UK Trip - Day 9: London

After our continental breakfast, our first activity of the day was to head in to central London for a visit to the Tate Modern. The main exhibition I wanted to see there was "Street & Studio: An Urban History of Photography." It was fairly extensive and I found the presentation both intriguing and informative.

Following this, we wandered around looking for a late lunch, which we found at an attractive organic restaurant called Leon.

UK Trip - Day 8: Edinburgh to London

An approximation of our journey 400 miles south from Edinburgh, Scotland to London, England

Today was mainly a travel day. After breakfast, we checked out of our university hotel wishing we had more time in Edinburgh.

At 11am we took the five hour train arriving in London at 4pm. It is a little bit less than 400 miles from Edinburgh to London.

At 4:50 we arrived at the Holiday Inn Park Royal. It was at that point that we realized that this particular hotel, though close to the subway, was about 15 min. outside of central London... And unlike our other hotels, it was not as convenient as we'd anticipated, as it was not in walking distance of any particular attractions. The trade-off though was a stay in a "real" hotel with room service, satellite tv, phones, continental breakfast... unlike say, our first hostel. Although that said, Chancellors Court (the university hotel) in Edinburgh had all the benefits of a hotel with the convenience of a hostel. I have to say, that was probably my favorite overnight accommodation (and ironically where we stayed for the least nights).

Our only other activity that night was sauntering over to the local Tesco Express (sort of a grocery/convenience store). One other downside to our hotel: no refrigerator. Both previous hostel/hotels had "community" fridges, but no such luck here. So in this case, we won't be able to save perishables or really buy any groceries that we don't plan to eat immediately.

UK Trip - Day 7: Edinburgh

We began the day checking out a couple art galleries-- The Fruitmarket, a contemporary art gallery on Market Street and nearby Stills, a contemporary photography gallery where we saw this show by Nicky Bird. Themes of the dual fragility and persistence of memory reminded me of some of the issues I am drawn to in my own work.


Edinburgh is a hilly place. Expect lots of hiking and climbing of a lot of extremely steep steps!


Grassmarket street

Following that, we wandered along Victoria Street, Grassmarket, and adjacent streets browsing shops-- Among them were Analogue Books (small artist book store), Red Door Gallery (super cute artsy boutique that I'd love to return to if I lived in Edinburgh), and another Scotland Shop. At some point, we had a late lunch at Chocolate Soup where I had coconut split pea soup and a frozen mocha (wish I'd had more time to try more things there). We briefly stopped at Iain Mellis, a cheese shop that is supposed to have excellent Scottish cheeses, although I soon realized my pitiful lack of cheese knowledge rendered me completely clueless, alas. Although I was able to snap a pic of the shop sign saying "Iain Mellis Cheesemonger"!




Later we visited the Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show. At around 6pm, per Katie's suggestion, we stopped by the Royal Botanic Gardens. The gardens were surprisingly vast and beautiful, a nice little diversion from the city.
Looking for dinner a little after 7pm, we happened upon the Villager bar/restaurant. The place was nice, with interesting menu items, cocktails, and um people. As it goes, it was perhaps a bit hipsterrific. I had a Thai Vegetable Curry and a Xante + Apple cocktail. Unfortunately I did not take a pic of my food... don't really remember why. Before our food came out they brought us a pitcher of water with large pieces of cucumber, watermelon, and mint. It was all really pretty and fancy-like and tasted quite nice, adding a light melon flavor to our water. Yep, I should've taken a picture.



