Newcastle (although the castle is actually very old...)

I'm sitting on a train on my way to Inverness, Scotland, thinking I should probably get caught up on my blogging. The week I wrote this blog was the beginnings of what I now know was going to be a very bad and very lengthy cold. I've got three more days of vacation until classes start again, and when I get back to Alnwick, i'm making an appointment with a doctor -- at this point, i'm all but certain its a sinus infection. Anyways, on with the blogging! This was what I started after our field trip to Newcastle -- Enjoy!


Why hello, gentle reader, its been awhile! I am actually on the tail-end of what I believe to be the worst head-cold I have ever had. Walking to breakfast a few days ago, I kind of picked up my head and thought, "Oh yeah, I live in a castle, that's what is happening right now..."

I spent all day Saturday in bed -- it was the pique of my cold, although Sunday wasn't the greatest day either. I only made it through the field trip last Friday because I found some sudafed mixed in with the generic cold medication stockpiled in the pottery room. (The pottery room is where all the "leftovers" from previous groups are kept.)

The main reason for our trip was to show us around the closest big city. Don't get me wrong, Alnwick is beautiful, but if you need something specific (like a pair of rain boots, or a carry-on bag) you may not be able to find it around town. Our trip consisted of a tour of the BBC studios, a history museum, Newcastle university campus, and the museum of modern art.

First stop: BBC Studios. I must say, it was pretty cool. We were brought through a few different sound stages, and we were given the chance to sit in the morning news chair and take a picture. I could tell that all the broadcasting kids were in heaven. Even though I do not count myself in that group, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly. 

The next stop was Newcastle University. In comparison to St. Cloud State, Newcastle University was very impressive. When we arrived, my morning dose of cold medicine was wearing off, and I needed a pick-me-up. We visited the University coffee shop, which served a very bitter cappuccino. England as a whole seems to serve very bitter cappuccino, though that may just be me and my homesickness for French vanilla coffee mate. 

Across the street was the history museum. We were supposed to spend most of our time in the Hadrian’s Wall exhibit, but I spent most of it in the Greek and roman exhibit. Greek pottery is an especially piqued interest of mine after writing a report on Paleolithic vases for the early Olympic Games. I tried to take a selfie in from of a dinosaur. Yeah, I suck at selfies- and i'm pretty proud of it. Its a good thing to be bad at such a narcissistic pastime.

Down the street a little ways was a beautiful church- St. James, or St. Joseph, or St. Jeremy... I don't remember. England is littered with beautiful churches. It was under construction, so it was rather chilly inside.

After  short bus ride across town, we were taken to the millennium bridge. York has quite a few pretty impressive bridges in the city, though this one definitely stood out. When boats come to pass under the bridge, the entire thing tilts up in the air enough to let them pass. It was pretty cool, but since its only a walking bridge, I couldn't help thinking it was a bit unnecessary...

   

After a new dose of cold medicine, my interest in art seemed to take much longer to explore than everyone else’s, and I was left alone with the paintings and sketches of Newcastle. The rest of my time in Newcastle was spent wandering aimlessly around the streets -- which didn’t bother me one bit. At one point, I found the central Arcade, a kind of indoor/outdoor strip mall, that was covered with beautiful Nouveau architecture. I think i can safely call the trip a success.

  

Edinburgh, Scotland in all its majesty

Stepping out of my dorm room this morning, I stretched my arms, looked out the window and smiled. Walking down the corridor of a castle that has become my home, I realized that, for the first time since I have arrived, I have no obligations today. I have to say, after yesterday, it’s a relief. Our first filed trip for our program was yesterday; Edinburgh Scotland.

My god, what a beautiful city. I can honestly say it is the most beautiful place I have ever been. I don’t know how many times I gasped and said some variation of, “oh, wow, gorgeous.” Unfortunately, I didn't bring the battery along to my camera (not I forgot the backup, I didn’t bring a battery. We left at 6am and i didn't have coffee…) and my phone died not even half way though, but I plan on taking a weekend trip sometime later on to a few places I didn’t get to see- the main one being The Elephant House, the café J.K. Rowling got her ideas and wrote some of the Harry Potter series. I spent so much time in the Edinburgh castle, I didn’t have time to make it across town to see it.

*sigh* okay, here come a million pictures...

The first place we visited was Holyrood House, the palace the Queen stays in when she is in Scotland. Most of the palace is pretty much a museum to Mary, Queen of Scots, but its pretty impressive nonetheless. This is the front gate. The name Holyrood comes from a story of an old king (Christine said the name, but I forgot) who was out hunting on a Sunday, which I guess you shouldn't be doing if you're a king. A crazy stag ran up to him in the forest, all foaming at the mouth and wild with murder- I guess stags can get pretty aggressive- and the king starts to pray like crazy. A cross appears between the stag's antlers and the king is saved. You can see the cross in the antlers on the statue on the gate.

