So I am finally at a computer again! Since I have last signed on, I have been to London and Amsterdam, and 2 weeks in Edinburgh!

This past weekend was Amsterdam...which was crazy! I loved every minute of the charming city...except the last half hour of Saturday night. Two words: Pick pocketers. My camera was stolen out of my bag (which regrettably I had placed in the outside pocket) around 1 am while in transit back to our hostel. I hyperventilated when I saw it was missing. Of course we retraced all of our steps but never found it. Poor Lauren accompanied me on my hunt until 2 in the morning. Luckily Kristen had been periodically downloading my pictures onto her laptop, so I only lost a couple days of Edinburgh pics, including the zoo, and then the Amsterdam pictures, which all the other girls have great substitutes for. It just sucks because I pride myself on being responsible and always aware of my surroundings. And the camera was a going-abroad-present from my boyfriend so it was brand new! At first the whole incident actually made me regret going to Amsterdam at all, but now after I have had time to grieve and accept it, I realize how --for lack of a better term -- FREAKING lucky I am to be in Europe period. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

So this is our last week in Edinburgh :( and we are in the middle of finals. I actually just finished taking one. Feel pretty good about it. It sucks having tests on the same week of trying to cram last minute touristy things in and last minute souvenir shopping in! Today I am going to walk the "Royal Mile" in search of gifts for everyone. I am buying Krimm (the bf) a kilt! Hah!

Well off to lunch I go. This might be my last post! Maybe when I spend the night in Heathrow this Saturday night I will buy some Internet time.

Cheers,
Evie

Jet-setting to Dublin, it's nothing...

So...you know you're in Europe when you can whiz away to an entirely different country, for only the weekend, just for fun, right before your first midterm! And that's just what we did. Last friday after finishing our second week of school, 10 of us jet-setted to Dublin, Ireland for 48 hours! We left super early on Friday morning and returned home (we all call Edinburgh home now :)) early Sunday morning, just in time for a studying frenzy.

And I must say I LOVE DUBLIN! It's a bit bigger than Edinburgh, but not anything like Rome or London. The city is completely walkable, but we were able to make great use of our 24 hour open-top bus tickets. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised with how nice our 3 star hotel was! And since the hotel was undergoing rennovations, we got a complimentary bottle of wine in each room! A nice start to the weekend.

Our hotel room! Notice there are three beds...so fun.

Our Dublin activities:

• Guinness Factory! Includes a tasting!


• Traditional Irish dinner at the Auld Dubliner Restaurant


• Night out on the town, in the famous Temple Bar Square area


• Dublin Castle


• Book of Kells at Trinity College


• Last but not least....Rivier Dancing Show!

All in all it was a fantastic weekend. I am so fortunate to have these experiences and opportunities.

Back on the homefront in Edinburgh: Just had our first two midterms, today and yesterday. I would say they went pretty well. Both professors are very understanding of the fact that we are 20-somethings in Europe and also attempting to learn Business Law. Tonight, as a celebration, the whole group is journeying to Mary King's Close...a old underground street that used to be part of Edinburgh, but is now buried beneath knew streets. After the Bubonic Plague, that is what European cities did: just built new areas of town right over the old, diseased parts. Today, you can take a tour down into the depths of this alley way. You can even see the how the buried homes and rooms turned into graves for all the diseased....should be interesting to say the least.

To calm our nerves, we'll all probably go out for a drink and experience a little more of Edinburgh. Come tomorrow, our program will be half way over...I am actually really saddened by this. I feel like there is so much left to do and see!! As much as I love my home in Dallas and my home in Austin, I could stay here for much longer.

Off to read a bit for tomorrow's class.

Cheers,

Evie

Scottish way of life

Hello from Scotland! Or should I say, "Cheers!" as they do here? I have now been in Edinburgh, Scotland for 10 days enjoying the cool weather and BEAUTIFUL scenery...although its feels as if I've been here for a month.

I'd like to start with things I've learned about Scotland:

- "Cheers" is used for everything, like our "okay." My favorite use is for please. While I was at the grocery store in Edinburgh, the cashier kept saying cheers as I helped her put my bags into the cart. So cute.

- Never call a Scottish chap English. British is acceptable, but English will warrent a punch in the yapper. They are Scottish first, British second, European third, and English last....so I've been told.

- A segment of Scottish lawyers, called advocates, still wear powdered wigs while at work! After a brief stake out, I spotted one yesterday at the Old Parliament building!

- The Scottish Highlands, which are the scarcely populated northern areas of the country, are BRILLIANT! (Brilliant is another fun UK term). Go there if you ever have a chance.

Caroline and I in the Highlands! Looks like a backdrop, right?

Back to things I've learned about Scotland:

- I believe in Nessie, the Lock Ness monster.

- In the UK they drive on the opposite side of the road, i.e. if you're going forward, you're on the left side of the street. So, when walking they follow the same pattern. Needless to say I have bumped into quite a few locals when I walk on the right side of the sidewalk where the oncoming walkers are! Still having problems with this one.

- Haggis is worth trying, but only once. Google it if you don't know what it is.

My overall favorite thing about Scotland and its people has to be the deep rooted understanding, appreciation, and continuance of the country's long-standing traditions. Its something that, as a Texan and as a Longhorn, I can identify with. They love their country, way of life, and culture. But they're not boastful about it, always respectful. Here is our tribute to Scotland:

I am in the middle, with 4 of my best girls friends on the trip!

On another note, my computer access is fairly limited. Because of Edinburgh University's summer hours, the labs are only open until 5:30 on weekdays. Hopefully I can still post a couple times a week!

Cheers to all,

Evie