Snowbrawl!

ITS WINTER!

It's literally been years since I've had snow to deal with on jut a regular day ie not just before christmas in Michigan. I slipped and slid and tromped my way to lecture yesterday and it rocked...what rocked more was running into all my flatmates on my way home. They were sledding down the hill next to our building on plastic bags.

I love my flatmates.

From left: Kaia, Me, Emanuele, Martin, Kristine, Sarah

So it's been pretty much snowing non-stop since last Friday and since Dundee doesn't usually get what little snow they accustomed to until at least January this meant the city was completely unprepared so we didn't have school Monday. Which rocked. Especially since I had already rolled over and skipped my first class by the time I realized it was actually cancelled.

I blame the beer chicken we had Sunday.

But I should probably start at the beginning.

The weekend started out right on Friday with Danika's birthday. We went to Laings and had a round while she opened her gifts ( I got her a gag gift of the cheapest cider I could find...I ended up getting it mostly because the jug it was in looked like something Pa Clampett would carry around).  It's possible that I lamed out and went home when they moved on to a club (...but my knee hurts and I don't really think dancing would help it improve, and yes I'm whining on my blog...isn't that what they're for?).

The next morning Robin, Martin, Emanuele and I hang out  (the rest of the girls were in London) and what am I going to do when I don't have an Italian handing me an espresso shot, unasked, as soon as I walk into the kitchen in the morning? It pretty much turns into a lazy day where nothing much gets done and there's not enough snow on the ground for it to be fun yet. The four of us make plans to go to St Andrews the following day for St Andrew's day

That night I get very little sleep because I'm too fascinated with the lightning blizzard that's going on.
Actual lightning,during a blizzard.
Mind=Blown

When I wake up at noon (overslept) Robin is knocking on the door with pancake ingredients and even though there's only a few inches (5?) the city hasn't even thought about cleaning it up yet so we stay home and eat breakfast for a couple hours. So no St. Andrews but we make our own fun. Our pancakes get inventive and the pancake cheesy taco is born (and it was freaking delicious so shuddup).

Later on we decide to make up an expedition to Tesco. And it is an expedition. We have two hiking packs several grocery bags and we are all bundled up as best we can manage with our limited wardrobes to brave the snow storm going on outside. I remember quickly how not waterproof my hiking boots are.

...but Robin and I really want to try making beer chicken so we persevere. And I somehow end up pushing the cart that they boys have lain their wet snow gear all over and Tesco employees everywhere have a new reason to quietly mock the crazy American girl. Robin and I attempt an organized shopping trip while the boys run around like five-year-olds in a candy store and show up every couple minutes to gleefully dump more and more random purchases into the cart and find beer (which, admittedly, we need, for beer chicken).

Then Martin shows up, takes the 12 pack he's already put in the cart out and replaces it with a 24 pack of 24 oz-ers. "it's cheaper," he says and to my rather dubious look he replied, "don't worry I will carry it, no problem"

Turns out it really isn't.

We just look like Sherpas on our decidedly wetter slog home.

There is also, possibly, a short snow ball fight.

Followed by and amazing meal that I think Robin and I did pretty damn well on for throwing it together with no more plan than "Let's try beer-chicken"

And Dundee Cake for Dessert

Monday was the snowday so we obviously completely wasted it...don't argue it's what you're supposed to do.

Tuesday I had to turn in some history papers and when I showed up to my one lecture not even the lecturer was there so I left. On the way home is where this post started...with a snow brawl. I ran into my Flatmates and was immediately attacked by Emanuele. No worries, I won.

Martin took pictures but they aren't embedding properly so here.

And then,andthenandthenandthen....we made Christmas cookies on Tuesday!

It was super fun, all of the flatmates, Robin, Danika and Mathias (Martin's french co-worker) were there. Luckily Robbin and Danika volunteered their oven since ours didn't work the morning after beer chicken (seriously I didn't break it...and mom's catching on fire this summer wasn't my fault either!)

Turns out Mathias is a very talented cookie cutter (we were freehanding it with dull knives) and made a Pacman with a tiny bit of leftover dough on a whim then followed it up with ghost, on request. Then I had to mention stop motion. So we did it.

And since my computer doesn't support the movie maker on picassa I'll just have to show you the first frame of Cookie Pacman...i'll try to put it up in a slideshow after I post this.

And we hung some of the gingerbreads for decoration.

So yeah it's been a pretty awesome snow storm.

Vegetation and the Sugar Plum Fairies

I have been a blissful lump this weekend. The most strenuous thing I've done (in fact the only time I've left the apartment) was walking down to the city center on Friday to check out the lighting of the Christmas tree. It was pretty intense you couldn't move there were so many people, I honestly hadn't realized that there *were* that many people in Dundee.

But I'm getting out of order. I justified this weekend of of absolutely nothing, after my vow of having an adventure every week, by having a girls night out on Thursday. My girl flatmates Kristine, Kaia, Sarah and our upstairs neighbors Robin and Danika and I went out for Mexican and The Nutcracker.

Girls night out.

