Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Exams Block

Due to the wonderful world of Universities, I have been absent from writing for the past peroid due to studying more then anyone should ever study anything and asorbing more stress then anyone should ever have to asorb.
Back at my old University in Boston MA, and many other Universities around the world, whose main goal isnt to distroy their student population and make them fail at ever possible oppertunity, my final exams only counted for about 20-30% of my over all grade. But in my new University here in the capital of Scotland, the final exams I took this semester acounted for 60-95% of my over all grade in the class. Sucks right?!!! Any who, a normal exam hall usely has about 250-300 students in it aswell. But luckly I was able to pull small groups of student for the exams, so I only had to take the exam with about 30 others, which made it so much more non-rediculous.
I was one of the lucky ones aswell, I only had three really hard exams for one semester course, others like one of my flatmates had eight exams for the entire year and they still counted for 70-95% of his overall grade.
But as of 11:30am UK time monday I am finished and now can continue to write about travels. More to come soon................

Friday, 4 May 2012

Travells Austria, Vienna

The morning, aka 4am the morning of the 11th I was driven to the airport by my flatmate after the celebration of my 21st birth date. With sandwich in hand I checked in at the airport and arrived in south Germany at about 11am traveling with a cheap euro airline. I had a train ticket for later that day to go from Memmening Germany to Munich Germany then finaly to Vienna Austria. But I was able to leave Memmening early and spent about three and a half hours in Munich, where I had a great time going through the beer selections in the supermarket, shopping for the long train trip to Vienna later that day. With my purchases of several beers and two loafs of bread I hopped on my trian to Vienna and sat there on the train happiely with my bread and beer while the group of middle aged Germany mothers looked at me disaprovingly.
Getting into Vienna late I checked into my hostel and started early the next morning. I went to the art museam and the thearter where I took a guided tour in the morning. For lunch I searched out some local brews in the Vienna where I might have had the best unfiltered beer I have ever had at 1516 Brewery, also had a free tour by the master brewer and the owner of the brew pub. Then I walked only a couple of blocks to the Schwarzenberg Brewery pub, where due to everyone not being able to speak English they let me walk through everyroom of their brewery and gave me a free glass at the end. Both of the pubs where apsolutly amazing and I had a swell time.
After lunch I made it to the Palace museum of armour and musical devices and to one of the more well known churchs. While walking around trying to think what I should do for dinner I walked infront of the Parliment building and noticed a massive wine festivel with many food tents making "Austrian food" which I found out was just meat with meat and cabbage. Which is in no way a bad thing.
Next day I made my way to the Natural history museam in the morning. Then wondered over to the Parliment building to try to get a tour, but parliment was in session, so I was unable to take a tour. I then went to the Palace and grounds and walked the ground for a little bit due to the wonderful day that I found my self in. My goal was to make it over to the Austrian war museum and on the way I found an open air food and spice market that stretched for over five blocks. Passing this market but desiding to come back for dinner I continued to the war museum. Finally walking around 40 minutes from the main ring of the city I made it to the war museum which is housed in the old millitary baracks of Vienna which is a massive compound including near one dozen red brick huge building covering about eight city blocks.  Only one building housed the museum however and each wing of the building housed a different time peroid for Austrian military history. Behind the building was a colection of tanks and heavy artillary peices. On the second flour of the building I was unable to go into one of the wings of the museum due to the international something or other being hosted there, with representives from across Europe. But none the less the museum was worth the walk and I returned to the market to purchase my dinner, then walked to the wine festival to eat it while listening to the festivals free concert of some sort of pocka, rock, ragga band.
Traveling back to my hostel that night, I had to make a early start to the train station to start my trip to Salzburg......(to be continued)








