The Last Update

For those wondering what I've been up to since getting back, I refer you to my old blog. If you don't know where that is, ask me and I might tell you (or might not... it's more personal than this blog was, so I don't want it to be as open, no offense meant.)

Endings

Obviously, that last entry wasn't actually my final one from the UK; I couldn't let it rest there. Perhaps I'm guilty of trying to hard to narrative-ize, but I think this needs more closure.

It feels like an eternity since I left the states, and the thought of being back there in just a little over 24 hours from this writing (assuming the flight is on time) is surreal. So, it's appropriate to look back a little.

This is not a personal blog, nor will it become one, so it is not an entirely complete account of my experiences. Suffice it to say that the experience of being here has not always been perfectly happy. But I look back on the things I've seen and done, the stuff I've learned (the academic aspect of things should not be overlooked) the people I've met, the places I've been...

Are there things that I would have, in hindsight, done differently? Of course. But do I regret coming here in the first place? Would I regret not having come?

The answers are, I think, obvious.

Over and out,
--Aaron

Things I've Learned From British Commercials That Run Before Movies

1. Buying bootleg DVDs will result in bizarre encounters with strange old men in pubs who sing insulting songs that will cause your girlfriend to leave you and basically destroy your life.
2. Guinness reverses time and freezes things. (I don't get it, either.) (1, 2, 3).

(This is kinda weird to have as what may well be my last post from the UK, but then, I'm quirky.)

Not much to report on this end. Packing is still going smoothly. Mailed a lot of books home (at considerable expense -- no, parents, it was not cheap in the slightest), but I'm going to have to get rid of a few (say goodbye to the travel guides).

Said some needed goodbyes to friends here, and took a few last photos of the campus.

It'll be weird to be back. Weird that Nathan will be in NYC, and I'm still in Philly... ah, well.

Packing is thus far going smoothly. Meanwhile, I have to recommend the film This Is England, which I just saw. It's deservedly gotten rave reviews from the UK press -- it's not out in the US until July (in limited release), but I do recommend it, either then or whenever it hits DVD. What was particularly weird about watching it was that it was mostly shot in and around Nottingham (the director lived in the area for a number of years, and has set most of his films here) -- and several scenes were shot in places about two minutes' walk from the theatre where I was sitting. First time I can say that about a movie.

Photos!

First: yes, I made it back safely. And I've actually managed to complete a substantial amount of packing -- enough to give me faith that I can pull this off, if I make judicious usage of every nook and cranny of my luggage. Of course, that feeling may well evaporate once I finish this huge load of laundry.

Anyway, what you've all been waiting for:
Edinburgh
Amsterdam
And a few more photos of Nottingham for good measure.

Amsterdam, Day 2

Even with all the weird things I've seen in this city, this has to take the cake: a guy in a black hooded robe, wearing a goofy mask, playing a guitar right next to Damrak (sort of the city's main street). What pushed this into the upper stratosphere of weirdness was the inexplicable presence of a large plastic toy of Baby, from the early-90s sitcom Dinosaurs, attached to the guitar. (No, I am not embarrassed to recognize this. I can't be the only one who remembers that show, if only vaguely.) I'd have taken a photo, but I'm not sure the guy would've appreciated it.

I am utterly worn out, but have had a very good day thus far. Spent most of the day on a free (but actually quite good) tour of the city, with the same company that ran last night's tour of the Red Light District. Very informative, and lots of good opportunities for photo taking [insert qualifier regarding the condition of my camera here]. Then visited Oude Kerk, a massive church, incongruously located in the Red Light District. Currently, it's hosting a fascinating (and, in some cases, disturbing -- lots of war images) exhibit of the award winners for the World Press Photo competition (according to Wikipedia, the church is also where the awards ceremony is held.

My feet are sore as hell, which I guess says that I've done a lot (even if I at times feel like the one person who apparently didn't come to the city for the primary purpose of toking up... ) It'll be good to be back in Nottingham... not that there's much relaxation on that end, what with packing. Probably not doing to much in the way of that tomorrow, though -- I have to get up around 6:30 or 6:45 tomorrow, and though I plan on hitting the sack early tonight, I fully expect to be exhausted nonetheless.

After all this time, it's surreal to think that I'll be back in the States in only 4 days. It'll be weird leaving again so quickly, however temporarily. (To non-family members: I'm leaving for California on the 14th (along with my dad and my brothers) to visit my grandmother. It's just for the weekend, though.

Red Light District tour was fantastic - definitely worth the money, and very informative. I think I've seen more than enough, though.

Amsterdam...

is really, as they say, "something else." The sex and drugs make it feel like my freshman dorm writ large, but the canals, the bicycles, the bridges... it's just amazingly beautiful.

Already finished my sightseeing for now (until the tour I mentioned in my last entry), so I've got a few hours to kill.

A few notes:
--Damn, this city is beautiful.
--The Anne Frank House is a very unassuming building on the outside (though it is scenically located right next to the stunning Westerkerk), but extremely powerful.
--The other museum I visited (I'll avoid detail to keep this "family-friendly," to preempt parental nagging) was, shall we say, very Amsterdam. More tacky than legitimately shocking, though that may say a lot about how desensitized I've gotten.
--It's hard to find souvenirs/gifts that seem genuinely thoughtful and not tacky. Maybe I should just resort to chocolate. For Nathan, however, I have picked out the bestest*, most special present a brother could possibly ask for, and I can only hope that he treasures it always.
--Dutch pancakes are tasty.
--No, seriously - damn, this city is beautiful.