Now let me just pause and explain Mexican in Scotland, I suppose I should cut them some slack because they are physically ridiculously far from the country of origin, and we did actually have a great meal even if it wasn't quite Mexican. So first of all Tortilla chips of the non Dorito variety DO NOT EXIST in Scotland (this is something I'm willing to hold against an entire country....DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE I'VE HAD NACHOS!) so there were no chips&salsa free or otherwise. Sarah even mentioned that someone had warned her not to order it because she was liable to get a plate of fries with a side of salsa. Because this is one instance where it would be sacrilegious to conceded to the vernacular and use "crisps" in place of "chips". They also don't understand the proper way to serve a margarita but as it still tasted like a margarita I won't complain.

So there were a few pre-entre hiccups but we were all laughing and having a good time so no harm no foul. While we were in the process of ordering Danika and i decided that we were absolutly craving some good, spicy, brown, sauce engorged Mexican rice. So the two of us and Robin ordered it as a side with our fajitas (well Robin got a weird taco). Our fajitas come and the amount of guacamole and salsa served with it is deplorable and the salsa didn't live up to it's definition other than being vaguely sauce-like. But there was plenty of cheese and taco sauce so I made due. I would like to take this moment to mention that there was a strange off white blob in the middle of the sauce tray that no one could identify by sight.  Danika looked at me and I bravely stuck my fork in it. I was expecting the give of a slightly off-color sour cream. This was hard, or about the consistency of real butter, I stuck it in my mouth and guess what it was?

Seriously Scotland!? Why, in the name of all that is good and holy, would I want to put freaking butter on my Fajita? It's possibly the only instance in which butter is NOT appropriate (except possibly when Mom grabs the whole tub of margarine and starts dipping any available cracker in it...'cause thats just wrong).

So after the butter is discovered, I start putting together my first wrap with admittedly spectacular chicken. The waitress is wandering over with bowls of what mush be our rice and I pause a moment so I can add rice-y deliciousness to my  creation.

She sets down three bowls of white rice with peas.

You can even see the mound of butter

I drench it in taco sauce so it at least *goes* with the rest of my meal and soldier on. It actually is quite delicious and the company is great. I would go back and just not order the rice. It doesn't hurt that I've been in Guacamole withdrawals and I managed to at least get a taste of my fix.

And on to the show.

Caird Hall was not exactly what I was expecting on the inside. It is a huge columned building exactly in the center of town that I originally mistook for a court house. It's beautiful and imposing and all the thing a place where you are about to witness a ballet beloved around the world aught to be. Except once you got in to take your seat, although the plaster molding was spectacular, the stage was tiny and the seating made you feel like you were in a high school gym with fold-up chairs  set up in rows (possibly not that bad but that was the image that comes to mind). All the shows I've been to previously have been at the Dundee Rep theater which I think skirts the line well between modern architecture and the intimacy of Victorian theaters.

So I was mildly disappointed and the first Act of the nutcracker is always boring. I mean would it have killed them to throw in a couple lines of dialog rather than forcing the poor dancers into stilted choreography meant to convey the story of a Christmas party and sibling rivalry. I honestly think they always just try too hard to convey a story that everyone already knows anyway. But after the interval and we get in to Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker suite" it's glorious. I had my first "wow it's really almost Christmas moment of the year." I Love the second act it's so easy to get caught up int he candy coated set, exotic costumes and familiar music not to mention the actual dances and dancers.

This picture makes the hall look decent (it wasn't, Kaia is just a good photographer)

I was totally in the Christmas spirit when we left. And I youtubed "Fantasia" when I got home because I had been matching up the music to the animation in the back of my mind all the way through the Suite. Dancing mushrooms and radishes are always a good way to end the night.

Then I spent the rest of the weekend watching Battlestar Galactica, Big Bang Theory and eating Grilled Cheeses

100 Cups of Tea

So I have been without a reliable computer for nearly three weeks and am still trying to correct the problem....just so everyone knows how dedicated I'm being by writing this at a Library computer rather than snug in my room with hot tea (which has just been fixed by my roomate Martin so now I am snug in my room with tea). This is also why I don't have any albums up, Picassa is terrible to upload to if you don't have their software.

Also this is going to be incredibly long.

Week 1 (that I missed posting)
So this was the closest I've gotten to having an adventureless weekend the entire time I've been here. I purposely didn't plan anything so I could get the two term papers due while Lillian was going to be in Scotland finished ahead of time (um...yeah, that worked). Thursday night I get an email from, rather hilariously, the Pakistani club offering a trip to Edinburgh on Sunday for international students. Sarah was in England with Daniela (their reading week was a week before mine) but one of the activities mentioned in the email was a trip to the aquarium so I knew she was in. After a brief text conversation discussing the legitimacy of the email (so we're paranoid) I set up a sketchy meeting with the  president of the Pakistani club at the library to give him twenty pounds for this out of the blue trip to Edinburgh. I fork over the money and my mobile number outside the doors of the library with 6 other international students, all of Asian descent.  The guy there tells us all to be in front of the tower building (the main campus building) at 8:45 sharp because we will be leaving at 9-o'clock sharp. This should have been my first clue.

Sarah and I arrive at 8:45 check our names with the bus bouncer and settle into our seat to wait....and wait....and wait. We don't leave until nearly ten, I skipped breakfast to get there on time. Luckily I had shoved the giant bag of peanut M&M's I stole from dad in Stockholm in my purse...you really don't need more than chocolate and protein. Speaking of Dad I'm only just realizing how much of his trip surliness I've inherited...or maybe it should be called the extreme irritation derived from allowing lesser beings to organize functions and then having to wait hours for their muddled excuse of a plan to come to fruition. So it's possible the president of the Pakistani club got my "We are not amused" face more than once.

