Today began bright and early with a class sesssion, and then we headed to two museums, the Writer's Museum, and the National Museum of Scotland.

The Writer's Museum was slightly cramped(and rather warm!) but it was interesting. I guess it's one of my quirks, but I love seeing the death masks of famous people. An interesting fact about Sir Walter Scott's death mask is that there's a huge gash in his forehead. It wasn't a scar, though. After his death, surgeons cut open his head to determine whether his brain was larger than the average human brain because he was a genius. Unfortunately, it was just average sizes, and these is now a huge gash in all of his death masks.

Afterwards our group headed to the National Museum of Scotland, which, to me, was much more interesting. Although about 2/3 of the museum were closed to the public for renovations, it was still huge. I could have spent days in that museum. My favorite parts, however, were the small replicas of boats, particularly Hermes, a boat that was sunk in 1914 by a torpedo. At the same time, there were tons of costumes that kids could try on.. and I did my best to try on as well! The Roman history exhibits were very interesting, too. It's amazing to see how many artifacts and relics have been preserved for thousands of years, and still have legible hand writing and dates.

Overall, it was an interesting day. The longer I'm here, the more I'm realizing how extensive of a history Scotland has, and how despite time and war and reformations, these people have done their very best to preserve it, cherish it, and show it to the world.

In class, we've been discussing the ideas of truth within history, and how that "truth" is interpreted throughout the ages. Though I didn't mention it in class, I've found that personally I believe truth to be a very subjective matter, that differs from person to person, and can't be evaluated by any other individual.

Truth to a Catholic is very different from the truth of a Protestant, as history has shown. But this doesn't mean that someone has to stand up and say, Yeah, okay, but which one is right? Because within the truth of opinions and the truth of individual experience, there is no right and wrong, only being. I feel as though a lot of people in history either haven't realized this, or just choose to ignore it because it benefits them.

To be honest, it's one of those subjects that just completely bores me. Yes, I want to know the truth whenever possible, and while I wouldn't like to be lied to, I'm perfectly fine with realizing that a lot of history was written to benefit someone, such as the church, or the king, or other important people or organization.

Isn't that why everything is written, to benefit someone or something? As a whole, humans are not creatures of selflessness. Every move we make is to benefit or comfort or satisfy our selves and our desires in some way, and I see no reason why literature would be any different. And sure, it can be argued that this is "right" or "wrong", but I'd rather not waste my time.

Today our group started rather early, and we made our way south to the Borders and to Sir Walter Scott's home, the Abbottsford. During his career, he ditched his original plan to build a two-room cottage and instead built a humongous home which closely resembles a castle. At one point, he came to be extremely in debt(an amount close to 7 million USD by today's standards), but through incomprehensible hard work, he was able to pay off all this debt before he died.

His home is beautiful. It's very obvious from all the relics and miscellaneous items scattered throughout that he had many well to do friends, and he obviously knew his history very well. Some favorites were Napolean Bonaparte's notebook and oen case, probably taken after Waterloo, as well as a small wooden relief sculpture said to be carved from a tree in the front yard Shakepeare's home.

Next, we headed to Melrose Abbey, which is now in ruins, yet we took a few pictures before heading farther into Kelso where we toured the Floor's Castle. Today, it is occupied by the tenth Duke of Roxburghe and his family. Sections of the castle are open to the public, but because it is so large, there is still plenty of room for the family.

All in all, it was a grand day, filled with more castles and ruins, which I have begun to associate almost directly with Scotland, although I'm sure they're in many European countries. As our time winds down here, I also can't help but think I'm going home to a country that is too proud of itself, for lacking accomplishments, and a cocky attitude. By the teachings of Aristotle, I think I'd rather be a cosmopolite- a citizen of the world. The more I see and experience, the more aware I am that Americans as a whole are much too proud of themselves, for a history so short that it barely compares to the rest of the world, if at all.

St. Andrews may still be my favorite place in Scotland, but Linlithgow Palace is a very, very close second. Earlier today, a few of us made our way via train to Linlithgow, a little ways away from Edinburgh. We toured the Linlithgow Palace, which was built over the course of two centuries by numerous kings, who each added a fair amount of splendor and beauty to this now gigantic castle.

Unlike a lot of the castles in Scotland that we've seen, we had almost free rein throughout, since it was partially in ruins, and no one lives there. It was absolutely amazing.