The front of the Palace: we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the castle, due to all the old fancy things inside. Most of the paintings were already getting really dark from old age, and some places were lit with very low light.

My favorite part of the tour was a copy of an old illuminated bible in Mary's bedchamber. The thought that someone had the determination to hand-write (in beautiful calligraphy) the entire bible, and illuminated these amazing pictures left me in awe. You can still see the graphite grids they made as guides on the vellum pages before taking years to write the beautiful book. The next best part was the old temple ruins. You can see me above making a weird face, because although beautiful, it was very windy and about 9am, so it was around 30 degrees outside. 

Outside the castle sat an old bath house that to me looked like howl's moving castle (which is my favorite Hayo Miazaki film) so I took a picture. Edinburgh, by the way, is pronounced like “ed-in bra”- unless of course you’re Scottish, then its “ed-in ba-ra,” but NEVER “eed-in burrow.” You’ll be shamed in the street apparently, if the locals hear you say it that way.

Our next stop was the Scottish parliament building. Because Edinburgh has such a rich historical feel to the entire city, this building has been the cause of a lot of controversy in Scotland. The building is so modern, it pretty much clashes with everything else in the city. I, myself, thought it was really cool, but as a parliament building, maybe it was a bit too much, considering they went about $250 million over budget to make it. The inside is very impressive, though. The stairways look like you're inside an M. C. Escher drawing. 

This is the main debate room. I'm sure that's not what its called, but i haven't learned about it yet- we're still on Henry VIII...

 From there, we stopped at Calton Hill. At this point, my phone decided it was too cold to take pictures, and shut off, leaving me to wander around and expereince things. I did get a few pictures though, and we didn't really get to stay very long. Next time I visit this amazing city, I'll be going back to this point for sure. I'll have to get a sketch book before then- I see an entire afternoon being spend up there.

 The views were absolutely amazing. you could see for miles in any directing. On the top picture, you can see Edinburgh castle on top the hill, between the clock tower and the gothic church tower point. On the other side of the hill sits part of what was supposed to be a recreation of the Parthenon in Greece, but was never finished. Christine (our professor) says its one of the most shameful points in the city, but "at least they didn't go over budget." She's one of those people who hate the new parliament building.

The other side of the hill shows the sea port. It's pretty much just industrial land, but if you look closely enough, you can see Scotland's version of the golden gate bridge. They used to start painting it at one side, and when they reached the end, have to start over again, but I guess in recent years discovered a paint that lasts longer. The landscape is really why I took the picture- the mountains in the background, the sea, the clear skies- you can't really imagine how picturesque it was unless you were there. So, you know, be jealous. 

 Upon arrival to Edinburgh castle, I got my camera to work for a bit longer. enough time to catch this douche bag standing in the middle of the road to take a picture of a guy playing bagpipes. here, he had taken a couple of steps backward, but our bus still had to wait for this ass to get his picture before we could go any further. lesson being; Europe has dicks too, its not just the U.S.

This would be the castle. the picture sucks, but as I say, my phone was only back on for a few minutes. The bottom is a view off the side of the outside wall: I was then and am now running out of words to say "beautiful," but you get the idea. its was pretty freaking beautiful.

Inside the castle, there were not many places we were allowed to take pictures. In all honesty, I was kind of disappointed on the inside- the castle is over a thousand years old, but almost none of it it original anymore. Most of the castle feels like a modern museum exhibit- bright cardboard cutouts, wax statues, and gift shops and cafes galore. The prisons were pretty cool, but again, filled with plexiglas and wax figures. Perhaps the best part was the chapel- i did spend quite a bit of time in there. It had been made into a war memorial, filled with books of all Scotland's fallen soldiers in recorded history. No one spoke, just walked around and admired. 

After arriving at the castle, we were given the points and times in which the bus was going to be to bring us back to Alnwick, and set loose into the wild. As I spend most of my time in the castle, all i did afterward was visit one of the city's free art museums and do a little shopping. (I was with 2 eighteen year old girls- shopping was happening. 

Next weekend is Newcastle- Just as beautiful (I'm told) but much more modern, and about an hour and a half closer, so hopefully no 6am meeting time! Until then gentle reader, I am going to enjoy my day of doing nothing with some instant espresso and a giant kit-kat bar. Thanks for bearing with me. 

Cheers.

Brianna Horton and her hatred for British currency

Thursday; end of the first week of classes. Tomorrow we take our first field trip to Edinburgh Scotland. We had a lecture tonight from one of our teachers about Scotland and its history. We also learned just why the British hate the French – his feminine French accent made the lecture quite entertaining. His name is David. He eats lunch with us Tuesdays and Thursdays. He’s very smart and very funny, I like his classes a lot. Tuesday he had us write down ten words that came to mind when we thought about Britain. My first word was ‘moist,’ which he read aloud today in class. Ample laughter- great success.