But eventually we were on our way.

The establishment with the stately name of the National Aquarium of Scotland is a tourist trap of the highest order, I've come to expect at least lip service to conservation and the responsibilities of zoo's and aquariums to the environment. But no they just had a bunch of animals in cases for people to gawk at, which actually wasn't that irritating, at least they were being honest.  What was irritating was sitting on the bus for another twenty minutes once we got there and once we were finally let of the bus the indignity of actually being asked to form a single file line and quietly follow the treasurer down to the entrance. I was rather incensed by this point and as soon as we got in there Sarah and I ran to the end and did the exhibits backwards to get away from the peace signs and and people taking photos of the polluted stagnant reservoir full of plastic remote control boats and cigarette cartons like it was an awe inspiring pristine landscape (it's possible they were just amused by how trashy it was but I have my suspicions this was not the case). After milking an hour and 10 minutes of amusement out of the place we still had 50 minutes before loading back onto the next bus for our next stop. Being starving we went to the outrageously overpriced cafeteria and split curly fries (no ketchup) and I got a lime slush puppy. I love slush puppies and instantly felt better and more inclined to view the day with amusement rather than seething irritation so it was a good choice after all. And they had some cool sharks, sharks always help.

See? better.

When we go out to board the bus I'm ready to leave however and, finding a huge group picture about to take place, politely hang back. Group pictures for me top out at about 20 people before they start getting dumb and really a waste of time. Apparently my noncompliance is mildly insulting even though there are several others opting out, whatever sarah and I just get on the bus to escape while they turn everyone around for a different background. ten minutes later we are off to Scottish parliament.

The bus driver seems equally irritated and starts playing the Scottish equivalent of Muzak loudly (think the Highlander theme if it was pitched for an elevator). So, awesome.

We take a meandering route to parliament apparently to take in the city but were not in the nice parts yet so it's a bit strange. But the actual parliament building is just as cool as described and I really had wanted to see it ever since my geology professor waxed poetic about the stone facade. We also got a bit of shopping in.

 At this point Mr president has apparently cottoned on to my irritation, which is strange because I really have channeled it into mildly exasperated amusement by now, and told us we should smile more and be having lots of loud crazy fun (? what does that even mean). Needless to say we ditched him. Next was the castle, but we don't have enough time to actually go in so Sarah and I do touristy things like buying desk statues of Nessie and have cheese toasties and tea (sarah gets a coffee something or other but she's lame like that...*Sarah edit: sidenote, she actually got a hot chocolate because she is AWESOME*) for lunch since my slushie didn't really count. I'm totally happy with my life.

We clamber onto the bus one more time and head to the botanical gardens. I have to mention at this point that on the way there I had inadvertently dropped a blue M&M in the crack between our seats and we used it the rest of the trip to identify our place. The botanical gardens rock out. there is a mushroom exhibit that makes me want to to re-read Alice in Wonderland and crave fried Morels like nobodies business.And the walks outside are stunning with well maintained ecosystems from all over the worlds that never even occurred to me as being able to survive a Scottish climate outdoors but somehow manage here. I fully plan to go back when my roomies and I move into a hostel in Edinburgh for the last couple days before we all leave (this plan is in its inception stage but we'll hopefully get it together).

Week 2
St. Andrews
So during this week, Friday I have a huge scientific paper due on Comparative Physiology and the following Tuesday a History paper on the origins of The Renaissance (which, fun fact, I discovered is easier to spell if you pronounce it as if you were from The UK, Ren-Ai-ssance, srsly this is the first time in my life I've been able to spell it without pausing to think) and Lillian is due in Saturday night. So I try to get as much of my paper done as possible and then go out anyway on Saturday. For the first time in awhile all of my flatmates have a Saturday night free so we all go out together and take lillian to Droughthy's, our standby pub, and have a pretty great time. Sunday Lillian, Sarah and I get up and go to St. Andrews. Lillian is thoroughly impressed with Scotland and I get to see the cathedral and castle ruins that I missed during our golf adventure. I really think I want to go back one more time. It's a beautiful coastal town and the bus fare is only 5 pound for both ways.

That night is Halloween and I decide to try to do it right. I bought the most vegetables I have in the entire time I've been here, put on my starfleet uniform, and make Stone soup (which turns out more as stew) with the fresh canned tomatoes from Ma and Aunt Sis, pumpkin bread, apple pie&icecream (luckily I had conscripts to peel and slice, thanks guys) and while thats all going my flatmates and Lillian gather and we build the gingerbread haunted house that aunt sis sent and consume ridiculous amounts of candy. sadly we still have no TV and there isn't an internet connection in the living room so there was no monster movie marathon but otherwise we had a great time and gorged. Emanuele told me that when I actually cook i'm very good, I guess he's used to watching me subsist off grilled cheese and tomato soup. I count it a very successful Halloween gorge fest and was sufficiently sick that night while Lillian and I rounded off the evening with an episode of Glee.

I suppose I have to post these to convey my Halloween properly(I just realized how much taller than me Sarah is).

It also didn't hurt that it turns out random chunks of gingerbread haunted house are delicious dipped in tea and lasted me until we left for London as lunch.

