Edinburgh

When I got back from my lovely family vacation in Spain and Portugal, I took a couple days of rest in London and then head to Edinburgh with Caroline and Emma!

Birthday-I'm old now. 

We we finally arrived in Scotland, after the most crowded 5 hour train ride ever, it was so crowded in the city because of the festivities. Scotland is so picturesque and looks like a town out of a Charles Dickens novel (or the magical world of Harry Potter). After meeting up with Emma, who was unfortunately battling the flu, we walked around and went out for a lovely dinner in celebration of my birthday. I had delicious curry and a brilliant gin, mint, berry spirit!

Candle Light Walk (one of the many activities) 

Edinburgh 

Harry Potter Toilet 

Edinburgh celebrates the bringing in of the new year with 4 days of celebration. When we arrived people were participating in the candle light walk (which we thought were people carrying fake swords). The next day was new years eve day and we lounged around, did some sight seeing and visited the coffee shop where JK Rowling wrote the majority of the Harry Potter novels! They even had a decorative toilet and writing all over the bathroom walls. Caroline and I even ventured to a movie, Burlesque, which was not a good movie at all. But Cher was fun? Emma's roommate, Molly, threw a new years party in the dorm, inviting a bunch of her MBA friends and we had such a great time! At 10:15 we ventured to the street party (which was 2 min away) and there were a bunch of stages, people everywhere and overall merriment. The man performing on the stage closest to us, at one point was singing, "I want to be like you" from the Jungle Book. It was so much fun and festive. Soon it was countdown to NYE and than amazing fireworks and sining ensued. New Years was fantastic!

We also went on an underground tour of the underground city in Scotland, which was pretty cool. The streets use to be lower and so they have to put streets over portions of the old city, which created an underground city. During the tour the plague was mentioned a lot and thank goodness we don't have that anymore.

Underground city, haunted room

There was one interesting story (and the photo below I was not suppose to take a photo of, owned by the government?) But this is the haunted room in the city beneath the city. A little girl was locked in this room to die on her own from the black plague. She was very unhappy, until a ghost hunter came to "feel for supernatural beings" and discovered the little girl and the little girls sadness. The ghost hunter decided that all the little wanted was a doll, so the ghost hunter went and bought the little girl and barbie dressed in a kilt (no joke) and the little girl was happy! So now people bring her toys...It was an interesting story and terrible to. During the time of the plague parents needed to decide if they should lock up their infected children in their room to die alone, or have them affect the entire family. Unfortunately there was not a good solution so most children died on their own. 

NYE hello 2011

Anyway, Edinburgh was great and I cannot wait to return when its warmer! 

I'm Back!

Sorry for the very very long absence! I had such and amazing break and the first week of school has been pretty good, but I have a summative essay due today and that has made things slightly more stressful! I must make it in by 4pm-wish me luck!

This week, I will finalize my class schedule and than my life will be less hectic.

Outside Mosque

My break in Spain and Portugal was amazing! I had such a lovely time with my family and I only wish that it was longer. We went all over in a rented car. Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, Madrid, Malaga, Lisbon and others.

Delicious pizza 

Mosque 

Cordoba was lovely because it didn't rain, the streets were narrow and confusing and transported you to a different time. I had the best pizza there too! Spanish pizza is surprisingly delicious because the cheese they place on top is fantastic. Granada also has a beautiful Masque and lovely gardens.

Alhambra

Sevilla 

We saw a lot of ancient homes and castles as well as forts and walled in cities. We had a guided tour of the Alhambra which is a massive castle with Arabic details and  large, beautiful gardens. Unfortunately it was a bit cold that day.... We travelled to Sevilla, which is beautiful. We saw Flamaco dancing and part took in late night dinner (which is actually regular dinner at 10 pm)!

Cascasis 

We traveled to Portugal, which was warm and lovely. Although it did rain a bit while we were on our trip, the bits of sun and warmth made up for it. Portugal has the most interesting language. It is a mix of spanish, dutch, arabic and italian (just to name a few). The country is green and luscious.
Portugal has a very interesting history and a lot of interesting monuments in Lisbon, which tell a story of colonization and rebuilding.

Lisboa 

I would love to go back to Madrid and experience more of the city because our time there was a bit too short. I also want to experience Barcelona again because it is on of my favorite places to visit. Spending time with my family was wonderful and I am grateful to have them. The experience was lovely (I mean there are always some bumps in the road) but the experience was well worth it.

Next I will tell you about my Birthday and New Years! Stay tuned! And to see more photos of Spain, check out my facebook or Flickr page!

Moorgate