Let see, this week, what happened this week… a couple of things:

First off, BBC finally wrapped shooting today, so we should be able to take some nice pictures of the castle without getting into too much trouble. I’ll post them this weekend. We got to watch the filming of a battle scene today from the gun turret of the castle, which would have been pretty nifty, if it weren't for the colossal wind that never seems to give up in this country. It was a scene from Joan of Arch, so technically, where we were watching from what would have been a French castle. I couldn't help but look down from the high wall and think “…your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elder berries!”

I did take a picture, but only because Lisa, one of the professors was standing next to me, and she took like four. She thought my Monty Python joke was funny, so I went for it…

Last night, my feet were very sore from wandering about town. The landscape is so beautiful in this place. I've mentioned the little shops before, but the sheer beauty of this place will take your breath away. Even tonight in the driving rain, walking to the playhouse to hand in my volunteer hours availability form, I marveled at how quaint this little town is. My rain jacket works very well, by the way- glad I spent the extra $40.

Speaking of money, quick rant about British pounds: they’re ridiculous. They make absolutely no sense. Okay, in American money the dime is a bit out of place, but other than that, cents descend in value the smaller they get. Not so with pounds: 1 pence is small, 2 pence is big, five pence is small, 10 pence is big, and so on… even the notes aren't the same size! And how egotistical must the queen of England be, putting her face on ALL of them? I man, Charles Darwin on the back, Queen Elizabeth on the front? seriously, your only claim to fame is your ancestors. I can’t tell you how dumb I feel paying for a beer- I mean… fruits and vegetables, when I have to rummage for the correct change for twenty minutes. I hate it. The messed up Harry Potter money made more sense!

DUUUUUUUUUMB!!

I could spend my stupid money tomorrow at The Elephant House. Its going to be one of my stops (in my free time, not scheduled) in Edinburgh- the cafe in which J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter series. They say she got the idea for the entire series there. I’m excited. I’m also a nerd. I’ll be sure to write all about how awesome it was, stay tuned in for more of my opinions on things that don’t matter that I only comment on to make others jealous. Next week we make a slight change in programming: we delve into my obsessive hatred for Nicholas Sparks; don’t miss out- it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

Brianna Horton and the professor that sounds like Mary Poppins.

Monday: first day of classes. That’s right, I actually came here for classes. I definitely didn't want to come here for adventure, or to live in a castle, or to drink a Guinness in Dublin. My education comes first above all things. Also, it is very easy to lie when people can’t see your face. Our British professor’s name is Christine, and she sounds like Mary Poppins. I feel bad yawning in front of her, because I feel like I’ll insult her dainty British nature. She’s adorable.

I’m sitting in the rec room reflecting on the last few days. I have just about mastered skype, though the advances of iPhone FaceTime still elude me. I did get to chat with my parents and William yesterday, which was nice. I was a bit worried that William would forget who I am. I know he doesn’t understand exactly where I am or what I’m doing, but it’s nice to hear him and hear him say my name and acknowledge who I am. I have begun to embrace my new home, now that the initial home-sickness has passed. I still miss home, but it was 48 degrees outside today. I mean, come on. That’s awesome.

The BBC crew was going all-out today; I passed a guy dressed as a king on my way out to buy groceries and school supplies. After I had passed, I really wished I had bowed to him and said, “yer majesty.” My roommate disagreed with me about how funny it would have been. We wandered around town checking out all the shops, since we were both done with classes by noon. The beauty of this town leaves me in awe.

There is a street in St. Cloud- St. Germain, from 5^th Ave down to…9^th I think- that is full of these great little shops. I interned for the art crawl last summer and got to know a bit about the area. The shops are great, but the area is struggling because of the malls and wal-marts in St. Cloud that people go to instead. My favorite part of Alnwick is the absence of these large stores- the entire community is little shops. Yes, it took me all day to find a three ring binder and some folders (that I didn't end up buying, England has weird folders!) but walking along the entirely cobblestone town was adventure enough to fill an afternoon. I didn't take any pictures, because despite the warm temperatures, it was VERY windy today.

Friday is our first field trip- Edinburgh, Scotland. As excited as I am to go, I’m more excited to come back to Alnwick Friday night. Many of the students are staying the night and coming home Saturday, but we meet our fake adoptive family on Sunday, and I plan on visiting Edinburgh on one of the week-long breaks we are given. I’m excited because I plan on going out and about Alnwick Friday night without the drunk kids asking Alnwick locals “what the best futbol team is” or asking them to call each other a wanker. That seriously happened- I was so embarrassed. Young drunk kids are idiots- I was one once upon a time, but I hate going out with them now that I’m all old and not fun. I’m looking forward to getting to know the locals without having to apologize every few minutes. Also I think it is stupid to rent a hostel and buy a bus ticket just so I can drink in Edinburgh Friday night instead of Alnwick, but as I say, I’m old and no fun.