Friday, 20 April 2012

Turning 21

At least for those of us whom are pupils of United States there are a couple of ages that are a "big deal" to age into. Those are 13 when you become a teenager, 16 (in most states) when you can get your drivers lisense and or have a debutant party type thing, 18 when you are considered an adult, can vote in goverment, buy tobacco and adult rated materials, 21 when you can buy alchol and finally 24 when you can rent a car. There are other ones like 30 when your no longer young and the general regoin of late 40's and 50's when you have your mid life crisis, but those arnt to important.
On April tenth I turned 21 years of age, meaning in my Home country I can finally purchase alchol instead of making my own or befriending slightly older people then my self or going to a very relaxed store and not showing them I.D., which I swear I have never done those terrible things and I do not promote such activities.
At any rate I turned 21 and the really wonderful part is that since the age of 19 I have been at the University of Edinburgh in the Uk where the drinking age is 18 and that is where I am now.  So instead of having a huge out of control party, which I most likly wouldnt had done anyways. My friend and my self, which we shall the same day of birth had a party in my student apartment. Both of us being avid cooks we made food for the event, I a simple vegible platter, homemade hummus, peta bread, salsa and a carot cake and my friend intisipating far hungrier guests perhaps; made three pots of potato cream soup, two cakes, a very large dinner bread and pork hamburger patties.
On top of there being lots of food I had to be at the airport at about 4:30 am to get my flight into southern Germany for some travels before exams. With only one flatmate of mine in the flat I ended up giving him a great deal of food for him to eat of the week I was not to be there and sending much food back with my friend for his meals for the week.
My apartments kitchen was the main staging area for the party and in my room I had projected onto the wall using my flatmates projector SuperTrooper and then BeerFest for enterianment perposes. Though it is was Easter break with no classes or funictions happening at the Universty and most student on leave to their homes, the party had a farly good turnout and several of the guests stayed up with me through the night before I left to the airport.
One of my good friend brought her mother to the party whom was visting only for a few days from Singapore. When I opened the door my friend introduced me to her mother and then whipped out a liter of Jack Daniels Bourbon and gave it to me as a present from her and another good friend whose birthday and party it also was. So perhaps the very nice mother of my friend has the lovly inpression of me being an alcholic. Hopfuly not though my friend did say she thought I was lovely.
Lucky being a little tipsy I must admit, my flatmate drove me to the airport instead of me having to walk across the city in the dead of a cold night to a bus that would have taken about 45 minutes to get to the airport and cost around 3 pounds, I am for ever greatful to my flatmate.
More about my travels late.......


Thursday, 5 April 2012

Heriot Watt Beer Festival

Eriot Watt is a University of the outside of the city of Edinburgh and unlike the University of Edinburgh they have a major of beer brewing. They all have a festival every year in where breweries from all over Scotland and England bring their Ales, Lagers and ciders to the Heriot Watt and place them along side the student brews. Students and others buy a pint glass to get in and then buy a five box check box sheet for five half pints of where they are able choose from any of the breweries products. So you go to the bar, get a half pint and they check off one of your boxes.
To start my day I had the day before for my three meals had oatmeal prepared in different ways and continued the trend, having porrage for breakfast and lunch that day, which when your going to a beer drink festival isnt the greatest diet to start off on. But what can I say, I like oats. Also my lunch that day was just about dead on 12 o'clock and I had eaten nothing up untill we went to the festival at 5pm later that day. Dont worry I was able to check it together however.  My flatmmate his friend, his friend's girl friend and my self had preregistered online so when we got there all we had to do is pay are ten pounds for the pint glass entery and the first five box sheet and we were off to the bar. It was truely amazing it was the disneyland of beer. Racks of kegs covering the walls and the smell of beer in the air it was magic.
They had all sorts of beers in body, clarity, bitterness, flavor, aromia, color you name it. I tryed some interesting flavored beers including a chili beer whihc was very nice, a coconut beer, but I was to my dismay unable to taste the juniper beer due to its prevous popularity. This was the second day of only two days the festival was on, so some beers were reaching or had already reached the base of the keg.
My little group tryed differnt beers, explored the campus, obtained second five box sheets and about nine we called it a night and started back to the inner city, with me not feeling well, but still holding it together and everyone feeling accomplished with pint glasses in our pockets.
Finally after getting home near nine thirty and having had no food since 12 I then once again took my bag of oats off the shelf and when at it for a 6th time in a round. Though it was much more helpful this time, obsorbing a great deal of beer in my stomach so I could sleep that night.

