After my day touring Paris, I woke early the next morning, tired but excited, ready to see Versailles. I packed up the few things I'd unpacked on my arrival in Paris, buckled my backpack on, slung my other bag over my shoulder and headed out. Matthieu drove me to the train station and explained which train I needed to take to get to Versailles.

All total, it probably took about forty-five or so minutes to get to Versailles. I was so content, listening to my iPod as I watched the French landscape fly past outside the window. The train station at Versailles was quite large, so it took me a little while to find my way out onto the street. From there, it was a fifteen minute walk to the palace. By the time I got to the palace, my back and shoulders were already hurting a bit. Between my two bags, I was carrying about fifteen kilos (about 30-35 pounds--believe me, I wish I was kidding about this).


The Palace of Versailles, as seen from just behind the statue of Louis XIV.


When I got to the palace, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. Walking down the street towards the palace, it's the only thing on the horizon. It's a truly majestic sight. A statue of Louis XIV stands about a hundred feet from the gates at the entrance to the palace. The palace itself is ornate, with incredibly detailed carvings lining the edges. Gold decorations are everywhere. The overall effect is one of clear wealth and beauty.

Once I entered the palace grounds, I checked the sign to see if I had to pay admittance or not. The sign said students in the EU under the age of 25 didn't have to pay, but since I'm an American citizen, I thought I had to pay. I waited in the ticketing line for half an hour, just to be told that I didn't have to pay admittance, I could just go get in line and they'd let me in for free. So, glad to be saving money, I headed out to the line--the ridiculously long, winding line. I approached one of the guards at the entrance and said, "Bonjour monsieur...I was told I don't need to buy a ticket, can you tell me where I need to go?" He must have assumed that since I started with 'bonjour' I at least understood French, because he answered by explaining everything in French. I had no clue what he'd said, but he had pointed to part of the line, so that's where I went.

It took an hour to get to the front of the line to finally get admitted to Versailles. Luckily, I was able to set my bags on the ground for most of the wait, so their weight didn't bother me. When I got to the entrance, I just showed my passport and student ID, and they waved me through. There was a bag check to the side, so I headed straight for it, relieved. But when I set my bag on the counter to be checked, I was told that they couldn't accept the bag unless there was food in the bag. Since neither of my bags contained food, I had to shoulder them and head into the palace.

The gardens of Versailles. Everything you can see is part
of the gardens.

There was so much to see in the palace, but what I really wanted to see was the gardens of Versailles. So I walked through some of the palace, but quickly headed out to the gardens. The view was simply breath-taking. From the over-large patio at the back of the palace, you can see for miles. The gardens themselves seem to stretch all the way to the horizon. There are several fountains, statues everywhere, and of course, impressive displays of gardening skills.

I walked through the gardens for about an hour before I finally had to stop and just sit for a while. I was tired from walking for so long, carrying so much weight on my shoulders. So I bought a chocolate ice cream, and just found a good spot to sit. I enjoyed my ice cream while I watched tourists walk past, admiring the gardens. Once I'd finished the ice cream, I headed off to see Marie Antoinette's estate. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the inside of any of the buildings, due to my schedule. (I had to be at Gare de l'est early that afternoon to catch the train to Strasbourg).

Marie Antoinette's estate towards the back of the gardens.

The whole experience was surreal. Even if I was tired from carrying so much weight for so long, I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that I was in Versailles--a nineteen year old girl from Pennsylvania, and I was walking through one of the most well-known tourist attractions and historical buildings of France.

I ate lunch outside Marie Antoinette's estate (seriously, I can't believe I can even say something like that!), and then trudged back through the gardens, past the palace, and back to the train station. It took me a little while to realize that I'd purchased the wrong ticket to get from Versailles to Gare de L'est--I actually had to ask the man at the service desk about it before I got it figured out--but soon enough, I was back on the train, making my way back into Paris to await my train to Strasbourg.

One of the fountains in the gardens of Versailles.

My days in Paris and Strasbourg were truly incredible experiences. As I was taking in all the sights, I couldn't stop thinking how lucky I am to have gotten the opportunities to see these things. A year ago, I never would have believed I'd be climbing the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, gazing up at the Arc de Trioumph, or wandering through the gardens of Versailles. And yet here I was, just enjoying my time halfway around the world.

I'll be posting again soon with stories of Strasbourg, and eventually of my trip from Strasbourg to home (it's quite the tale!). Until then, a tout a l'heure mon amis!

Une Journee A Paris (Part II)

When last I wrote, I left off with my climb of the Eiffel Tower. But there's so much more to tell of my day in Paris!

After leaving the Eiffel Tower, Matthieu and I headed down some of the streets further away from the river. We were headed to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. On the way there, Matthieu and I passed a protest outside one of the shops. Matthieu explained to me the way the labor parties in France were set up and why there were strikes going on at that time. I thought it was really cool, learning a bit about the differences between American unions and French unions.

Soon, we arrived at the Arc de Triomph. It was awe-inspiring. It's one of those things that I've seen in history books or travel guides, but nothing will ever measure up to the feeling of actually standing on the Champs-Elysees, staring up at this massive monument. And that was just from further away! To get up close to the Arc de Triomph, I had to go down a set of stairs, through a tunnel under the Champs-Elysees, which emerges onto another set of stairs that leads up to the Arc. The Arc itself stands on a kind of island in the middle of a roundabout, which is surrounded by the roar of what seems to be at least a hundred cars rushing past. Up close, the intricacies of the Arc become apparent. The carvings are so detailed and so impressive! It's truly an incredibly display of artistry.

Once Matthieu and I'd both had enough of admiring the Arc de Triomph, we headed down the Champs-Elysees, often referred to as the most beautiful street in the world--a description I would certainly agree with! The street is lined with really lovely trees, and if you stood atop the Arc and looked down the Champs-Elysees, you would see first the obelisk brought to Paris during Napoleon's reign, and then the Louvre. It's truly breathtaking.

Matthieu and I stopped for hot chocolate and snacks (croissants, of course), at a small cafe on the Champs-Elysees. It was great to just take in the culture and people of the city, watching as Parisians walked past.

Once we felt well-rested, Matthieu and I continued down the Champs-Elysees, past the obelisk, to the Louvre. I so wish I had more time to spend in Paris, because I could spend days doing nothing but admiring the art in the Louvre. The museum is so massive that there must be hundreds of galleries, containing thousands of pieces of art. But for the time being, I had to be content with marveling at the outside of the impressive building.

