My Scottish Adventure

Hello all,

Happy Christmas Eve (if you celebrate Christmas). I have to confess that it has never felt less like Christmas to me, but I assume that is because I am in London and not with my family doing our usual Christmas traditions. It also doesn't help that it is rather warm (all things considered) here in London so it doesn't feel like December at all! Hopefully going to the Christmas Eve services at St. Martin in the Fields will help.

Well, I had an amazing six days last week traveling around Great Britain and I wanted to share it with you! So this could be a bit of a long post, but I hope you will enjoy it. I think I will organize it by day. To be fair, my adventure included places in England as well as Scotland (I'll get to that), but for some reason, in my head I started calling it my Scottish adventure and the name kind of stuck! So without further ado (is that how you spell that??)...

Day 1 (Monday December 17):
On the first Monday of my Christmas break, I left Northumberland house on my grand adventure. I took the tube (actually the first time I have had occasion to do this since I arrived in London in September-I've been walking everywhere) to Kings Cross Station. I was super early (still getting used to traveling by train and not plane where one doesn't need to be hours early), but eventually boarded a train to Edinburgh. It was a rather long train ride (~4-5 hours), but very enjoyable. The scenery was very nice. And I saw the North Sea for the first time!

Finally, I arrived in Edinburgh at about 2:15 pm. So I made my way to the hostel where I had booked a private room (I'm not that keen on sharing rooms period, so sharing with 5 or 6 strangers is not particularly appealing to me). After I dropped my stuff off, I went out exploring in the fading light. At which point, I immediately realized I had traveled rather farther north as it was about 3:30 and getting dark. Because of the dark, I didn't explore that much. But I did walk up and down the Royal Mile (a slightly more than mile-long (one way) walk/road that goes from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the hill to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament at the bottom of the hill). Then I had dinner at a pub called the World's End (so called because it was right at the corner where the old city wall was, so for all intents and purposes, the world ended there for those that lived in the city).

Day 2:
This was an absolutely exhausting day! I tried to pack everything in Edinburgh into one day (which was rather successful, although some sights will have to wait until another trip)! I started out (when it was still dark) at about 8:30 and went up to Edinburgh Castle. I got there about 9 and while I knew the Castle didn't open until 9:30, this was perfect as I got to look around a bit and see the view over the city. In fact, I got to see a beautiful "sunrise." Technically the sun was already above the horizon, but thanks to some clouds, it looked like it was just coming up and it was beautiful! Here's a picture:

When I was able to go into the castle, I looked around on my own (with the help of my trusty Rick Steve's guide book) before eventually going on a short (free) tour that was also quite good. Some highlights of things I saw: St. Margaret's Chapel, which I think (according to Steves) is the oldest building in Edinburgh. A very moving (and huge) memorial to those Scots who died in WWI and the subsequent wars (up to the present day). The room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI of Scotland who eventually became James I of England as well. And the Honours or the Scottish Crown Jewels. In terms of jewels, they weren't as good as the English ones in the Tower of London (sorry Scotland), but I also didn't care all that much about the jewels (in either country). What I found truly interesting was a big rectangular rock that was with the (Scottish) Jewels. This is the Stone of Scone or the Stone of Destiny. This is the rock on which Kings of Scotland have been crowned for a really, really long time. But in 1296 (I think) the English took the stone and put it in London in a specially designed coronation chair (still used today) in Westminster Abbey. Finally, in 1996, the Queen allowed the Stone to return to Scotland, but only on the condition that it travel to London for all future coronations. I thought that history was pretty cool.

After I left the Castle I took a taxi (a bit more expensive, but faster than a bus and time was of the essence with everything I was trying to see) to the harbor to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. This was one of the highlights of my day-so cool! This was the ship (because let's face it, it is way to big to call it a boat), that the Queen traveled the world on for nearly 40 or 50 years! It was decommissioned in the 90s, but had been spectacularly maintained and the audio-guided tour allowed one to go all over the ship (or at least it seemed). I got to see the bridge (and sit in the Admiral's chair), the crew quarters, the royal family's quarters, and the engine room. I don't quite know why I had such a good time there, but I highly recommend it! One of the fun things is that the Queen and Prince Philip decorated the place themselves (rather unlike their palaces where they inherited things from previous monarchs) and so one gets an interesting insight into their tastes (rather like an average Brit for the time). Here's a picture of me on the bridge: 

After Britannia, I took another taxi back up to the city and toured the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This is the official residence of the Queen in Edinburgh. It was pretty cool, but not as exciting as the Britannia or Edinburgh Castle. The included audio guide made a big difference in helping to understand what one was seeing. 