It's over four stories tall, and in most places the floors no longer exist. But the towers are standing tall, and we were able to get to the very top of one! From that high up in the air, the entire palace was absolutely beautiful, and while walking through all the rooms, one can't help but imagine how grand this castle must have once been. In each room, I could look up and see where three of or four stories would have been above my head, including multiple guest rooms, rooms for each queen, king, and their shared chambers, the Great Hall, three kitchens, several cellars and underground rooms, as well as the towers and housing for the guards, and this doesn't even begin to describe how huge it was.

In short, I am amazed, and I am in love, which this entire country.

Over the past few days, I've been contemplating the ideas of "home". Most of us on the trip are beginning to say, Okay, I'm having fun, but I'm ready to go home. Lately, though, I've been getting a little tripped up over what this word actually means.

For most people, home is where you grew up, or where your loved ones live. In some cases, however, that isn't true. For the people affected by hurricane Katrina, the place they grew up no longer exists; whole neighborhoods were washed out. These people have had to develop new lives in new places, and the sad truth is that they have to build a new home, whether they like it or not. At the same time, I wonder how people can move away from this "home", if it's truly a place they love, filled with people they love, or if these individuals simply have a different understanding of the word.

This leads me to think of the people driven away in the Highland Clearances. Many were satisfied with the their lives, not dreaming if the big city, or how they could manage to get out from under their parents. I'm sure they sensed the unrest among the lairds, but I don't think many of these people anticipated being thrown out of the homes their relatives had lived in for years, or that if they refused to leave, they were brutally removed, if not burnt alive with their houses.

Of course, the Highland Clearances weren't the first time this happened. It happened to the Jews during the second World War, the Cherokee Indians along the Trail of Tears, and before that, the Cherokee Indians cleared away another tribe of Native Americans to take their land. But does it really make a difference? Is it really okay and acceptable to push people away from the land and memories and belongings they've known their whole life?

In class today, we discussed how despite the horrible reality of the Highland Clearances, perhaps this helped the economy in the Lowlands later, as Glasgow boomed in the harbor and see-faring industries and as Edinburgh became an intellectual center comparable to London itself. In my opinion, however, this is simply what we are taught to believe, and it's wrong. I don't care how the economy flourished if thousands had to suffer and die and be shipped away like cattle in order for it to happen. I don't care if the people of the Lowlands prospered if it was at the stake of nearly eradicating the whole Highland race and culture. And quite frankly, if England or Scotland is or was proud of this new, better economy, they should be ashamed of themselves.

Decades before the Highland Clearances, the Highlanders and Lowlanders were having problems with each other, as I'm sure the different tribes of Native Americans were. But under no circumstances was this a call to arms, to attack one another in the hopes of showing one's strength or dominance over another. Despite the time period and the amount of time that has passed since, there is no reason good enough to push out a whole race of people from the land which they know and love. And not one human in all of history, has ever had, or will ever have, the right to do so.

Time passes too quickly here.

I can hardly believe that half of our trip is over.

Over the past two days, I've continued my exploring. Yesterday we toured the Georgian House, which is a house preserved almost entirely from the Georgian period in Edinburgh history, when New Town was just being built and those who were able to keep up moved into brand new homes around what is now Charlotte's Square. Although delicate, the house was rather interesting. My own wish is that I were thirteen, or the size of a thirteen year old, so that I could have tried on the costumes hanging in the drawing room!

And today was yet another adventure. We took a train from Edinburgh's Waverly Station to Glasgow. Although it used to house over 1 million people, Glasgow's population has shrunk to just over 600,000, yet it remains Scotland's largest city. In stark contrast to Edinburgh, the streets are lines with factories, skyscrapers, and hubs for big business. We toured Glasgow's famous Mackintosh building, designed by Richard Mackintosh at the turn of the 20th century, and we had tea and lunch at the Willow Tea Room, which he also designed.

Afterwards, a few of us headed towards Glasgow's oldest cathedral and necropolis. Even after touring the Edinburgh Castle and seeing St. Andrew's, this cathedral was still breathtaking. Unlike many of the cathedrals throughout Scotland, this particular one lays nearly untouched by the Reformation, and much of the original decor is still visible. The Necropolis was a new experience for me as well. I'd never been in such a large, and somewhat creepy, cemetery. It had huge monuments as graves, and it wasn't uncommon to see statues of Jesus, Mary, or other biblical people erected next to, or upon the grave itself.

Riding the train back to Edinburgh, I began to think of how different the US's transportation system is. In the UK, buses are generally safe, and instead of major highways Scotland has a complex train system with seems to transport the majority of its peoples. I feel that if many of the people I shared that train with came to the United States, they'd be baffled by how many lanes of traffic we have on our interstates. Think of Atlanta, Georgia or Houston, Texas. And even in smaller cities like Chattanooga or Knoxville, we're all clearly advised to avoid public transportation, because that's most likely where a.) you'll get mugged, b.) you'll catch something, or if you're a girl c.) you'll get hit on, and not in a favorable way.

