Our Quick Trip to America

On Friday night, Joe and I spent a few hours in America. Or, at least it felt like we did.

Going on the tip of some friends, we decided to check out a different grocery store than we usually frequent. Those of you who know me well, know that I have serious customer loyalty issues--once I find something/someone I like, I don't usually change, no matter what. And, I do really like our grocery store. But, variety is the spice of life, so they say, and I thought 'why not mix it up a bit?' So, off we went to the Craigleith Sainsbury, only 1 mile from our flat.

Never having been to this store before, we didn't know what to expect. I had heard that there were some other shops close by, but still didn't know what it would be like. There are, afterall, very few shopping centres in Edinburgh. There is absolutely nothing like those Target shopping centres anywhere. There's nothing even remotely similar to Target, actually. But, when we rounded the corner, we were shocked--did we just walk to America, we wondered. It was big. It was bright. And, it had several large stores right next to each other. Several clothing and shoe stores, a specialty baby shop, a TK Maxx (yes, just like a TJ Maxx), a Lowes'-esq store, a large specialty food store, and a huge grocery store (complete with a small housewares section).

After soaking up the luxury of this all-in-one-place shopping experience, Joe and I were ready to set off for home. Only one problem. No, it wasn't 80 pounds of groceries this time....this time, the problem was the weather. After several lovely days of sunshine, Edinburgh had (has) been under seize with cold temperatures, bursts of wind, and long periods of rain-sleet-snow. And, Joe and I were without an umbrella.

So, being the tough expatriates that we are we set off to walk home. Just kidding. We called a taxi. And it was bliss. Heavenly bliss. The kind of bliss most people can only imagine. I cannot tell you about the bliss of taking a taxi home--no walking, no carrying heavy groceries, no getting wet and cold. Just the bliss of groceries safely loaded in a trunk and a quick trip home in the comfort of a dry, heated automobile, only to be let off at our door.

And then we got home and realized we forgot something and contemplated making the trip out to get the item. And, then we remembered we don't actually live in America anymore.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is a very special birthday for a very special man--my dad! I may be a bit biased, but I think my dad is pretty cool. I've got lots of great memories of doing things with my dad when I was a little girl and he's been one of my biggest supporters in adulthood, especially with regards to our move to Scotland. I appreciate and admire my dad a lot, and am so disappointed that we aren't there to celebrate this special day with him.

Dad, we are thinking about you and can't wait to see you and mom in May. I love you very much!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

On Friday evening, Joe and I had a special date to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The RSNO is based in Glasgow, but makes regular performances at the famous Usher Hall in Edinburgh. We were excited to see they were playing in February and were thrilled to find a student discount which made the tickets very affordable!

Outside of Usher Hall (pre-construction)

© Copyright Kevin Rae and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons License

The theme of Friday's performance was apparently "tragic tales of doomed love." Joe and I appear to have a penchant for this theme, seeing as the last time we went out for a night of art and culture, we had tickets to La Boheme, quite possibly one of the saddest love stories out there. We hear about these performances and excitedly get tickets before ever finding out what the story is about.

Friday's performance featured two pieces, neither of which I had heard before. The first was Sibelius' 1905 orchestral suite, in 8 movements, Pelléas and Mélisande. It was beautiful and emotive and entirely too short. The second piece was de Vlieger's arrangement of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, retitled Tristan and Isolde: An Orchestral Passion. A much shortened adaptation of Wagner's famous (and four hour long opera) this piece was breathtaking and moving and completely consuming. I was shocked when the applause started and realized the piece was already over after 75 minutes--it seemed it had just started.

In addition to the beautiful music, we were treated to the beautiful surroundings of the Usher Hall. Built in 1914, Usher Hall is currently undergoing a multimillion pound renovation. Despite the scaffolding surrounding the outside, though, the inside remains understated and beautiful.

Ceiling

There is also a beautiful organ at the back of the stage, which is really the focal point of the whole theater. Sadly, I could not get a good picture of this, nor find one that I can reprint, but you can click here to see a shot of the organ and choral seating. I couldn't help but think, when I first saw the stage, that this would be an amazing place to hear Handel's Messiah, my dad's favorite.

Mansfield Traquair

Important note: All pictures in this post are credited to my friend Rebecca. To see more of this beautiful site, check out her blog where she's posted a number of other great shots of the murals.

