Less than 48 hours left in London. Then the true adventure begins: 27 days of backpacking. Now that we have a return flight back the U.S., we now have an itinerary, though it’s certain to change. In this outline, travel days are not included, so they’ll be less time in some cities than is posted here.

May 7-9: Santorini

May 10-11: Athens

May 12-15: Rome

May 16: Perugia/Tuscany

May 17-19: Tuscany, Florence, Cinque Terre

May 20-21: Venice

May 22-23: Munich

May 24-25: Switzerland (city TBD)

May 26: Barcelona

May 27: Madrid

May 28-29: Amsterdam

May 30: Brussels and Paris

May 31- June 2: Paris

June 2: Fly to Boston

I have just returned from an extraordinary, albeit exhausting trip to Edinburgh. Our train left at 11pm Thursday and drove through the night. With the help of sleeping aid pills, I slept through most of the trip, but managed to wake up in time to catch a beautiful English countryside sunrise.

After checking into our hostel, we walked up (literally) to the Royal Mile, the main street in the Old Town district that includes Edinburgh Castle, Scottish Parliament, and tons of shops and restaurants. We celebrated our long bus ride with breakfast at Always Sunday, where Bonnie enjoyed Cream Tea and we drank some unplesant coffee. After relaxing for a few awhile, we began our day of tourism.

The Friday morning weather was nippy and rainy, so we started with some indoor activities: first the Royal Museum of Scotland, then the National Gallery, where I got to see some beautiful Impressionism. The skies cleared up in the early afternoon, so we went on a 3-hour  walking tour, provided by the same company that put on our Dublin walking tour (www.neweuropetours.eu). The tour was great – among other things, we leaned about the Stone of Destiny,  life in Edinburg hundreds of years ago, and St. Giles Cathedral (where John Knox preached and is buried). We also saw the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books and saw some sites that inspired parts of the book (including the school which the Hogwart’s school was modeled after). At night, we went to a few different bars, including the Bow Bar, which serves over 160 Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

After a short but good night’s sleep in our hostel, we spent Saturday doing the two most important things there are to do in Edinburgh: tour the Scotch Whisky Experience and Edinburgh Castle. Saving the best for last, we roamed the castle first, visiting the Scottish Crown Jewels and the numerous museusms inside the castle walls. There are no longer any Scotch distilleries in the capital city of Edinburgh, but they do have the Scotch Whisky Experience, which consists of a little ride where you sit in a barrel and learn about how Scotch is made. The ride itself is quite similar to the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. After that, our tour guide described the different types of Scotch and then we got to taste one. The Experience also houses the world’s largest collection of Scotch, comprised of over 3,000 malt whiskies. After sipping on some Scotch, we wandered around the Royal Mile purchasing souvenirs, then we ate dinner and wandered around the New Town district before hopping our our 10pm bus back to London.

 

Pictures will be added shortly…

Though who know me well (or at all) know that I love to eat, and that I’m a bit of an adventurous eater. Sometimes it pays off and tastes great; other times, I have some gross experiences. My two days in Scotland had both extremes.

The Triumphs:

1. In two days time, I was able to try 6 different types of Single Malt Scotch. Bottles of Scotch cost about the same as in the U.S., but bars serve it as much cheaper prices. For example, I was able to have a glass of Macallan aged 20 years and Springbank, aged 15 years, for less than 10 pounds total.

2. On Saturday night, I think I had the best burger of my life. We ate at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, where we also ate in Dublin. I was feeling vegetarian, so I tried the Aubergine and Goat’s Cheese Burger. Guh! They gave me a huge piece of breaded goat’s cheese, which put me in a state of bliss after such a tiring 2-day trip.

3. We tried Scotland’s other national drink, called Irn-Bru. Scotland is one of the few countries where Coke is not the top-selling pop. Apparently, Irn-Bru is banned in the U.S. due to the ungodly amount of sugar in it (there’s over twice as much sugar in Irn-Bru as there is in coke). It’s taste is strikingly similar to Jolt, another pop banned in the U.S. for it’s sugar/caffeine content.

4. We found a rad place called Chocolate Soup. It specializes in hot chocolate and all other forms of chocolate. I had myself a delicious double chocolate muffin and Bonnie had a double dark chocolate hot chocolate.

4. For dessert Friday night, I had a slice of organic chocolate cheesecake. Enough said.

The Waste:

1. Haggis. One of Scotland’s national dishes. It’s basically all the leftover parts of a pig – heart, lungs, etc. (the stuff you wouldn’t want to eat in the first place). combined. It’s served like a sausage, and tastes like a spicy sausage with a beedy texture. It was rank. Fortunately, I tried it at The Haggis Cafe, which offers complimentary samples, so I didn’t waste money or a meal on it, nor did I have a large quantity of it.

2. Steak and Kidney Pie. They’re all over the UK, so I had to try it. I shant make the same mistake again – salty with an overall strong, nasty taste.

3. The Scots love fried food, which is one reason its the most unhealthy UK nation (according to our guide). They fry burgers, sausage, pizza, and pie. In addition, they fry Mars Bars (like the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh). Bonnie and I tried one. It was tasty, but the concept of a fried candy bar is hard for me to handle.