It's becoming painfully clear, the longer I'm here, that the United States has some catching up to do.

Haggis isn't so bad!

Yes, I tried Haggis! It isn't all it's cracked up be; it just tastes like stuffing,

with a spicy kick at the end. Don't get me wrong, it's a little weird knowing

I'm eating intestines and sheep's stomach, but several other Scottish meals are

worth mentioning, too.

Among them was a drink I had at lunch a few days ago at a pub called The Last Drop.

Gaelic coffee, which is whiskey and hot coffee, as it turns out, is NOT FOR ME. The whipped

cream on top was great, though.

As it turns out, baked beans really do go well with fried eggs, mashed peas aren't

that bad, and steak pie is my new favorite food! Scotland is treating me quite well.

I'm in love with a country, and her name is Scotland.

Over the course of the past few days, I have been absolutely blown away with just how beautiful the northern landscape of Scotland is, with al

l the lochs, mountain, wildlife, and architecture. If there is no other word to describe such a perfect place, it is picturesque.

Friday morning, we began our journey leaving Edinburgh and heading to St. Andrew's. It's a tiny town with a population of 18,000, but only when the local university is in session. If I had the guts to move so far from home, this is what I would choose. We had a look around; we saw not only the university but also the ruins of the once massive castle and cathedral, both named after the town.
Afterwards we had tea with a famous historical fiction writer, Jane Yolen, who has co-authored books such as Girl in a Cage and The Queen's Own Fool. We spent the night in Dundee.
Bright and early this morning we left, headed for Glencoe and Fort William to see the site of what was one of the worst massacres in Scotland's history, and the site of the fort that aided the British in controlling the Highlands after the Jacobite Uprising. Along the way we made several stops to take pictures and view amazing scenery. In the afternoon, we headed farther north to the town of Oban, where we're staying the night.

Today wasn't quite as busy as yesterday, but I'm still just as tired. After having a class session, we toured Edinburgh Castle. But instead of listening to me rant about how beautiful it was, take a look for yourself.

Castles, hills, and castles on hills.

Walking through Scotland, I can't help but think of this one episode of Cities of the Underworld, where whoever the host is went through Edinburgh and showed the catacombs, old alleys, and gave detailed descriptions of how the city looked, then and now. Although I wasn't quite lucky enough to experience this for myself(yet!!), it was definitely a day of adventure.

After orientation, we jumped on our coach and drove around the city with a wonderful tour guide, who pointed out more facts than I can remember. We visited Sir Walter Scott's monument, the Grass Market, New Town, Old Town, Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Castle(which we'll actually be touring tomorrow) and Hollyrood Castle(although we didn't tour it.. the Queen's coming soon!)

Later in the afternoon, we heard a lecture from Ian Campbell, a former professor of Duke and a current professor at the University of Edinburgh who teaches the History of British and Scottish Literature. Seriously, I'm amazed. Dr. Campbell captured our attention and I enjoyed it very much. He pondered the way that Scotland is changing, as well as the world as a whole, due to the increase in technologies and the general progression(or devolution) of language.

After a few days, I'm beginning to notice that the longer I'm here, the more that what I thought would only be cute little facts about the country are actually the basis of Scottish life and culture; contrary to Americans, the Scots really know their history, and are proud of their heritage. In the States, most people are focused on shopping and eating, and while that's still rather important here, it seems as if the history and culture and nature of Scotland as a whole is more important than the entertainment one can find on nearly as street. I think as a whole, this is a habit Americans would to do well to pick up.

I made it!

After driving nearly five hours, flying for nine, having a

two hour lay over, and flying for two more hours,

I have arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our flight from Atlanta

landed in Amsterdam at about 6:00 AM Eastern time, which to us

travelers was 11:00 AM. After a lay over in the Amsterdam airport,

we flew to Edinburgh. But I can't say much about that flight

because I was out as soon as we took off. And now here I am, in

Scotland, probably some 3,000 miles away everything I know.

It blows my mind a little bit..but I think I can handle it.

My first thought after catching our bus was how picturesque

everything is. As hard as my mother tries, she will never have a

garden as large or as vibrant as those of any given house we

passed. At the same time, the architecture was absolutely adorable,

and every home looks completely inviting.

At this point, I'm slightly exhausted, but mainly glad to be here.

More news coming tomorrow!

Six days!