Mini Coffee Tour of Edinburgh City Centre.

Travel tip: invest in lacy knickers. Because they'll air-dry on your windowsill much, much faster than those darn cotton panties.

After researching the best coffee shops for studying via websites like Yelp and various student forums, I dedicated my afternoon to tucking in with a nice cup of tea and some homework.

Over the course of about six hours, I hit up four coffee shops.

Of course, over the past two and a half days, I think the grand total of coffee shops has come to 11. But that includes hippity-hopping in and out really fast for a flat white and a banana on the go, and two of the places were Starbuckses, so they only kind of count. I don’t remember the names of most of the coffee shops, but I remember the four I visited this afternoon!

One of the really cool things about the UK is its dedication to Fair Trade goods, especially coffee, tea, and chocolate. I can't tell you how many places I've been to that make a point to advertise their Fair Trade certified coffee. Which is A-okay by me.

So here’s the low-down:

Brew Lab: This was the first place I visited, and for studying purposes, definitely the best. I spent nearly three hours here, and the only reason I left was because I was personally feeling antsy and couldn’t focus anymore. I was one of many students who were crashing for hours on end, and nobody there seemed to mind. There were also a TON of electrical outlets. The food and drinks were good, too!

The Black Medicine Coffee Co.: I literally walked down to the corner and across the street from Brew Lab to get here. The Earl Grey tea was fabulous here, and the wifi was free, but I couldn’t find any outlets. Plus, it was a smaller floorplan, so I felt more intrusive staying here for a long time.

Kilimanjaro Coffee: This coffee shop was just down the street from the Black Medicine Coffee Co. I was able to get a seat by the window, which was nice, but again I couldn’t find any outlets. I didn't stay here for very long (really I think after three hours at one place, I wouldn't be able to crash anywhere else for more than 45 minutes), but I think the people here would have been cool with it if I had.

Elephant House: I ended my tour at the place which touts itself as “the birthplace of Harry Potter.” I actually got a proper dinner here. You have to wait to be seated, probably because of the popularity level. The food was good, the service was fine, and the "Relaxer" (a latte with decaf espresso) was some of the best coffee I've had, but the wifi was not free. Boo. There were electrical outlets, though. The atmosphere was also one of the best.

At the Elephant House, where JK Rowling started writing the Harry Potter books. Ooooooooh

All of these places had good service, yummy eats and drinks, and were all fairly close to each other. All had been recommended somewhere on the internet. I also felt very safe at all these places. I traded computer watching with the girl sitting near me at Brew Lab as we each had to run to the loo/order more tea, and at Elephant House I simply left my backpack at my table. Both times, my stuff was totally fine. Brew Lab was definitely my favorite, but you couldn’t really go wrong with any of them.

A Day at St. Andrews

[Also, happy birthday, Rembrandt!]

I'm currently in Edinburgh, where I'm going to spend a few days getting to know the city before the rest of my family joins (!!!hooray!!!), but the last few days have been a fun adventure!

After the last days on Skye, which included a barbecue, the final ceilidh (in which I had some awesome partners-- American boys, you better learn to dance fast), and that bittersweet and beautiful ferry ride back to the mainland, I went to visit my friend Katherine in St. Andrews. 

My Gaelic is still definitely beginner, but I've been bit by the bug. I hope I can make it work out to start going back to Sabhal Mor Ostaig regularly, to learn more of this language and this culture.

Gaelic 1 performs! We sang "A Ribhinn Og"
(photo credit: Karol Coleman)

The Gaelic Song class.
(photo credit: Karol Coleman)

The trip first consisted of a steam train ride from Mallaig to Fort William on the "Jacobite", run by the West Coast Railway Line, who provided the steam trains used in the Harry Potter films. 

Sneaky footage on the train! 

The Glenfinnan Viaduct. If this bridge (which our train went over about a minute after this picture was taken) looks familiar, it's probably because you saw it in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! 

