Edinburgh

So now I'm in Edinburgh. The first week was Freshers Week which is mainly designed for freshmen (or as they're called here freshers) but also includes people new to the school. Most the events were very overwhelming and the queues were far too long but it was still a good time to meet a lot of people. I went to most events with my friend, Sasha, who lives in my flat. We mostly went to concerts or bars in one of the student unions (yes their are two and yes they have bars) called Teviot. The other is named Potterrow.

The picture on the left is Teviot at night lit up with the somewhat famous (or at least I think so) purple lights and the picture on the right is a band called Bwani Junction who opened for the band, Fatherson, who we went to go see on the second night of Freshers Week.

Last Saturday, Sasha and I also hiked to Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is a large hill near the coast (between where I live and the sea but still in Edinburgh) that everyone hikes up because the view is amazing. 

Last week was my first week of classes. Classes are different here in that I only have three (History of Art, American History (for the perspective), and Architecture History) and while that seems like not that much, there is a lot more independent study. Basically, there is no busy work like quizzes or drafts or even midterms. There is a reading list recommended per week (which is more than enough to consume all spare time) and students can read as much or as little as they think necessary. Instead of midterms, there are essays due and in one of my classes I have journals to do every week but they aren't due until the near end of the semester. So, the moral of this story is that it is really easy to procrastinate. 

Where I live is very close to George Square which is where most classes in the College of Arts and Humanities are so that is nice. It is also near the Meadows, one of Edinburgh's parks. Although it is called the Meadows, it is really just a flattish park that has a golf course but isn't really meadow-like at all. But still lovely. 

(left is view from my window and right is the Meadows at sunset)

Next weekend I hope to go on a trip with some other international students to St. Andrews. As for now, I am still trying to decide which societies (clubs) to join. So far I have joined the Wine Society and the Labour Students Society (which involved joining the Labour Party so don't know how that is going to work but sorry Dad) but am thinking about the Art Society and Retrospect Journal (a history, classics, and archaeology journal I am hoping to design for) along with the Water of Life Society. What is the Water of Life Society you may ask? It is not a charity if that is what you're thinking. In Gaelic, the word for whiskey also means "water of life" so it is in fact the Whiskey Society. 

Amsterdam

For the past week I was in Amsterdam (in the Netherlands if you need clarification) and it was awesome! On the first day, Lila and I met up with my friend Matt from UNC who is studying abroad in Maastricht. We went on a "free" tour where the guide made money on tips so it was not expensive but also not free. But the tour was excellent and we saw all of Amsterdam.

  

The picture on the right is with Matt. The next day, Lila and I went to this hostel outside Amsterdam called the Lucky Lake Hostel and it was amazing. We went to the lake and kayaked through the canals. We also rented bikes and went into the nearby town, Abcoude, which was cool because it wasn't as big and busy as Amsterdam. The people at the hostel who worked there and stayed there were super nice and interesting. There was a group of guys from Cambridge who had biked from Cambridge to Amsterdam (using the ferry). 

The first one Lila took of me on our way to Abcoude and the second one is Lila by the lake at sunset. 

The day after that we went back into Amsterdam and stayed at a subpar hostel with treacherous stairs from the ground floor up which was always eventful. For the next two days Lila and I did a lot of wandering around the city and sitting in Vondelpark. We also went to the Van Gogh Museum which was slightly overpriced but also amazing because Van Gogh is amazing. If anyone is travelling to Amsterdam ever I would recommend this bakery called De Laatste Kruimel ("the last crumb") near the University of Amsterdam because its great and excellent and Lila and I went there many times. 

We also saw this man playing the french horn in the canal once amongst our wandering and he was literally just playing the french horn going around in circles in the canal which was quite entertaining. 

The last picture if of the Rijksmuseum which we didn't go into but it looked so pretty at sunset that I couldn't resist. This is also where the I (Am)sterdam sign (art?) is. 