This past Sunday, Joe and I went with our friends, Scotty and Rebecca, to visit the Mansfield Traquair. Joe and I stumbled upon this hidden jewel one recent Sunday afternoon as we walked home from church. While crossing a street, Joe noticed what I assumed what just another old, beautiful church building. Well, his curiosity prevailed so we made our way over the front to check it out. Turns out this is the former home of the Catholic Apostolic church built in 1885. Apparently, the church hired an Irish artist, Phoebe Traquair, Scotland's leading arts and crafts artist, to create colorful murals all about the sanctuary. Joe and I were really intrigued when we read the sign touting the church as "Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel."

When I got home and looked up the church, I was excited to learn that they have an open day every month, where you can tour the building. So, Joe, Scotty, Rebecca and I decided to check out this "Sistine Chapel" and were quite impressed. We agreed that label might be a bit of a stretch, but it is breathtaking, nonetheless.


During our tour, we learned that the building has not been used as a church since the early 1900s. After the Catholic Apostolic Church began to diminish, the building was purchased for use as a brick warehouse. The owners of this warehouse took very poor care of the building which quickly feel into quite a state of disrepair: brick dust covered the murals, the roof leaked, and water began to run down the beautifully painted walls. Fortunately, with some persistence (and some sly business tactics) a group of concerned citizens were able to purchase the building and restore it to its earlier glory. Today, the building is used as a venue for weddings and receptions. It is apparently one of the most sought venues in town.

Vancouver 2010

I love the Olympics. Even though I am much more of a summer Olympic fan, I can still get pretty giddy over the winter Olympics. I love the competition, the pride the athletes have in representing their countries, the lighting of the torch, the "back stories" of the athletes, and the medal ceremonies. I love the Olympics so much that, in college, my roommates and I bit the bullet and paid for the local TV channels so we could get the Olympic coverage (well, that and coverage of the Presidential elections).

So, I was excited to get an invitation to an Opening Ceremonies party, hosted by friends who are actually from the Olympic host city--Vancouver.
They recorded the opening ceremonies (which occurred between 2:30 and 5:30AM, Edinburgh time) and played the recording while a roomful of people sat on, watched, conversed, and (of course) ate. While I'm not a huge fan of the opening ceremonies, this was pretty special....never before have I watched anything Olympic related with anyone other than an American. But this weekend, we watched the athletes march in with friends (and some strangers) from: Canada, Scotland, England, France, Spain, Holland, Australia, and America. It was fun to hear people cheer as their country entered the arena and to hear their comments and news about athletes from their homes. It's easy to just focus on the athletes from the US (especially in the US, where the TV coverage features the US athletes), so this was pretty special and definitely gave newer appreciation for the international nature of the games.

Time Delay

No one will be surprised to learn that we are living in a different time zone than 90+% of our readers. But, you might not have thought about all the implications of that time difference. Am such important implications, they are. Not only does it mean carefully planning phone calls so as not to call friends and family in the wee hours of the morning, while they are at work, or long after we should be in bed, but it also means that we often have to wait until the next day to view, first-hand, big entertainment and sporting events.

So, for example, on Thursday nights (in Edinburgh) when I innately want to watch Grey’s Anatomy History Channel, I can't. Because it hasn't actually aired yet. I have to wait until Friday for my fix intellectual stimulation.

Or, last week....when you were all celebrating Superbowl Sunday, at 6:30pm, the Superbowl didn't air here until 11:30pm (which is 6:30pm on the East Coast). While I went to bed (seriously, nothing is that interesting to start watching at 11:30pm), Joe and some friends actually watched the game, live (on the TV) until the wee hours of the morning. Yea, he was tired the next day.

Or, right now. The Olympic figure skating is set to occur today at 4:30pm, PST....which is 12:30AM tomorrow in Edinburgh (weird). So, I can't watch it. I'll have to wait until tomorrow evening when I get home from work.

This really isn't that big of a deal...but, it does mean that you have to be careful not to find out the outcome...afterall, I don't watch Grey's until after it airs and by that point the internet is full of episode recaps. And, if you aren't crazy and don't stay up until the wee hours watching sporting events live, the score will be widely known before you ever get to tune in. Or course, this really isn't a problem for someone who like to read the last page of a book first (of course, I don't actually know anyone like that. Certainly, I wouldn't do such a thing)....