Week 3
London

     Day 1
Ohh London where do I even begin. So after Sunday in St Andrews and introducing Lillian to the burgers at Nether Inn on Monday followed by frantic paper writing to finish my history paper by 4pm Tuesday we go on the train to London Wednesday Morning.
Longest Train Ride Ever.
We were completely wiped by the time we got to Waterloo station in London and Lillian realized she needed to recalculate how we were going to get to her flat in Surbiton with the Jubilee line closed. We did manage it eventually and our grand plans of going back to the city that night to scalp some last minute tickets for a west end show were happily discarded in favor of showers and watching Lion king on you-tube in bed while rubbing each others feet. Evening well spent.

     Day 2
We get up early Thursday and head to London, and because we are Lillian&Ana, spend a few minutes admiring parliament and Big Ben from across the river, decide to check it out later and head to the Aquarium. So much better than the Edinburgh one. We had fun listening to the English school children out on feild trips, admiring the sharks, and poking fun at the underwater decor (they had the doorway to an aztec temple in the same tank as giant Easter island heads and a whale skeleton with a tombstone that read "We whale miss you"). A thoroughly entertaining way to start the day.

After that I Insisted we find The British Museum. I could wax poetic for pages but I will spare you and leave it at I saw the Rosetta Stone, Cleopatra's Mummy and one of my new life goals is to go back and spend no less then 5 straight days in this Museum.

Lillian's Hilarious candid shot in the Egypt room

I also had the worst street hotdog of my life in front of the gates so be warned. I was expecting a new york street dog but I think the US and England have different definitions of the word "hotdog". This was tasteless sausagey mush with soggy onions that had been cooked so long I'm not sure they could still fairly be classified as onions any longer. After the Museum we found coffee to singe the hodog taste off my tongue (Lillian must be immune) and ask directions to the west end. Then we wandered a bit more determined to find a show that night and stumble across "The Woman in Black". Since we're students and there only a few hours before the show tickets only cost us 20£ and I'm stoked for a scary anything after a scifi channel monster-thon free halloween. We've got about three and a half hours to kill and Lillian wants to work on a paper so I leave her at a Subway (Starbucks was full) and go explore Covent garden. It's stunning all lit up for christmas (I've found the UK starts Christmas even before we do, my theory is that's it stems from their lack of Thanksgiving). I wander the food stalls and scope things out for dinner later and head to the flea market side to pick up some souvenir trinkets for you people then head over to the garden proper (it's sort of an outdoor mall) and run into a guy juggling a chainsaw in pink underwear before I get there, I was understandably sidelined for the end of his act.

Then I buy myself some proper english tea (which I have honestly yet to touch) to bring home and share. I go through a few more shops then head back out to the food stalls and get fresh pressed apple juice and a hot potato filled pastie (it was like a perogi with pastry instead of noodle). This is totally heaven. I notice the London Metro museum off to one side and spend some time in there (I leave with some carefully selected and hilarious propaganda postcards from the 40's). It's honestly magical.

Then I go grab Lillian and we shop a bit more before embarking upon the most terrifying episode of our lives. "The Woman in Black" is a psycho-thriller ghost story of the highest order and the only reason I didn't honest-to-god scream is because I had my bottom lip firmly clamped between my teeth from the interval on (that and there was a really tall guy right in front of me whose head sort of covered up stage left where the womans face appeared a few times, we had great seats though, only four from the front). Scary movies have nothing on scary plays where the ghost can walk down the aisle next to you and they can fill the room with fog.

We had so much fun.

    Day 3
Friday I wake up bright and early (read 9:30) and leave Lillian to get the rest of the paper she was working on together and do some other things she neglected while in Scotland and head out to Hampton Court for the day. I grab coffee and an apple filled pastry for breakfast and hop on the train with no issues, the ticket only costs me a pound and the day is looking up. Not even the dreary drizzle that looks like it might turn in to real rain (there is rarely real rain here mostly wet mist that makes you feel like you were caught in misters at the grocery store) cant put a damper on it. In fact having a perfect English day as I walk across the bridge to Hampton Court makes it even better.

Henry VIII's Banquet Hall

And again I could bore you with an endless tirade of details so lets suffice with it was as stunning and emotional as I'd expected. Tudor England is a part of history that I'm particularly attached to and while I never actually shed tears it was a close thing once or twice. And if I had been able to call Ma or Aunt Sis to share what I'm not going to deny was fan-girly glee I probably would have cried. They had an actor posing as prince Edward's head of household doing tours, she was really good. I couldn't help myself and tossed in some anachronisms when she was introducing herself and getting to know the group and she handled them all flawlessly. They had a woman playing Frances Grey that was hysterically full of herself and their Henry VIII was suitably imposing. The best part about the actors though is that you would just be wandering around and think you were alone then stumble upon two or three random courtiers perfectly in character. It was also cool to realize that there are still apartments in the upper levels that people actually live in.

One of the Small Pond Gardens (yeah...small)

Don't even get me started on the gardens. seriously don't just look at the pictures once I get them up. I was all excited about the hedge maze but then i decided to be logical and beat it in about ten minutes... I was rather disappointed in my victory.

Yup this is my disappointed face.

I head back to Surbiton and remember on the train that it's Guy Fawkes day ;) and have a moment to regret that I won't be Watching "V for Vendetta" with Alison this year before Lillian says we are meeting her friends for sparklers that night....sorry V you have been outbid. We also have spagghetti for dinner so that's another plus. So we meet up with Lillian's friends spend about half an hour trying to light sparklers in the drizzle and watch other people's fireworks from the field by her building. The sparklers eventually work and I have fun with a super long shutter speed on my camera. Then it is discovered that one of them has V and we ARE going to watch it. Perfect fifth of November.

