Aberdeen
Aberdeen was the next stop on my trip. It was kind of just a little blip of a town on the east coast of Scotland, you can see the ocean from the town, actually the town has a little port . However, the Aberdeen regional tartan is also the Stout tarten. And they have a college. Isn't it pretty.


Inverness
Inverness is a little town on the River Ness, which flows from Loch Ness. Loch Ness is to the south of the town and i could swear that the river runs north, up from the lake. It's kind of a cute town, but as it was the off season things were pretty closed.

THis is the castle, but it's used as a government building so you can't do inside. The day was rather damp and windy, so i'm shocked this picture makes it look so nice. The grass was mushy.

Loch Ness

This is the ruins of a castle on Loch Ness, called Lochgilphead, or something close. I didn't see any signs of Nelly either, well a few in the gift shop.

Glasgow

Glasgow wasn't as nice as Edinurgh. It has the feeling of a city still trying to regain the glory that it had during the industrial revolution, but hasn't has since.
But the city does have some nice legends. Glasgow was supposed founded by St. Mungo. (brilliant name).
This is the Crest of Glasgow, except normally its says "let it flourish" underneath. The symbols on the crest are 1)the tree that never grew 2)the bird that never sang 3)the bell that never rang and 4)the fish that never swam. They are all related to miracle performed by St. Mungo. He resurrected the bird from the dead. The bell was built in his honor, but took a hundred or so years to do. I can't remember the tree and the fish is a long story. There were this married couple and he gave her a ring. For some reason she gave the ring to some one else. He found out, took it from the other person and threw it in the Clyde(glasgow's river). THen he asked to see the ring. She freaked out and went to Mungo, who sent another monk to go fish in the river. when the monk caught a fish, Mungo gutted the fish and the ring was inside and everyone lived happily every after.
This is Glasgow Cathedral.
THis is a cute building in Glasgow. This is the People's Palace of Glasgow. It has a winter garden. which is a giant green house with a little cafe in it.

Glasgow wasn't the mose exciting place. What I really wanted to do in Glasgow was see the petrified forest-it's more like a whole bunch of petrified tree trunks. But still it's really cool. Anyway, sad thing being, it was closed for the winter.

So that's Glasgow.

London

I've been staying quiet in London. I've got a play to finish writing, but I have finished the first act and i think the second act will just whizz by.
I will be going to Paris the 4th and 5th to stretch my french muscle.
There are so many things in London I still have to see though. I'm suddenly feeling very pressed for time.

I saw Maggie Smith.

Scotland Journey

This is a map with my travels through Scotland highlighted. The path changes color to signify that I was traveling on a different day. RED-Fri Oct 20, ORANGE - Sun Oct 22, YELLOW - Tues Oct 24, GREEN - Wed Oct 25, BLUE - Thurs Oct 26, PURPLE - Fri Oct 27, PINK - Sat Oct 28, BROWN - Sun Oct 29, AQUA - Mon Oct 30 where i returned to London,

Scotland

I was in Scotland a week and a half ago for 9 days, so I'm going to start posting the pictures from that trek.
I traveled with my friend Julianna, who is also studying playwriting in London. We started out trip in Edinburgh.

EDINBURGH

I fell in love with Edinburgh as soon as I got out of the train station. The city is breath taking. On a rock cliff over looking the entire city is Edinburgh Castle. The castle walls seem to be part of the rock cliffs they rise up from.
The rest of the city is a wonderfull combination of old ornate buildings and new ones, whose facades are covered in bills.

Right along the main shopping drag of Edinburgh is a giant memorial to Sir Walter Scott, the Bard of Scotland. It is the largest memorial in the world dedicated to a writer.


Of course there are lots of bagpipe players in kilts. It was the best thing ever to just see men walking around in kilts. Why don't american men wear kilts more often. I saw one guy in a black leather kilt. I'm not sure what that was about, because plaid is so awesome, who would give up and oppurtunity to wear it?

This is the front corner of Holyrood House. Rood means cross. But the royal family still uses it when they're in Edinburgh and they stop here every year on the way to Balmoral, their summer residence. It's alright as palaces go. There is a hall with portraits of all the kings of scotland, including MacBeth, which was really cool.

The peak on the left is an extinct Volcano, called Arthur's Seat. yes, that Arthur, the mythic king. Isn't it pretty. The one of the right is just more rock formation called The Crags, it's so Tolkienesque.

This is the remains of Holyrood Abbey, which is attached onto the back of Holyrood House. The abbey was built first. Some composer saw the ruins of this Abbey when it was covered in plants and had a grass floor and his Scottish Symphony was born. I think this picture's just pretty. It is Edinburgh.

Glastonbury

Glastonbury is in Somerset, which is between Wales and Cornwall.
That is Glastonbury Tor. The tower on top is the remains of the church of St.....something. I forget and feel horrible. In ancient legend, it is thought to be the entrance to the celtic underworld and the Gywn ap Nudd - the god of the underworld. It is also called the Isle of Avalon, because the surrounding lowlands used to flood and the people who lived in the area would come here to escape the flood.

This is a view from by the top of the Tor. It was really misty the day I was there.

THis is the well at Glastonbury. It is legended to be the hiding place of the Holy Grail.
This is a waterfall from the well. The water here is also filled with minerals - like in Bath - so it also stains everything red. That is why it is believed to be the hiding place of the Holy Grail. Since the grail has Jesus' blood and the water is red, like blood.
The difference between water here and in Bath, is that here it is cold. So when I tasted it I couldn't smell the minerals and it's really yummy. I poured out the tap water in my water bottled and filled up with this stuff. It is sanitary, they test to make sure everyday.

King Arthur and Gwenievre are thought to be buried at Glastonbury Abbey, this is where the monks moved their bodies - after they found them - and erected a giant black tomb to them, but King Henry VIII, after making the church of England destroyed the whole abbey, including King Arthur's grave. Henry VIII was actually the 2nd son of his father, and only became King because his brother Arthur died. Arthur was a patron of Glastonbury Abbey, because he was named after the hero. I think sibling rivalry made Henry

VIII do it.

Glastonbury Abbey was founded by Joesph of Arimethea, after he traveled to Britain with the blood and sweat of Jesus. [i think the sweat also plays a role into why the holy grail is in a well] In Glastonbury Joseph is said to have trust his staff into the ground where it stuck and grew into a thorn tree which flowers twice a year. They say the tree that was actually his staff is now gone, but another one from a branch of the original grows on the Abbey grounds. The original grew on another hill.

I walked past Dame Judy Dench on the street.