After leaving the Louvre, Matthieu and I headed from there toward the Notre Dame Cathedral. We stopped at a bookshop first so that Matthieu could pick up something he needed for his job, and then we crossed over the river and into the courtyard in front of the magnificent church. The church was stunning. The stained-glass windows must have taken ages to craft, getting each piece just the right color and size to make a comprehensive picture. There must have been thousands of carvings covering the building as well: gargoyles as drainpipes, figures of important religious figures carved around the doorframes and on some of the pillars.

To finish out my day in Paris, Matthieu took me to a lovely restaurant called Au Pied de Cochon (which roughly translates to 'At the foot of the pig'). I couldn't understand much of what the menu said, and Matthieu spent a good fifteen minutes trying to translate everything for me before the waiter realized what we were doing and brought me an English menu. I decided to be adventures and try the restaurants namesake: a pig's foot. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted! It was simply delicious. At the end of the meal, the waiter asked if we wanted coffee and desert. I declined, explaining that I was too full for desert and am not a fan of coffee. Matthieu gave me a bit of a funny look and said that you could definitely tell I wasn't French. (Mayhap as I learn the language, I'll become a bit more French!).

I'll return soon with the story of my trip to Versailles. Until then, a tout a l'heure!

Une Journée à Paris

So, back to Paris!

The day my friend Matthieu picked me up at the bus station, he drove me back to the apartment he and his girlfriend share. Both of them had worked on making dinner that night--duck breast with a honey dressing. It was my first time trying duck, and it was really, really good! I was a little nervous to try it, but I ended up really enjoying it! There were several other parts of the meal as well, but that was so long ago, I honestly can't remember...although I know I enjoyed everything.

I spent the night in a spare bedroom in Matthieu's parents' flat, and the next morning, Matthieu and I headed out for my speedy, one-day-tour of Paris. The day started with a boat tour of Paris, which headed down the river Seine. From the river, I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Invalides Bridge, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was really, really amazing.

When the boat ride ended, we headed to shore and walked alongside the river to the Invalides Bridge. On the way to the bridge, a woman stopped me, pointed to the ground, and said "Excuse me, the ring, is it yours?" There was a gold-looking ring on the ground, and she picked it up and handed it to me, wishing me good fortunes when she did. Then we turned to leave and a few seconds later, she called out "Excuse me, but do you have money? For food?" This was a woman who looked well-dressed and very well-fed. I told her I had no money, but I gave the ring back. She shot me a nasty glare, took the ring, and headed off. My best guess to explain this strange encounter is that this was her way of getting money from strangers--tourists, like me.

I crossed the Invalides Bridge, a bridge that I've seen in so many photos and movies that I couldn't help but be amazed by the fact that I was in Paris, crossing such an iconic bridge. This road led directly to the Invalides, a grand building with a golden dome that can be seen from several parts of the city. Matthieu and I didn't have time to tour the Invalides, but we did go into the courtyard and onto the grounds. I even got to see some soldiers! (I think that's what they were, they looked very official).

After leaving the Invalides, Matthieu and I headed toward the Eiffel Tower. We stopped for lunch, and I felt very French, eating French cheeses and drinking wine on the gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower. Looking back, the whole thing was surreal and absolutely incredible. It rained a bit, but fortunately the rain didn't amount to much. Then, it was time to go up into the tower. The line for elevators was so long that Matthieu and I agreed the stairs would be better. It was a long climb! In total, I think we climbed over 600 steps. There were two levels where we could stop and enjoy the view of Paris from high inside its iconic tower. It was an amazing experience--one that just one year ago, I could never have imagined would be possible.

This seems a fitting place to stop for today. I'll post pictures soon, and then I'll have another post to finish the story of my day in Paris. A tout a l'heure!

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and More...Way More

So I realize I'm very, very late in posting my tales of France, but better late than never! Right? I hope so.

I'll start with my last two days in Scotland. My on-campus housing had ended the day before my flight to Paris, so I stayed at the Willy Wallace backpacker's hostel in Stirling. It was right by the bus stop and train station, so I didn't have to worry about getting where I needed to be. I spent my last day in Stirling roaming around the city, buying the last handful of things I needed for the trip, and picking a loaf of bread that would serve as my breakfast the next morning.

The next morning, I woke up early, packed the few things I had taken out of my backpack the night before, and headed off to the train station, loaf of bread in hand. I bought my train ticket to Glasgow-Prestwick, the airport I'd be leaving from. The first half of the train ride was about an hour through Scottish countryside straight into the heart of Glasgow, one of the largest cities in Scotland. From there, I walked ten minutes across town to one of the largest and most confusing train stations I've ever visited.  On my walk, I ended up walking alongside what I assume was a breast cancer fundraising run/walk. I seem to have an impressive talent for accidentally stumbling across these things. When I got to the second train station, I bought a hot chocolate and waited for my train to come. While I was waiting, I walked around, looking for something to do, and completely by accident, I found an earlier train to the airport. I hoped on, just in time, and I was off on the second leg of my journey.

It took about another hour to arrive at Glasgow-Prestwick airport. Once I got off the train, there was a set of escalators that went up to a bridge that crossed over the highway so everyone could get into the airport. The airport itself was fairly small, since they only serve budget flights around Europe (I think only one or maybe two airlines operate out of this airport). I had arrived early--too early to check in, so I pulled out my laptop and just played games for a while. Then I decided to treat myself to lunch in the restaurant in the lobby--after all, it was my last day in Scotland!

I had a burger and chips (which would forever after return to being called 'fries') and watched the numerous reports about the barge that had been prepared for the Queen's Jubilee. Apparently it's very important that the Queen stay dry on her barge ride down the Thames--the announcers discussed precisely how the Queen would be kept dry for quite some time. After lunch, I still had some time to kill before I could check in, so I wandered through the small gift shop, knowing full well that I didn't have so much as 1 pence I could use to buy anything with.

There was some excitement when someone abandoned their bag by one of the support beams in the airport. Airport security started running around, trying to figure out who it belonged to. When they finally found the woman who claimed it, she didn't seem to speak English too well, and she just kept saying, "It's fine, it's fine!" The security guards had to keep insisting that no, it is not fine, and all bags must be attended at all times. I just sat and the corner and watched, since it was the best entertainment the airport had yet provided.