Next I went across the street to the Scottish Parliament building opened after devolution in 1997. I didn't see much inside, but it was cool too! You know, I like Parliaments. But I find the British Parliament much more interesting, in terms of history and architecture, so I didn't stay that long. The funny thing was the taxi driver on the way back from Britannia (I had asked to be taken to the Scottish Parliament) was clearly not in favor of Scottish independence and wanted me to tell Alex Salmond (the First Minister of Scotland) so when I saw him (I didn't). This became more amusing the next day when my tour guide was clearly very much in favor of independence and spoke of it as all but certain! (Something to keep an eye on as it gets closer.)

After that I was exhausted, but found I still had time so I went up to the National Museum of Scotland. I only went into the sections about the history of Scotland. The Museum was great, but at that point, I was so tired and my feet and legs were hurting from walking around all day (and the day before, and walking up- and down-hill constantly) so I didn't really enjoy it that much. The best part was the view of Edinburgh Castle from the rooftop terrace. Here's the picture: 

After that I just didn't have the energy for any more sightseeing so I went back to the hostel. I also knew the next morning was going to be an early one and a long day. 

Day 3:

On this day I went on a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands! Best money I spent the entire trip! It was so amazing! Unfortunately, I can't share all the sights with you because it was nearly impossible to get any decent pictures on the moving bus so I mostly only got pictures where we stopped (also really cool). But the tour guide was great, and the scenery was absolutely stunning! Seriously, I was thinking all day how this has to be one of the most beautiful places in the entire world (that's right, I said it, the world, not just Britain)! We went up through Glencoe, to Lock Ness and Urquhart Castle, and saw the tallest mountain in the British Isles (Ben Nevis; Ben means mountain). I really just can't say enough how gorgeous everything was! 

Our time at Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness was absolutely wonderful! We had time to walk around the castle and explore the ruins (the last owners, in a rather long line, had blown up part of it so that no one else could use it). It was a lot of fun! Then we went on a little cruise on the lake at dusk. It was beautiful! But no sign of Nessie. We did see some Nessie stuffed animals in a gift shop and I did contemplate buying one, throwing it in the water, and taking a picture "proving" it's existence, but didn't bother. :) (To be honest, I'm rather agnostic about the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. As the tour guide pointed out, it has been around, supposedly, for so long, there really must be more than one so that they could reproduce.) Anyway, here are some pictures from that awesome trip. The castle is Urquhart Castle, the lake is Loch Ness and the other picture is just some beautiful scenery I managed to capture on the bus:

Day 4:
On this day, I traveled by train from Edinburgh to Penrith which is in the Lake District. Then I got rather wet and cold waiting for a bus to Keswick (pronounced Kez-ick) where I would stay for  two nights as I explored a bit of the Lake District. I explored a bit that afternoon/evening but just the town (cute and small). I stayed in a lovely B&B that was inexpensive, but very nice! Not too much to say about this day...

Day 5:
This was another beautiful, amazing day. It was overcast, but mercifully dry so I went on a walk for a few hours along Derwentwater Lake (the lake by Keswick). I was so happy to be there at this time of year! There were few people around, no one on the lake at all, and the overcast day just added to the mystique! The lake was still as glass and it was just so beautiful! At times, it seemed hard to tell where the lake ended and the land began! And the reflection of the mountains in the water was perfect! Really, like the highlands, I just ran out of words...So here are some pictures:

That night I saw the Hobbit in the little movie theater in Keswick. The movie felt very appropriate to see on this adventure of mine. My favorite line was something along the lines of "home is behind you, the world is ahead." It really resonated with me as I traveled and more generally as I am here in Britain following my dreams...

Day 6:
I left Keswick by bus and took a train from Penrith to London. Luckily, I had no trouble on the trip (another train to London before mine was cancelled and there was flooding the southwest that was messing people up, but luckily I avoided all of this). Finally I was back in my room in London.


So, that was my adventure in a nutshell. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and the pictures (there are a lot more on Facebook if you are interested...).

Tonight I plan to go to St. Martin in the Fields for two Christmas Eve services (their carol service and the midnight service). I was going to go to Westminster Abbey for the carol service, but it turns out you need tickets which are of course gone. And I thought briefly about going to St. Paul's Cathedral, but I would have to wait outside in line for a really long time and may not get in anyway (somehow that just didn't seem like Christmas to me...). So hopefully I'll get a seat in St. Martin's (it will be full, but hopefully not as packed as St Paul's or Westminster Abbey). Then tomorrow, I am looking forward to going to a Christmas Day service at St. Martin's and then skyping with my parents.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!
Love,
Abbey

Catching Up

Hello all,

Before I go on, let me just say that the news of the terrible events in CT on Friday greatly saddens me. At the moment, we as a country (and even those in other nations) are grieving. Right now, that is what we need to do. Sometime soon though, I hope we as a nation can sit down and discuss how to prevent these terrible things from ever happening again. My heart goes out to all those affected, especially the families of the victims. ...