I then took regular trains and a bus and made my way to St. Andrews, where my friend Katherine is at university. I met Katherine last summer at the Guildhall course, and it was sooooo nice to see her again! 

Her flatmate, Karolina, also had three of her friends visiting from Poland: Karolina, Karolina, and Natalia.

St. Andrews isn't simply a golfing destination. It's a calm but active university town, home to one of the best universities in the UK. The ancient cathedral and the castle are beautiful remnants of a time gone by, and the beach is stunning.

 We had a great visit, munching on fish and chips, exploring the nooks and crannies of the university that only the students know about, having a bonfire on the beach, seeing the sites, and learning about the different and fun St. Andrews University traditions.

In front of St. Andrews Cathedral
L to R: Karolina, Natalia, me, Karolina, Katherine

On the beach! 

Pier walk

The Cathedral

Katherine, myself, Karolina

The initials of Patrick Henry, placed here to commemorate the martyr. Supposedly, if you step on the stones you'll fail all your exams, so during the academic term St. Andrews students will walk around or jump over it! 

Cool trivia: St. Andrews doesn't have an apostrophe in its name because the name of the town predates the apostrophe, which came into use in the 16th century.

Tha mo cheann na bhrochan! (My head is in its porridge!)

Feasgar math!
Tha beagan Gaidhlig agam!
'S e la breagha a th'ann an-diugh ann sa Eile an Sgitheanach (an t-Eilean a'cheo).
Is mise Talaidh.
Chan eil mi a Alba, ach 's toil leam Alba! 'S e Ameireaganach a th'annam. Tha mi a Arkansas, ach tha mi a ' fuireach ann am Indiana.
Tha mi aon aig fhichead bliadhna a dh'aois. 'S e oileanach a th'annam. Tha mi ag obair annan oifis annan oilthigh.
Tha aon piuthar agam. 'S e Ian an t-ainm a th'oirre. Tha i ban.
Diluain, tha m a'dol a Dun Eideann.
...
Tha mi deiseil.

Good afternoon!
I have a little Gaelic!
It is nice today on the Isle of Skye (The Misty Island).
My name is Talley. I am not from Scotland, but I like Scotland! I am American. I am from Arkansas, but I'm living in Indiana.
I am twenty-one years old. I am a student at a university. I work in an office in a university.
I have a sister. Her name is Ian. She is blonde[fair].
Monday, I am going to Edinburgh.
...
I am done.


That was my very rough attempt at some Gaelic. Oh, note that I left out all the accent markings, too... This course is great! I'm not that good at Gaelic, but I've only been studying it for four days now, and I enjoy it anyway. :) I mean, how can you not when this is your daily view:

Advice from the Queen of Awkward: How to be less awkward in nifty artisan shops

I think we've all probably been there:

That neato little shop where you get to meet and talk to the owner, who also happens to be the artist selling his or her work. You've had a great conversation, you've genuinely spent five minutes or so inspecting the pottery, wool sweaters, photography, or whatever else is on display. And then that horrible moment when you have to leave. You flash a slightly sheepish grin at the shop owner, mumble out an even more sheepish, "Great work... thanks," and duck out.

If you're lucky, sometimes you can manage your exit under cover of some other customers who have come in. 

But often this is not the case. 

It's not that you don't greatly admire (or at least appreciate) the artwork (or boutique goods) for sale; it's simply that the goods for sale fall into one or more of the following categories:

1) they're too expensive

2) you can't fit anything else in your suitcase

3) it's just really not your thing after all

4) you remember your family member or best friend can do equally good work. That you get to enjoy for free.

Now, you should never, ever feel pressured to buy something from somebody out of guilt. Still, you want to be polite.

The past few days, I've been in situations (aka small Scottish villages) where one of the few ways to occupy my time was to go browse in the shops. I figured out an easy way to save face. Probably many of you all know about it already, but I thought I'd share anyway.

DUH. It's to ask for a business card. 

