scotlandI made my first grilled cheese sandwich in England today! I'd been meaning to make one for the past three weeks but was always too lazy but today - after Neighbors - I made one! And all the English people in my flat watched in fascination, insisting they had never seen one before! Or at least, not one made before. It was funny. And tasty. ::pats belly in satisfactions::
So... to Scotland! Saturday, 23 Oct.
I got up super early to move my bags and check into my room at my new hotel - The Royal Scots Club. You would think, because of the name, that the hotel would be fabulous but it really wasn't. It was so posh it was poor! As in poor service and poor everything. I've figured the best hotels are the mid-priced ones because they're not so posh as to ignore you and not so poor as to have a reason to ignore you. Anyway.
My first stop was Rosslyn Chapel. If you've read The Da Vinci Code or have an interest in churches, architecture or art history, then you know what I'm talking about. Damnit. I wish I had the cord for my camera to show my pictures! Anyhoo - the place was absolutely gorgeous and yet very small. And it had technical equipment surrounding it because they had just finished filming the Da Vinci Code movie there with Tom Hanks and Audrey Toutou (sp?). Personally I think George Clooney would've been better for the main character but whatever... I spent my time there with a group of old American ladies on a literary tour. (laugh now).
They were wondefully nice ladies, really. They told me about all the places they'd gone (including the bridge from the HP:POA movie! Haha! I had yet another reason to put HP in my tags! It'll be like that for at least the next three weeks, by the way.) So I toured the chapel with them. It only took about a half hour and then we were ready to go. They ended up wanting to go to Edinburgh castle, and I was on my way to Camera Obscura which is, like, right next door to the castle, so we trekked up the Royal Mile together, taking another quick peek inside the Mueseum of Childhood. And I also stopped to buy my ticket to the Edinburgh Dungeon (that story later).
So I went to Camera Obscura. If you don't know what that is, look it up because I don't feel like explaining it and I don't have enough time because I'm going with my flat to see Wallace & Gromit. Anyway. We got to spy on the town. Haha - it was the BEST. Really. And I got a discount off the already cheap price cause it was foggy outside but it still worked and was cool. This is an especially great place to take children, who'll for sure have more fun than the adults, but there's 3 floors dedicated to illusions and tricks of the eye and other visual tricks. It's a very neat place to go.
After that I walked down to the Edinburgh Dungeon but stopped at two art galleries. They're not places you would find in a guide book but they were cozy and lovely with some really nice stuff in them. Then again, I like art. If you don't, I don't suggest going there. Now to the exciting part of my day!
Edinburgh Dungeon
Now, I haven't been to London Dungeon yet so I don't know if they're all the same and if you know me, I've got a liking for the macabre. Yes, it's unbelievable, I know, but it's true. So the first part of the dungeon is a mirrored labyrinth. At first glance, you think you're in a room with a lot of stone arches before you realize "oh no! it's all mirrors!" It really is a frightening feeling because you can't trust your eyes to help you. So, going very slow, I touched my way through the first little bit before realizing, dur, if I see my reflection it's a mirror! Until you get further in and the mirrors go to angles where you don't see yourself. Which is when things like this happen:
So I'm by myself here, okay? And I'm getting a little worried that I won't get out in time so I start going faster. Suddenly, I think I see a long hallway that opens at the end to a new room. So I pick up my pace more. I keep watching out for my reflection but it's not in front of me - it's on either side, supporting my belief that this was a hallway. Until I ran smack into the mirror! I ran into it so hard, I bounced off and fell on my arse. It was reflecting a reflection! I was so mad, and yet, amused at the same time. It was really brilliant. Then I moved slow again and finally made it into the next room: Torture.