Statue and bar dedicated to "Scotland's most faithful dog" Greyfriars Bobby


In Greyfriars Kirkyard

One of the things I was most excited about doing in Edinburgh was going on a "ghost tour." As there were a surprising plethora of choices, the hard part was deciding which one! We chose the "City of the Dead" tour, which took us through the Greyfriars Kirkyard (graveyard) and eventually to the Black Mausoleum, supposed haunting place of the MacKenzie Poltergeist. At a certain point, I did become slightly uncomfortable (pretty much around the time we entered the Black Mausoleum). It was very dark in there lit only by the guide's flashlight. Then there were the stories of the hundreds of purported cases of individuals "attacked" (scratched, bruised, or even blacked out) by the MacKenzie Poltergeist. Usually those stories don't do much for me, but what I found most compelling was an idea that I had not previously encountered--- that it is the accumulated emotional (fearful, excited, etc.) energy that causes "poltergeist" activity. Supposing that every time people experience extreme emotional states, that energy accumulates in that spot and somehow manifests itself in poltergeist activity. I'm not very good at explaining this but either way it was interesting to think about if only in passing. Being dark in the mausoleum, I kept waiting for someone or something to reach out from the crevices and grab me. There was a good sized group on the tour and we filled the mausoleum-- I suppose it would have been creepier if there was less of a "safety in the herd" feeling. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how adventurous I'm feeling) I did not experience any explicit paranormal activity... Overall the tour was entertaining and educational. Our guide was eccentric, full of crazy stories, and pretty much hilarious! He told us stories about the history of the area including the famed Elephant House cafe nearby where J.K. Rowling wrote early Harry Potter.


Telling crazy stories! (He looks like he's saying "off with his head!")




One last warning before entering the Black Mausoleum

UK Trip - Day 6: Edinburgh

This morning we had a complimentary "Scottish breakfast" provided by our hotel. It was cafeteria style in the (I'm guessing) University cafeteria. Being a complimentary breakfast, it was surprisingly substantial-- There was a LOT of food-- haggis (both regular and veg versions), meat of some sort (I can't remember, but probably ham and bacon), eggs (both scrambled and fried), oatmeal, dry cereal, fruit, coffee, juice, milk, etc... It was nice to be able to try out a variety of "Scottish breakfast" items, especially without having to pay for them all!

After that we took a bus down to the city centre of Edinburgh. Today was a more "touristy" day for us, going to such places as the Scotland Store, National Museum of Scotland, James Pringle Weavers (hehe), and The Scotch Whiskey Experience (No probably not what you're thinking, but a museum of the history of Scotch Whiskey, plus a store with a large selection of more whiskeys than I ever knew existed). We didn't want to pay to go into the museum but we did check out the store where I bought some Scottish Heather Cream liqueur-- delicious! They were giving out samples of this one whiskey (I totally cannot remember the name) but interestingly it was billed as having a "smokey" flavor-- and it really did, it was so weird! I've never had charred alcohol before, heh.

Views of the city centre:








With its 200 ft height and crazy, sooty towers, Scott Monument easily stands out.



Then we continued up the increasingly steep Castle Hill to Edinburgh Castle. There were a lot of people there, but the castle was also surprisingly (at least to me) big and spread out.


A view from the top, looking down on the city below.





The castle grounds are comprised of several different buildings, most of which visitors can freely explore. Inside some are exhibits including a display of the Scottish Crown Jewels and the "Stone of Scone" (hehe) and recreations of scenes such as prisoners' barracks. Aside from a few sets of fake food, kings and queens being crowned, and prisoners in hammocks, they do a pretty good job of avoiding too many Disney-esque cliches or over-the-top fakery.







After the Castle we continue wandering the Royal Mile...


St. Giles Cathedral is beautiful and impressive on the outside as well as in. It's unbelievable how massive it really is.

UK Trip - Day 5: Glasgow

The main objective of today was to get a few more things done on our last day in Glasgow before our scheduled train to Edinburgh.

After leaving the hostel, we took the subway to Shields Rd and walked to the Glasgow School of Art MFA Degree Show located at a large art space called "Tramway." It is located in an area in the southside of Glasgow called Pollokshields, further away from the city center in a more residential area. To get there we walked through a large Pakistani community-- streets lined with Pakistani shops, restaurants, and people.

Overall the work at the Degree Show was impressive-- very definitely fine art (as opposed to a more commercial bent). There was a good range of media-- video, audio, painting, photography, sculptural installations... and I actually bought some work there-- an editioned set of three letterpress books, prints, and a cd with audio recordings that were all part of Emmett Walsh's installation (see the 5th picture).

It seems that this is degree show season in the UK because in planning this trip I noticed that many of the art schools in Scotland and London are having their shows right now. The show dates range from a couple months to just a few days, so as it turns out, we are here at the perfect time (for me... sorry Katie).