I'm magic!

    Day 4
Lillian and I wake up early one more time to go museum hopping. We start out at the Victoria&Albert which I honestly may have liked more than The British museum. It was originally commissioned as a design school that just sort of accumulated a classical collection and expanded from there, you can tell every room was designed by artists and designers rather than historians. That was kind of what I didn't like about it too, I liked the dim, musty, carpet filled halls of The British museum that were layed out with the practicality of research accessibility, as much as the tourists that would come, in mind. At the V&A every room itself is a work of art in itself. Every display is dramatic and jaw dropping, which is no less than history deserves, but it still felt a bit more like a show room floor than the comfortable, dusty museums I'm used to. It was stunning and bigger than I first thought so it's another I definitely need to go back and finish perusing.

After we left we were both wasting away with hunger and I needed to fill my beer and pizza quota so we found a hole in the wall Italian place right next to the South Kensington station. Naturally it was the best pizza I've had out of Italy because crap places are always good.  I ended up with iced tea though instead of beer. I was just so thirsty and dehydrated at this point that just the though of a Guinness was too much...so I cheated slightly. The tea was really good it was sweet (but not southern sweet) and tangy.

Next was the natural history museum which was full of Dinosaur bones and creepy crawlies. They have this cool program/actual physical giant cocoon that houses and preserves botanical and insect specimens for researchers all over the world to use. It was supercool.

After the natural history museum Lilian went back to figure out a B&B for her mom and sister to stay in when they come for Christmas and I did my favorite thing to do in foreign cities. I wandered around. Completely aimlessly. Well knot completely I suppose i wanted to walk the Thames. It was stunning at night and so were all the lights on the Parliament and Big Ben and the London Eye. It gets dark so quick you forget how early it is, usually once cities get that dark its a little iffy to go out (at least at home) but there were little kids and families and everyone was just out having a great time.

    Day 5
The next morning I said good bye to Lillian in Surbiton and made promises for all the things we're going to do this summer and made my way to the tower of London before my train left from Euston. And it really deserves a long section but these have been getting shorter and shorter as I go on. There was a yeoman tour guide that was very knowledgeable but he did tells us that he's live there in the Tower for years and never seen Anne Boleyn's ghost, so that was rather disappointing.

The crown jewels, on the other hand, were not. They were stunning. Although there was one display of a crown that had haad all the jewels removed for other things that made me laugh. There were two piles of crystals on either side of it to represent the diamonds that it once held, or so I thought. there was an asterisk at the bottom of the information that said they were diamonds on loan from Dubiers and Dad went off on a little tirade in my head about artificially inflated proces and cheating the free market... I'm sure everyone around me wondered what I found so funny.

And just to for stall being asked again, yes, Ma I saw Henry VIII Armour in the white tower. Yes the codpiece was hilariously huge and obviously compensation for something ;) It's weird that you keep bringing it up.

The tower was amazing and I spent several hours there and had a wonderful lunch at the cafe in the old armory (I had treacle pudding, which I never really knew what that consisted of before).

I didn't see any of the Ravens.

Week 4
So instead of taking the weekend off Sarah and I made a side trip to Arbroath. I justify the lack of studing this causes by explaining the geological formations to her as review. Day=success. I got to see the cliffs again and explore the town that I missed on the field trip. We went to a red sandstone abbey that I'm positive Brian Jacques based his description of Redwall off of. And it was amazingly intact and we were there practically alone so we had fun wandering around and being silly in a creepy, beautiful old building. We also went to a lovely little tea shop. Good thing too, I'd just run out of the 100 bags I bought the third week here.

Better go help with dinner, Kristine is making reindeer.

See...Reindeer

Stay Classy, Stockholm

(and I've decided I like visual aids)

So this was Stockholm weekend and it was amazing. I sort of botched the timing in an attempt to miss fewer classes but I should have just skipped Monday as well as Friday. Anyway too late now and I had a great time despite my terrible planning.

As of Thursday afternoon I had a train to and from Edinburgh but no way of getting from Skavsta Airport to Stockholm proper. Because online bus timetables are hard enough to decipher in English. So my lovely Norwegian roomie Kristine translated than deciphered them for me and helped me get tickets.
Step one and done.

So the next day I catch the 10am to Edinburgh that I had book a week in advance...it's standing room only even though I already had a prepaid ticket. SO I stand for about an hour. The earliest flight to Stockholm was at three so I gave myself some time to actually look around the city I have burned through on my way to more exotic locals several times. The Scottish National Museum and Portrait Gallery is stunning. And free. So I spent my free couple of hours there perusing Rembrandt and Singer-Sargent  (Lady Agnew might be my new favorite impressionist painting ever, sorry Renoir...you still win best overall) and wandering around the park... it was decidedly relaxing for a travel day.

I got to my gate just in time. Possibly cut it a little close but the Lady Agnew was worth it. Grabbed a sandwich at the airport party-like store that was surprisingly good (possibly because it was three and I was running on the slice of Nutella toast and I'd had for breakfast). The plane ride was bearable....my seat smelled like armpit, thankyou ryan air. But we cruised on after dark and the landscape was stunning. You could see the bright city centers of Stockholm and Nykoping  to the sides and all in between was forest cut through with wide rivers, that made me keep thinking Bayou, and the little fairy lights of houses and highways inbetween. Needless to say it made me less bitter about getting in so late.