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Mark, you are one super cool brother-in-law! We love you and hope you have a great birthday.

Acculturation

There are lots of things to get used to, living in a foreign country. I still don't have the hang of everything yet, but I recently realized that I am becoming quite acculturated. The signs that clued me in:

I am no longer fearful that I will be hit by a bus. And, I know which way to look when I cross the street.

It might not sound like much but, I think this sets me apart from the tourists. I mean, I still take pictures in the middle of the city. As soon as a tourist looking for directions hears my American accent, they no longer believe I know the proper directions to where they want to go (and, sometimes, they are right). But, I can safely cross the street.

And that's something.

Narrow Escapes, Part 2

Here is my second account of how I narrowly escaped unwanted police interaction. I am sure I am making my parents so proud with this last two posts.

So, last week, I was at work. For the first time in my history of working at my organization, I was to be the last person in the building and would therefore be responsible for locking up. When I was first hired, I had a very long instruction about locking up procedures. Top point in the lesson:

If you think you are the last person out of the building, check to make sure that you are, in fact, the last person out of the building. (this is called foreshadowing. Are you worried, yet?)

So, I am in a session with a client and a social worker. We are finishing up and so start moving about the room. Suddenly, I hear a noise. I can't quite figure out what it is. No one else seems too worried (the kid or the social worker). Then, it dawns on me....that's the security alarm and it's going off! As I imagine in my head all sorts of scenarios which all end in the police arriving, me being unable to prove that I do in fact work there and subsequently being deported, I quickly head for the security alarm at the other end of the building. And then, my brain goes into overdrive. What's the security code? How long has this thing been going off? WHO LOCKED ME IN? Do they at least put you on a nice plane when you get deported?

I quickly find my wits and punch in the code. The noise stops. I calmly turn to my client and the social worker and apologize for this. I find my keys, unlock the door and allow them to leave. I quickly collect my things and get the heck out of there before the police get there to question me.

I make it out. No one apprehends me.

I later find out....it was my boss who locked me in. And, I'm supposed to have an ID badge.

I've never liked security alarms.

Narrow Escapes

Joe thinks I'm being a bit dramatic about this (dramatic? me? never, I say). But, I think, what's a blog without a little drama?

Within the past 31 days, I have narrowly escaped unwanted contact with the police, twice.

First, there was Boxing Day (2 January). Joe and I were looking forward to spending the day with some friends who had invited us to join them for a Boxing Day dinner. We were to bring the appetizer. Being that it was right after the holidays and I just didn't feel like making anything fancy, we decided to pick up some cheese and crackers and hummus at the store down the street from their home. And, so we set out, a little early, to do our errand. We were shocked (and appalled) to find that the grocery store was closed. On a Saturday. Dazed and confused (and now running late), we decided we'd have to walk to the next store nearby in the hopes that they were open for business. Fortunately, they were. And so, we selected our merchandise and went to pay.

As a side note/story, we were also purchasing alcohol. The drinking age here is 18. The following conversation ensues:

Cashier And, may I ask hold old you are?
A: Um, 30.
C: Ok. You can have your (something we don't understand, but take to mean we can have the beer).

**please note in the above story, she did not get my id. She took my word for it that I was of age.

Now, to continue: as is the custom here, we loaded our purchases into the backpack and I handed the cashier our credit card. Joe left (with the backpack) so that we could get the appetizers there are close to on time as possible. Then, suddenly, the cashier informs me that she needs to see my id. Uh, oh. I don't have id. Joe has it and he, like Elvis, has left the building.

A: Um. I don't have id. My husband has it (lamely gestures to the door where aforementioned husband has exited)
C: Well, I need some way to verify that this is you.
A: Can't you just take my word for it? (smiles sweetly and hopes, in vain)
C: No.
A: Oh, well, I can go get it? I'll just need to go get my husband. He can't be too far yet.
A: (leaves store and sprints up street towards husband. leaves credit card behind. payment has already been made, signature just needs verification)
A: (wondering how in the world husband go so far up the street in so short an amount of time, catches up, gets passport, and begins running back to the store)
A: (arrives at store to see several staff members on the street looking for her. thinks, oh crap)
C: I thought you left without paying
A: No, I just went to get id. Like I told you.
C: I thought you left without paying.
A: No, just had to get my id (thinking: you have my credit card, and I told you I was coming back)
C: I thought you left without paying.
A: (right, roger that). Um...(sheepishly offers up passport)
C: Oh. (verifies signature) Ok.
A: Um. Thanks?
C: Cheers.
A: Uh-huh. Cheers.