I don't know why this never dawned on me before, but it's allowed me to express my interest in the artist's work without having to actually buy anything. 

It's better than simply asking, "do you have a website?" 

In the cases where I used it, I was actually interested in the work for sale. It just happened to fall into both categories 1 and 2 from above. But even if I hadn't been interested in maybe eventually someday ordering something from these sellers, it still was a more polite way out than simply leaving the shop. 

Also, below are pictures from my walks around the Clan Donald grounds today! I spent about 4 or 5 hours meandering about, visiting the Museum of the Isles (which is on the property), and even visiting a few shops (one of which I employed the business card trick).

This castle was actually built in the 19th century (I think), but is already a ruin.

I found this view while out running last year. This year, I found it again, just coming from the other direction!

More Mallaig!

Last year, I stayed in the fishing town of Mallaig before I took the ferry over to Skye. This year, I decided to do the same!

As much as I'm all about trying as many new experiences as possible, there is also something to be said  about returning to the same place.

1) I already know the town. I knew that, even though I wouldn't get to my B&B till nearly midnight, that the town was safe enough for me to walk all the way there by myself (also, the people here are so friendly that they will wait up for you to check in to their B&B at midnight. Specifically, Springbank Guest House!) I also know what to expect about food, travelling by ferry, etc., so there's less stress.

2) Last time I was in Mallaig, it was a Saturday, so most of the shops were closed. It's nice to come back on a weekday and peruse a little bit more. The Mallaig Heritage Center was open, for instance. It's full of fascinating information on the vibrant, unique, and sometimes tragic history of the Morar area.

3) I already explored the main part of town, so it's time to branch out! Today, I took a hour and a half hike up through the residential part of the town and in through the mountains/very big hills. When I first saw the sort of huge hills/ mountainous moors of the Highlands back in 2008, I developed a craving to be on them, somehow. Until today, I had never really figured out a way to go hike them. I was able to more or less fulfill a dream I've had for the past five years! Hooray!

Below are some pictures from the hike I took along the Circular Walk:

This journey was about 2 miles. The path was pretty clear, although definitely hilly, rocky, and altogether quite fun so long as you have good shoes.

Sometimes there were footpaths off the main trail. They led up the kind of hills you get to the top of only to find an even taller hill beyond...

Go ahead and judge me, but hiking this landscape + listening to Enya =  time to pretend you're  on a journey across Middle Earth.

Below are some views from the harbor. This is basically the view from Springbank Guest House. It's a great life.

Va Bene, Viterbo

The past few days have been spent with my best friend, Morgan, in Viterbo, Italy.

Morgan has been studying this summer at the University of Santa Maria in Gradi.

By car, Viterbo is a little under an hour and a half slightly northwest of Rome. This city moves at a much slower pace than Rome or Florence, and it has been a wonderful chance to relax and get some sunshine.
More importantly, they city has got some great history.
Viterbo is a medieval walled city. Of course, today some of the city extends beyond the walls, but most of it is still walled in. Even better, Morgan's apartment is in the Medieval Quarter of the city. The buildings are old, old, old, and the streets are narrow and winding. I've had a lot of fun trying to imagine what this place must have been like seven hundred years ago.

The city is small enough that it's easy to go exploring. If you get lost, the good news is that you will eventually run into the wall. Follow the wall, and you'll find yourself back to somewhere familiar.

The Porta Roma, so named because the road leading out of the door leads to Rome. But don't they all?

The medieval courtyard at Morgan's university

The university used to be a monastary 

The Renaissance courtyard

The Wall!

Viterbo is also home to an old Papal Palace. I was able to visit the nearby church and museum. The museum included a crypt with bones still in it (and over which I had to walk), lots of reliquaries (some still housing relics), old Papal seats (thrones?), effigies, and more. One of my favorite exhibits were the massive books of ancient Chant notation. The Papal vestments below are a 12th century copy of the original works from the 6th century. They are one of the most ancient examples of vestments in the world.