To Be A Son Of Scotland

The next leg of my journey took me to Edinburgh in Scotland.  I took a train from Dudley into Edinburgh, which was a long trip, but worth it all the way.  Once I got into the station, my good friend from summer camp, Rachel, was there to meet me.  Her family had kindly offered to allow me to stay with them for the week while I was there.  Her family was absolutely lovely, and it was so fun staying with them. 
The next day, Rachel and I traveled into the heart of Edinburgh to look around.  First we went up the Royal Mile and then went into Edinburgh Castle, which is one of the most impressive castles I've been in to date.  It is set upon an ancient volcano core, and when you look at it, you can see how it inspired JK Rowling's vision of Hogwarts.  (She is from Edinburgh)
There is also a tradition at the Castle where they fire a cannon at 1pm everyday.  We got to see it, and I had the intention of videoing it, but my camera battery died literally as the soldier went to fire. 

Later on, we met up with Bryan, who also has worked at summer camp, and Paul, who is a new recruit and is at camp as we speak.  We went out for a pub quiz, and after much grief, we ended up winning!!  Not only that, but we had a chance to guess the code that would open a safe that contained 2 bottles of liquor.  Well, turns out we guessed that one correctly as well!  So in total, we won £20 credit, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Jägermeister.  Not bad, not bad at all.

The next day I went into Edinburgh alone to simply walk around and explore while Rachel was in class.  I got some great views of the castle and was able to take in my surroundings.
Later that night, Rachel took me to the beach, where she said there were lots of good views of the setting sun.  She was correct!  It was amazing!  I got some nice shots, and we found a flagpole that resembled the pole at camp.  We decided we'd come back another day and get a photo with it as if it were ours!
Stirling was the next order of business! It is a very historically important place, as this was where the Battle of Stirling took place.  If you have seen Braveheart, the battle is featured in it.  William Wallace fought there against the British, and we even got to see his actual sword!  We were also able to venture into Glasgow for an afternoon, which was a lot of fun, even though Rachel isn't particularly fond of it.  Nevertheless, it was a good day.

Eventually we did get back to the beach, and this time the tide was low enough that we could walk to an island that is only accessible at low tide.  Apparently, people get stuck there all the time and have to call the Coast Guard to come and get them!
After we went over there and successfully made it back without becoming trapped, we took our photo with the flagpole, and then headed home.

Before I continued my journey onto Spain, the Watsons were kind enough to take me out for a meal by the Two Bridges.  We had a great time, but for some reason, everything that Mrs. Watson ordered came out wrong!  She found a snail in her peas, her chicken was pink, and here apple pie was cold.  It became one of those things where we were all laughing because nothing seemed to be going right for her!  It was all in good fun, though, and was a great way to end my time in Edinburgh.

Dudley

When I last left you I had disclosed details of my travels to Cambridge and Wisbech.  Lucky for you, that was not all I did over the Easter Holiday.

Once I had left Wisbech, I headed up to Dudley.  Dudley is in the Midlands, close to Birmingham.  I went up there to stay with my good friend and fellow geologist, Joe.  This was also the hometown of Chris and James, two of my other good geology friends.  For this reason I know we would have a great time during my week with them.  The first night I got there, Chris and Joe and I were invited to see Joe's Grandad's folk music get together.  Essentially, this was a gathering of folk enthusiasts that got together every week simply to have a good time playing music.  I must say, it was something completely amazing.  It reminded me of home in some respects, and that might simply be because folk is big in Minnesota.  

The next day, James came over in his sweet Mini, and we drove over to do a cave tunnel tour.  Dudley is very hilly, and because of this, it was sometimes easier to make canal tunnels through the hills rather than try to snake around them.  In addition, the hills of Dudley were rich in limestone and coal, and were had been mined for them for years, meaning there was already large amounts of the hill carved away.  We got into a canal boat, which is a very narrow boat indeed, and headed into the tunnel. We learned about the history of Dudley as well as a bit of geology regarding fossils that could be found in the limestone.  We also saw many filled in and abandoned forks of tunnel.  One of the caverns we went into was so large, it could fit the entirety of St. Paul's Cathedral inside of it. The route took us through the Tipton Portal of the Dudley Canal Tunnel, into Shirt's Mill Basin, on to Castle Mill Basin (where the Wrens Nest Tunnel Project is visible), through New Tunnel to the Singing Cavern, returning (backwards) through another New Tunnel and Rock Tunnel, back through the two basins to re-emerge at the wharf.   They started building these all the way back in 1775!  At one point in the 19th century I believe, they were able to fit some 20,000 plus people into the caverns for a celebrating and fireworks.  On the way back, James and I were allowed to "leg it" which is where one uses their legs against the wall of the tunnel to propel the boat forward.  This is how the canals often worked before they had engines for propulsion.