Finally, I was able to go check my bag and head off to security. I've never once had a problem in airport security before, but this time, I set off the metal detector, had to get a pat-down, and then had to have my carry-on bag dumped and searched. Now, let me just say that I had unpacked and packed this bag a hundred times to get everything to fit just right. And the security guard (the equivalent of a TSA agent) dumped the whole thing out and checked the spines of my books and my cell phones (one American, one good in Europe) for some kind of bomb residue. Once he'd determined that my bags were indeed safe to go on the plane, I was allowed to (slowly and pain-stakingly) repack my bag before continuing through the duty-free store to the lobby. The lobby was basically an area with a bunch of chairs where everyone waited for their flight to open up.

After almost another hour of waiting, the line for my flight opened up. I jumped up and hurried over to the line, not wanting to be the last person on. I got through rather quickly, though others were stopped to have their bags weighed, since all carry-ons had to weigh less than 25 kg. I had to wait in another line while all the tickets were checked, and then it was my turn. I got my seat, tucked my carry-on under the seat in front of me, and waited.

After a flight just over an hour long, I could see the French countryside out my window. We had made it. The plane landed in Paris-Beauvais, which is actually an hour's drive from Paris itself, which was my destination. I got off the plane pretty fast, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my checked bag was one of the first off the plane as well. I grabbed it and hurried to the customs desks. Customs didn't even ask any questions, just stamped by passport and waved me through. I made my way through the airport to the bus stop, so that I could catch the shuttle to Paris. I was very proud of myself when I walked up to the ticket counter and was able to say "Bonjour! Je voudrais un aller-simple, sil vous plait!" which translates to "Hello, I'd like a one-way ticket please."

The bus left about ten minutes after I'd gotten my ticket. It took another hour to get in sight of Paris, and a little longer to actually get to the bus terminal in the city. It was an amazing sight, seeing the skyline of Paris in the distance, the Eiffel Tower sliding in and out of visibility. And then, finally, I was in Paris, where my friend Matthieu met me and drove me to his house on the outskirts of Paris.

And I'll continue there later. (And this time, when I say later, I honestly don't mean three months from now)! A tout a l'heure!

Farewell to Scotland!

I'll post more soon about Paris, Strasbourg, and the multiple planes, trains, and automobiles that got me home, but for now, I've just put together a little slideshow thing as my farewell to Scotland post.

A tout a l'heure!

A Reflection

As today is my last day in Stirling, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to take some time to write about my overall experience in studying here.

When I was trying to decide what college to go to, Arcadia was (after a lot of time and encouragement on my parent's part) a frontrunner. I had my decision narrowed down to Arcadia and one other school and decided that Arcadia was the better fit for me. The biggest selling point though was the letter that I received while still in high school. It was an envelope with on of the red telephone boxes you see all over the place in the United Kingdom. Inside the envelope was the letter telling me that I had been accepted to the Stirling FYSAE program. This meant that in my first year at college, I would be spending my second semester in Scotland, living and studying with Scottish and English students.

I absolutely loved my first semester at Arcadia. To this day, I will swear that there is no better bonding experience than a hurricane and tornado warning. I made some really, really good friends in the halls of Kistler, and they're a lot of people that I can't wait to see again either this summer or next semester. But at the end of the semester, I packed up my room, somehow managed to cram everything into my Dad's car, and headed home for the winter. I spent my break at home and at work, making money so I could pay for my food and souvenirs in Scotland. More than one customer would give me a funny look and ask if I planned on going to school someday, only to become incredibly interested and excited for me when I replied that I was still in school, patiently waiting for my flight to Scotland to continue my studies.

Come February, I packed my bags, stuffing my little suitcase and camping backpack full of clothes, shoes, and other necessities for the semester abroad. There was a moment of panic when my Mom and I, the only ones at home at the time, realized that my passport was not where it was meant to be. We tore the house apart in search of the passport, and I'd even started frantically searching the Internet, googling things like 'lost passport' and 'get a new passport quickly.' Luckily, the passport was found, the problem was solved, and the next day, I got in the car with my sister and my parents and headed for Newark airport.

I remember sitting at the airport with the people that would become some of my closest friends in Scotland. Our excitement was palpable--none of us seemed to be able to keep from grinning excitedly, talking about everything that we were excited and nervous for. My friend Heley and I watched what little of the Super Bowl we could before boarding began. We were both Giants fans, and I think we probably startled some of the people around us whenever the Giants made a good play.

Six hours later, our airplane entered Scottish air. Thrilled to have a window seat, I couldn't tear myself away from the window. I watched as Scotland unfolded beneath me, though it was too dark to really make anything out.

That first week I spent in Edinburgh, going to orientation with the rest of the FYSAE students, and exploring the city in the rest of our time. We roamed the city by day, snapping pictures, climbing hills and monuments, and figuring out what things we needed to get for our four month stay. By night, we visited bars, taking advantage of being in a country where 18 was old enough to drink. After our time in Edinburgh, we headed to Stirling, the city that was to be our home for four months. Again, we roamed the town, took tons of pictures, and explored historical sites.

Finally the time came to move into the halls. My room was the lucky 4/13 W, AK Davidson Hall. For me, this was an experience with its ups and downs. I've never really cooked for myself, since I come from a family of excellent cooks--if my Mom isn't cooking something for dinner, my sister or my Dad can whip something up, and I'm always welcome at my Oma and Opa's house. (And there's a pretty large family that will vouch for Oma's cooking skills!) With that said, having to cook for myself was certainly a different experience. I managed alright, though I didn't always have the healthiest meals. I ate enough pasta to make an Italian envious, and cereal was my staple food. But I survived, and only once did I get sick--and that wasn't even because of my amateur cooking abilities. Other than my struggle to cook adequate meals, my experience with AKD was a good one. I made some good friends in that kitchen--including Megan, who I will be sharing an apartment with next year; Michael, the ever polite Irishman who has promised to visit the United States at some point; Alastair, the Englishman from Edinburgh who had to return to his job every weekend; and Mike, who (although I made fun of, and was mocked in return) became a good friend, and certainly someone that I could always enjoy a political discussion with.

There were also people from other kitchens that I grew closer to, though these were mostly other FYSAE students. Ian would often come down to my kitchen, and I would hear him calling my name from the window, shouting at me to come to the kitchen. I (kind of) helped Heley and Ian build a fort of blankets in Heley's room, and Bri and I suffered through Macroeconomics classes together. By the end of the semester, we were saying our good-byes, with promises to have FYSAE reunions at Arcadia next year.