I am so blessed to be here in London following my dreams and to have such wonderful family and friends back home and all over the world supporting me. I just want to thank all of you and tell you all that I love you and appreciate you! ...

Since your support means so much to me, I want to go ahead and update you on the things I have been doing this past month. I feel like this is my small way of sharing something with you. A lot of great things happened so please forgive me for the abrupt transition to talking about them...

Well tomorrow morning I leave for Scotland! I've never been so I am very excited (and a little nervous)! But I thought, since I am sure to have all sorts of new adventures that will beg to be blogged about, I better get caught up on the past month before I go have more fun. So I will try to give you a brief overview.

Other than my last post which focused on only one day (you can get a sense of why I don't blog all the time-a lot happens) this past week, I haven't told you what I've been doing since I saw the Queen and that was way back on the 14th of November. So, here's what I've done:

-I turned 23! As a senior at F&M I tended to feel rather old, but in busy London, I am reminded that I am quite young and still have a lot of learning to do! The day after my birthday, a group of friends and I went to a pub here in London and celebrated my birthday in the British way (don't worry, that basically means we had dinner in a pub, nothing worse than that)! It was wonderful to get together with my friends and another reminder of how blessed I am to have met some great people here! Then a few of us went to Covent Garden for frozen yogurt before heading home.

-I met Danny Alexander! He is a Lib Dem MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and member of the "Quad"--the group consisting of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minster, the Chancellor and Danny (i.e. two Conservatives and two Lib Dems) that makes final decisions on coalition policy. This was an awesome talk! Danny was at the coalition negotiations and so his first-hand account was fascinating (although, basically what I already knew).  I almost didn't go to this event as it was at UCL so a bit of a walk, but thanks to my friend Anna, I went for it and so glad I did!
Here's a picture of Danny and I:

-I wrote two more essays. One I have received feedback on and it went well. The other...I am still waiting on the results. I don't have much else to say about that! Although, I will say it was really odd to be done with most of my work (aside from some minor statistics homework and reading) two weeks before term was over! And then of course, term ended and I still have months until I take my finals (i.e. until I do any work that is actually graded)!

-I got and mailed my Christmas gifts! This is noteworthy because I am usually not on top of this and wrapping on Christmas Eve, but when one has to mail things abroad, one is forced to get everything together sooner rather than later!

-I had drinks with the LSE Liberal Democrat Society and Lord Wallace (a Lib Dem) in Parliament! That was a pretty cool experience! Having drinks with a Lord in the Lord's bar! He is our new patron and it was wonderful to just talk with him! He seemed to genuinely want to hear our opinion on the coalition, Lib Dem election prospects, and policies and we had a great discussion (and I use the word discussion very purposefully here)!

-I went to my first doctor's appointment in the UK. Nothing to worry about-simply checking in. But my first experience with the NHS made me feel like I really am living here (not just visiting for a bit)!

-I went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. This was absolutely crazy! There were so many people there. Basically they have stalls where you can buy gifts and food (lots of very pricy food and drinks) and they also have rides (also very pricy). My favorite part was getting a souvenir smashed penny for my friend LaRee back home (she loves them and that is the only thing she asked me for)! I actually had to go back a few nights later to get more pennies! But, shh! I want to surprise her!

-I went to the Advent Procession at St. Paul's Cathedral! This was my first trip to St. Paul's and the first time I've ever been inside. It was amazing! I just kept thinking how many copies of St. Barnabas would fit inside (at least 5 or 10 I think)! The service was about a transition from light to dark so it began with almost no lights. Then as the procession (including clergy from all over the diocese of London and the Bishop of London)  moved from the West to East end of the church over the course of the hour-long service, there were hymns, readings and slowly, more lights were turned on. It was quite moving. But the most amazing part for me, was the very end. I turned around to watch the procession and I realized they had opened the huge doors at the back of the church. These doors are almost always closed so the symbolism of those open doors was very powerful! For me it was a symbol of both the church going out into the world as well as welcoming the world in. I almost started crying.
Here's a picture of St. Paul's with the doors open:

