More snow!

Well, it keeps snowing. Schools have been closed two days, the airport has shut down twice in 24 hours, trains and buses are delayed and canceled. It's a bit mad. But, it sure is beautiful.

The Meadows

Arthur's Seat

From our living room window

View from the dining room

I'm not sure why, but this snow is making me positively giddy. I love, love, love it. Love walking in it, love throwing snow balls at a certain someone, love seeing everything all covered in snow, love watching it fall. Just love it.

What is your favorite thing about snow?

Snow Biking

What happens when your typical mode of transport is cycling and it's been snowing for days? Apparently, for the craziest most committed of cyclists, this means snow biking. Snow biking, you ask? It's nothing fancy. Just cycling in the snow. And, it's hard core.

Today, my boss had the audacity to declare the office open thus requiring us to make the trek to work (before deciding to close down early). Being that I can tend toward the all or nothing kind of thinking, I decided to bundle up and cycle out. I'm just that bad-ass.

Pictorial proof that I had my bike at work today!

The main roads weren't bad. Slushy. Imagine 8 inches of snow cleared away by grit (read: sand and gravel) and continuous road use. Slush to the max. But, not icy and manageable on the bike. The tricky parts were the few side roads I had to use and that all-or-nothing thinking that required me to at least try to stay on the bike (which, I might say, I managed for the most part). I imagine all those people staring were doing so in admiration of my extreme dedication.

Snow covered office

Fortunately, my office is adjacent to a hospital, so the route to work was fairly clear. That is until I hit the end of the hospital, when I was confronted by 50 yards of 12+ inches of untouched snow. I walked. Tredged, more like it, through the snow, lugging my bike along with me. Fun times.

View from the front door. Note: not shoveled. At all.

I'm ready to give it a go again tomorrow, though am now thinking that the lady I saw cross country skiing to work may have the better idea!

Oxford, Part 1

Awhile back, Joe had a paper accepted to a conference in Oxford and since he was making the journey, I decided I should as well! It was extra fun as friends of ours were also heading down for the same conference, so we got to travel there with Katy and Jeremy and see some of the sights with them as well!

Oxford is, obviously, most well known for being the home of Oxford University, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious universities (it is actually the 3rd oldest university in the world and the oldest English speaking institution; teaching here dates back to the 11th century). Interestingly, the University is made up of 38 colleges, each with it's own facilities and internal structure. Some of the well known colleges include Christ Church College, New College, Balliol College, Magdalen College, and All Souls College. Each consists of their own buildings, usually surrounded by a wall and many have lovely scenery and walking paths. I'm not sure how long it would take you to visit every college, but we tried to visit as many as we could in the few days were were there (in addition to some beautiful churches and other sights).

The architecture throughout Oxford is clearly breathtaking. The buildings are magnificent and the grounds are simply stunning. It is an absolutely picturesque town to visit. Not to mention incredibly historic.

Christ Church College
Founded in 1546, this is one of the most stunning colleges we visited. Really awe-inspiring. We must not be the only ones to think so, as this was used as the setting for parts of Brideshead Revisited and Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carrol was a student here and there is a great story about how the story of Alice came to be). After taking a tour of Christ Church College, we decided to come back later in the evening to attend the evensong service. The service was beautiful and we really enjoyed the chance to hear their renowned boys' choir. Definitely don't go to Oxford and miss this!

Christ Church College

Christ Church Cloisters

Christ Church Dining Hall
Hogwarts, anyone?

Christ Church College

Christ Church College

Balliol College: Founded in 1263.

Alfred Waterhouse's Chapel/Balliol College

Balliol College Fellows' Garden

Balliol College (I think)

Oxford isn't just about the University...there are also some really stunning churches, like the University Church of the Virgin Mary, Oxford's largest parish church dating back to the 1200s. It is also the site of the 1555 trial of the Oxford Martyrs (the three Protestant men were found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake just a few streets over). John Wesley preached there, as did John Henry Newman. Some interesting history here.

Looking back onto the Radcliffe Camera

I really loved the history and architecture of the city. And, the colleges just charmed me. There was so much to take in that I've decided to do two posts of the various sights! So, stay tuned!

Snow!

It snowed a bit in Edinburgh last year and everywhere we went we were told how unusual it was for Edinburgh to get snow. This weekend, we've been hearing the same tune as the always unpredictable Edinburgh weather has brought along several inches of snow--the most the city has seen in 17 years!

There was a small amount of snow when we woke up on Saturday but by Sunday morning there was a substantial accumulation all over the city. We decided to brave the cold temperatures, though, and walked to church for the 9:00am service. The city was so beautiful this morning covered with the fresh blanket of snow and with so few people out that early on a Sunday, it was like our own private winter wonderland. After church, while it continued to snow (some of the biggest flakes I have ever seen) we took a little walk to see more of the city and to marvel at just how beautiful this city really is.

Outside our front door, 8:30am

Queen Street Gardens

German Christmas Market

New College and the Norwegian Christmas Tree

Edinburgh Castle

Princes Street Gardens

Dean Gardens
Water of Leith Walkway, from Dean Bridge

Dean Village

Dean Village

We've got plans to meet up with some friends in town for some mulled wine at the German Market, later today. But, for now we are warm and cozy by this:


Has it started snowing where you are?

Happy Birthday, Mom

(Editor's Note: While working on a couple of new posts, I discovered that I made a mistake with this post and saved it rather than scheduled it for publication. Sadly, this means that it didn't get posted on my mom's actual birthday. Mom, I'm so sorry).

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Today, is my mom's ** birthday (she wouldn't like it if I said the actual age!). But, it's an important birthday and we want to give her a very special shout out on this very special day!