And, that friends, is the true story of my first narrow escape from a police encounter.

By the way, did you know that the police here do not carry guns. They do, however, wear bullet-proof vests.

Narrow Escape #2: Coming tomorrow.

St. Anthony's Chapel Ruins

Continuing our quest for riveting blog material, we packed up our lunch and headed out to Holyrood Park (also called Queen's Park, as it is situated just behind the Royal Palace) after church. The park is just at the east end of the city centre and is home to a wide open green space, as well as a set of hills formed by a now extinct volcano. Set among these hills are various lochs (lakes or ponds) and vista points, as well as several interesting geological structures.

The idea for this excursion came after I saw a pond while riding in the car with a coworker earlier in the week. The pond was noticeable because it was full of swans. Really, I've never seen anything like it. It was just covered with them. We were driving at the time though so I didn't get a good look (and, I resisted the urge to ask my colleague for a picture-taking stop for hopefully obvious reasons). In my research to determine just what this little loch was, I discovered that it is situated just underneath the ruins of an old chapel. Perfect, I thought. This little adventure will provide Joe with what interests him most (ruins of religious structures) and me with what interests me most (water and scenic views). (I should note, Joe also really like graves of theologians, but there aren't any in Edinburgh, to my knowledge).

Turns out the loch is called St. Margaret's Loch and is home to a "significant population of swans, geese, and ducks." I personally think this should be renamed to Swan Lake, but surprisingly, no one asked me.



After enjoying the birds, we made the trek up to the ruins. Though not at a very high altitude, the walk up is directly up and a bit of an energy-zapper. Fortunately, the views are well worth the effort.



St. Anthony's Chapel Ruins are the remains of a chapel that possibly dates back to the early 1300s. Although not much is known about the Chapel, it appears that it fell out of use in the 1560s, following the Reformation. It is thought that the chapel consisted of a three-story tower and a three roomed chapel, at one point in time.






Sadly, we are having major camera issues, so were not able to get great pictures of all the sights, nor were we able to get a picture of the two of us together. But, rest assured, we were both there.

Again, another lovely day spent enjoying our new surroundings. Thanks for reading the blog and giving us an excuse to go exploring. Not that we really need an excuse, but it's good motivation, just the same.

Morningside

Yesterday Joe and I set out on a mission: to have new adventures that would result in something interesting to post on the blog. The situation is dire, I told him. I've resorted to posting about laundry. Things must change. And so was born our weekend of fun. Happily, it actually was fun.

Saturday morning we were greeted with clear skies and a very bright sun. It was crisp outside, but we bundled up and prepared for a day spent outdoors. On the agenda for the day: to explore Morningside (an area of Edinburgh) and to locate and tour a park I once caught a glimpse of while riding the bus.

All totaled, we walked about 7 miles and were gone for about 5 hours (we stopped for lunch, to take pictures, and to sit and soak in the scenery).

Outside a florist's shop

Among our favorite sights were some beautiful homes:



I love houses with names. I love it even more when the name is written out in the wrought iron.
We also saw some beautiful churches:



And, happened across a well-known pub (no cameras allowed inside!):


And, finally, we came to our ultimate destination: The Braid Burn Valley Park (Burn, by the way, means river). This is a beautiful little park with a great view of the Pentland Hills. It's on the very south side of Morningside (furthest away from our flat) and has lots of open green space on either side of the Braid Burn. The park is home to 100s of young cherry trees, which blossom in the Spring. We'll definitely have to make it back to see that.





On the way home, we meandered some more, taking in more of the beautiful scenery and the various shops lining the streets. We stopped for lunch at a cute little cafe, The Yellow Cafe, where we warmed up with some homemade soup, delicious bread, and a tasty panini.

All said, it was a really lovely day spent getting to know our not-so-new city and finding some new favorite spots.