London!

I made it to London for my birthday!


After changing my mind at least six times (I want to be in London this year for my birthday, London is too much to see in just 24 hours, I really want to visit London since I'm so close, I'll save London for "next time" when I can spend more than just a day there, London is so special let's go visit since it's our last weekend, London is so busy let's go back to the Lake District instead so we can relax on our last weekend, it's my birthday and I want to spend it in London), on Saturday, July 14, 2007 I found myself lighting a candle for Jim in Westminster Abbey and cruising under the Tower Bridge on the Thames River, marveling that the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre were right in front of my eyes.




After a three-hour train trip from Lancaster on Friday, we spun through London streets in a taxi to drop our bags at our hotel in Notting Hill, strolled through Embassy Row, Hyde Park, and the gardens at Kensington Palace, and then jumped on a city bus to the Marble Arch where we climbed aboard a double-decker tour bus to see more sights before sundown.

In our brief time in London, we were privileged to stand in amazement at the gates of Buckingham Palace, stroll through Trafalgar Square, and marvel at St. Paul's Cathedral.




London was a perfect punctuation to my trip abroad!

Lancaster, England UK

Here are a few shots of Lancaster, a beautiful and historic town in the north of England. Hilly and scenic with the Cumbrian Mountains in the background, this location is known for its rainy weather. Yet, still the locals are talking about the unusually rainy string of days we are having!

Our studies are based at Lancaster University, just a few miles outside of the heart of the town. The last photo is taken on campus in the rain.

Goodbye to Lancaster

We just finished our last day of studies here in Lancaster and here are a few images of our good-bye party.







Tomorrow we're off to London. I can hardly believe that I'll be there for my birthday on Saturday!

I have a feeling I'll be back in the states before I have a chance to open up my laptop again.
Can't wait to see you all again! Cheers!

Castles, Cathedrals & Golf Courses 2

A rail trip at night (but not in the dark since it doesn't get dark until nearly 11 p.m.) took us through whisky country to Aberdeen, an industrial city on the coast, Scotland's third largest city, and Europe's offshore oil capital (according to my DK Eyewitness Travel Guide), where serendipitously and thankfully we found a charming vintage hotel very close to the train station.

The next morning we hopped aboard the first Flying Scotsman train heading south to cruise along the North Sea, appreciating a picturesque view of the craggy coastline and numerous ultra-green golf courses, including Carnoustie, where The Open will be next week.




We switched trains in Dundee and headed to Leuchars, our stopping point for St. Andrews, which in my opinion is the prettiest little village in Scotland. Not to mention the Royal and Ancient golf course! This town beckons to be re-visited and explored with much more time on my hands. Anyone want to go with me next time?





















Then back to Edinburgh where we hiked up, up, up a cobblestone street along which we saw bagpipers and other kilt-wearing Scots, to Edinburgh Castle with a breathtaking overview of the city of Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth, and the North Sea.





































I just can't figure out why we were so tired when our train finally pulled into Lancaster that night, can you?

Castles, Cathedrals, & Golf Courses 1

I'm back to my laptop after a lively, learning-filled weekend in Scotland.

In the time it takes to drive from Bloomington to Chicago (for goodness sake!), our train from Lancaster, England presented us at Waverly Station in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This shows me at a statue to commemorate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We may have been near Baker Street but I really couldn't tell you as we were pretty lost at the time! We glanced up and said, "Oh, look! There's a statue of Sherlock Holmes!"

An enlightening bus tour of the city informed us that Queen Elizabeth II herself was in her official Scottish residence in The Palace of Holyroodhouse for the week. We couldn't take a tour since Her Majesty was using it for official banquets, investitures, and other affairs to which we weren't invited, but we tried not to be too disappointed since we didn't have enough time anyway.



And later, after dinner on St. Andrew's Square, we had quite an adventure during a rain-soaked evening on foot and finally in an adorable black, boxy Scottish taxi seeking a bed & breakfast in which to get a night's sleep.

The next morning, a ride on Scotrail took us through the Highlands, treating us to hilly green countryside, grazing sheep, stone buildings with slate roofs, and inviting towns along the way with names like Kirkaldy, Markinch, Pitlochry, Blair Athol, and Aviemore (my favorite) with names also written in Gaelic.






Over the course of two days at Inverness, the "capital" of the Highlands, we experineced a boat cruise on beautiful Loch Ness (yes, you may need to enlarge that photo just to take a closer look at that little speck!) to the ruins of Urquhart Castle, a tour of a tartan-weaving and kilt-making shop, castles, cathedrals, a stay in an elegantly beautiful B&B, visits with Highlanders in a pub and in a coffee shop, and (a lot of!) shopping.

College Life

Here are some pictures of my dorm room in Bowland Hall here at Lancaster University. It doesn't even compare to the countryside outside the room and that would be why we are spending as little time here as possible. We're also trying to do as little cooking as possible!

This one shows me standing outside our group lounge where we held our 4th of July picnic/party. The sign on the door says, "Mature Students Only" or something to that effect. Click on the picture to enlarge it. See? I guess that means I've arrived!

Off I go to Scotland for the weekend. I'll check in when I get back. Cheers!

Students At Work

This school week started straight away on a zippy note (am I sounding British yet?) with a school visit to Lancaster Girls Grammar School and seminars on campus and homework and research. Even though we're not actually attending a regular class each day, we still have much work to do of both group and individual nature.

We have thoroughly enjoyed two informative and well-presented seminars by Don Passey, a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University. One session was on the educational system and the other on information and communication technology in the United Kingdom. Even though his presentations were two and a half hours long each, we decided we could have listened to him talk just as long as he wanted to talk.

And of course we also have a new system to negotiate. Just finding our way to the meeting rooms was a challenge last week and this week we have some more refined tasks. For instance, today it took me twenty minutes to figure out how to set up a print budget at the university library so I could print out three pages!

Even though tomorrow is the 4th of July, it truly is just another Wednesday here. We are visiting Dolphinholme School in the morning and Our Lady's Catholic College in the afternoon. But then we're throwing our own Independence Day potluck! And we'll be thinking of you all as you enjoy the fireworks -- well, maybe we won't be thinking of you right then since it will be about 3 a.m. here as you enjoy the fireworks there!