Yesterday was a perfect Minnesotan day! I woke up to my radio announcing school closings throughout the city, and commenting on the horrible weather that had hit the city over night. Anxious to look outside, I drew back my curtains only to find about an inch of legitimate snow covering the ground (but hey, that made me happy). One of my flatmates was commenting on the blizzard outside – I couldn’t help but laugh! (She was SO excited to finally see snow fall – she took pictures and videos throughout the day, but refused to step outside). In celebration of snow and finding blueberries, I made blueberry pancakes for my flat complete with actual maple syrup. Talk about feeling like home!
After declaring to my parents that I was suffering from ‘snow withdrawal,’ I am SO excited to see genuine snow in the city. Drivers are struggling to get cars around corners, and the city of Edinburgh is dumping sand on the sidewalks and streets (when they could just as easily use their shovels to move the snow rather than burying it). Over the last few days I have realized how much others are afraid of and not accustomed to snow, and also how much I depend on it. Yesterday I found myself standing on a corner simply staring at the sheets of snow falling on Arthur’s Seat, and I realized how much I must have looked like a fool. Walking away I turned the corner only to find a guy doing the exact same thing — I almost asked him if he was from MN. I will say that the weather is actually quite crazy – one minute there are flurries, five minutes later a complete blizzard. Hail, sleet, snow, rain, sun, wind . . . I have experienced all in a time span of about thirty minutes! Plus, the weather is different about every 100ft – we had an inch of snow, some of my friends had three.
This weekend I ventured to the other side of Scotland with a friend of mine. We took an early train to Glasgow, and upon our arrival, we hopped on a city tour bus. Unfortunately we hit Glasgow on one of the biggest football/soccer games of the year, and part of the city was off limits due to possible riot outbreaks and such (pretty cool, eh?). In Glasgow I visited the pub with the longest bar in the world (made it in the Guinness Book of Records), the Botanic Gardens, and the Museum of Transport. Even though there were so many things to do within the city, we decided to head up to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park just 19 miles North of Glasgow.
Now the tour guide told us that the trip would take 40min by bus. 40min after we had caught the bus, we finally asked a passenger how long it would take us to get to Loch Lomond — turns out that the entire trip is 40min BY TRAIN. Another 40 min later, we arrived supposedly at a bus station, which in reality was a small parking lot with a bench. Up in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday afternoon, sun setting, stores closing – we could only laugh at our situation. Cold and tired, we power walked to the end of Loch Lomond catching just enough light to take a few pictures, and then went back to the bus station (not knowing what the bus schedule was).
The lake/loch was absolutely incredible! Bordered by forest, mountains in the distance on one side, and a small harbor on the other, the lake took on a purple tint as the sun set. Part of a national park, trails run around the lake as well as throughout the forest. Hopefully on a warmer day I will catch a train in order to spend an entire day at the lake.
Essays are due Friday, Monday, and Thursday – it is not a puzzle to figure out what I will be doing this weekend since homework has not been a priority. After the essays have been handed in, the next things I have to worry about are my final exams! Of course, there will be a trip to London within the next two weeks, plus a very special spring break trip (I will reveal the details of the trip at a later date . . . gotta love suspense).
I have found Skippy peanut butter at a tiny store in Edinburgh, and I am learning to deal with the lack of applesauce. However, I will be in need of Girl Scout cookies. If anybody feels so inclined to freeze an extra box of Thin Mints or Tag-a-longs for a few months, I will be by in late June to pick them up.
I have successfully completed 7 whole weeks in Edinburgh – and I’m still going strong!!!
Happy Snowing!
Cheers!