Paris with Bailey

This week is Innovative Learning Week at the university which basically means a week off school! I got back yesterday from Paris where I had been from Sunday to Thursday with my friend and roommate from Kingston, Bailey. We met in Charles De Gaulle airport and it was very surreal seeing her for the first time in 6 months. It definitely made my life in Kingston seem more real. We met a very nice couple in the airport who gave us their metro passes to use for free on Sunday which we then topped up for another week on Monday. We passed on the deed by giving our passes to two guys when we left on Thursday. We rented an apartment near Montmartre. Our host Aurelien was away in the country for all of our time in Paris so we had the place to ourselves. Normally his cat is there but it was staying with a friend much to my disappointment! We met Aurelien briefly on Monday night when he stopped by to pick up some things. He was very friendly and sweet and recommended places for us to visit.

View from the apartment

View from the apartment

On our first night we wandered around Montmartre, stopping in at a cafe for a chocolate and pear tart, hot chocolate and to catch up. I realized that my French was not as good as I remembered and we weren't too sure of the French restaurant etiquette at first. By the end of the week we got the hang of it though and especially perfected "l'addition s'il vous plait"! We walked up the mammoth steps of Montmartre and saw Sacre Coeur at night and the Eiffel Tower lit up in the distance. There was a man playing guitar to a crowd of people and lots of cute shops.

We met up with my godmother Liz and her daughter Tara on Monday. We had delicious and very filling crepes at a creperie and got to have a crash course in French culture which was very helpful! We caught up over the meal and then went to the Musee National du Moyen Age. The museum was really interesting and I particularly liked the stained glass. After the museum we went in Notre Dame and to the bridge where couples attach padlocks with their initials. We parted ways then and Bailey and I went to Place des Vosgues, a beautiful square that Liz had recommended. For dinner we had a cheese plate and vin chaud and then went to see the Eiffel Tower.

On Tuesday we went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it in the daytime after having crepes with jam for breakfast. We had an interesting experience with a really rude waiter who, after giving us back our change, walked back over and flipped open the little black book to see if we'd left a tip - while we were still sitting at the table! After the Eiffel Tower we went to the Musee D'Orsay. The Picasso room was very busy but was probably my favourite part. We returned to the apartment before dinner and watched Casablanca. Our rude waiter experience was improved upon by an excellent waiter at dinner that night. We went to a restaurant at the bottom of the steps at Montmartre where I had a croque madame and we both had creme brulee for dessert. The waiter was very friendly and very patient with our terrible French. When we left he said "Goodbye. Obrigado" and we later realized he hadn't charged us for our desserts!

We went to the Louvre on Wednesday which I managed to get into for free, being a student in Europe! We saw Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa, amid crowds of people. I really liked all of the statues we saw. We walked through the Jardin des Tuileries and along the Champs-Elysees toward the Arc de Triomphe. It was a long way but worth it to see all the fancy shops and the pretty fountains. We had dinner that night at the top of Montmartre. The restaurant played loud club music which didn't really suit the atmosphere but later they set up a stage and had two men playing guitars. It sounded very French until Bailey realized it was a cover of "Toxic" by Britney Spears! We ate Boeuf Bourguignon and vin chaud and creme brulee for a second time. It was extremely creamy and delicious.

Arc de Triomphe - shame about the construction

All in all it was a great time in Paris with Bailey! I'm really glad that we got to see eachother because I won't see her now until September.

After getting back last night I hung out with Emma for her 18th birthday and then went to see Breach and Route 94 at Liquid Rooms. The music was really good and I had a great night. Thankfully I have the weekend to finish up some work before school starts back on Monday.

Superbowl & Six Nations

It's a challenge to find something to write about these days. Hopefully some of my upcoming trips will liven things up around here! Tonight I'm signing up for a trip to the Lake District on the weekend of March 1st. We'll be visiting Cockermouth, Keswick, Glenridding and Grasmere and staying overnight on Lake Windermere. We're also stopping off at Gretna Green on the way home. I will be in Paris with Bailey in exactly one week! I've been researching things that I want to see and do while I'm there so if you have any recommendations, let me know.