During this past semester, I've been lucky enough to travel across Scotland (a lot of which was done when my family came to visit during my break). I've been able to visit countless castles, climb mountains, go kayaking in a loch, and even do a flash tour through London before going to explore the Harry Potter Studio Tour. And now, I'm lucky enough to be able to go to France, to visit friends in Paris and Strasbourg before I end my journey in Berlin, and finally head home to be reunited with my family, friends, and doggie. I've made some great friends, people that I plan on keeping in touch with, even when there's an ocean between us, and Scotland will always hold a special place in my memory.

I've absolutely loved this last semester. There were times where I missed my family and friends, or wanted nothing more than to be able to pet my dog. But there were a lot of times where I was stunned--unable to believe that I was in Scotland. I look forward to getting home, but I hope to someday return to the island that has been my home since February. I've certainly enjoyed my time here, I've enjoyed all the opportunities it's offered me, and I've enjoyed meeting all the people that I did. And of course, I look forward to telling the stories this semester has given me again and again, for friends, family, and maybe even some of those customers who were so happy to hear that I would be studying abroad.

I'll post again, with tales of my last few days in Scotland, and of course with stories from France, but until then, a tout a l'heure!

My apologies for failing to post in quite a while. I was excited to at the very least post some pictures of the swans that have recently hatched and have recently taking to swimming around the loch with their mother. But it would appear that my laptop is no longer a fan of importing my pictures from my camera's memory card. I've no clue why, but if it starts working properly again, I'll soon be posting adorable photos. But until I have the pictures available for upload, I felt it would be slightly ridiculous to write a long post merely describing the swans. So hopefully more posts are soon to come, as I'm still trying to get this computer and memory card to work together.

A tout a l'heure!

Evening in London

After leaving the Harry Potter tour, my friend and I grabbed dinner at a small cafe in Watford, assuming that food in Watford would be considerably cheaper than food in London. I was itching to check out my Marauder's Map, but I couldn't find a spot where I felt I could open it up without fear of crumpling it or spilling something on it. After dinner, we headed back to the train station to wait for our train back to London.

It's hard to tell from this distance, but that's the Death Eater
bride as I was calling it by the end of the day!

When we were originally planning the trip, for some reason we thought that two hours at the studio tour was reasonable, so we had figured on being back in London around four o'clock. Instead, we spent over four hours at the studio tour and didn't get back to London until almost seven. We arrived back in Euston Station and decided to head to the River Thames and walk along that to see the Tower Bridge.

It was really cool walking along the Thames. I was so taken by the city, with its rich history and just the feel of the city in general. I wished I had more time to take in all the sights--to actually walk on the Tower Bridge, to tour the Globe Theatre, to climb the stairs in Big Ben, to walk through Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace--the list is a pretty long one. But just on our walk down the Thames, I got to see the Globe Theatre from across the river. I got to see the Tower Bridge, though my friend and I were running late, so we didn't get very close to it. And (allow me to express my love for Harry Potter again!) I got to see the foot bridge over the Thames that the Death Eaters destroyed in the beginning of Half-Blood Prince.

Once we'd seen the Tower Bridge, my friend and I decided to head back across town to catch the bus back to Stirling. We didn't know how long it would take to get back to the bus station, but we knew it was all the way across town, so we booked it back down the riverside. It was exhausting and yet really cool to know that while I was tired and my feet hurt like hell, I was in London! It was such an amazing day, I got to see and do so much. I'm so glad that I got to experience everything that I did...and all in the course of just one day too!

A tout a l'heure!

A Day in the Wizarding World

There's so much to share about the Harry Potter Studio Tour, I don't even know where to begin! I guess I'll start with where the last blog left off, as that's simplest. Also, I apologize here for the small novel you are about to read. Enjoy!!!

So happy to have finally arrived at the Harry Potter Studio Tour!!!

As my friend and I rode the shuttle through Watford to the studio tour, I looked out the window at the houses we passed. I couldn't help but wonder: Did the cast and crew of Harry Potter live in some of these houses during their time filming? It took only twenty minutes to get to the studio tour. Before we were even in the parking lot, I could see the studio. There were five blown up movie shots across the front of the studios (appropriately named Studio J and Studio K). Above the ticket windows and the doors to the lobby was the lettering instantly recognizable to any Harry Potter fan. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of the studios where the eight Harry Potter films had been made--not to mention movies like one of the James Bond movies, Star Wars Episode I, and the two Sherlock Holmes movies. There's so much movie history at this spot, and I was there to see the sets that made up the world of Harry Potter.


After waiting for nearly an hour, since we couldn't enter the tour until the time marked on our tickets, it was finally time for my friend and I to enter the tour. We waited in line for about fifteen minutes. Right next to the line was the cupboard under the stairs where Harry lived in the first film. They had the little toys Harry played with and even his first set of glasses. After getting through the line, we were herded into a room with eight television screens that flashed movie posters of the eight Harry Potter films from around the world. Once everyone was in the room, the eight screens were used to show a short documentary-type film about how Harry Potter was chosen to become a movie and a bit about how it was made into a movie. Once this was finished, we were moved from this room to a second room with comfortable, movie-theater style seating. I took my seat, anxious to see what came next. Once everyone was seated, a studio tour employee stood up in the front to give a brief introduction.

Welcome to the Great Hall! Let the tour begin.

Just a note: the entrance to the tour is a really cool, big reveal, so if you're planning on visiting the tour and want to be surprised by the entrance, just skip over this paragraph. In this room, we watched another short film where Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint talked about how much work had gone into the making of the movie. They talked about how many people worked behind the scenes to make the movies into what we finally got to see in theaters. The whole time the trio was talking, they were filmed in front of the doors of the great hall. When the clip finished, Dan, Emma, and Rupert went through the doors into the great hall. With that, the screen itself rolled up into the ceiling, revealing the real-life doors to the great hall. I couldn't believe it, it was so well-done and offered such an incredible and dramatic entrance. I know some of my friends and family will laugh at me for it, but I got teary-eyed when that screen went up. It was such a striking reveal. The screen went up, and there were the doors to the great hall, complete with the statues that defended the castle in the Battle of Hogwarts. This moment only got better when two of the staff stepped forward and flung the doors open, revealing the great hall that lay beyond.

