Monday, August 31, 2009

Hanging out in Salisbury (but will talk about that later)

(Written 30 August 2009)

You know it is impossible for a house to be haunted, and you know it is not very likely a murderer is lurking in the hallways or is waiting for you inside your room when you are out for a moment. You know thinking otherwise is silly, but you still feel your skin tense and your blood rush right before you walk into the door to your rented room. You know there is no danger, but the light switch can’t be turned on faster and you couldn’t possibly scan the room with your eyes without haste before even thinking about stepping foot inside. You know better- there is nothing there to get you and all you’re going to do is have a pleasant night of sleep after listening to the creaking pipes that is very much not a ghost.

Last night these thoughts were running through my head after I left my sister’s room to return to my own while staying at the Coundon Guest House in Coventry. It is a beautiful building, with the brick walls and quaint furniture that one expects to see each time he or she steps inside a house like this. The house is large, and old, and currently there are not many people staying in it- I think we are two of six guests total and the house looks like it can accommodate at least 50 comfortably. I like staying here, especially since it is quiet and has given me a chance to take a little break from the hustling craziness of being in a different British city almost every day. When it is night and Cassandra and I are ready to turn in, I walk outside her room into a long dark hallway and fumble with my keys to open my own door, all while noticing the stiff feeling on the back of my neck that something right then is going to surprise me or that I may bump into something very, VERY wrong. As soon as I get into my room though and turn the light on as quick as I can, my heart settles and I feel relieved as I remind myself I’m just being silly. Damn it, then I remember that I still need to use the restroom, which is close by but is in its own corridor through the long, dark hallway. Maybe I can hold it…I can pretend that I fell asleep hours ago, which if that were true I wouldn’t be getting up to use the restroom anyway until I wake up for good in the morning. That’s not healthy though, and I know better. I know there is nothing to be nervous about by stepping out of the room. I know that as a fairly rational 24 year old who loves to walk around in the dark all the time at home that I have the ability to be brave, even though I also know there is nothing to have to be brave about. I need to stop thinking like an idiot and get on with my business and on with the rest of the night. I do believe I saw a switch for a hall light earlier in the day, and I hope more than anything my memory is correct.
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Tonight is our last night in Coventry. We arrived yesterday after a painful nightlong bus ride from Glasgow to London and from London to here in the late morning. The day before our bus trip from Stirling to Glasgow was not at all pleasant, because just before that after leaving our hostel and having breakfast at a coffee house Cassandra and I got into a horrible argument. Once we arrived in Glasgow we didn’t talk about the argument, but instead just went on with the day. Since Glasgow isn’t really touristy, and all we had to do was kill time before the night ride, we decided to walk around, shop around, and watch a movie. Right before the movie started I told Cassandra that we need to have a talk, and I apologized to her, but so far we have yet to really hash things out how they need to be. I’ll wait until she’s ready and won’t try to force her into any discussion she’s not ready for.

In the evening we found a place to eat dinner. It happened to be a pub, which is where most of the affordable eating takes place in the cities it seems. We were only going to have one drink, maybe two, before heading to a bookstore. We decided that the movie we watched, The Time Traveler’s Wife, had so many holes in the story that we need to figure out if a good portion of the story was left out from the book. We’re going to read the story while I’m in Budapest and have our own “book club” over the Internet. I know, sometimes we are adorable. Unfortunately we never got out of the pub to find our books because we ended up befriending two Germans who were visiting Scotland for a short while as well. We left the place as soon as it was time to board our bus, which luckily was just around the corner, and I know that at least I woke up at the end of the bus ride feeling very dehydrated and having a headache.

Tomorrow morning we’re taking a train to Salisbury and will take a tour bus to Stonehenge as soon as we get there. I’ve been to Stonehenge once before several years ago and I remember I had a funny reaction to it. I’m curious to see how my sister reacts to it. You know, every time I say its name or think about it all I can think about is the scene from This Is Spinal Tap where the band has a model of Stonehenge made to be placed on their stage during a very dramatic moment in their performance. If you know what I’m talking about, then for one you are extremely awesome and we need to be best friends, but also you know how the “dramatic scene” turns out to be. I have a feeling the way the band felt about their own Stonehenge is how most people feel about seeing the actual Stonehenge, but only because it has been turned into such an incredible tourist attraction with a damn near paved path around it. It’s still a part of curious history though and the structure itself is great to see, no matter what other junk has been placed around it.