Then the customs guy gave me the stink eye and acted like he wasn't going to let me through because my return ticket was to Scotland and not the old US of A. But he stamped it.

Now to find my bus...in the pitchdark freezing cold. Luckily I found a line that looked like it was for a bus to Stockholm and asked the last two guys in line. Turns out I was correct and we're from Penn State but we're studying in St Andrews this semester, where are you from? So at least I had someone to talk to on the hour and a half bus ride that was supposed to be 45 minutes.

We had an in-depth discussion of the Fall of Nickelodeon from it's Glory Days in our youth.
The world is just not the same without a few Angry Beavers and Real Monsters.

Not to mention the gaping hole in Televisions everywhere that Legends of The Hidden Temple left as its legacy.
But I digress...

Dad has been at the bus station since like 7 even though I told him It'd be 8 at the earliest and now its closer to 9. So he's starving and my sandwich didn't last very long so we get me a metro pass and leave in search of Beer&Pizza.

Success is had...even if the pizza's kind of crappy and the beer is Carlsburg 

(good but not exactly exotic)

The pizza wasn't bad I'm just sure we ate at the Swedish equivalent of Little Caesars.

...which actually now that I mention it sounds fan-freaking-tastic. What do you say Ma, crazy bread with the Christmas roast?

Then we walked around Gamla Stan (Old Town, where the palace is) and took the long way home so it was kind of a night tour/get you bearings for tomorrow thing.

The Metro stop for the hotel is literally across the street from the Electrolux home office, which is a retro-fitted hospital, which was kind of cool. Dad's hotel was right behind it. Ok so I have to give Swedes the prize for smartest people ever. On the walk to the hotel there was this thing to the side of the stairs that looked like a handicap ramp but with a tiny set of stairs in the middle....stroller ramp. Bam.

As soon as we get back to the hotel I turn on the TV and am done (besides a short foray into the bathroom to test out the heated towel bar) not only and I exhausted but I have been watching TV in youtube quality videos on mons 11 inch screen for 2 months...I was ready for some Minority Report and Top Gear on a state-of-the art LCD. And have one of the awesome Czech beers dad had in the fridge.

Next morning Dad and I hit breakfast which he complained was the worst he's had in Stockholm (I thought it was great, he was just whining because the best thing in the spread was yogurt and (amazing) granola). Then we hopped the subway to the museum district only to find that we had dragged ourselves out of bed at 8 in vain... the national museum doesn't open until 11. So we walk back to Gamla Stan in search of a store mom wants us to find. FAIL. Not only does it take us forever to find it... she kept telling us it was by the troll bridge wtf that means. There were no trolls on any bridges on the *entire* island. When we do find the store it's a block from this...

An enormous and epic statue of St. George killing the Dragon (that was St. George right?) and all along the street there were banners with the out line of this statue on them. But no the troll bridge was out landmark. We think we found the place but it was, unsurprisingly, closed.

The Place (we think) note the st. George banner

We made up for this fail (and how cold we were accomplishing it) with Swedish varm choklad...which is not Hot chocolate, it is warm chocolate soup.

Observe.

It's so rich they serve it with a glass of water (which you need)

Then we went to the national museum.
It was pretty cool and they had a large variety of artists and movements, saw a few more Rembrandts, some Renoir. They had a really cool statuary exhibit going on. Dad skipped the one on modernism and industrialization.

I went back to it after he left and found this.

We spent a little over an hour there then he had to go to his retreat/team building thing for work (which is international businessman speak for kindergarten games at a castle). And I saw the rest of the museum. the last exhibit on the top floor...the one he missed was a travelling exhibit on Napoleon and Alexander I of Sweden. It was really cool. The exhibit followed his career from start to exile and had the artifacts to go along with it (I will admit Josephine's jewelery was probably the best part).

After the national museum I headed to the next peninsula over for the Vassa which I could speand several hundred words telling you the amazing history of but suffice to say it was the brand new flag ship in the 1600's and never made it out of the city because they miscalculated how much extra ballast it's height and rediculous amount of decoration would need. So it stayed at the bottom until the 70's when it was painstakingly salvaged and place in the Vassa museum (which was built specifically for it and is even sort of boat shaped from the outside).

                  Then                                                                                Now

It was a very well put together museum, it followed the ship, it followed the salvage and restoration processes and lots of cool interactive displays...it would be really fun to take kids to. And it had a 25 minute movie so I could rest my aching feet. All in all I spent about 2 hours there (actually I spent about two hours in all three museums).

Next up was the Scandinavian museum. Dad had mentioned that it looked cool and it was right across the street from the Vassa so I went. There was a huge line and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Turns out I stumbled into the chocolate festival.

Needless to say I skipped lunch.

They had daily life through the ages split up by room of the house rather than time period... so that was fun. There was a tiny little hallway of terrors that was full of doll-houses. Seriously the creepiest thing I have ever witnessed. It didn't help that it was in a shadowy, empty corner of the top floor very far away from all the hustle and bustle of the chocolate conference. There was also a sample table setting from the 1600's  with a taxidermy Swan centerpiece that had a roasted swan in it....that they actually expected people to eat (not actually but they would have back then) it was gross and kind of mesmerizing.