Ravenclaw pride!!

I was speechless...and still trying not to actually start crying, which was only made harder by the fact that my friend was also teary-eyed. Neither of us could express much emotion beyond wiping our eyes and grinning ridiculously. Along with the rest of the crowd, we made our way into the great hall. It was so amazing, seeing the tables running down the length of the hall. At the front of the hall were the costumes of Filch, Hagrid, Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Trelawney, Moody, and Flitwick. They had all the props from the movies. Behind the table were costumes worn by characters from each house. I was happy to see my house (Ravenclaw!!!) represented with a boys and girls uniform. The other houses had a bit more to show for their costumes: Hufflepuff had Cedric Diggory's Triwizard Tournament uniform in addition to the school uniforms; Slytherin had three of the school uniforms, one of which was Tom Felton's; Gryffindor had four of the uniforms worn by the trio in various films, along with one of Neville's sweaters.

A very small-scale model of the great hall.

The entrance was the right way to do it. Starting the tour in the great hall--the same place Harry started his time at Hogwarts was so appropriate. The only disadvantage to this is that the hall has to be cleared in time for the next group to come through. As the entrance groups are separated by only half an hour on the ticket, this doesn't allow for much time to explore the hall. I ended up snapping a few pictures before hurrying off to the rest of the tour. In the next room, there were large boards introducing the producers and directors, identifying which movies they were involved with and giving some personal information about them.

Luna's and Lockhart's costumes.

From there, you moved down a long gallery where most of the displays were on the left...or hanging from above. There were several models of the great hall, the floating candles used in the great hall, and a 'hidden' snitch among the candles. Past this were wigs, makeup stands and leftovers, and costumes. The costumes on display here were almost all Luna Lovegood's or Gilderoy Lockhart's. All the way at the end of these displays were the Educational Decrees from Order of the Phoenix, along with the ladder Filch had used to hang them. On the other side of this long gallery were props from the Yule Ball, including the dress robes worn by Krum, Hermione, Diggory, Cho Chang, and Ron. They also had one of the tables, complete with all the 'drinks' and table decorations. Next to this was a table with the desserts, including a giant chocolate phoenix cake.

A make-up stand with Severus Snape's wig.

At the end of this gallery, you're led to the right, where you immediately see the leaky cauldron (the actual cauldron from the bar) and the Hogwart's gates recognizable from the sixth film. Here, the studio tour opened up into a vast room. I could tell, just from this, that I was going to be here for a while. And this was all still part of the first studio--meaning there was still the outside section and a second studio to get through.

In this first section of the tour, I got to see the hallway of the Leaky Cauldron (a very cool visual effect to make it look larger and longer than it is), props from Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore's office, the pendulum that I remember most vividly from the scene in Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry watches his friends leave for Hogsmeade without him. There was the 'props cage' where lots of props were all packed in together and fenced off so people couldn't grab them. I saw the Gryffindor boys' bedroom, the potions classroom, and Hagrid's hut. Among the props, I saw the Invisibility cloak, the horcruxes (minus Nagini), the Mirror of Erised, the Fat Lady, and the Triwizard cup. In a section in the middle, there was the door to the Chamber of Secrets, the door to one of the Gringotts's vaults, Lupin's self-packing chest from the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, and the Moody's magical trunk.

The Leaky Cauldron,  straight from the bar.

Against a large green screen were the machines used to bring Quidditch to life. There was also Hagrid's motorcycle, the Gringotts's cart, and Mad-Eye Moody's broom from the scene when the Order escorted Harry from Privet Drive to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. There was a room where you could actually go in and go on green screen yourself. I was sorely tempted, as I wanted to see myself 'fly' on a broom or in Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, but there was a 45 minute wait and I knew that at the end of that wait, I would be expected to cough up some cash for a souvenir photo. I decided just to continue on through the tour.

The rest of the first section of the studio tour housed the Burrow--here they put on display the technology they used to make real magic. They created machines to chop vegetables, simulate knitting, and make an iron skate across a wrinkled shirt. It was so impressive, especially because from one angle, it looked like these things really were magic, but if you could somehow catch a view from the right angle, you could see the mechanisms behind the magic. After the Burrow, I saw the fireplace from Malfoy Manor with the robes of the Malfoys, Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, and a Death Eater in front of it. I got to see the Ministry of Magic, the 'Magic is Might' fountain put in place under Voldemort's rule, Umbridge's office, and the basin Dumbledore drinks the potion from in order to obtain the horcrux hidden there.

Finally, the last thing you see before leaving the first studio (that's right, at this point, you're not even halfway through the tour yet!) is a large glass display case featuring props such as the howler Mrs. Weasley sent to Ron in Chamber of Secrets, the Marauder's Map, products and packaging from Zonko's and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Harry's letter inviting him to study at Hogwarts, Dumbledore's will, Ministry of Magic identification cards, a letter Dolores Umbridge sent to Professor McGonagall, and some of the magical books featured throughout the series. The original fountain (with the witch, wizard, centaur, goblin, and house elf.) from the Ministry of Magic was above the doors to the courtyard...although I never did see the wizard, just the other parts of the fountain. The last thing to see on the way out was a very short video clip of Rupert Grint saying that he hopes you've enjoyed the tour thus far and he hopes you enjoy the rest of the tour as well. 

After this, my friend and I headed out to the courtyard. Here, the outdoor sets are featured. Immediately noticeable, as it stands right across from the door, is the giant, three-level purple Knight Bus. Behind that stand two of the houses of Privet Drive (including Number 4, of course). My friend and I got butterbeer before exploring the rest of the courtyard. I'd like to say that only at the Wizarding World Orlando or the Studio Tour could they charge 3 pounds for a small cup of butterbeer and have a long line of people happy to pay. But of course, it was worth it. The butterbeer is approved by J. K. Rowling herself, so it's the most authentic butterbeer available in the Muggle world. I can't really descrive it but I'll do my best. It's a sweet drink with the same fizzle as as soda. There's a thick cream that forms at the top that tastes a lot like whipped cream. It's really, really good. If they bottle and sold it, I might be in danger of drinking far too much! 