 

After this we went to see the Crooked House, which was a pub and house that halfway collapsed in the lat 1800's, and as a result, is a crazy mind-bending location to have a drink or bite to eat.  It is one of those places where things seem to roll uphill, etc.  Just being inside of the pub makes one feel intoxicated, mostly because your mind is trying to figure out the forced perspectives and false angles, etc. 

From there, we decided to walk along the canal, since it was such a gorgeous day out.  After walking it, we decided we'd come back later in the week for a bike ride on the same trail.

Joe's family were so nice and hospitable, and were very fun to talk to, especially because they had been to the states before. 

Fossilized crinoids

Joe had made an appointment to meet with the Head of the Dudley Geological Society for the day, so we were able to see a lot of the behind the scenes work at the Dudley Museum. We saw some very nice fossils, as well as learned loads more about Dudley and the geology at work there.  Later that night we went to a local joint with some of Joe and Gemma's (his girlfriend) friends.  They were a super-friendly bunch, and made me feel very welcome.  It ended up being a very fun night, and I made many new friends as well.

Canal drain

The next morning, Joe and I met James at his house for our bike ride.  After about 2 hours or so of setbacks such as missing axles and deflated tires, etc, we set off for the canal on yet another gorgeous day.  We stopped and looked at the different locks for the canal boats on our fairly large ride. We ended up in a small canal town, but unfortunately every restaurant was closed for some unknown reason. Even the fish and chip joints were shut.  So we had to get lunch from a grocery store.  It was a gorgeous ride, and from there James had to go to work and Joe and I went to meet up with the friends from the night before. 

Canal Lock

The next big thing we did was take a family outing to the first iron bridge ever constructed, which marked the start of the Industrial Revolution.  This was also constructed in 1775.  And what a gorgeous bridge it was!  We then took a short drive to Bridgnorth, where we would take a genuine steam train through the Severn Valley.  The town of Bridgnorth itself was so lovely that I could easily spend the whole day there.  As it were, though, we were trying to catch the train, and had to walk at a brisk pace.  The train station was like stepping back in time.  All the porters had old-fashioned uniforms on, and the train was of course from the golden age. It is 16 miles long, and is in a stupendous state of preservation and restoration. Even the tickets were authentic to the period.  Our car was at the very front, right next to the giant engine.  Eventually, the whistle blew, and the sound of pressure escaping from valves filled our ears.  Looking out the window, one could see the soot billowing from the stack and steam bursting from the wheels.  Slowly and begrudgingly, we started off, to the the tell-tale "chuggachuggachugga" that can only be made by such locomotives.   Surprisingly, the seats of the carriage were more comfortable than modern trains, in my opinion. These trains also still used signal boxes, telling them when to stop and go so as to avoid collisions.  It was a mixture of stepping into Harry Potter and Thomas the Tank Engine. We got off at Arley, where we were meeting Joe's cousin for food and to watch the Grand National, which is a giant horserace. The station we got off at was old-fashioned from head to foot.  They even had signs of the period and and old telephone booth with war posters. 

We watched the Grand National and Joe won about 15 pounds. My horse, Santa's Son, had been in first place until the 2nd to last jump.  The odds were 100 to 1.  I would have won 400 pounds.  Oh well, next time! 

Before I left, Joe's Family got me a West Bromwich Albions football jersey.  This is the team the family supports, and they were avid that I take it home and spread the news to other potential American fans.  Of course, my words can't do justice to Dudley, especially writing about it a few weeks after the fact.  But I do hope to return there someday, if I am permitted.

Joe and his parents

Start of Easter Break means many travels!

Almost as soon as I returned from Pembrokeshire, it was time to head out for Easter Break.  I had 4 weeks to do whatever, and I intended not to waste it.
I traveled up to Cambridge, where my good friend and fellow counselor from summer camp was studying.  He is called Ed.  We had some great times back at summer camp, including a time when we played a game with Dobby (Harry Potter) against Smeagol (Lord of the Rings).  I hadn't seen him in more than a year, so it was great to catch up with him and swap stories from school and camp.
We went around Cambridge looking at all the architecture and history.  Cambridge recently celebrated its 800th anniversary.  And that is just the university! It is wild!  We saw cavernous cathedrals, vaulting citadels, cobbled streets, and Ed's housemates (who were very lovely indeed).  Ed is in his 3rd year at school, and being at Cambridge, means he has a lot of work to do.  Because of this, we spent time in the library revising and writing for summer term.

