the "Hawkhead Bowling Club" at a thrift store. It features this crest:



So there you go. I spent my Valentine's Day with used clothing, depressed British poets, and incongruous bagpipers. What more could a girl ask for?

Arthur's Seat

Some of our Macalester friends were visiting this weekend, which motivated us to finally do some of the tourist things we've been meaning to do ever since we came here. One of those things was climbing Arthur's Seat, the "mountain" that looks over my part of the city. The climb was not too difficult, but a bit steeper than I had anticipated. Of course, some of my huffing and puffing could have been due to that enormous piece of pie that we split right before heading up, maybe. Whatever the reason, pausing once in a while on our ascent gave on the chance to appreciate the stunning views. Especially since once we got to the top and above the fog, there wasn't much of anything to see. Here are a few pictures from before the fog:

Some ruins of a chapel

I've added the rest of the pictures to the Picasa Album.

The pictures don't nearly do it justice. There was a special sort of stillness to the valleys. A few members of the group even swore they heard faint strains of bagpipes floating through the air. I didn't hear them myself, but it did inspire me to share with them the story of Wee Gillis. I'm sure Munro Leaf would be pleased to know that his story had been told on a Scottish hillside.

We want to make this climb a regular one, so hopefully I'll be able to share some sunny pictures soon.

Speaking of Robert Burns...

I know Amelia Furrow was upset that I made no mention of Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse" in my previous posts. So here it is, in it's entirety, just for you, Amelia...

To A Mouse

Wee sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an chase thee,
Wi murdering pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion.
An fellow mortal!

I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve:
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma request;
I'll get a blessin wi the lave,
An never miss't!

Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
Its silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An naething, now, to big a new ane,
O foggage green!
An bleak December's win's ensuin.
Baith snell an keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an waste,
An weary winter comin fast.
An cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro thy cell.

That wee bit heap o leaves an stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble.
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An cranreuch cauld!

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o mice an men
Gang aft agley,
An lea'e us nought but grief an pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An forward, tho I canna see,
I guess an fear!

The Ceilidh (Finally)

Goodness I'm behind on posting! So many things to tell you about...First up is the Burns Night Ceilidh we went to last Sunday that was put on by the Water of Life Society. It was my first ever ceilidh, and hopefully won't be my last. I can't even begin to describe how fun it was. Everyone was very friendly and the dances weren't nearly as hard as they looked. They had a wonderful live band with a caller, who taught us all the steps before each dance. You soon stop worrying about looking like a fool and just go for it. I have a couple videos from it, but they're are just a little bit too big to post. I'll try to condense them or put them up somewhere else.

It was an absolutely amazing evening and we danced for hours and hours, however that meant when I got out of bed two days later (I felt deceptively fine the day after) my calves were so sore that I looked like an old lady when I tried to walk down the stairs.

Now about what John referred to as the "gerbil haggis"...As per Burns Night tradition, there was the Address to a Haggis, where they recite the Robert Burns poem of the same name, as well as a slaying of the haggis. During the very spirited Address, said haggis was brutally stabbed and slain. The explanation given for the gerbily thing was that it was supposed to represent the haggis that was slain last year.