Once we finished our butterbeer, my friend and I headed out into the courtyard. We got our picture taken with Hagrid's motorbike--my friend sat on the bike while I took to the sidecar (just like Harry did!).  We checked out Tom Riddle's headstone, where Voldemort held Harry captive in Goblet of Fire. I knocked on the door of Number 4, Privet Drive. The plaque in front of the house revealed that Rupert Grint took the original number 4 as a souvenir, so the number 4 that was currently on the house was a replica. In the middle of the courtyard was the bridge Seamus and Neville destroyed in the Battle of Hogwarts. I wish we could have walked on it, but I'd imagine if the let everyone do that, it'd be worn through pretty quickly! They had the Potter's house, in the state it was left in after Voldemort's killing curse backfired. They also had a Ford Anglia replica where people could take pictures (I actually forgot about it!). Before entering the second studio, the chess pieces from Sorcerer's Stone wer displayed.


After the courtyard comes the second studio (Studio K). The first room in this studio was filled with everything used to transform the actors and actresses. There were prosthetics used to turn actors into goblins; there were several copies of Dumbledore's blackened and withered hand; there was a model of Viktor Krum's body with a shark's head from his incomplete transfiguration in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. One of the things I found most interesting was a motorized version of Hagrid's head that could be fitted atop a 6'10" actor to emphasize Hagrid's height. I was so impressed that a small group of people managed to make a motorized head and face to accurate that it was interchangeable with the actual actor. This was also the creatures section of the tour, so there were several models of mermen, grindelows, dementors, and thestrals. Dobby and Kreacher were featured in this room...Dobby made me sad, as the model they had on display came complete with a blood stain across his chest.

Aragog! It's a good thing my Oma didn't see this...I've never met anyone that hates spiders the way my Oma does!

In the next room were only a few creatures: the basilisk's skeleton sprawled across the floor; Aragog, the giant spider, hung from the ceiling, as did the Hungarian Horntail Harry fought in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Against the far wall sat Buckbeak, happily seated in his pumpkin patch.

When I turned right out of the small room of creatures, I found myself standing in Diagon Alley. I remember watching Philosopher's Stone for the first time and when Harry first entered Diagon Alley, I was so amazed by it that I just wanted to be able to visit it myself. And her I was! On my left there was a small-scale Gringotts bank. Behind me, above the doorway, were wanted posters for several Death Eaters, along with the Undesirable Number 1 posters with Harry's face plastered across them. It was like a dream come true stepping out into Diagon Alley. All the stores were laid out on either side of a thin cobbled street, with Gringotts at one end and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at the other. I walked down Diagon Alley, amazed by the amount of detail they'd put into store fronts. Even the insides of the stores were outfitted according to what each sold. It was absolutely incredible!

Welcome to Diagon Alley!

Some of the blueprints in the art department.

Unfortunately, at this point my camera was starting to die. I knew what was coming at the end of the tour, so I was trying to save my battery for that, so I don't have many pictures from the rest of the tour after Diagon Alley. After leaving Diagon Alley, I came to the artwork section. And I'm so mad that I don't have more pictures from this, because I was absolutely fascinated by all the concept art, blueprints for the castle and other buildings, sketches, full-blown paintings, and white cardboard models. My friends and family will know how much I love art, but for those who don't know me, I love sketching and painting and even sculpting, so to say I was enthralled with this room is very nearly an understatement. The blueprints were the beginnings of places like Diagon Alley, the great hall, and Hogwarts itself. The concept art detailed specific characters, places, or scenes. The white cardboard models were miniatures of several sets, including the Gryffindor common room, the Whomping Willow, the divination tower, and Hagrid's Hut.

The architect of Hogwar

After seeing all this prolific artwork, I rounded the corner into what is referred to as the 'model room.' There's only one thing in this room, and it's the largest model of the Hogwarts Castle I've ever seen. I couldn't believe it! The room is set up so that you start above the castle and then walk the ramp around the room and in doing so, you circle around the castle. It was so incredibly cool to see the castle from so many different angles. They also had touch screens positioned around the castle and you could use those to see the castle from different angles and there were added scenes showing how they used the model to make parts of the movies. After checking the model out from every angle and marveling at the detail (it was basically the greatest dollhouse I've ever seen...almost more realistic than some of the castles I've actually walked through here in Scotland!), my friend and I headed to the last room.

The last room of the studio tour was like the inside of Ollivander's. There were wand boxes lining the walls and each of them had the name of one of the people who had been involved in the making of the movies--everyone from J. K. Rowling to the actors to the make-up artists to the directors to the set designers. I though it was a really, really cool way of finishing the tour. I really like the fact that for fans like me, we can find our favorite actors and actresses, but at the same time, someone that very, very few people know for their role in creating the films have their name memorialized on a wand box too. The thing that struck me was the image of a behind-the-scenes make-up artist or conceptual designer someday taking their kids to the tour and being able to point out the wand box with their name on it. I think the wand room was the perfect way to give a nod to everyone that had made the Harry Potter movies what they were.

The Invisibility Cloak

After seeing everything the studio tour had to offer, I emerged into the gift shop. I have to say that I was quite proud of myself. Knowing how much I love Harry Potter, I had allowed myself 100 pounds to spend at the studio tour. When I saw an authentic Ravenclaw robe, I was on the verge of buying it. It cost 75 pounds, which meant I only would have had about 20 pounds left over, since I'd already paid for butterbeer and my return ticket for the shuttle. Instead, I bought a Marauder's Map (which I've wanted for a very, very long time), a Ravenclaw Quidditch banner, a keychain, a chocolate frog, and a Ravenclaw patch. (I'm sure my Mom will love me for this, but as she made me a robe once in the past, I figured if I got the Ravenclaw patch she could help me make a Ravenclaw robe at some point...love you Mom!) So instead of getting one robe as my only souvenir, I instead left with a small collection of souvenirs that I know I will enjoy.

On the shuttle ride back to Watford Junction, I felt happily satisfied. I'd done something I had never dreamed of being able to do--I had walked through the sets that I'd watched in awe on movie screens for ten years. My parents took me to see the Harry Potter exhibition in New York City (that's the event touring around the world with props from the films). And while that left me feeling amazed by all the things from the magical world, there was something about walking through the studios where they made the movies that seemed, forgive me for this one: magical. It was more than just props and sets, it was almost like seeing how the movies came together. And I'm sure some of this is just my sentimentality about the series itself rubbing off, but it really was very cool to see all the work that went into making these eight amazing films.

And now that I've made it very, very clear how I feel about Harry Potter, I say:

A tout a l'heure mes amis!

A Day in London

The front gates of Buckingham Palace, and behind that is the balcony where I think Will and Kate had their public kiss.