Brianna Horton and the Plane ride that would never end. Okay, it did end, but it didn’t feel like it was ever going to end.

I woke up this morning feeling less than excited. Upon my arrival to Alnwick castle, I picked the bed by the window- because hey, it’s a castle, why wouldn’t I want to look out the window? As it turns out, castles are a bit drafty (shout-out to Amy Jo for suggesting I bring a blanket. You saved my life last night). Next to my leaky window sits my twin-sized bed. Twin sized. I’m an adult, you guys. Immediately I miss my queen sized memory foam mattress. I roll over- a difficult feat on such a small surface, and look at the window. I start thinking about how much warmer it would be in here if I could put up a window kit, and I immediately miss home.

I start to think about my sleeping roommate across the room. I lucked out with my roommate- we’ve only known each other a day, but she seems really down to earth for being 18. Her age is what I dwell on- she’s 18, I’m not. In fact, I’m a few years older than 18, and a few years older than most of the other participants of this trip- not many, but enough to make me want to call all their mothers and tell them they can’t behave themselves Why did I let everyone convince me to come here? No one understood that I felt irresponsible coming over here, and now I’m stuck feeling this way for four more months. Dear sweet baby jebus in the sky, what have I gotten myself into…

I roll out of bed and get dressed- we’ve been given some pretty full schedules for the first week, and breakfast is being served in a half-hour. I walk out the door and begin to cross the outer Abby of the castle. The keep and the inner abbey are off-limits to us right now, as the duke and his family are staying here. It’s very windy this morning, but the sun is trying its best to shine (not a common occurrence in England) and it’s a balmy 42 degrees- much warmer than in Minnesota. As I concentrate on not falling over the cobblestone roads in this 700 year old castle, I find myself perking up a bit. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

That's my roommate. I'm a great photographer.

Breakfast goes by, and I head back to my room to drop off my coat before orientation starts. In the courtyard sits the biggest cat I've ever seen (well, my Benny might be bigger, but he’s also very fluffy). He is loving all the attention he’s getting from all the pitying Americans that are surely wishing they had saved a scrap of food for the poor thing (we come to realize his name is Bunyip and he is the most spoiled cat in all of Britain).

again, fantastic photographer. we're not supposed to be taking pictures, I went quick...

After our Director, Wade, goes over academic policy and procedure, we learn about fire safety.  One thing about the brits- they don’t mess around with fire safety. Each of us has been given an id card to hand to the guards before leaving the grounds, in case a fire breaks out. If they have our ID card, everyone knows the student is probably safe getting drunk in town and not burning to death in the castle.

After our orientations and a quick lunch (by quick I mean I ate fast, not there wasn’t much to eat-dear god do they FEED us here) my roommate and I (and another girl- I’m awful with names) head out to town to buy all the things we realized we’ve forgotten. Near the end of town is an old train station that has been converted into a used book store- barter books.

I've been looking forward to going here since right after I decided to go to Alnwick. The place is beautiful- not as big as I thought it would be, mainly because a majority of the place is a cafeteria now, but impressive nonetheless. We wander about for a while, but realize that we have more orientation activities in about a half an hour and should really be heading back to the castle.

This orientation depicts mainly a lecture about alcohol; the main point being “don’t be an idiot” which may be hard for some, but I don’t’ feel like will be a big problem for me. Many people are planning the night’s escapades at dinner, but one girl says she found a tunnel under the castle- I opt for that route. It ends up being a combination of the scary shower room from saw and some stone mortuary tunnels from a horror movie I have yet to see, and really don’t want to. There are skylights with ivy growing in them that promise day lit adventures to come, so we hightail it out and promise ourselves we will return when it is less scary.

After that we find ourselves in the rec room. The TV plays a British version of America’s funniest home videos that are just as ridiculous as American versions. On the table I find a book of journal entries from past students from Alnwick. The book starts in 2004 and ends with the last class. Each entry is about the same: places to visit, people to meet and advice for passing tests and studying for one professor or another. Throughout the book, there is one message that is the same, no matter who is writing: cherish the time you have here, because it goes by fast. 

I read through the book quickly; when I’m finished, I feel much better. I’m not sure if I’m comforted by all the experiences I’ve just read about from past students, or the knowledge that I will be home before I know it, but I know I feel better. Whatever the reason. I slide into bed feeling a bit perkier. A few thoughts and some emotional skypes may have bummed me out today, but this is going to be the opportunity of a lifetime, and I need to take advantage of it. First thing I’m going to do tomorrow?- go get some more blankets. Christ, is it freezing in this castle!