Ed on the boat

One of the days, we got Mr. Sam Dunn to come down to Cambridge. Sam also worked at camp, and has done so for the past 4 years.  It was a miniature reunion! Sam only lives about an hour away from Ed, up in Wisbech.  When he came down, the weather was very nice, sunshine and all!  We then decided it would be a good day to hit the town and walk around.  We also thought we should go punting.

Me getting attacked by a tree

Sam giving it a go.

Punting is, in essence, what you see people in Venice do in the movies.  You know, the guy on the long skinny boat using the pole to push it around?  Yeah, so we decided to rent one ourselves, meaning we would have to steer and drive it.  Ed went first, as he had actually punted before and did a very good job doing so.  The view from the river was very nice, and it was ever so relaxing!  Next it was my turn to try this crazy method of propulsion.  I ambled up to the platform and started sticking the pole in the water.  It turns out it isn't as easy as it looks.  I took us on a zig-zaggy pattern through the river, and hardly managed to stay going in a constant direction for more than a minute.  Nevertheless, we powered through the difficulties and continued onward.  After me, it was Sam's turn.  I figured he'd be a natural, seeing how he was the boating director at camp last summer.  Well.  You know what they say about "assume."  He ended up having a lot of the same problems I had, but I still think he was better.  On the way back to the landing, some other people accidentally rammed us while I was punting, and I was devastatingly close to falling into the murky water.

Hockey

Once this had finished, we ate a giant lunch (complete with dessert) and Ed headed to the library to work.  Sam and I decided to walk around, and lo and behold!  We run into Daisy, one of my good friends from Royal Holloway!  It was surreal.  So we went out for a walk and a bit of food with Daisy, catching up and hanging out.  Soon, she had to go to work, and we went back to Ed's for the night.

The next day, I headed to Wisbech with Sam to see his hometown.  Wisbech is a fairly small town, the type where everyone seems to know everyone else.  Sam lives on a farm of sorts, with many chickens and a few horses.  His dad is a mechanic dealing primarily in farm equipment.
Sam said he was going to take me to the local club, called Mendi's, later that night.  We met up with his friends at a local pub before heading out.  They were all really good guys, and most of them knew Sam through cricket and hockey.  (Grass hockey in the US).  Before long, we were feeling good, and ventured to the club.  It was a fun little place, but the energy was high!  Once we left, Sam and I ended up walking back to his house, which turned out to be a good 5 miles away or something, so it took us a fair chunk of time to get back.
The next day I got to see my first ever hockey game!  Sam's sister Georgie was playing in the Championship round, and they were undefeated all season.  It is very similar to ice hockey, but of course there was no checking, and only the goalie had pads.  The girls took the title, and we went to their clubhouse to celebrate.  When I say "celebrate" it really meant that the girls got to celebrate while the boys put together a cricket bowling cage, which is essentially the same thing as a batting/pitcher cage used in baseball.  There were no instructions, and very limited tools.  Thankfully, there were plenty of us men around, and with a little bit of elbow grease, the lot of us got the thing up in something like 4 hours.  It was then that we were allowed to celebrate.  We had a few drinks in the clubhouse before heading out to get some currey.  It was here that the highlight of Wisbech came into fruition.

Sam's House

Sitting next to us were 6 women who were all related and in their middle-ages.  They were getting a bit tipsy and having a good time.  Sitting across from me was Dom, one of the guys I was now friends with.  Every once in a while, we would hear this high-pitched wail, somewhere between a banshee scream and a creaky gate opening.  Dom an I made eye contact, and in that eye contact I could tell we were both thinking the same thing, "what is that sound and where is it coming from?"  After a few more of these, I pinned down that it sounded like.  It sounds like the baby velociraptor that Allen Grant holds in Jurassic Park.  When I told the rest of the table my discovery, we burst into hysterics, but of course we had to be polite and hold in the laughter.  In our recon, we determined that she was in fact, laughing.  The sound was her laugh.  Before long, the other table realized we found it funny, and started laughing even more.  We got to talking with them and bantering about her insane laugh.    Soon, it seemed like the whole restaurant was in on it.  It was unbelievably hilarious, and a good way to close my time in Wishbech.