After three months in the UK, the day finally came when I got to visit London. I bought overnight tickets on a coach (bus) and at nine o'clock on Monday night, my friend and I headed out from Stirling. It was a nine hour drive from Stirling to London, and I could not fall asleep. I got about an hour of sleep, but that was apparently just enough to serve as a power nap, and I was wide awake for the rest of the trip. We got to London at six in the morning, so most of the shops were still closed. I bought a map for a pound so we could find our way around London and then we headed to Buckingham Palace.

A walk through the park!

It was too early for the Palace to be open to the public, but it was an amazing sight. It's so historically rich and it's such a beautiful building, so I was really happy just to be able to see it from the gates. We took some pictures and then headed for a walk through the park across the street. It was really cool being able to walk through a really nice park in the middle of a city as big as London. After walking through the park for a while, we headed toward Westminster Abbey since it was so close by. When we emerged into the square, I couldn't believe it. Within a few hundred feet of each other, and all within eyeshot, were the London Eye, Big Ben and the houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. I couldn't believe it!

A side view of Westminster Abbey...I never did a picture of the truly iconic front of the building.

Big Ben and the London Eye.

It was still too early to get inside any of the buildings, so my friend and I got pictures of the outsides of the buildings and headed toward Piccadilly Circus. My friend is a huge Sherlock fan. I've seen a few episodes myself, and I enjoyed them, but I'm not a huge fan. We stopped at Trafalgar Square, took some more picture there, and then headed for Piccadilly Circus. When we got there, there was a Ripley's Believe it or Not, lots of tourist shops, a few musical theaters, and a billboard similar to the ones in Times Square. We took some more pictures, almost got breakfast at Cinnabon (they were closed!), and headed back toward Trafalgar Square. We ended up getting breakfast at a UK chain store called 'Pret A Manger.' I got a hot chocolate and a buttered roll with bacon, which apparently is a good British breakfast.

We ate in Traflagar Square, then decided to walk along the River Thames before heading up to London Euston to catch the train out to Watford Junction to see the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour...for which I was beyond excited. It took a while to get to Euston, and I kept losing my sense of direction and getting really confused. We ended up finding Euston around 11. (We'd only been in London for close to five hours and already we'd seen so much!!). We bought our tickets and made it to the platform just in time to catch the train. It was almost an hour ride to Watford Junction, and I kept dozing off, only to snap awake seconds later. I should also add that the train was taking most of the way to the Harry Potter tour and the train left from platform 9. It's not quite platform 9 and 3/4, but I was still happy about the coincidence.

Trafalgar Square! There a museum at the far side of the square, the lion statue on the right is on of four that surrounds a tall pillar. In the middle is the olympic countdown, and to the left of that is one of the fountains in the square.

The light-up billboards at Piccadilly Circus.

When we got to Watford Junction, I wanted something with a lot of sugar or caffeine that would wake me up for the tour. Instead, my friend and I decided to wait until we got to the tour to get any drinks or snacks. Just outside Watford Junction was the double decker shuttle bus that would take us from the train station to the studio tour. I paid my two pounds for the return (round-trip) ticket and my friend and I took seats on the top level of the bus. I couldn't wait to get to the tour!! My heart was pounding from excitement. It was just a fifteen-twenty minute bus ride from the train station to the studio tour, where I could finally see all the magic of the Harry Potter sets. (More on that to come soon!!)

This picture's from the Mullany's Bus website--they're the ones that run the shuttle between the train station and the tour. But that's the bus that takes you to the tour, and behind it is the tour itself!

A tout a l'heure!

Fire!

It's not unusual for the fire alarms here to go off--people pull the alarms in the middle of the night so they can sneak their friends into the hall; there's a weekly test of the alarm; and there's been at least one actual drill this semester. So when the alarm went off yesterday, I figured it would shut off again if I gave it a minute. That was not the case. I pulled on my shoes and headed outside. Once I got outside, I smelled the smoke. An actual fire?! The fire alarm's never been set off by an actual fire!

The fire was on the east wing, opposite from the wing my room's in, in a room on the bottom level of AKD. There was smoke pouring out the window, and at one point the flames seemed pretty fierce. But the porters got the fire out pretty quickly (I don't know if the fire department ever showed up!). Then we just had to wait for them to get the smoke cleared out of the east wing (apparently there was a lot of it). A few of my friends and I decided to go for a walk around the loch, and by the time we got back, the smoke must have been cleared because there was no longer anyone waiting outside. 

I, personally, was happy that I hadn't set the fire alarm off by burning something I was trying to cook...although when I posted a Facebook status about the fire, my own mother asked what I was trying to cook. Thanks for that, Mom. :p For all the excitement the fire caused, nothing more came of the night. But it did give me a little something to write a quick post about before I flood the blog with pictures of London and Harry Potter!

A tout a l'heure!

I feel like it's been a while since I posted anything, so I just wanted to update everyone! I have a lot of studying to do this weekend, so I won't be going out or doing any sightseeing. But! Next Tuesday, I'll be going to London, where I shall be doing a lot of sightseeing...not to mention going to see the Harry Potter studio tour. So be prepared for at least one very long blog post next week!

A tout a l'heure!

Avengers are Awesome!

Okay, I don't want anyone to get mad at me, so I'm just going to say right away: this post is just going to be me kind-of, sort-of reviewing The Avengers. And I know that it hasn't come out in the States yet, which is where most of my friends and family are right now, so you've been warned!

The Avengers came out in theaters on April 26 here in Scotland, and a bunch of my FYSAE friends and I wanted to go see it, so we got our tickets to the 12:30 showing, and headed into town, so psyched. We'd all seen the previous movies about the individual Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor for me), so of course we all had our favorite superheroes, and I for one was really, really excited to see what the movie would be like with all the heroes brought together...and some new ones introduced. After what felt like a half an hour of commercials and previews, the movie finally started.

And it was totally freakin' awesome! Bringing all those superheroes together made for an incredible movie. Obviously, each of the heroes has their own, rather large ego (except for Captain America, who is still very much the good soldier). Putting the heroes in the same room made for a great clashing of their egos, and in the scenes where they fought with each other, it was really, really cool, and also pretty entertaining. When they figured out what S.H.I.E.L.D. had designed them for and actually started working together as a team, it was even more awesome. My only problem with the movie came when I couldn't figure out which hero was my favorite! I had like Thor the best by far before seeing The Avengers, but in the midst of the epic fight scene, I had no clue which of the heroes I liked best.