 And a farther away picture of the Cathedral:

-I went to the "blessing of the crib" in Trafalgar Square. This was a service put on by St. Martin in the Fields. The choir and a Salvation Army band led the procession down the middle of the road (that was something to be a part of!) and into Trafalgar Square where the "crib" or, as we would say, nativity, had been set up. Then there was a service of readings and carols. It was really cool and moving to be singing hymns in the middle of Trafalgar Square and have passersby join in! Here's a picture (sorry for the poor quality; you can see the base of Nelson's Column, the band is on the far left, the box is the nativity and the choir is on the left, in white):

-Oh, and I finished my first term of graduate school! As I mentioned earlier, I haven't taken the finals and won't until summer term. Therefore the end of term doesn't really feel like the end. I don't feel like I can say I "survived" yet. But still, it was a major thing! Apparently, I can do graduate work! :-)

So I think that about covers it! I hope you enjoyed the update. As always, thanks for reading!

Love,
Abbey

A (slightly exceptional) day in the life...(archbishops included)

Hey all!

I hope you are all doing well! Sorry it has been a while since my last update (busy time of year in London-you know, basically every day).

So I know I owe you great details on a number of things. However, I am not sure I have the energy to talk about all of them (I will, just not tonight). So I'm going to break my rule and go out of chronological order (just this once!) to update you about today and then in a later post (hopefully this weekend) I will fill you in about other things I've been doing since I "met" the Queen.

Today has been an emotional roller-coaster! I think I would be exhausted even if I had gotten more sleep last night! I prefer to get bad news first and follow it with the good news so that is what I will do here. So just stick with me through the bad news (don't worry, it's not that bad, I'm fine).

Big downside of today: I didn't get the parliamentary internship I applied for. If you and I are friends on Facebook this story will be a bit redundant, but for those of you who aren't on Facebook or don't spent all your time watching what I'm doing (although why not, I have no idea ;) --just kidding!) I am going to take a bit of time to fill you in. Not getting the internship was not a big surprise, but upsetting nonetheless. Here goes...

Since I absolutely love parliament (but, really), I have applied for several internships over the past few months (in addition to just loving parliament, I also think it would be a great opportunity to learn more and would really help me in my future work). LSE has a parliamentary internship scheme that I have been applying through (I haven't applied for all that many for a variety of reasons, only 4 or 5). The way the scheme works is you send an application to LSE and the LSE careers people look it over. They then shortlist 5 or 6 people and send the applications on to the MP's (or Lord's) office. The MP or a staff member (let's face it, it will be a staff member) will probably narrow this further and then you may get an interview, after which, they generally (more on this in a moment) pick someone. The entire process can take weeks (so long, in fact, that I have at times thought I was out of the running only to find out later that I had moved on to the next step).

I was lucky enough to be shortlisted for two internships with Liberal Democrat MPs (for the record, I have only been applying for Lib Dem positions, but I won't bore you with why-ask if you want to know). One, I never heard anything more about. However, with the other I was asked for an interview!! I was so excited and nervous! I ended up interviewing the day after they asked for my interview availability which was Thursday 29 November (nearly two weeks ago; to clarify that was the day of the interview itself). I interviewed with the MP's researcher who was a lovely young woman (not that much older than me) and I thought it went really well! We seemed to really hit it off and I thought I could really enjoy working for her/with her! To be honest, I have never wanted any position as badly as I wanted this (with the exception of any of the fellowships I applied for last year). Anyway, I was really proud of how the interview went (and I still am-I have no regrets in that respect). I was told that they were only interviewing one other person (good chances!) and that the other interview would be the following week (so last week).

So, I waited. And waited. And waited. Really it wasn't that bad, but it felt like ages!! I was checking my email constantly and so upset when there was never anything there (much like with the fellowships actually). Finally, last Friday (over a week since the interview), I emailed my interviewer. I asked when she expected to make a decision and if she would notify both of us (i.e. I was already wondering if I hadn't gotten the job and she just didn't bother to tell me). I never heard back (still haven't). In fact, I have not heard one word via email or any other method from her since the interview (despite the fact that I, as requested, emailed her my availability for times to work and then sent this inquiry). Finally, after talking via a series of emails with my Mom last night I decided that if I hadn't heard by Friday I was going to let it go. But I also decided that today, if I hadn't heard by midday, I would email the person in LSE Careers in charge of the scheme and see if he knew anything.

I got a very quick (surprising!) response from him that was very kind. Apparently, my interviewer contacted him just yesterday saying they had decided not to take any intern on at all. The LSE coordinator didn't know why and wasn't even aware the interviews had taken place. He was kind enough to apologize for their behavior--i.e. not alerting me that they aren't hiring any interns, namely me (and I say hiring, but this was a volunteer position).