Now I am in Edinburgh! It is really fun and I will recap it later but it is Freshers Week so there are events all the time often around three at the same time so it is like being a freshman again. Yay. 

Grenoble and Le Glacier Des Bossons

Because my father's last text message said "Love you. Don't forget about your blog," here is round two.

For the past two days, I have been in Grenoble, a town in the French Alps famous for La Bastille and for having two universities renown for science and research. When we got there yesterday, Lila and I were quite tired so we spent a good hour just sitting in a park people watching, which has become one of our favorite things to do in French cities. The people are usually very attractive and well-dressed so obviously interesting. While it inspires, it also makes us reconsider all past fashion choices and strive to be more French in our dressing. How can one pull off skinny jeans and Nike hi-tops without looking at all like a douche bag? Go to France and so many women who will show you how.

There is lots of graffiti all around the city. There was this random sheep that was everywhere, like we saw it everywhere, but I don't know what it means or represents but it's pretty cool I suppose. The architecture is also really cool there; very French and such with the apartments above the shops with the big windows that open like in Paris. I liked Grenoble in general and felt less judged than in Paris but everyone was still you know French so therefore intimidating by birth.

We also went to La Bastille which is a fort that protected France from invasion back in the day (I feel like there is a relation to Bastille Day but that is not confirmed). To get there, you have to take cable cars and in Grenoble, they are these cute little pods that travel all together instead of being more like a ski lift. The view from the top is awesome. 

 

Two days before going to Grenoble, Lila and I went on a hike to Le Glacier des Bossons. We took a lift up so the hike was around an hour and a half. It wasn't that hard but many French hikers seem to have a penchant for jogging down the mountain so we passed many-a-jogger on our way up. I don't understand this hobby.

The view from the glacier was quite incredible. This picture is obviously Instagram-ed (it was quite a popular Insta if i do say so myself) but still shows how awesome it was. At the top there was a café with incredibly overpriced water (3 euros for a cup of Perrier) and no Diet Coke (or Coca Light) but none of that matters anyway. The view was amazing nonetheless.

France

Before Scotland, my friend Lila and I are staying in France for a couple weeks near Chamonix in the Alps. Chamonix is known for its skiing and having the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc (or "White Mountain" clearly the French didn't get very creative when naming their highest mountains) which Lila and I can see when we walk out our front door. There is snow on Mont Blanc and many of the higher mountains but its actually quite warm where we are in Les Houches, which is about 15 minutes from Chamonix. Here is the view from the front door:

It's alright. Obviously there is no skiing because there isn't snow but there is lots of hiking and climbing and super outdoorsy things. Think Colorado with classy French people who have more refined taste and aren't vegans (sorry Colorado). Two days ago we went on a two-ish hour hike to the top of the mountain that the chalet is on (so like up the hill (mountain?) behind the grassy field in the picture). We went to the part that would have been the summit had we been skiing and there was a cafe and such up there. My gluts still hurt but it was worth it. Pic:

It is basically the same view as before but higher up and on a prettier day. I don't seem to have a photo on my phone from the top because I'm not smart but I have some on my camera so stay tuned. Today we went on a hike through Les Gorges de Diosaz which is kind of like a park started by this guy, Diosaz, in 1865ish who really liked rocks and mountains (geology I suppose) and wanted everyone to enjoy it so he started a park. We went on a hike through "les gorges" which followed a stream with lots of waterfalls in the valley of two mountains. The water was glacial so we decided not to jump in even though it was oh-so-tempting. 

The waterfall looks small and I guess it kind of was but the rocks were huge. This was taken from a bridge with the waterfall pretty far under us so I don't know how to put it in scale but it was cool. 

We are in France for about another week and then we are trying to go to Amsterdam so hopefully that works out. Check my Instagram (@nancopeland. Father- instagram.com because I know you don't have one) for a more current feed and visual window (pun intended if you look at my last picture) into my travels/life.