Some friends and I have started going to the pub quiz again. I look forward to it all week. It's been really busy lately so we have to book a table in advance. I went one week with Emma and Saiman and Saiman's friend and it was so packed we had to sit at the bar. That turned out OK though because the bar staff helped us out with some of the questions.

I went to two new pubs this week. The Peartree which is near The Blind Poet and has a great outdoor patio. I hope it warms up enough before I leave Edinburgh so I can sit outside! I also went to Finnegan's Wake in the Grassmarket. It's an Irish bar and that night they had a live band playing songs like Galway Girl and Irish Rover. People were dancing and swinging around arm in arm. It got me excited for St. Patrick's Day.

I watched the Superbowl with Shannon and Ken in the student union's Library Bar. Unfortunately the fire alarm went off part way through forcing us all to evacuate the building. After standing out in the rain for a bit we decided it wasn't worth it and went home. I was cheering for the Broncos so I was disappointed to hear that they lost so badly. I was supposed to be watching Scotland vs. England in Six Nations yesterday but I came down with a really bad cold and had to stay in bed. I kept up with the game via a live feed though. England won 20-0 so I was in a better mood than after the Superbowl!

My group project course is going well. Our ethics application has been sent off and next week we'll be practicing running the experiment on each other. We had hoped to get things started a bit earlier but unfortunately some of our equipment wasn't working and we had to send off for some new ones. My other courses have essays and assignments due within the next two weeks so I'm working on getting those done, hopefully before I leave for Paris.

Refreshers

I felt right at home as soon as I got back to Edinburgh and second semester has got off to a great start.

I'm taking four courses this term: Psychology Methodology 2, Social Work, Scottish Literature and a Psychology group project. I am really enjoying the group project so far. We haven't done much yet but we've gone over what our study is about and are working on getting ethics approval this coming week. Scottish Literature is proving to be more difficult this term as we are studying literature written in medieval Scots language which is impossible to understand!

The first week back was Refresher's Week which meant I explored a bit more of Edinburgh's nightlife. On Saturday night we had a joint birthday party for Puck, Joe and Tom. It was chemistry themed as they're all in science-related majors. I went as "Ruthenium" and wore fake nerdy glasses I got from a costume shop. Amelia made a delicious chocolate cake and we all sang Happy Birthday. I really enjoyed meeting a few new people and catching up with everyone.

I'm starting to get back into the swing of things now that Refresher's Week is over. But that doesn't mean my social life has gone out of the window! Last week I went to see American Hustle at the movie theatre and on Friday we went to a concert at a club for Tom's birthday. Last night a few friends and I went to The Blind Poet for live blues/jazz music. It's a very cozy pub and the music was great so I really enjoyed myself. Now I want to learnt to play harmonica! We also hit up the student union's Library Bar.

The most exciting news I have to report is that I am going to Paris in February! I'm meeting up with Bailey, my friend and roommate from Queen's, over there and I'm really looking forward to it!

Sisterly Love

Catherine and I spent more time exploring the city together on Monday. We decided to walk down my road and go in all the charity shops there. We ended up in the Grassmarket where we went in a vintage clothing shop and saw The Last Drop, a pub in the location of the last hanging and a tea shop. We ended up stopping at Hula, a vegetarian, vegan and gluten free friendly cafe to escape the rain. I ordered the Sunshine in a Cup smoothie - fitting for the day's weather. We took the time there to plan the rest of our day and to write postcards to our family and some friends. We were quite tempted by the menu and decided to have lunch there as well.

After recuperating a bit we headed to the Royal Mile. We went inside St. Giles' Cathedral and up to the castle. We discovered the Tartan Weaving Mill Exhibition where they had weaving going on downstairs and more tartan things than all of the many tartan shops put together. We went to Greyfriar's Kirkyard and saw Greyfriar Bobby's grave with sticks left there for him - so cute! When it was time for another hot drink we went to The Elephant House - one of the cafes where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. It was quite nice in there, all wooden tables and chairs and lots of elephant memorabilia.

Tuesday was much of the same - shopping and stopping for a cup of tea. This time we went to Kilimanjaro on Nicholson which I'd heard a lot about but never been in before. It had a nice atmosphere and a delicious chocolate milkshake. In the morning we also walked up Arthur's Seat, going a different way from the times I've been up before which offered different views.

