Week 1 - Scotland

We left Denver on Sept. 11, and yes the airfare was much cheaper on that date than any other date in the entire month. Not surprisingly, they have trouble selling tickets for that date. We decided that we were much more motivated by the financial bottom line than the eerie feelings and many memories that go along with that historic date. Ultimately, it worked to our advantage that many flights weren't sold out for that date because when we arrived at the airport we learned that our first of 3 flights had been canceled, causing a domino-like collapse of our entire travel schedule. Within an hour or so, we were booked on a flight to Munich, hustled our way down the terminal, said our rushed and teary goodbyes, and made it to the gate just as they were calling standby passengers for the other remaining seats. It was quite an exit, and the agent checking my passport and airline ticket actually stopped when he saw my tears to ask if I felt I would be okay to travel. That motivated me to pull it together!

Our flight from Manchester up to Edinburgh whet my palette as we soared over small villages scattered throughout the gorgeously green countryside. The lush vegetation here is such a change from the deserts of Peru that I oohed and aahed the entire flight as Tony tried to squeeze in a little nap.

To make a long story short, the housing that we had originally secured through the university fell through about 2 weeks before we were supposed to arrive. They found another flat for us in time, but when we arrived we discovered that it was not at all what had been described to us. We had about 450 square feet in total (dirty and damp square feet at that!) and no washing machine, living room or furnishings. We did some looking and realized we could get a much nicer, furnished flat for less than we were being charged by the university. Having arrived on a Friday, no leasing agencies were open over the weekend so we ended up spending the next 4 days wandering from place to place for a cheap night's stay until we moved into our new flat on Wednesday. We now have a place to call home and are starting to feel settled in. Our old building was much more traditional and charming on the outside, but the new one is MUCH more cozy and comforting on the inside. It's a good trade off, all things considered!

The view from our old flat's kitchen window. A beautiful, historic area!

Standing under our new flat's balcony during the evening rainstorm.

We've had so much fun exploring the city and learning our way around. I'm amazed at how quickly a large and overwhelming city can start to become familiar. We've been taking many buses, and usually plant ourselves on the upper level in the first row to get a good look around. The city is beautiful and predominantly filled with old stone buildings, each of which is filled with solely white squared window frames. This makes for a stunning view from the outskirts of the city. A friend here gave a great description of the city when he said, "Doesn't it all feel so Peter-Pan-ish?" And indeed it does. It's an enchanting place to be. Our first night here, we ate at a restaurant called "Ye Olde Peacock Inn", which was constructed in 1767. I love the feeling of being in a place with so much history -you can just feel it seeping through as you walk the streets.

We've laughed at the number of British sayings and sights that truly are everywhere! We've lost count of the number of times we've heard "Cheers!" and "Cheerio!". We've both used a red telephone booth to make a few calls and can affirm that it is much more enjoyable to use a payphone in one of these red booths than any of the ones we've used in the US!

Here's a shot of The Royal Mile, which runs from the Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyrood. Scottish Royalty used to hold their processions down this road when they moved from one location to the other. We live on the lower end of this road, just about a block before it hits the palace.
There are statues of famous philosophers, politicians, writers, etc. scattered along The Royal Mile - Adam Smith, Sir Walter Scott, David Hume, to name a few. Here's Tony standing next to Hume holding and his tablet. Tony saw a great quote about him recently - "David Hume - may the soul he denied rest in peace."
Here Tony is overlooking the courtyard at New College. John Knox is there in the middle, the key figure in the Scottish Reformation.

Here we are at New College just before Tony's orientation.

While Tony attended his orientation and registration events throughout the week, I explored the city with my dear friend Krista. She was able to tag along on her husband's business trip and spend a few days with us this week. It was so great to see she and Mike after our stressful first days here. Krista and I found a great little French Bistro for a hot bowl of soup on a cold and rainy day. Here I am in my raincoat outside Cafe Marlayne.

Krista and I waiting at the bus stop - a common activity!

So, that's our first update from Edinburgh. Tony's classes start Monday, as does my intensive job search. More pictures and updates to come. Cheers!