I believe my time is up for the night. I wish I could post this right now but there is no internet around here. There is also no public phone in our hostel or anywhere down the street so I can’t call home to let everyone know I haven’t been killed or possessed while in this hostel in Coventry. I’m hoping I’ll be able to let someone know tomorrow. Here’s hoping. J

From several days ago (no internet access)

I love Scotland. I believe this is my fourth time in the country and it still amazes me. When we first arrived to Edinburgh from London, it was early in the morning so the city was calm, the weather was cool, and the hostel was super easy to find. We stayed at a place located on the Royal Mile, which means that we were right in the center of the Fringe Festival activities. Once the morning hours were over the streets were filled with travelers, street performers, vendors, and people handing out flyers to various shows and exhibits located throughout the city. Some streets were blocked off for the festival, which made it nice to walk around since the sidewalks were absolutely full of people.

Once Cassandra and I checked into our room and showered (we were several days overdue for them, and that’s not good) we walked to Calton Hill. I have driven by it before on a tour bus but I had never actually walked on it before that day. Unfortunately it was around noon so the sun was beating down on us as we were walking up the hill. We saw all the famous monuments that before I had only seen from afar, such as the round Stewart Memorial and the National Monument that was meant to resemble the Parthenon. Unfortunately the funding for this particular monument ran out so it is only a series of columns on one side with no roof or anything. I think the neatest thing about Calton Hill is the Hume Walk. It’s a paved path that is said to lead one on a trail David Hume would regularly take. As a Philosophy student I find that super exciting- and I enjoy being a dork.

After the hill we walked to the end of the Royal Mile that is opposite from the Edinburgh Castle. There is where Holyrood Palace is located (Holyrood meaning Holy Cross) and it is the official summer residence of the Queen. Cassandra and I both noticed that it has the potential to be really dark and drab, but I’m sure the floor where the Queen lives that visitors are not allowed inside is decorated in a way that is sure to lighten it up. At one point of our tour we walked into a room that is dedicated to Mary Queen of Scots, and in it is a lock of her hair among other things. Outside the palace is a huge garden and an abbey in ruins, which both were really nice to see, except unfortunately many of the flowers were wilted and there were tons of people outside that made it difficult to take in the serenity we were hoping for. I still liked the palace though…I wish I could have been born into a royal family sometimes just so that I could be lucky enough to stay in a place like that.

Our next step was to tour the Edinburgh Castle, but unfortunately it closes early during the Fringe because the Military Tattoo takes place outside its walls. The Tattoo is a big performance which includes military bands, an air show, fireworks, and ceremonial formations. I wasn’t too upset that we didn’t get to see the castle, since I had been in it three times before, but I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see Mons Meg. Mons Meg is a gorgeous cannon that had been restored a few years ago, and it’s my favorite thing on the castle rock. I’ve noticed though, as well as my sister I’m sure, that I get excited when I see other cannons as well. They’re not things I really think about when I don’t see them, but when I do see them something in me lights up and I get as close to them as I can. Maybe that’s weird I don’t know. We finished the night with a tour of a vault under a bridge that was once used for storage and eventually housing for people who were extremely poor. During the great fire in Edinburgh the residents were cooked alive under there, so there are several thoughts about the vaults being haunted because of it. I think it’s a very sad story to tell you the truth, especially since the people could not help but be that poor. Once the tour was done we went to the World’s End Pub with our hostel roommate Julie from Canada.

The next day we got a bus that took us into the Highlands. Cassandra has always had a thing for Loch Ness, so I wanted to make sure she got to see it. Along the way we stopped to see Hamish, the most famous (and absolutely adorable) highland cow. He really has become a celebrity in the area, and his photo is published in everything that has to do with the Highlands. We made other stops along the way and learned about the history of the Highlanders before getting on a boat at Loch Ness. The boat ride was fun, but we weren’t able to spot any Loch Ness Monster. Cassandra is thinking it’s because he would rather she come there alone instead of with a whole bunch of strangers… ;)

Today we are in Stirling, where an old castle exists that was one of the major military fortresses in the country and it’s also near where both William Wallace and Robert the Bruce did everything they could to defend the people and land. We had a good visit at the castle, but there were many restorations occurring so we were not able to go into places such as the main palace. It rained pretty much the whole time, but at this point we’re so used to being wet that we didn’t notice it as much. I like the rain much better than heat, but it is too bad all our photos are turning out dark and our hair is constantly funny-looking. But it’s true, Scotland wouldn’t be right without its mistiness everywhere.

We have one more day in Scotland, for tomorrow we’re taking a bus to Glasgow, and then we’ll be heading back to England! Maybe we’ll get a dry day at some point, but I won’t count on it.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Super Troopers in Washington, D.C.