Yesterday Catherine and I went to Glasgow to stay in a hostel overnight since her flight home left early this morning from the airport there. Check in was at 3 pm and since she had her big suitcase we didn't go til then. We spent the afternoon/early evening walking around, searching for a tea strainer in the shopping centre and exploring Buchanan Street. We had dinner in a pub next to the hostel which was 15% off with a night's stay. This morning she left in a cab for the airport at around 5 am and I stayed in the room until about 8:30 am when I took the train home to Edinburgh.

It was really nice to have Catherine stay with me in Edinburgh. There were so many things I wanted to show her and now she will be able to picture me here. She was a great visitor, we did some tourist-y things but mostly just enjoyed spending time together doing normal life things.

I'm on my own now for a couple of days until everyone comes back for school on Monday. It will be a good opportunity to get some things done - my paper, writing letters to friends, laundry etc. 

Afternoon Tea at The Balmoral

Yesterday Catherine and I went to The Balmoral, a really fancy hotel on Princes Street for Afternoon Tea. I enjoyed getting dressed up and doing something grown up with my sister. It was fun to put on our almost matching blue dresses and do our hair and make up. We were greeted at the door by a man wearing tartan trousers opening the doors for us. It was so exciting to see behind the doors of the hotel I've always seen such fabulous people emerge from. We were led into the palm court and seated on a low chair facing into the room. The greeter laid serviettes on our laps and explained the afternoon tea service to us. We both ordered tea - the Balmoral Blend for me and Darjeeling for Catherine. At first we both felt quite awkward. We were nervous that we'd embarrass ourselves I think. 

We were served the Chef's Amuse Bouche (what a cool name) which was a parsnip and apple soup. It was served in a tiny bowl, poured in front of us from what looked like a little milk jug. It was actually really delicious but at first we worried about how exactly we were supposed to eat it. After watching other people we later determined that we'd done it properly! There was also a waiter wearing a kilt so we really had the Scottish experience. 

The first tiered stand to arrive was the sandwiches. There was roast beef, cucumber, egg salad, cheese, ham and salmon. No haggis, thank goodness! Afterwards we had scones with clotted cream and individual jam pots - blackcurrant (my favourite) and raspberry (my second favourite). There was a selection of cakes - chocolate, shortbread, gingerbread, lemon and caramel. I also had a mousse that was plum and ginger. 

One of the best parts of the experience was that there was a harpist playing from a balcony. At one point he switched to playing Happy Birthday and we all clapped politely as someone's afternoon tea was delivered with a candle. It felt very civilized! 

Of course we made a point of going to the bathrooms and they didn't disappoint! The sinks were amazing - ornate China with a pink floral pattern. There were lots of fun soaps and hand creams and thick towels to dry our hands with. Catherine went first and came back to the table and whispered "Oh my goodness. Just go, Ruth. You have to see this." I really wish I'd taken my camera. 

At the end they gave us two tins of their Balmoral Blend tea to take home and wrapped up our leftovers (we were so full) in the fanciest doggy-bag packaging I have ever seen. 

All in all it was such a fun experience and I'm so glad we got to do it.  

Catherine and I about to enjoy our delicious scones

Shop Til You Drop

On Thursday Rosanna, Molly, Catherine and I went to Banbury. We went shopping in charity shops, the shopping centre and the high street. I ended up buying another bag to be able to pick all of my things in to bring them back to Edinburgh on the train. I acquired quite a few Christmas presents and didn't pack very lightly to begin with! Rosanna, Catherine and I had a coffee in Nero while Molly went to an eye appointment. It was a really nice and relaxing morning. We also found an awesome sweet shop which had rows of pic n' mix which I couldn't resist.

After lunch at home we went to Blenheim Palace to walk around the gardens there. Though I'm not a huge fan of walking it's always really beautiful there. We had good chats and saw some sheep. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so no photos!