Monday, 19 March 2012

St Patricks Day

First off havnt written in a spell due to student activities that have been due in the past few weeks and one coming up in a couple of days, but I feel good about that one so I am taking a brake from paper writing to write in here.
We all know that St Patricks Day is by far the best holiday (Im from the Boston area). I mean if you dont like snakes, like the color green and enjoy beer, whiskey and all things Irish then there is no reason that I can think of, of way you might dislike this holiday. Also you are Irish for a whole day, wheather you want to be, already are or dont want to be. how often does that happen?
I trying to be a responcible young adult, student, studying abroad, also in Scotland, haha. I desided the best course of action would be to hold a Potluck style dinner party. Thinking that people can eat food while drinking making them far less likely to circum to blood poisening.  I thought it was a good idea, other then realizing that the rest of the students along with my self all have projects due in the coming weeks that they should be working on. So only a smaller group out of the large number of inventations verbly spoken out to my fellow students were able to come.  The smaller number of people at the party was not a bad thing, it being a potluck and all. With the 11 or so people there was so much food that me and my roommates are still trying to work through it, theres four of use and its been two days.

I started the day with a quick trip to the gym, outfited in my green on green with green. Was once again for the second year depressed to see a very small amount of people in the city wearing anything that closely related to the color of green. I returned to my flat mid day where one of my flatmates whom remindeds me of one of my cousins back, brought his projector into my room and played the movies Boondock Saints and Leprechaun on my wall while we watch the six nation rugby games of the day on his computer. All the while drinking substains of malty quality (the drinking age in the UK is 18 years of age.)(I had spent the entire week prier stock piling on beer, visting in on all the stores every day to see if they had good deals on, I dont have a drinking problem, I had a buying problem but Im done with that.) In between the two movies I make a green herb bread for my potluck main course idem which was a ham, lettice, tomato, mustard and cheese hero sub cut up. Having already made a chocolate Guinness cake the night before with whiskey chocolate filling, dark chocolate frosting with a cool green mint meringue fluffy topping, while watching a film about Irish independance.
The night went good in my option, though people did end up leaving early to go work on projects and loss themselves in drinking holes. Over all not a bad St Pattys Day abroad, next year Ireland!
This is the chocolate Guinness cake before I put it together, I forgot to take a photo of after it was all stacked up, sadly. But that just means I have to make it again, which by no means is a bad thing. It was so good! and I went off recipe because well the oringal one was no as cool as it should have been, being a cake made from beer.

Due to the general lack of photos I had taken on the day, this is one I did not forget to get a picture of. This is my breakfast that I tryed to make my oatmeal green and only got little specks here and there and my coffee of irish influence that I also tryed to make green but it just made it more brown.

This was a cake brought by on of the students from my Curling team who was able to come to the putluck. And more so in the picture the Leprechaun that she made with her two hands! I thought it was wicked cool and I shall correct and one who may say anything against it, he also came with a pot of gold which is not in the photo but was also of very wicked craftswomensness.