Overall, The Avengers was such a great movie. I've always had a soft spot for superhero movies, so that aspect of the movie was obviously amazing. There was also some humor (there were a few parts where my friends and I were laughing like we were watching a comedy). They even brought Pepper Potts back, so there was more of the funny/romantic back and forth between her and Iron Man. But The Avengers was such an amazing movie, I left the movie wishing that I could stay for the next showing. It's a really, really good movie, so when it comes out in the States, go see it! It's super awesome!

A tout a l'heure!

Sunrise Stroll

The loch, the library, and the Wallace Monument at sunrise.

Last night I just could not fall asleep, so around three in the morning, I just decided that since I no longer have classes on Wednesday, I would just stay up to watch the sunrise, and then go to sleep afterwards. I spent a couple hours online, playing games, watching youtube videos, and talking to some people from back home. Then, around five, the sky started to look a bit lighter, so I pulled my jacket on, grabbed my camera, and headed out for a walk around the loch.

Dumyat, from across Airthrey Loch.

It was really nice and peaceful, just going for a walk around the loch in semi-darkness. No one else was out; rabbits were either still asleep or nibbling on grass without moving much; the swans were just little white bumps floating on the loch, still fast asleep. It was raining, so I by the time I was halfway around the loch, my jacket was covered in raindrops, my hair was wet, and there were enough water droplets on my glasses that sometimes things looked distorted to me. Since it was rainy and cloudy, I couldn't really see the sun rising, but I could see the sky lightening behind Dumyat, the top of the hill hidden behind thin clouds.

Even though I was starting to feel tired at this point, I was still amazed by how cool it felt to be the only person out and about as the sun rose and the animals on campus started their days. As I was walking around the loch, I actually saw the swans starting to raise their heads, looking around the loch as they started their day. I still don't understand how they sleep floating in the loch though. I'm cold enough on dry land, wearing a jacket, and they spend all their time in the same cold weather with their butts in even colder water! I don't think I could do it, so it's a good thing I'm not a swan.

All the darker shapes on the grass are rabbits!

After walking around the loch, when the sun was pretty far up, I headed back to my residence hall. It was time for me to go to sleep. I must of passed a few dozen bunnies on the way. I swear, these things are everywhere. So after walking around the loch and watching the sun rise and the animals wake up, I headed back to my room and went to sleep at six in the morning. And this has nothing to do with watching the sunrise, but when I woke up, I went down to the lobby to check the mail, and my cookies from home had arrived! So now, I have chocolate chip cookies, and I'm quite content.

A tout a l'heure!

Golfing!

This weekend, my friends Ian, Heley and I decided to head down the road to the golf course right next to the campus. I'd never been golfing other than mini-golf (which I am notoriously bad at) but I was excited to see how it would go. The golf course next to campus is a nine-hole course with good prices for students, so we decided that since we didn't have anything else planned this weekend, we would go golfing on Saturday. It was raining in the morning, so we waited until the rain stopped, and then we headed to the golf course.

Lining up the shot...

On the walk over, we joked about discovering that one of us was in fact a golfing prodigy. Heley had been golfing before, but I can't remember if Ian had or not. We just thought how funny it would be if one of us turned out to be an amazing golfer. (Spoiler, none of us turned out to be excellent golfers.) We got to the course, paid for our tickets, clubs, and golf balls, and then headed out to start golfing. Since we didn't really know what we were doing, we let the two men right behind us go first. Good thing, too.

Heley's shot wasn't bad, nor was Ian's--they both got about halfway to the hole. Mine wasn't terrible, but it was much, much closer to the tee than the hole. After nine strokes, with a line forming behind us, I just grabbed my golf ball and we moved on to the next hole. The second and third hole I did increasingly poorly, scoring an 11 and a 13 (well over par!). But on the fourth hole, I did it in five strokes--only two over par! On the next two holes, my golfing improved a bit--the ball was moving more than a couple of feet per hit, and I was happily in the single digits.

I made it to the putting green!

And then came the Lochside hole. This is the second-longest distance on the course. Unlike the longest though, this hole has the worst terrain I had yet golfed on. The loch is to the left, to the right is a handful of trees, as well as a roped-off area of green that looks like the hole belongs there. Instead, the hole is 132 metres away. The distance isn't too terrible, but from the point where you tee off, there's a slight hill down, before a much sharper hill up to the hole. If you were skilled enough, I'm sure you could easily get the golf ball from the teeing off point to the top of the hill, and then you'd have an easy time of finishing out the round. But, not having much golfing skill, I ended up with my ball at the lowest point of the hole, awkwardly placed so that there were several trees between me and the hole. It took several swings to finally get up the hill to the hole, and then a few more strokes with the putter to finally finish the round for me. It ended up taking me 18 strokes to finish that round. 18! (That's fifteen over par haha).

Now, there were only two holes left. The second to last hole, I started pretty well (I say it's because there was a tee left at this hole, so I didn't have to golf off a turf mat. But on the second swing, it felt like my left shoulder popped out of place. I've always had some issues with my shoulders (my guess is that rises from my discovery at about 6 years old that I could pop my shoulders out with no harm done). But after that swing, my shoulder hurt. I didn't want to hurt it more, so I didn't finish that hole or the last one. Even without playing out the last hole and a half, I ended up with a score of 74 (par for the entire game was 27).

Winding up to hit...and this stroke was perfect!

Before I say anything else, I should say that my shoulder is completely fine. It was just a little painful after twisting it the wrong way or something. With that said, I think golfing is pretty fun. I've never tried it at home, but maybe with some more practice, I could improve on my 47-over-par score. Ian, Heley and I may not have been the best golfers, and we may have been completely showed up by a really, really young boy playing behind us, but we had a really good time, and I can now say that I've been golfing in Scotland!

After we finished up our game of golf, we walked into Bridge of Allan for fish and chips for our early dinner. I really cannot get over how much I enjoy fish and chips. They really are the best. If I'm craving fast food in the States, it's a cheeseburger and french fries. If I'm craving fast food here, it's fish and chips all the way. I'm going to have to find a good fish and chips place back home this summer!

A tout a l'heure!

P.S. Opa, Mom told me that you read this, so I figured the post about me going golfing would also be the perfect place to wish you happy birthday....so, Happy Birthday Opa! Love you!