Then more Chocolate.

Then back to Gamla Stan. Mom's store was still closed.

So I went to the metro station. And realized I was starving. This is my super classy moment (well the whole evening was pretty classy), I went to a metro station burger king and got a whopper Jr in Stockholm.

And it was perfect.

The fries where hot the burger fresh and, the crowning jewel, they had Heinz 57. Although I think the lettuce might have been sweet pickled or something. But we all know it's all about the fries.

I was actually still kind of hungry and briefly contemplated getting a Big Mac for comparison but the initial meal had kinda made me sick. So I went back to the hotel (hey it was dark out and everything was closed) flopped down with a brew and started channel surfing for the first time in months. Bliss.

Except half of the 35 channels were the same thing (some strange stage production of Bernie Madoff's life in Swedish) and the rest were game shows (in Swedish).

So I made the perfectly legitimate choice to watch "Pretty Woman"

Then I realized I was sort of hungry so I texted day and asked him to get gummies on his was home. He complied. uber-bliss.

After the movie something about WWII came on and dad and I got into an "Academic Discussion" on how Germany would have faired without Hitler screwing his generals on the eastern front. I think the conclusion was that they could have taken Europe if they had stopped Japan from trying Pearl Harbor (because the Manhattan project would have ended everything no matter what) and placated Stalin until they had a stable widespread and well organized empire in Europe (which would have never happened) but Soviet Russia and The Reich could not have lived near each other. Ever. So basically we argued ourselves into it being impossible from both our angles. So basically we did what we always do, Pinky.

The next morning I had another amazing granola breakfast and showed my class one more time by making a ham sandwich from breakfast buffet items and wrapping it in a napkin for the plane.

Then Dad and I went on an honest to goodness Sunday morning stroll (we called it an Urban Hike but it was a Sunday stroll). We found a huge park with a statue of Linnaeus...Dad thought I said he invented Taxidermy, I definitely said Taxonomy.

Then went to Gamla Stan one more time...mom's shop was still closed.

On the way to the bus station 9I had to leave at 1) we were supposed to be souvenir shopping, and Dad tried (we even walked all the way back to this one shop after lunch, I still didn't end up getting anything) but it just wasn't worth it to try to get into shopping with him waiting outside.

Then we found my bus and I was off, I actually ran into the same two boys so we compared notes on the plane home.

All in all it was a very satisfying weekend...I just wish I had gotten a Scarf (and skipped a few more classes but you know).

UPDATE: Just got a package fro Grandma Pat, it contains the last few ingredients i need to to introduce my roomates to the joys of grandma's apple pie and special-K treats. Not to mention Peanut butter, tea and dried apricots made of sunshine and amazing

Strip the Willow, Stalk the Golfer and Hike the Ben

So the weekend started early this week (read I've actually made friends i don't live with willing to put up with me during the week).

So a Day-by-day replay after the shoutouts.

Let's get a WOOT! for Ma, Mom, Aunt Sis! Thank you for indulging my love of Halloween and sending me any and all suplies necessary to share it with my roomies America-style. Mom all would have been lost is you hadn't sent me my Star Fleet uniform after I was dumb enough to decide I wouldn't need it (why on Earth I ever came to that conclusion I will never know ;). Ma, you kept your word and didn't send REAL pumpkins (like you do when I'm in SC) but the both the mural and collapsible trick-or-treat ones are perfect (as are the butter finger and twix...yeas there's still some left...sorta). Although Aunt Sis' Gingerbread haunted  house kinda takes the cake (hehe)...I plan to throw a full on halloween party like my flatmates have never seen!

So...Monday

Pia Sarah and I found our new "place." It's an old Theater that's been re vamped in crazy colors, lamps and pinball machines...plus it has the best bar-burger and fries in Dundee. And the ketchup is both edible and available in useful quantities (if you get it here and its not so sweet as to be absolutly sickening you get about three foil packets...which is an unacceptable amount). This place is awesome you can get a burger, fries and a pint for 3 pound 30. No onion rings but I'll survive until christmas I suppose.

Tuesday something happened but that was a week ago so... ohh no I remember I met the city planning kids at Social because Laura (who is totes awesome and my first real Scottish friend) invited me. She's in my Environmental Methods and Monitoring class but is technically in the town planning program. We bonded over movies then I went to Tally's to try to find my flatmates, the boys were there but Sarah ditched us.

Wednesday was the rucksack club meeting but we only stayed at the pub (yes the pub...all official school events that aren't lectures are held in pubs) long enough to sign up to go to Ben Nevis on Sunday and find out where the Ceilidh was being held on friday (more on that, and my bruises, later). Martin had decided that he wanted to see the Law view at night so after Sarah and I followed him up there. Law apparently means hill, and that's what this is...a super big hill with a monument thing on top from which you can see the entire city. The walk up was a bit sketchy in places mostly because Martin was having trouble finding the way in the dark, so we just kept going uphill assuming we'd find the top. It was like an urban night hike. Took us about 45 minute but it was breathtaking from the top all the lights of the city and the boats and bridges it was amazing. Luckily Sarah brought her camera 'cause I forgot mine.