I was sad, but as I said, not all that surprised. After this long, I figured I hadn't gotten it but didn't want to admit it. However I was also mad that they went through all of that not to hire anyone and then didn't treat us very well in the process! But I am trying to think on the positive side. 1) I didn't lose the job to another candidate! That makes me feel slightly better about myself than if they had hired someone else. And more importantly, 2) in hindsight, as much as I wanted this position, I don't think I want to work for someone who would treat me that way. I believe I deserved at least a short email saying thanks but no thanks and I didn't even get that.

That was bad thing number one for today. Bad thing number two: my favorite receptionist, Caitlin (and in fact the only one I am really comfortable with), at my house is leaving suddenly! :( She was, in my opinion, by far the nicest, most willing to help, best person working here and she is leaving! It is a long story (that you don't really need to know) that I basically found out tonight at a little going away party, but the fact is, I'm sad she's gone.

BUT, I promised that there would be good news because today was a roller-coaster! So on to that! One really cool thing was I heard from a former high school teacher of mine out of the blue! We were rather close and have tried to keep in touch since I left high school (wow that seems like a long time ago). Anyway, that was just a very happy way to start the day.

More good stuff: I met (in a more substantial way than the Queen) the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams today! This too needs some background... Partly because I live right off Trafalgar Square, it was really convenient for me to attend St. Martin in the Fields (a fairly world-renowned Anglican Church) which is right on the Square. And even better, I have really enjoyed going there so I have become a bit of a regular (I'm there most Sundays). It reminds me a lot of St. Barnabas in some ways so I feel as "at home" there as I think I would at any church that isn't St. Barnabas (my home parish). One of the priests has even started to recognize me!

They have a lot of events and concerts at St. Martins (partly because of the wonderful choir). One Sunday I read that there was going to be a service of thanksgiving for 80 years of the BBC World Service (that was the service today). Further, a few tickets were being held aside for St. Martins' members. Now, normally, this wouldn't mean much to me. Frankly, although I now (after today) understand the BBC World Service has done and continues to do some great things all over the world, I don't feel particularly connected to it. BUT, the little blurb that was advertising this service said that the address was going to be given by Rowan Williams. And I thought, well if I can get in to see that, I better take the opportunity!

For those of you who don't know, I'm Episcopalian (the American version of Anglican which is, in turn, the general umbrella the Church of England fits into). The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head (at least symbolically) of the worldwide Anglican community. Rowan Williams is the current AB (I don't want to keep typing Archbishop), but his successor was chosen in November. So that there is no confusion, Rowan Williams is still the AB (the new guy is the AB-elect). You may know Williams from the royal wedding last year.

So now that we are all caught-up on basic Anglican stuff, as I said, I wanted to hear him speak! So I emailed the St. Martin's contact person for this event and explained that although I am not a member I have been coming regularly and if there is one available, I would really like a ticket to this service. Well, no problem at all (St. Martins has really been great in so many ways)!

So this morning, I went to the service and heard the AB speak. For the record, the service was broadcast world-wide on the radio so if you happened to catch it, you were hearing me (and a bunch of others) singing those hymns! In other words, I made my radio debut today! Naturally, the AB's address focused on the press and on the recent issues/discussions here in the UK about press regulation and free speech (I would be happy to discuss this if anyone wants details). Anyway, I thought it was a good address (not perhaps the most moving, but that is partly because I don't feel particularly close to the BBC World Service despite my new-found appreciation of it). If you are interested, you can read or listen to the address here. And for the next seven days at least you can listen to the whole service here.

At the end of the service, I got to shake hands with Rowan Williams! I think I said thank you. And just so we are all clear, no curtseys this time. :) Clearly, a more significant "meeting" than with the Queen (where I was just really close to her, but didn't shake her hand). It was really cool (although I have to say, not as cool as getting to meet Katherine Jefferts-Shori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and a prime example of why the Church of England really needs to get on board and approve women bishops)!

So that was today! Not exactly a normal day for me in London, but then again, so many great things happen all the time here that in some ways it was not that unusual! There is always something going on!

I promise I will update you shortly on my other adventures! This Friday will be the last day of my first term of graduate school! I survived! Of course, all the finals are in the summer so I haven't really survived yet. I am going to travel around the UK over break, but I will also update you all!

Take care! I really appreciate all of your support (especially the last few weeks with this internship)!
Cheers,
Abbey