[Since once again, I did not use my camera today, the pictures of others will be used to "spice up" my potentially spiceless written descriptions.]

Obligatory funny foreign signs (courtesy Katie) as seen on the way to the MFA show at Tramway:





After the MFA show we headed back into the city center taking the subway to Cowcaddens and walking to Renfrew St for the Glasgow School of Art BFA Degree Show. There we saw work from the Ceramics, Product Design, and Visual Communications departments. Unfortunately I didn't have time to get to the Fine Art Photography dept, which I would've wanted to see.

Following that we took the subway to St. Enoch and walked back to the Hostel to pick up our luggage, which we'd been storing in their coin lockers. Then we took the subway to Buchanan Street and walked to the Queen Street Rail Station to catch the 6:15 train from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The ride took a little over an hour. I didn't realize how close the two cities are to each other.

Soon after arriving in Edinburgh and being dropped off by our taxi driver, we realized we'd been dropped off in the wrong location. The hotel was nowhere to be found. As we were rolling our luggage around looking for the hotel, I spotted some canine poo droppings on the sidewalk. Fortunately I was able to avoid a collision. As soon as I turned to Katie and said "watch out for that poooo..." I saw her hesitate and say "where?!?" This was right as her foot came down (almost in slow motion) on a sizable, mooshy piece. She will spend the next couple hours trying to work it out of all the grooves in the treads of her tennis shoes. In the meantime, I realized--- the hotel was on "Holyrood Park Road" and I had asked the taxi driver to take us to "Holyrood Road"-- a completely different street. So we had to catch another taxi-- much more difficult this time in this area. When we finally caught another taxi and got inside, I kept trying not to laugh-- As soon as we got in, there was a definite smell-- The driver probably thought one of us farted! And after we got out, I also realized although I'd avoided stepping in anything, there was something on my suitcase wheels!?! Why??!


Chancellor's Court dorms. Photo from this site.

Finally we got to the hotel, called Chancellors Court, which are actually dorms on the campus of University of Edinburgh. That probably sounds odd and like it'd probably be something like a hostel. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and spaciousness of our room as well as the surrounding facilities. These are nice dorms! They are new and clean and we got two twin beds (instead of the bunks we had in the hostel). There was also a TV (which we didn't have to pay to use) and a phone-- We were sooo glad to be able to have a phone that worked with our phone cards! We also had a bathroom with shower and a bunch of clean towels and little bottles of shampoo and soap!! This was very exciting for us at this point, having gotten used to more spartan accommodations the past few nights. Being able to lay back and watch tv at night felt like such a luxury. Making things simple, we went to the pub on campus and had dinner there.


Our lovely dorm at University of Edinburgh


My dinner: Cumberland sausage and mash and a Reef orange and passion fruit vodka mix. That's one long spiral sausage on mashed potatoes covered with a ton of gravy. Once again, I know what you're thinking. And once again, not as bad as it looks. I'd never had Cumberland sausage before and when I first saw it, honestly I was a bit scared... but it was fine, good I'd say. The sausage had a unique texture... I don't know how to describe it, but it was different. Oh and the super girly drink in a bottle with a straw in it was delicious.


More haddock for Katie, plus a Vodka Kick Vodka Cherry girly drink.



Back at the dorms... an assortment of Scottish/British snack foods.

Irn Bru is a popular carbonated energy drink. I didn't realize it was an energy drink until we tried it and it had that disgusting medicinal/artificial energy drink taste.

HobNobs are tasty and useful "digestive biscuits." Indeed, they are both "Nobbly and Oaty." They taste like crunchy oatmeal cookies. Both Katie and I wish we had stocked up before we left!

They have the craziest potato chip (er "crisps") flavors in the UK! Why settle for simple BBQ or Nacho Cheese when you can have an entire entree on your chips?? We tried Chargrilled Steak, Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon & Thyme, and Caramelised Onion & Sweet Balsamic Vinegar. What was really bizarre is that they actually tasted like what they were named for.