We stopped at a party store on the way up to grab some beer so we could drink it at the top (Germans have this thing about drinking beer on peaks...Martin packed Tennants all the way up Ben Nevis)

Thursday after class I met Laura at the library and we walked back to her place for dinner/movie night with her roomies Hannah and Eleanor. She made an awesome shrimp (excuse me, prawn) stir-fry and we watched "Lady Jane" with Helena Bonham-Carter and The Dread Pirate Roberts (can't remember his real name but don't act like you don't know exactly who I mean) it was pretty good. I felt bad that I sort-of left laura to make dinner but I was having a great conversation with her roomates while she was in the kitchen. I can't get over how much I love the accent so I'm more talkative in a simple effort to get everyone else to talk. Laura is legally deaf, she can hear with her hearing aids in but lip-reading helps, so it was a bit hard to remember to face her while addressing the room. I mostly forget she has trouble in class because we are whispering directly at each other so she can always see my face. She is actually I hiker as well so she told me a bit about what to expect from Ben Nevis, which was cold, fog and hiking for hours for a view that probably wouldn't be visible...great. I had an awesome time with them though and didn't end up leaving til late. They have a real apartment (the kind that actual people, not just students, live in) so it was a ways away so Hannah drove me home. I plan on insinuating myself into their movie night from now on ;) 

Friday was the rucksack club Ceilidh. I was really tired and I knew it was a really long walk away and I really just wanted to stay home. But Sarah forced me to go (she even dressed me) so thank you dear I would have really missed out. It was so much fun. When we first walked in it looked kind of lame and we didn't know any of the dances (although I think there was an immediate mutual appreciation that Scottish boys still wear kilts as formal wear). I honestly though it was going to be the worst fiver I'd ever spent. Half a Guiness in things were looking better and some of the club guys took pity on us and hauled us up on the dance floor (I think Martin and Kristine had taken a spin at this point and maybe Robin but the rest of us were still getting our bearings at the table...read Drinking). 

The group! from left: Kaia, Robin, Martin, Kristine, Danika, Sarah, me

So Ewan (one of our "guides" from the first trip, but he's a really nice guy) pulls me into a group dance that I don't know the name of ... it was a bit confusing and I'm sure I messed parts up but on the whole it wasn't too hard to follow.  There was an older guy in full regalia that may have been a plant to show us the moves (even the Scottish kids floundered a bit) that danced with all of us. The table nicknamed him creeper but he was just a nice old guy...he taught me a Scottish Waltz so it's all good. 

Me and Danika

Then I think I danced with Martin, Robin, and Ewan a few more times. I did strip the Willow with old guy. it brings entirely new meaning to "swing your partner" between it and the final dance with Ewan (which was just running down a line of people and using them as fulcrums to swing ourselves back at each other so we could catch arms in the middle and do it again) I've got a pretty distinguished bruise on the inside of my left upper-arm, and one on my elbow.

Martin and I totally floundered through this dance, but it was fun.

So after all that Saturday Robin, Danika, Sarah, Martin and I got up early to head to St. Andrews. I wanted to check out the town see the Abbey  ruins and the Links but it was the weekend of the Celebrity Dunhill tournament and Danika had her heart set on stalking Hugh Grant. In Danika's defense I was not an unwilling participant once I was informed Samuel L Jackson would be there (Martin wan't impressed and stayed in St Andrews). So we got to St. Andrews saw the links and wandered the beach a bit (I totally ran on the beach "Chariots of Fire" was filmed on!) until the shuttle to Carnoustie showed up to take us to stalker heaven. So the moral of the story is I saw some amazing golf courses and possibly my favorite actor of all time on saturday (ohh and Andy Garcia and Hugh Grant). 

 There was a problem with the shuttle on the way back so we just took the bus straight back to Dundee so I didn't end up seeing the rest of St. Andrews But it was a pretty satisfying day (I got pastries). I think I'll take Lillian there when she comes in a couple weekends. And that night one of the churches down the street was doing a Scottish cooking demonstration so we got a free dinner on top of it (Karma making up for the shuttle that left early ;)

And Sunday is our grand Finale of Ben Nevis. The highest peak in the UK. 

Head of the Trail

This was definitely a harder hike but much more enjoyable because Kristine, Robin Martin, Emanuele, Thomas and I stuck together and went our own way so weren't chasing after other people the whole time. That and everyone was ok with me being a pansy-ass and stopping all the time. Kristine was awesome and had ibuprofen so I didn't have a balloon for a knee this time.We still made great time though did the 8.5 hour hike in about 6 I think (if you don't count us stopping for lunch on the way down...we were ahead and sort of waiting for the rest of the club that took the same route but we never really saw them). There was this beautiful lake halfway up the mountain just sitting this little valley that was stunning....so we stopped and ate lunch (I brought my leftover St. Andrews pastry up the mountain). It was a great hike (look at the pics) we got started a little late because Martin had to find a beer to drink on top of the mountain (he promised his friend so we forgave him). The trail was really well maintained and the weather was gorgeous. We were warned that the peak gets something like 10 days of sunlight a year and that it was going to be freezing. The view was clear and I stripped down to my tank for most of it again. I guess the alcohol thing wasn't such a bad idea... I had a jack and coke on top of the highest peak in the UK (did anyone else know it came in cans? I surley didn't, thanks Robin)

Robin had the awesome idea of using Sepia and made some North Face ads 

We ate at a pub called the Grog and Gruel so that was cool too....curly fries but still no onion rings.

I'm sure I forgot a ton but this is getting long so that's all for now folks.