So here we are. Cassandra and I are sitting (she's actually sleeping) in our hotel room for the second night in a row just outside Washington, D.C. When we first booked the tickets to the Washington Dulles airport we were going to visit our Great Uncle Raymond for two days before heading off to London to see Michael Jackson in concert. Well, both of those plans didn't exactly work out. Raymond is recovering from a stroke and isn't able to have visitors, and MJ is, well, dead- but long live the King of Pop. Since the changes with Raymond were at the last minute, we decided to not spend the money to change our flight plans and to go ahead and spend time in D.C. We have both been here several times for different reasons- we have both attended leadership conferences, I lobbied with the Women's Mining Coalition, Cassandra attended the 2005 inauguration, etc., but we have never been here at the same time. Great time to come...it's been storming like crazy and the past two days we have spent completely drenched. Luckily it's been warm, so no need for a jacket, but nothing will air dry and our "let's use the hair dryer to help things along" trick has been failing miserably. Tomorrow morning we're going to have to pack our bags with wet jeans and shirts, which will be kinda gross but oh well. At least we still had fun. We weren't able to make it to the National Gallery in time before they closed thanks to us not waking up until 1 PM (only 9AM Alaska time!) and it taking a long time to get into the city from where we are, not to forget that it's Saturday where nothing stays open. We decided to visit different monuments instead, especially since Cassandra had never seen the World War II Memorial until today, and it didn't require money or a time limit. When we went to the WWII Memorial we saw a bride and groom walking along inside it. I thought that was interesting, especially since the rain was coming down so hard. We later saw them at the Lincoln Memorial and I'm going to assume they went to other ones and had a photographer follow them along. It's a neat idea, and I hope their photos come out alright despite the weather. After all that, we got back to our hotel room and it felt like we crawled out of an ocean. It was still a fun visit. Oh, and yesterday we decided to go to the movies and see the new Brad Pitt flick "The Inglorious Basterds." I had a great time throughout the whole thing, even if it did exhibit a couple moments that made me cringe into my seat. If you see it you'll know what I'm talking about.

Before Cassandra and I arrived on the East Coast we got to visit our sister Carrie and her family in Anchorage. That was a fun time! At first our oldest niece Camille wasn't there at first because she was in school. This is the first year she has not been home-schooled. She seemed to like the school enough, especially since one of her best friends is in her class, but she said so far they haven't done a whole lot. I'm sure it's because it was only the second day of class. :) I tell you what, for a 13 year-old who has been in home school her whole life, she is one of the most social people I have ever met. She does more than I do! Her sister Stella doesn't start kindergarten until next week, so she and the littlest one Lulu were at the house and we all read stories and played around until Camille came home. I am really going to miss those girls, and Carrie and Grant too. I look forward to seeing them all when I come back home in December to visit for Christmas.

That's it for now. When I wake up in the morning I'm going to pack everything away, including the wet clothes, and get on a plane to Europe!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

A New Chapter

I decided that it was appropriate to start a new blog. There have been a great deal of changes in my life lately, at least it feels that way, and I feel this new site will represent this best. At least it's all I can come up with at 2:40 AM with nothing else to do except wait to get on a plane in 9 hours.

Tomorrow (er, today, whatever) my sister Cassandra and I are getting on a plane. We will be stopping in Anchorage for a bit which will give us a perfect opportunity to visit our sister Carrie and her family. After that we fly to Washington, D.C. Originally we were going to visit our Great Uncle Raymond who lives just outside in Vienna, Virginia, but due to his health he is unable to have visitors. Cassandra and I have both been to D.C. enough times, but never at the same time so I'm sure we'll make the most of it. In fact, I have never visited the National Gallery, so that will be a stop for sure, and she has not seen the World War II Memorial so we'll go there as well. I would much rather see Ray than any of that, but respecting his wishes is important at this point.

Once we're done spending our days in D.C. we're going to fly to London. The day we land we are taking a bus to Edinburgh. We're going to get there right in time for a big festival that I was able to see back in 2004 when Lisa Smith and I backpacked our way through the country. I'm really excited to see it again with my sister, and we'll be sure to visit the Jekyll & Hyde Pub that is so swank that its restroom doors are disguised as cases of books. I'm not going to lie, I've been there a couple of times, but never have I taken it upon myself to experience the 7 Deadly Sins there, which are shots of alcohol that are certain to make it difficult to find my way back to my hostel. I better not go for all seven... After being in Edinburgh, we're going to make our way to other spots on Scotland and England before making my final destination. My goal is to discuss these stops on here as we go.

At the end of our trip Cassandra is going to be dropping me off in Budapest, Hungary, where I will begin a two-year Master's program in Philosophy. It's going to be a crazy experience for sure, but I'm going to do everything I can to make the most of it and be a good student while there. Of course there will be plenty of three and four day weekends due to Hungary being a very proud nation and having several holidays. I might be able to take advantage of the time and visit my former dance instructor in Athens or give Croatia a try. I'm not sure at this point, and I like it that way.

Right now I am feeling a little nervous, mostly excited, but also very tired so I better get myself to bed. Once again, my goal is to keep track of my experiences and what not on here just as I did on livejournal when I was Greece, so stay tuned!