Must be seen to be believed. Photos from this site where you can see even more crazy British crisps!

UK Trip - Day 4: Glasgow

I just realized the topic of breakfast has not come up at all in these posts. What has been essentially the first activity of each day has been all but forgotten. Odd. But then maybe that's because the breakfasts thus far have been, well, nothing to write home about. Ironically, I suppose, their mediocrity has now given me something to write about. That said, I'll try my best to keep it sweet and short.

[Note: Since I did not take any pictures today, I will be using the pirated photos of others to supplement my descriptions. Being a photographer this naturally causes me some flecks of guilt (albeit tiny) so I will try to credit where I can. Another odd thing with this lack of photos is that I find myself rambling more... Coincidence?]



Our first few nights have been spent at the Euro Hostel Glasgow. As hostel = budget conscious, there are obviously going to be "standard" hotel things that aren't included here (such as daily change of sheets and towels, room phones, etc.). Actually we were lucky there was any breakfast at all. But basically it was generic, unsweetened dry cereal poured out of economy sized bags into large metal mixing-type bowls from which we served ourselves. There were two pitchers of milk (regular and low-fat), and plain sliced bread, which you could then toast and top with a packet of jam, butter or honey. There were also vending machines dispensing coffee, tea, hot chocolate (free during the breakfast time period, which was very strictly timed-- something like 8-10am). So there you have it-- nothing exciting, but free nonetheless.


Insert daylight. Insert two asian girls eating breakfast.


This is pretty much exactly like our room, with the following exceptions: Insert Katie in place of random white girl. Insert pen and paper in place of modern communication technology (i.e. our lack of working phones). Oh, and throw out the flowers. The previous generic hotel photos were grabbed from here.

Today we took our time having breakfast, getting ready and then leaving. One of the pros (or cons depending on who you are) of not having a rigid, fixed schedule or tour when traveling is that it allows you to relax and take things at your own pace. Some days you do a lot, some days not so much. I'm not against setting goals or scheduling, or even tours entirely, but I've come to realize that I really enjoy wandering, and the freedom and the random discoveries that come along with that. I would much rather experience a place as a new, uninitiated local than as a tourist... Meaning that generally speaking, I am more excited about experiencing local cultures/scenes than getting to all the big "must sees."

So basically, all that rambling was to excuse the fact that by the time we left and got anywhere today, it was near lunch time. Walking up Queen Street, we happened upon The Twisted Wheel, a bar/restaurant (upstairs) and club (downstairs). Since it was during the day, it seemed like just a normal pub/restaurant, but it seems that in the evenings there is a swingin' club going on downstairs. When we got there there were just a few other people, but by the time we started eating, the place was totally full with a line waiting to be seated.


We sat at that corner table to the left of the tv screen. Photo stolen from The Skinny.

This is where I ended up having my first taste of the infamous "haggis, neeps, and tatties" (although I had the vegetarian version). In case you aren't familiar, let me explain: Haggis is traditionally a mixture of sheep's heart, liver and lungs mixed with oatmeal, onion, and various spices, cooked by boiling in the sheep's stomach. Neeps are mashed turnips and tatties are mashed potatoes.


Baby's (I mean my) first "haggis, neeps, and tatties"

I know what you're thinking... but actually it's not as bad as it sounds (or looks). I actually kind of liked it... but then I often like mushy food. Since I had a vegetarian version (replacing the meat products with vegetables, nuts and beans) I can't speak for the traditional version. The haggis I had was different than anything I'd ever tasted. It kind of had the consistency of thicker, drier oatmeal. It was quite flavorful-- The one I ate had a nutmeg spice to it (spices vary in different recipes). I guess if I had to compare it to something, I would say it was like if you combined sausage or meatloaf with oats and beans and added some nutmeg. The neeps tasted like mashed yams and the tatties tasted like uh mashed potatoes.



Katie had "fish and chips and mushy peas." Yes, they call them mushy peas. Another weird thing is that every time I had peas in the UK, they were served completely unflavored-- like no butter or salt or anything.