The actor in the torture chamber asked for a volunteer and got one and then pulled out a creepy tool and waved it in front of us (you go in groups of about 20) and says "Can anybody tell me what this is for? If none of you know, I shall demostrate on my volunteer and if any of you do know...well, I'll still demonstrate on my volunteer." The adults laughed and the children hid behind the adults. So a couple of people speak up, with the wrong answers, and finally, having seen the device before, I speak up. "It's for pulling peoples' tongues out," I say. The actor runs up to me, shoves the tool in my face and he shouts. "YES YES YES! How did you know that? You use it frequently?" Of course, I nodded.
Next was something I can't remember. Then the medical lab (a la Knox - look him up in Edinburgh history to understand this). Now, the new actor is on stage with a fake cadaver and starts wildly going on about how exciting human dissection is. Then all of sudden he says "All I need know is my lovely assistant! Now where did she go?" and he starts looking around and then stops, looking in my general direction. "Elspeth! There you are! Come on, come on, we haven't got all day now!" And we're all looking around, thinking there's another actor, and I'm twisted in my seat when I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn around and HE'S THERE. I screamed a little. You have to understand, these actors are scarily enthusiastic and wearing creepy makeup.
So the man hauls me up on stage, pretending I'm his assistant Elspeth. So I go along because everyone knows I delight in entertaining and being the center of attention. Anyway. He starts going through the inside of the body, shouting things like "Where's the liver at? Elspeth do you know where the liver is? Oh, wait! I got it! Get a hold of that Elspeth and yank as hard as you can!" So, I only see a brown thing and so I yank and it flies out of the cadaver and across the room! So I ran to go get it and then I got a good look at it and it was a sandwich. So the doctor pretends to take a bite and then moves on. We did a bit more on stage, but nothing as exciting as sending a sandwich found inside a dead guy flying across the room.
The rest of the dungeon was exciting and fun and entertaining as well. I had a great time, really.
And then I went back to my hotel and went to sleep so that I could wake up super early the next day to catch my train out of Edinburgh and back to London!
The End. (haha)
So... to Scotland! Saturday, 23 Oct.
I got up super early to move my bags and check into my room at my new hotel - The Royal Scots Club. You would think, because of the name, that the hotel would be fabulous but it really wasn't. It was so posh it was poor! As in poor service and poor everything. I've figured the best hotels are the mid-priced ones because they're not so posh as to ignore you and not so poor as to have a reason to ignore you. Anyway.
My first stop was Rosslyn Chapel. If you've read The Da Vinci Code or have an interest in churches, architecture or art history, then you know what I'm talking about. Damnit. I wish I had the cord for my camera to show my pictures! Anyhoo - the place was absolutely gorgeous and yet very small. And it had technical equipment surrounding it because they had just finished filming the Da Vinci Code movie there with Tom Hanks and Audrey Toutou (sp?). Personally I think George Clooney would've been better for the main character but whatever... I spent my time there with a group of old American ladies on a literary tour. (laugh now).
They were wondefully nice ladies, really. They told me about all the places they'd gone (including the bridge from the HP:POA movie! Haha! I had yet another reason to put HP in my tags! It'll be like that for at least the next three weeks, by the way.) So I toured the chapel with them. It only took about a half hour and then we were ready to go. They ended up wanting to go to Edinburgh castle, and I was on my way to Camera Obscura which is, like, right next door to the castle, so we trekked up the Royal Mile together, taking another quick peek inside the Mueseum of Childhood. And I also stopped to buy my ticket to the Edinburgh Dungeon (that story later).
So I went to Camera Obscura. If you don't know what that is, look it up because I don't feel like explaining it and I don't have enough time because I'm going with my flat to see Wallace & Gromit. Anyway. We got to spy on the town. Haha - it was the BEST. Really. And I got a discount off the already cheap price cause it was foggy outside but it still worked and was cool. This is an especially great place to take children, who'll for sure have more fun than the adults, but there's 3 floors dedicated to illusions and tricks of the eye and other visual tricks. It's a very neat place to go.
