Rosslyn, Arthur's Seat, and Loch Lomond

For quite a while, I couldn't export pictures from my camera to my computer. I am not sure exactly why this was, but now, thanks to a the purchase of a memory card reader, the problem has been resolved. So, without further ado...pictures!

This is the entrance to Rosslyn Chapel. You might remember this chapel from The Da Vinci Code. This is where Dan Brown alleged that Mary Magdalene's remains were buried. That is a load of crap, of course, but it is still an interesting and beautiful chapel.
This is the interior of the chapel.

Moving on, later in the week a large group of international students hiked up "Arthur's Seat." This is a small mountain on the edge of town. Here are a few pics:
A view from the base

And above, a view from the top!

Here I am at the summit. It is clearly very windy.
The next weekend took us to Loch Lomond, the largest inland body of water in the UK. There is also a good song about it...
Above: The lake (Or Loch)
Above: A castle in the park next to the Loch

I will post the full photo albums from all of these jaunts on facebook, and, for those of you without facebook, webshots. Check 'em out.

Football (and an apology)

First the apology: I should have put something up sooner, but my camera connection is on the fritz and I wanted to post pics. Sadly that will have to wait. I hope to have this issue addressed soon, so you can all see my beautiful pics of Rosslyn Chapel and Loch Lomond.

Anyway, I had my first experience playing soccer/football in Europe today. I went for a friendly "kickabout" with the Football Supporters Association in The Meadows (big park near the university). I made this observation to a flatmate but I will make it again here: One has not lived until 10 Europeans who have been playing since the womb are all trying to shoot past you. I will see that while I was in goal, our team was not scored upon. However, I think my play on defense directly allowed multiple goals, so I really can't brag. Yeah, they play pretty hardcore over here. For said "friendly kickabout" there were a surprising number of cleats, shin guards, and hard tackles. Still, I had great fun, and hope to bring down another team next week by gracing them with my presence!

More posts when I get this damn camera fixed!

In Edinburgh (Finally)

I have arrived! I finally made it into Edinburgh at around 1 PM local time on Saturday. The journey was mostly uneventful, save for the missed connection in London. The flat is pretty nice, although it is really more like a small dorm than an apartment. There are two hallways containing 12 single rooms, a large common room, and a large kitchen. My flatmates are actually mostly American (8 Americans, 1 Scot, 2 Brits, and 1 Scot/Brit/American; we aren't really sure what his exact nationality is).

My days have been mostly spent getting acquainted with the city and the people that I meet. The city is fantastic! It is quite walkable and has a very ancient feel to it, but also has good shops, bars, pubs, clubs etc. A key find for us American students was "Sportsters." They get the NFL on Sunday, so we had the opportunity to watch the Pats crush the Jets. That game should shut up any Randy Moss doubters!!!

At night we've been going to various clubs and bars, and having some parties in the flat as well. There are a lot of nice people here, and I am looking forward to meeting many of them. As to this blog, I don't know how often I will update, but I would assume at least once a week, or whenever something blog-worthy happens.

More updates to come...