After lunch we continued up Queen St, browsing stores such as HMV, Avalanche (another cool little independent record store), and Urban Outfitters (I wanted to compare and contrast between here and home-- The differences weren't significant). Eventually we made our way to Mussel Inn Gallery, which was hosting a photo show that I wanted to check out. Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that the venue was actually a seafood restaurant called Mussel Inn. The "gallery" consisted of photos hanging on the walls of the upstairs dining area and the walkway leading to it.

Included in this evening's activities were stops at Mitchell Library (so we could check our email and not have to pay £1 per 15 min.), Boots Pharmacy, and Somerfield.
We continue to be amused by our trips to the grocery store:


More shameless photos by Katie




While in the UK I decided to avoid anything labeled "pudding."



ABC Glasgow on Sauchiehall Street. Photo from glasgow.openguide.

One of the things on my to do list while in the UK was to see a local concert. I ended up choosing Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan at ABC Glasgow. Although I hadn't heard their collaborative efforts before, I figured seeing Isobel Campbell, a native Glaswegian and former member of Belle & Sebastian (whom I love) would be a fitting show to see in Glasgow. Indeed the show had quite a turnout and was, I imagine, sold out. The crowd seemed to be incredibly receptive and appreciative during the show. For myself though, I have to say unfortunately I tired fairly quickly of Lanegan's gravelly voice and their slow-as-molasses tempo which didn't vary much throughout the entire set. I think if I were sitting down, say in a lounge or coffee shop with friends it'd be alright but as a standing room only full set, it didn't do much to keep my attention. I didn't hate it, I'm still glad I went, but kinda wish it was more dynamic or there was more variation. Actually both Katie and I agreed their music was reminiscent of a movie soundtrack, and would be quite fitting as such. See for yourself, somebody recorded a short video at the show. Or listen to their more polished studio recordings here. One random aside: While at the show, I had a Bulmers Cider (English apple cider). It was so good! Better than other ciders I've had in the U.S...


The bar inside ABC Glasgow where I bought that lovely cider. Photo from ABC Glasgow.

UK Trip - Day 3: Loch Lomond

The main event of today was a day trip to Balloch, about 14 miles north of Glasgow. The plan was to rent bikes and ride the trails along Loch Lomond.



At the train station in Glasgow, waiting for the train to Balloch.



A panorama of the southern end of the Loch (lake) at Loch Lomond Shores



Loch Lomond Aquarium


Going north along the trail...


Stopping in a beautiful meadow, which we then sullied by riding our bikes through it. It was amazing how much open space there was, and how relatively few people were out in it.




Up an extremely steep hill (not that you can tell from the photo) towards Balloch Castle


Balloch Castle! (Unfortunately not open to the public)




Some Scottish cows


A crazy tree with long finger-like branches


Maid of the Loch

Over all, I was really glad we decided to go up to Loch Lomond. The Loch and its foresty/hilly/grassy surroundings were beautiful, clean and peaceful-- a lovely getaway from the city. It had all the typical things you'd expect from the Scottish landscape-- rolling hills, lakes, a castle. And it was good to bike again. I had forgotten how much I like it. [However we were incredibly sore the next day.]


My "enchilada" dinner at the Kilted Skirlie restaurant at Loch Lomond Shores.

Um yeah, this was billed as an "enchilada"-- Scottish style I suppose... and yes those are fries, err chips and cole slaw (I think) and a bed of wild greens. Really, the only similarity between this and what I know an enchilada to be is that it was meat wrapped in a tortilla with cheese on top, but there was no enchilada sauce and the meat wasn't enchilada style. It was really spicy though. I mean, it wasn't bad, just different. And I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised-- I don't remember seeing any Mexicans in Scotland. Oh and that's not a bottle of vodka, it's the fancy sparkling water I got when I asked for "just water"... That was another apparent cultural difference we encountered in the UK-- It seems that you are expected to order drinks when you eat out. Water was never automatically provided along with our meals (with one single exception) and often if you don't specify "tap water" you will get bottled water. A few times, saying we just wanted water got us an odd look from the server. Eh, go figure.


Katie's dinner of "chicken in the heather" with honey dijon mustard sauce. [Err! My memory! Correction applied. See Katie's comment below.]