 

*Sorry for the bad pun in the title. Scotland (and Scotch whisky) is separated into different regions that include the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, and Islay.

Things I’ve done since my last blog post, in order of importance to my life:

1. Discovered Ben’s Cookies, which has the best cookies I’ve ever tasted in my life.

2. Caught up on all episodes of The Office that I’ve missed since my trip started. 

3. Tower of London.

4. Discovered Devonshire Clotted Cream Ice Cream. A taste of heaven – rich, creamy, and delicious.

5. Tate Modern.

6. Walked across the Millenium Bridge.

7. Visited the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court building that was blown up in the beginning of V for Vendetta.

 

Millenium Bridge with St. Paul's Cathedral in the background

 

 

Tower of London

What a day!

It started with a tour of Westminster Abbey. Built in the early 1000s, the abbey is where the coronation services of kings and queens for the past 1,000 years have taken place and serves as the burial sites of many kings, queens, and famous Brits. It was also the place where the funeral services for people such as Princess Diana and George Frideric Handel took place. The list of people buried or honored there includes Edward I, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, and Jane Austen. In addition, one of Bonnie’s ancestors, William Blakeney, is buried in the abbey. The abbey’s architecture, monuments, tombs, and memorials are absolutely breathtaking. The Lady Chapel, built by King Henry VII, was the highlight of the abbey for me.  It’s so beautiful that after the ceiling was completed, some thought it should be considered one of the wonders of the world.

After leaving Westminster Abbey, Bonnie and I walked along the Thames River down to Tate Britain, one of the two Tate art galleries in London. The gallery featured British art spanning form 1550 to 1960. Although there were many great works, my two favorites were Samuel Coleman’s “Temple of Flora” and Patrick Heron’s “Horizontal Stripe Painting.”

Here’s where the story gets particularly interesting…

A couple weeks ago, a London newspaper reported that Dave Grohl’s favorite bar in the world  is a heavy metal bar located in Soho called The Crobar (Grohl is singer and guitarist of the Foo Fighters and was the drummer of Nirvana). While getting directions to the bar online, I found that it’s located next door to Foyles Books, which apparently won the Best UK Bookseller Award in 2008. We had to kill some time before happy hour started at The Crobar, so we went in to Foyles. As it turns out, Foyles it the largest, most comprehensive bookstore I’ve ever been in. The music department is located on the top floor, and is divided into two sections: books about music and a separate music shop called Ray’s Jazz. When we arrived on that floor, the cashier in the book section asked one of the customers if they liked Led Zeppelin. A couple minutes later, the same employee asked another customer if they knew who Jimmy Page is. Overhearing two questions about Led Zeppelin, I cluelessly asked the employee, “What about Jimmy Page?” His response: “He’s over in the CD section right now.”

I was unbelievably excited, but before I could see if he was there, I had to point out to Bonnie who Jimmy Page is – so I pointed to the cover of a Led Zeppelin book. With that out of the way, we walked into the CD section, and, sure enough, Jimmy Page was standing at the checkout counter. Bonnie got out her camera while my heart started racing. It seemed like he was talking to the cashier forever – apparently he was looking for some music the store didn’t have. After he made his purchases, I walked up to him and asked for a picture with him. He seemed reluctant at first, saying he didn’t think it was a good idea. But I gave him an awe-struck look and he gave in (who can resist the Moshier charm?). Bonnie took one snap with her camera and then I thanked Jimmy for his time.

I celebrated this monumental occasion by taking Bonnie to The Crobar for drinks. We didn’t exactly fit in with our clothing, hair, and style, but the music rocked, the drinks were cheap and tasted good (and that’s what I look for in a bar).

So that was my day: Westminster Abbey, Tate Britain, Foyles Books, MEETING JIMMY PAGE, and drinks at The Crobar.

Jimmy Page inside Foyles Books

On Monday, Bonnie and I took a day trip to Oxford University, where a wide range of people have either attended or worked. The long list includes writers C.S. Lewis and Oscar Wild, politicians Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, scientists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, theologian John Wesley (founder of Methodism), and royalty like Charles I.

We began our time in Oxford with cream tea. For those who are unfamiliar with cream tea (my heart goes out to you), it’s a scaled-down version of the English Afternoon Tea consisting of scones with clotted cream and jam, served with a pot of tea. After filling our bellies, we went on the Official Oxford Walking Tour, led by an official “Blue Badge Guide.” Oxford University is separated into over 30 smaller colleges. In the same way that all 50 U.S. states are autonomous yet are part of the United States, so each college is autonomous, yet part of Oxford University. Each college consists of a quadrangle (or quad) that is surrounded by a chapel, eating hall, and library. On the tour, we were able to explore Exeter College, and saw it’s chapel and dining hall. Other tour sites included St. Mary the Virgin Church, the Bodleian Library that houses 9 million books, Christ Church, and Radcliffe Square. The tour lasted a bit over 2 hours, in which we covered 1.5 miles.