I'm really lucky to have such a great mom. She's lots of fun, is so encouraging, and unconditionally supportive. I could tell you lots of stories of times she's made me laugh with her wackiness (but don't worry, mom--your secrets are safe for today), comforted me with her love, and given me the support I've needed to try something new. You're a great mum and we love you very much!

Happy Birthday!

North Berwick

Back in the spring, when my parents visited, I promised a post about North Berwick, a charming little seaside village we visited and fell in love with.

Bass Rock

North Berwick is located just a short train ride outside Edinburgh, along the Firth of Forth and the North Sea. According to some history I read, North Berwick has quite a history: there is evidence of a small settlement dating back 2000 years and some evidence that there was activity in the harbor as long ago as the 8th century. The village was first recorded in the 13th century.

View from the train

North Berwick Beach

Once you alight from the train, you can meander through this quaint little town and visit the shops and cafes that line the quiet streets. At the end of the main street, you'll find a famous fish and chips shop, purported to be one of the best in all of Scotland. You can take your fish to go and eat is a delightful garden across the way.

Looking back onto the village and North Berwick Law
(the big hill in the background)

Garden where you can eat your fish and chips

North Berwick is home to other kinds of birds too!

The main attraction at North Berwick, however, is Bass Rock. This small island is situated about 1 mile off the shore in the middle of the sea and is home to literally thousands of gannets (large white birds). The rock, a typical volanic rock (rising over 350 feet), looks white from a distance due to the masses of birds making their home on it. Apparently, it was once the home of a Christian hermit, was the site on an important castle, and was a prison before being home to these birds! There is still a lighthouse and the remains of a chapel on the island and, depending on the season, you can take a boat out and explore small sections of the island.

Bass Rock

Walking on from the beach, you can follow some trails back into the island for some more stunning scenery and some beautiful views.

View from walking trail

Looking in another direction

Green space!

Festival August

Edinburgh is apparently known for it's August Festival season. Every year hundred of thousands of performers and tourists flock to Edinburgh to participate in any one of the numerous festivals that simultaneously occur. It's really like nothing I've ever experienced. The festival began in 1947 with the Edinburgh International Festival and then grew to include the Fringe; today, there are dozens of other festivals that also make their home in Edinburgh in August: The Book Festival, Comedy Festival, the Mela, the Storytelling Festival, the Spirituality Festival, and the Political Festival to name just a few. It's really pretty amazing.

High Street, or the Royal Mile, is covered with street performers who give 45 minute magic shows, art demonstrations, acrobatic shows, or musical dazzlings. Others simply set up shop on a corner and peddle their wares, pass out flyers to a show in some clever and entertaining manner, or attempt to draw you in with their physical theatre performances.

I think every possible venue in Edinburgh is booked out for the festivals in August, with really every nook and cranny of the city being used for something related to the events.

In all honestly, the festival was a bit overwhelming for first-timers like ourselves. The programme for the Fringe alone was several hundred pages, each with numerous tiny adverts for some show or other. Still, we managed to catch a few shows and events and to take the festivities in. A few of the highlights for us, this year:

Danny Bhoy: a really funny, family friendly, Scottish comedian. Photos weren't allowed, but we had great seats for this show and enjoyed his style.

The Mela: I made my way down to Leith, with a few friends, to check out the Mela which was a festival to celebrate the South Asian culture. Some good food and enjoyable music made this day really nice.


The Sun Also Rises: Part of the International Festival, we were excited to take in this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel by an American experiential theatre troupe. Sadly, we were a bit disappointed by this 4 hour play (yes, 4 hours. They've also produced a 6.5 hour rendition of The Great Gatsby). It was a long (obviously) and pretty slow. But, the theater was nice, there were a few clever parts, and we enjoyed a great dinner before, so all was not lost.

The site of the 4 hour play!

Inside the Lyceum

The Book Festival: Every day during the book festival, Amnesty International hosted readings on a topic related to the issue of Imprisioned Writers. We went to one on US Civil Liberties and another on a Russian Journalist, Anna Politkovskaya. I found these events to be really interesting and very thought-provoking. Probably one of my favorite festival experiences.


The Storytelling Festival: one Sunday afternoon, I made my way over to the Botanical Gardens where various artists were sharing their craft admist the beautiful, natural surroundings. This woman, in particular, was amazing. Such a gifted storyteller--I was disappointed when her "show" ended.


There was also a group of women who combined narrative and dance to tell a wonderfully creative and engaging story. Really enjoyed it as well.


Finally, we had a few great evenings just walking around the Royal Mile and taking in some magic, acrobatics, and music. Some of the most interesting acts included this woman who hula-hooped and a really entertaining magician (who may moonlight as a comedian!).

Now that we know a bit more about the festivals, we're looking forward to next year when we can take a bit more of a strategic approach and hopefully catch a few more great acts.

Tea Party

A few weeks (couple of months?) ago, my friend, Ashli, (who is always in the know about what's on in Edinburgh) got tickets to a tea party at the Rutland, a trendy hotel, restaurant and bar near my flat. The party was to introduce a new line of teas to the menu and to raise money for Maggie's Centre, a local bereavement organization. So a few girlfriends (Ashli, Rebecca, Katy and Stephanie) made our way over for the evening tea party!

Rebecca, Stephanie, Ashli, and Katy

The bar of the Rutland was snazzied up with a piano player and a selection of delicious teas from a local tea shop (Eteaket). The tea shop loaned their beautiful china for the occasion and the Rutland put out some amazing cupcakes. We even got goodie bags full of teas, soaps, and coupons! A fun night, benefiting a great organization. What more could you ask for?!