Pembrokeshire (That is in Wales)

ROAD TRIP

In late March, the Geology Department went on a 6 day field trip to Pembrokeshire, which is on the coast of Wales.  In Wales, they speak English and Welsh, which is a language that uses a lot of consonants.  There was one boy on the trip called Josh who was Welsh, and he proved to be our friendly go-to guy on all things about Wales.  We had to provide our own transportation to the field, so I rode up in a car with Gosia, Laura, Camilla, and Grace.  We had a great time driving out, as the weather was most favorable.  After a solid day of travel, we finally arrived and found our chalets--which we much nicer than anticipated. After a bit of introduction, we called it a day and hit the sack.
The next day wasn't the best of weather, as it was raining.  We had also had a 20 minute walk to the bus along a muddy trail, some people even ended up falling and slipping into the mud.  I almost took a spill myself, but managed to dive into some bushes at the last moment and thus avoid a catastrophe for my camera.  Even though the weather wasn't the greatest, we still managed to have a good time in the field.

Tidal Cave

Luckily, the rest of the weeks weather proved to be absolutely smashing. We toured all around the coast, and saw loads of cool formations--from faults and folds to coal veins and fossils. 
Because we were in chalets, we had to cater ourselves, which meant packing lunches and cooking dinner. You'd be surprised how hungry a day in the field can make you.
One of the most bizarre things that happened in Wales happened on the coast in the middle of the week.  Whilst in the field, we heard booms in the distance.  We were then told that the Ministry of Defense had land nearby, and they were having a 5 day war game using live ammunition.  They were using tanks, artillery, and small arms fire.  Apparently in preparation for a ground invasion of Libya.  I tried getting video of it so you could hear the booms, but the wind was too strong and it drowned out the sounds of the battle.  They also told us not to stray too far, as there was no clearly defined boundary between us and the MoD.

Castle

The weather was so nice that I decided to try swimming in the real ocean!  The other guys decided to come with me and we swam around.  They all got out because they said it was chilly, but once you swim in Minnesota lakes soon after the ice breaks, not much else can seem terribly cold. 
On the last day even more of us got into the water at the beach, and we had a blast in the sun.  On the way back to the car we started finding loads of dogfish,  One of them was massive!
Also, at the end of the trip, the supervisors gave out prizes, including one for most entertaining, which I somehow won.  The prize was a chocolate egg and a bottle of wine. 

Sunset

Needless to say, it was an absolute blast, but it also signified the end of the my geology here in England, and it will be the last time I will be with the rest of my geology class.  *Tear*

Group Photo

Me and Geology

Cliffs

Water time!

Jamie with the sharks!

A Disgrace To Bloggers Everywhere

It's been a whole sodding month since I've written on the blog.  Talk about pathetic!  I would take some time to try and blame it on some excuses, but the fact that I had a run-in with four unicorns that needed grooming and have had a Demon called Tritus take refuge inside my mind and body for the last month, but I don't want to go into all that.

Last I left you, it was the 8th of March, meaning you have not heard of my 21st birthday shenanigans and tomfoolery.

21

Pong

So, as you know, in America, the drinking age is 21.  Here, the drinking age is 18.  Therefor, I had already been fairly accustomed to drinking in legal establishments for some time now. I also didn't expect much to come out of turning 21 in England.  However, most of the people said that I would still have a good night, and indeed I did.

The plan was to go to the Students Union, as the theme for the night was Disney. So of course everyone was wearing costumes.  I found a cheap outfit at the local thrift store.  It was a 7-9 year old fairy costume.  I thought I could fit into it, and so I bought it and ended up going as Tinkerbell from Peter Pan.  It was going to be a good night.  Some friends came over to our flat, also dressed up as characters such as a Alice In Wonderland, a Lost Boy from Peter Pan, Woody from Toy Story, and the Mad Hatter.  I introduced them to 'Beer Pong' and American Red Party Cups, which they don't get over here.  

After some successful pre-drinks, we made our way to the Student's Union.  Unfortunately, on the way there, while trying to jump over these anti-vehicle posts known as bollards, I managed to rip the tights I was wearing as Tinkerbell.

But that wasn't going to stop me.

No Sirree!

Soon I was getting complements aplenty on my costume, and had plenty of people getting me drinks.  

All in all it was an awesome night, and I woke up the next morning feeling wonderful!

I promise there is much more to follow!

Smoking

Smoking laws here in the UK are similar to those in Minnesota and the majority of America.  Which is that it is now not legal to smoke inside pubs, bars, restaurants, etc.  On the whole, more people do smoke over here, and this tends to be cigarettes.  Chewing tobacco is something I haven't even seen whilst being here.  Now, on English tobacco products, they are blatantly covered with messages such as "smoking kills" or pictures of diseased lungs.  Mostly this is meant as a deterrent. Not only that, but they are much more expensive over here, with a pack of 20 costing around £6 or about $10.  Because of this, I have noticed that almost all student roll their own cigarettes.  They have their pack of tobacco, rolling papers, and then filters.  Watching them, it is almost like an art.  People I have talked to have said it is borderline therapeutic.  Just an interesting observance.