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

North Berwick, Tantallon Castle

Traveling on my Universitys so called "reading week" that most if not all students considered a spring break to the so talked about small coastal town of North Berwick at the end of the rail east of Edinburgh I was plesently surprised by just that a small quant coastal town. The town known for the large volcanic vent hills that speck its land scape which can be seen from miles away. Also reveared for its natural researves of free birds and large ruins of once extremely powerful and important fortests, castles and monestaries.
I arrived on the at the small town 33 minutes east of Edinburgh on a cloudy, windy and increasingly chilly day. But as a person expecting the weather to only become increasingly more pressent I only brought my old light sail team jacket whihc was perhaps as insulative as a thin sweatshirt and a paper thin rain jacket. But I was greatful I had remembered my rain jacket, due to the speratic rain showers that accompanied to bone chilling wind.
Taking in the beauty of the town while walking through I soon realized that I was at the end of the city and on the trail to the fortest sitting on a bluff high above the water three miles outside the collection of buildings inside the town. Windy, watery and cold past the point of comfortability I was determinded to viste the castle that I had spend the day before investagating online. Pushing through the wind and rain the three miles as small cars showed off their 50 - 80 horsepower engines zooming by every now and again to the main road I was walking on, I finally made it to the castle in good time.
I have had a membership to the Scottish castle historical soceity that would have allowed me to viste Tantillon castle incorporated in my membership fee, But that membership had expired a month before. While talking to the helpful historical soceity woman at the front gate of the castle while my hands regained their usefullness so that I might pay for a continue to my membership, I soon realized that my bank cards would not work. One of the cards didnt have enough money on it, the other was only an ATM card and the other had never worked before but I keep it with me in the hopes that it will work in the future. After many failed attemps to pay with these cards and not enough cash in my wallet to pay for a membership in one go, I was forced to pay just for the day to viste the castle I had traveled so far to see. But not to treat the fee to viste this castle due to its location out side the normally visted areas of Scotland was realitive low. I was soon walking the grounds of history, of rebellion and patriotism, of bravery and restistence. The castle now in ruins of the what greatness it once was, was still an amazing work of enginering and masondary. The castle made for war fare of sords and arrows near the end of its use with stood bombardment by the increase of technology that was 1770's artillary, but met its end to the endless enemy of time. Once inside the walls the veiw over the bluff was the ocean and an island home of a long empty monstary, light house and protected bird habitat.
Due to the cold, wind and rain and a train to level in only a couple of hours, my time at the castle was shorter then I would have enjoyed on a nice day. So sadly sooner rather then later I was back on the street walking the three miles back to the small town center with quant shops and tourest couples marveling at butchers shops as if they had never seen them before. Back on the train back to Edinburgh I made it just in time to be joined buy student from a university just outside of the main city of Edinburgh back to the city center. So back in the city I weaved through the now very large crowd of students and professionals with the same destination in mind as me 'home and food' I made my way back to the building I had started my day in.












Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Marti Gras/ Fat Tuesday

Edinburgh doesn't really celebrate Fat Tuesday or ash wensday due to the not so high concentration of cathlic people and the connection between the holiday and the religon. But not being from the UK and being a student who looks forwad to celebrateing any holiday that he can, desided to have a Fat Tuesday dinner. After much research and surveying of companying members of this shindig, the menu turned out to be an inturpretation of pork sausage jumbo soup, involved corn bread, very nice soda bread brought by a pal and the funniest cake I have ever made a king cake. For the main there was only four of use and I was cooking for six, flatmates and what not. But some had already had other plans for their main course so us few were left with a great deal of food that we very successfully concered.
Other then eating grand amounts of food I was and am still unaware of what intails the celebrations of Marti Gras, other then "partying."  So food was the main focus of the meal and I spent the later part of Tuesday cooking, baking and chopping for the end all. But I did perpar the cake a day before mostly cause I dislike waiting for things to cool. But at any rate I was a fun wonderful night, we watch two good films an old'e and a new'e and I ate far to much.








It was a really good cake that is why there is so many photos of it, also its cool looking.
Fun fact: The king cake is the cake made to celebrate the 12th day of Christmas and so how also became the cake of Marti Gras.

Monday, 20 February 2012

From Brussels with Waffles

Early December i went even more abraod from the Europe home base of Scotland to the not so distant destination of Brussels Belguim. These photos are from that adventure.This is the last brewery left in Brussels, also perhaps the coolest place ever. self guided tour of a small three story building. I got ther when they opened at 9am, I was the only one there and the employees most likly thought I was a heavy drinker but I do not care. I had a great time and learned quite abit about making Lambric.








Where the speecher of the house of Belguim paraliment stands to address the house. I was at the paraliment the day after the Belguim goverment got their new primeminster after not having one for a record breaking over 500 days. I got to watch as he and his family took their first pictures on the steps of paraliment, I was the only non news, goverment or security worker there. It was so cool.







The city Musium called this the little peeing boys American o

utfit

Master chocolate maker at work

Grand place

Brussel Christmas fair light display and classical music display. Very very cool.




At Cantillon

The hall of Justice!