After that I walked down to the Edinburgh Dungeon but stopped at two art galleries. They're not places you would find in a guide book but they were cozy and lovely with some really nice stuff in them. Then again, I like art. If you don't, I don't suggest going there. Now to the exciting part of my day!
Edinburgh Dungeon
Now, I haven't been to London Dungeon yet so I don't know if they're all the same and if you know me, I've got a liking for the macabre. Yes, it's unbelievable, I know, but it's true. So the first part of the dungeon is a mirrored labyrinth. At first glance, you think you're in a room with a lot of stone arches before you realize "oh no! it's all mirrors!" It really is a frightening feeling because you can't trust your eyes to help you. So, going very slow, I touched my way through the first little bit before realizing, dur, if I see my reflection it's a mirror! Until you get further in and the mirrors go to angles where you don't see yourself. Which is when things like this happen:
So I'm by myself here, okay? And I'm getting a little worried that I won't get out in time so I start going faster. Suddenly, I think I see a long hallway that opens at the end to a new room. So I pick up my pace more. I keep watching out for my reflection but it's not in front of me - it's on either side, supporting my belief that this was a hallway. Until I ran smack into the mirror! I ran into it so hard, I bounced off and fell on my arse. It was reflecting a reflection! I was so mad, and yet, amused at the same time. It was really brilliant. Then I moved slow again and finally made it into the next room: Torture.
The actor in the torture chamber asked for a volunteer and got one and then pulled out a creepy tool and waved it in front of us (you go in groups of about 20) and says "Can anybody tell me what this is for? If none of you know, I shall demostrate on my volunteer and if any of you do know...well, I'll still demonstrate on my volunteer." The adults laughed and the children hid behind the adults. So a couple of people speak up, with the wrong answers, and finally, having seen the device before, I speak up. "It's for pulling peoples' tongues out," I say. The actor runs up to me, shoves the tool in my face and he shouts. "YES YES YES! How did you know that? You use it frequently?" Of course, I nodded.
Next was something I can't remember. Then the medical lab (a la Knox - look him up in Edinburgh history to understand this). Now, the new actor is on stage with a fake cadaver and starts wildly going on about how exciting human dissection is. Then all of sudden he says "All I need know is my lovely assistant! Now where did she go?" and he starts looking around and then stops, looking in my general direction. "Elspeth! There you are! Come on, come on, we haven't got all day now!" And we're all looking around, thinking there's another actor, and I'm twisted in my seat when I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn around and HE'S THERE. I screamed a little. You have to understand, these actors are scarily enthusiastic and wearing creepy makeup.
So the man hauls me up on stage, pretending I'm his assistant Elspeth. So I go along because everyone knows I delight in entertaining and being the center of attention. Anyway. He starts going through the inside of the body, shouting things like "Where's the liver at? Elspeth do you know where the liver is? Oh, wait! I got it! Get a hold of that Elspeth and yank as hard as you can!" So, I only see a brown thing and so I yank and it flies out of the cadaver and across the room! So I ran to go get it and then I got a good look at it and it was a sandwich. So the doctor pretends to take a bite and then moves on. We did a bit more on stage, but nothing as exciting as sending a sandwich found inside a dead guy flying across the room.
The rest of the dungeon was exciting and fun and entertaining as well. I had a great time, really.
And then I went back to my hotel and went to sleep so that I could wake up super early the next day to catch my train out of Edinburgh and back to London!
The End. (haha)
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mellomc on
Re: Scotland: Part 2
Hey I will think about you Saturday when I make a big ole batch of chili and some cornbread!!!! I will tip a glass of sweat tea in your honor.
Sounds like things are going good over there for ya! I am glad.
Ohmygawd! I love torture ANYTHING! That place sounds so awesome. Damn, we need money so we can travel... *goes off to win the lottery*
Haha, greatest story ever. Sounds like something out of a movie, bouncing off mirrors and creepy actors with too much makeup.
And I'm lovin' your rebellious style, putting Harry Potter on the tag list day after day. It's just...*can't go on*
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