*lest anyone attempt to question my grammatical skills, my usage of that non-word was ironic. It adds to the sarcasm.

Edinburgh/Amsterdam

Weather was finally cooperative on my last day in Edinburgh. Spent some time at the Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland, and a good deal of time wandering about taking pictures.

Made it to Amsterdam safely; I'm going to try to get to the Anne Frank House tomorrow morning before it gets too crowded, but I'm still expecting long lines.

Being in the city sort of makes me wish I weren't traveling solo -- limits my ability to wander around at night. I kinda want to see the Red Light District for myself, out of sheer curiosity. I am planning on going on a walking tour of it tomorrow, though it won't be dark at the time.

More later. Internet access at this hostel isn't terribly cheap, and it seems to be much in demand, too.

Nothing more planned for today, other than some aimless wandering (isn't that the best kind?), so I might as well give a brief update.

Started the morning by heading down to Holyrood, visiting the Scottish Parliament building (it's pretty weird looking --- I'll post photos after I get back) and taking a brief hike up the mountain - yes, there's a mountain in the middle of the city - known as Arthur's Seat. The view was quite spectacular. Visited a few of the art museums that constitute the National Galleries -- some interesting surrealist stuff at the Dean Gallery, but otherwise, kind of dull (at least for my tastes).

Oh, I should make note of this. Made a stop at a cafe called Chocolate Soup (thanks for the recommendation) -- which serves hot chocolate of a very rich sort, as suggested by the name. Mmm.

It's late here, so I'll keep this quick.

The vegetarian haggis was actually quite tasty, but I don't think it bore much resemblance to the real thing. Didn't exactly seem to be trying to imitate actual meat.

The Museum of Childhood was really not too exciting. With a good deal of daylight still left, I decided to head up to the top of Calton Hill - even with the weather a tad greyer than I might've liked, it was still spectacular. Then simply walked around the city for a while -- not much in particular to report, but it was beautiful.

Tomorrow: Holyrood and its environs.

A brief midday update -- taking a break at the Central Library, which has free internet access. Spent the morning and early afternoon at Edinburgh Castle, which was scenic and, I guess, educational, though I'm dubious that it was worth the steep (£11, no student discount available) price tag. It also was a little heavy on military history of the "in [year], [regiment] was sent to [country]" variety, which I ultimately find rather mind-numbing.

Took some nice pictures, though. Then my camera went haywire -- I'm not quite sure if I can afford it, but I need to replace the thing. I may have worked out a solution of sorts, but there's no way of salvaging this morning's photos.

Heading off to the Museum of Childhood in a bit -- should be fun.

Haggis

Posting from the hostel in Edinburgh.

For those wondering, haggis is a traditional Scottish delicacy, "normally made with the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately an hour." Mmm-mmm!

Anyway, though I have no desire to sample the stuff, I am willing (with some parental needling, though curiosity would compel me to do so anyway) to try a vegetarian equivalent somewhere.

Parents, while I do appreciate all the restaurant suggestions, I'm trying to be very frugal in regard to food -- which means I'm mostly limiting myself to fast food (ie, cheap sandwiches). Fortunately, I happen to have walked past a vegetarian fast-food place en route to the hostel -- and guess what it has on its menu? I'm going to try to head there for lunch tomorrow.

Oh, and the city is beautiful at night (unfortunately, my camera doesn't handle night photos well at all).

European travels: the final leg

Heading off in a few minutes for the airport, en route to Edinburgh. I'm flying from there to Amsterdam on Wednesday evening. This gives me less time in Amsterdam than I might like, but my travel time was limited given that I had already bought the Summer Party ticket, and I needed enough time to pack (which is still going to be stressful as hell -- parents, I may need some advice on your end).

Truth be told, by this point, with the academic end entirely wrapped up, I'm getting more than a little antsy to head back to the states. But I know that I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to travel like this -- as I've said, I'm not going to be back in Europe anytime in the foreseeable future.

Well, at least the night wasn't a total loss; met some interesting people, had a very good conversation. I know, I'm specific.

Summer Party

I brought my camera along with me. I doubt I'll actually be using it, as it does not appear likely that I'll have any particular desire to remember this. Not that it's traumatic or anything, but it's really, really, not my thing... the closest equivalent would be Spring Fling at Wes, which I do like, but that's with a student body less than one-tenth the size. Here, it's just way too damn massive and hectic for my tastes. And I'm just not going to spend the money to get drunk -- the prices are ridiculous.

Summer Party

Somehow I've neglected to mention this thus far... but exams ended yesterday (thank goodness for being done early). To, I guess, celebrate that, today is the massive Summer Party, with a lot of bands and several tents operated by local clubs (I think). I suspect it'll prove too hectic to be worth what I paid for my ticket (I'd rather not think about that.) Anyway, since my hall is near the stage, I (delightfully) get locked out of my room for 10 hours. Fun!

that TV exam (not gloating, really)

I thought I did badly, but according to one of the two professors for the module, "I do recall you got one of the highest marks on the exam, so good job there." (This was not apropos of nothing -- I had to email him to enquire about the procedure for getting back my exam, or at least comments on it.)

Also, I forgot to mention the Astronomical Clock in Prague in any detail -- every hour, a mechanical skeleton rings a bell, which is cool.