After the tour, we stopped for a baguette lunch, then walked over to The Eagle and Child, a pub that gained fame by being the meeting place of “The Inklings,” a famous group of writers that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. This close-knit group of friends met weekly to discuss their works and enjoy a few pints. Next, we made a quick stop to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, then picked up some Oxford clothes to add to our wardrobe.

My favorite book is “A Severe Mercy” by Sheldon Vanauken. Some of the story takes place in Oxford, so Bonnie and I found a copy of it at a bookstore and quickly raced through it to find Oxford sites mentioned in the book. The main site we found was the street  Sheldon and his wife, Davey, lived on.  After that, we were ready to call it a day. We saw some beautiful, historic sites, visited the hangout of some classic writers, saw the where the author of my favorite book once lived, and ate some delicious food. With good spirits and tired feet, Bonnie and I hopped on the bus back to London.

 

Inside the Exeter College chapel

Outside the pub where geniuses drank

On Thursday we took a day trip to Greenwich, located just outside of London. There are three main attractions in Greenwich: the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum, and the Queen’s House Greenwich.

Our first destination was the Royal Observatory. While walking to the top, I discovered the Prime Meridian line is located there. So besides a spectacular view of the Greenwich/London, I had the opportunity to stand on both hemispheres simultaneously. Next, we went to the National Maritime Museum. Bonnie and I went to the NMM in Liverpool, and it was incredible. It has exhibits on The Battle of the Atlantic during WWII, three major 20th century shipwrecks, the history of Liverpool, and an Anti-Slavery exhibit. The NMM in Greenwich features much smaller exhibits, the majority of which were for children. Finally, we visited the Queen’s House. Designed by Inigo Jones, the house was turned into an orphanage for a number of years but now houses some beautiful paintings and gives the public the opportunity to see some stunning architecture.

A view from the Royal Observatory overlooking Greenwich Park, the Queen's House, and the museum.

 

Conquering both hemispheres at the Royal Observatory

Besides making my final decision on graduate schools, the beginning of my week was rather dull. I mostly hung around eating Easter chocolate and watching movies. But on Thursday my week became more exciting. I spent 3 hours walking around the Imperial War Museum, which is a history of World Wars I & II from a British perspective. With a huge passion for WWII history, I thought it was amazing. I learned much more about Britain’s involvement in the wars. The museum also featured a moving Holocaust exhibit.

After the war museum, Bonnie and I ventured over to the British Film Institute, which spotlights British filmmakers (as one would expect). They also have a huge database of footage that anyone can look through. Bonnie and I spent half an hour watching random footage from Audrey Hepburn in between takes to half an episode of The Office.

Tuesday was the big day: after 4 years of hard work at Elon, 8 months of working at the Olive Garden, hours of data entry on a research project, gaining applied experience at J. David Schmidt & Associates, studying for and stressing over the GRE, taking the exam twice, completing the frustrating and time-consuming task of applying to grad schools, paying application fees, and then waiting for responses, I chose a graduate school.

I am officially a Hokie. According to the source of infinite knowledge, Wikipedia, the word “hokie” originated from a 19th century cheer. It is also synonymous with “fighting gobbler.” Their newest fighting gobbler couldn’t be happier. Blacksburg seems like a great college town and has some quality sports teams, which are two things Elon lacked. The I/O program itself is a great fit in terms of the professors I’d be working with, the research I’ll be conducting, and the courses I’ll be taking. After much prayer, conversations with professors and students, and creating numerous pros/cons list, it was the clear choice for me.

I have to be down on August 17 for graduate student orientation and teachin assistant training. In the meantime, the search for a place to live begins. But now is a time to celebrate. All my hard work has paid off and I can’t wait to start graduate school at Virginia Tech!

My wise sister recently suggested that I write a blog while I’m on my trip.  It seems easier than trying to send out mass emails and such, so here I am (and here you are too).

I’ve been in Europe for almost an entire month now. I’m staying in a flat in Maida Vale, an area just outside the main part of the city, and apparently the home of actor Jude Law. Abbey Road studio is ten-minute walk from here.

Here’s a quick recap of the past month: spent 5 days in Dublin – walking tour, Jameson Distillery, Guinness factory, delcious Irish foods such as boxtys, Irish stew, and fish and chips, and a bus tour of the countryside and mountains. Spent 2 days in Liverpool – The Beatles Story (museum), The Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles bus tour), Liverpool’s Maritime museum, anti-slavery museum, Tate Liverpool, and dirt cheap food and drink.

The rest of the time I’ve been in London – Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Oxford and Piccadilly Circuses, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Museum of London, and galleries galore. I’ve seen 3 musicals and one play thus far- We Will Rock You, Spring Awakening, Les Miserables, and The Pitmen Painters.

On top of that, the deadline for me to choose a graduate school is less than 48 hours away. The options, in alphabetical order, are Auburn University, Central Michigan University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Virginia Tech, and Wright State University.

Now that you’re all caught up (sorta), I can move on from here and update it with new information for you.

The parade in Dublin to celebrate Ireland's rugby team winning the Grand Slam

Strawberry Fields in Liverpool