On Friday us four girls went to Oxford. We went shopping again. There were lots of post-Christmas sales and opportunities to spend Christmas money. I bought some pretty notecards so look out for letters in the new year. We had lunch at Wagamama, a noodle place. I had a vegetarian curry with rice. After we were tired of shopping we stumbled upon a little bookshop which also served tea. We each had our own colourful teapot with our choice of tea. I had Earl Grey Blue Lady in a blue teapot. The best part was that we got to choose what mug we wanted! The bookshop was very charming and when Rosanna and Molly bought books the shop owner wrapped them up in cute wrapping paper.

The next day my mum, Catherine and I boarded the train, Catherine and I to Edinburgh and my mum to Yorkshire to stay with friends. Unfortunately there were some delays probably due to flooding but we made it to Edinburgh only an hour late. We had fun playing cards on the train and looking at the sea.

Holiday Update

I had a really great Christmas this year and I was able to see almost all of my extended family. Our Christmas lunch was delicious as always with lots of sprouts (my favourite), roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, sausages wrapped in bacon, turkey and gravy. We had Christmas pudding for dessert with clotted cream, cream and custard. We opened our presents after lunch and Catherine and I acted as the elves passing out the gifts to everyone. I got lots of presents - enough to fill my gym bag. I will have fun trying to take all my stuff back on the train! We played Newmarket in the evening and had some crackers, chutney and cheese. Now you know what a typical Christmas for the Hobbis family looks like!

This is the first time I’ve been down to visit the family since my grandparents moved to their new house. We went over lots to visit them there and they came over for dinner several times during our stay. They live only about a ten minute walk from my aunt. Their new house is really nice and it was good to see some of their familiar belongings around the new place. Millie, their black lab, seems to like the house too and she is enjoying going for walks with her new dog walker. My dad and Uncle Peter took her out for two walks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At one point they had to lift her over a stile (and she’s not light)! On one of the days we went to the Lord Nelson’s Arms for a pub lunch. I had the Ploughman’s lunch – a spread of apple slices, baguette, cheddar cheese, chutney and salad. It was really good but required a lot of assembling!

I’ve been having fun spending time with my canine relatives – Bryn, Grace, Rosie, Millie, Ted and Florence. I’ve got more dog cousins than human cousins! Rosie is a year and a half and very playful. She loves to play fetch with her rubber ring or tennis ball and will bring it to you over and over again. I’ve never met a dog that has wanted to play with me so much. It is nice to be in a house with a cat now after so many dogs! I think everyone knows I'm a cat person at heart!

We just left Somerset where we stayed with my Uncle Keith and Jan for three nights. We visited Auntie Elsie and John on the way there. Auntie Elsie always prepares a delicious spread of all my favourite English foods and she gave us lovely presents. This year we gave her a homemade calendar of photos of the family. We had dinner in the village with Uncle Keith and Jan on the first night and I had the usual - ham, egg and chips. One year they didn't have any left and it was so sad! Every year since we joke about reserving it for me. One of the days my family went into town and Catherine and I had a coffee in a little cafe and shopped while my parents visited with friends. We also made our traditional trip to the arcades to bet on the 2 penny machines. We went round the village where my Uncle Keith and Jan live, going in all the little shops. Jan has a cafe there and an artisan bakery. We also went to check out my grandad's old house and to place some flowers on his and my grandma's graves in the cemetery in the village. It's always a sad thing to do but it's important to remember them at Christmas. 

My family and I are now in my hometown staying with family friends Penny, Fernando, Rosanna, Molly and their cat Betty. We arrived yesterday and went on a walk around the village. It has been ten years since I have lived here and some things I didn't recognize at first. For New Year's Eve us four girls went down to the park with a blanket, some grapes and a bottle of champagne. We rang in the New Year by eating one grape for every strike of the church bells on the hour and sipping champagne from the bottle - very classy! It was a lot of fun and we stayed out gossiping under the stars and watching the fireworks.

Today I had a productive morning working on my Psycholinguistics paper and then a lazy afternoon watching TV and playing a board game. Tomorrow we plan on going into town and on a walk and then on Friday we are going to Oxford. My dad has gone back to Atlanta now but my mum, Catherine and I take the train on the 4th. My mum is heading up to Yorkshire to stay with friends and Catherine will be staying with me in Edinburgh. I'll keep you updated!