As a preface to this blog, I did absolutely nothing this past Saturday. I think I got out of bed around 2, lazily ate whatever leftovers were in the fridge, and began watching The Witcher on Netflix before deciding I needed to get outside while there was still the slightest bit of sunlight. So, I did as any adventurous study abroad-er would do and walked directly to Tesco to buy an entire rotisserie chicken. I also went to a bookstore and picked up a John Grisham crime novel, but that was mostly an afterthought to the chicken.

Sunday I was resolved to do something with my day, so I got up early and walked to the National Gallery.

The first piece that struck me was Titian’s Three Ages of Man. A simple concept, but masterfully executed in my humble opinion.

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These three works stood out as I continued walking around. I appreciated the motion and activity in The Forge of Vulcan, in contrast to the tranquility of A Waterfall in a Wood. In a room exhibiting Poussin’s renderings of the seven sacraments, I was drawn most to The Sacrament of Marriage.

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The upstairs gallery contains the gems of the museum: the impressionist collection. Cézanne’s landscape from Aix-en-Provence is stunning in ways that an iPhone camera can’t capture, but even on the small screen it’s beautiful. I loved the colors of Gauguin’s landscape, but unfortunately Monsieur Gauguin was done the disservice of having his work hung next to Van Gogh’s. Olive Trees is confusing and disorienting, which, according to the description, was exactly what Van Gogh had intended.

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Princes Street is very ‘meta’ in the sense that the vantage point of the painting is just outside the National Gallery. You can look at the painting, walk out the main doors of the museum, turn right, and see nearly the exact same shot, almost 200 years later.

Niagara Falls is flanked by landscapes of the Scottish highlands, so I expected this to be some miraculous highlands waterfall, but alas, it’s Buffalo, New York.

I’ll finish with the Monarch of the Glen. The ‘royal’ twelve-point stag symbolizes the beauty and majesty of the Scottish Highlands, which I will be seeing next week when Olivia comes to visit! I can’t wait! Many blogs to come!

Disclaimer: This is a special 2.5-for-1 blog because I have photos to share from two separate days but didn’t have enough content to write two blogs!

First Blog: The Old College at University of Edinburgh

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Originally named the “New College,” the Old College at UoE is currently home to the law school and assorted lecture halls (including two in which I have Roman Art and Archaeology lectures). The building was completed in 1827, although the signature dome was not added until 1887. Topping the dome is a gilded statue of youth personified.

Second Blog: National Museum and the Royal Mile

I woke up early Monday to knock two attractions off the Edinburgh bucket list: The National Museum of Scotland and the Royal Mile.

A personal must-see, Dolly the Sheep does not disappoint. However, there were some Conway-esque “alternative facts” I previously believed about genetic cloning that were put to rest. The largest is that Dolly was not born from a petri dish but birthed from a host mother (big bummer). This means that to clone dinosaurs Jurassic Park-style, one would need a host mother big enough for dinosaur babies.

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In the “Kingdom of the Scots” exhibit, the above displays particularly stand out. The Monymusk Reliquary is Scotland’s oldest surviving early Christian relic. In the 8th century, it was carried into battle at Aberdeenshire to protect the Scot army. The historical significance of the swords is less fascinating, but I appreciated the resemblance these swords bare to their Game of Thrones counterparts: Ice, Widow’s Wail, and Oathkeeper.

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In the natural history wing of the museum, there is enough taxidermy to satisfy every dentist in the state of Minnesota. The T. Rex skeleton is a show-stopper, but I found a certain other apex predator to be the most photogenic: the Scottish Wildcat (endangered).

Third Blog: The Royal Mile

After a morning of museum-going, I headed to the Royal Mile.

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At the east end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile sits the castle, perched in the air above the city. I didn’t have time to go in, but I will at some point and post an in-depth blog after. I found the view south to be particularly stunning, even on a gloomy day!

At the west end of the Royal Mile is lovely Holyrood Palace. It looks nice from the outside but you have to buy tickets to go in. So I didn’t and all I can say is that it looks nice from the outside.

As I was wandering around, a man and his wife were walking out of the shop with the ticket booth looking disgusted, and I overheard him say, “Just another way the queen squeezes out every penny you’ve got.”

I was tired after a long morning of exploring, so I stopped into Oink Delicious Hog Roasts for a meal of pulled pork with haggis, crisps, and a refreshing bottle of Irn Bru. Irn Bru, formerly known as Iron Brew, is somehow the top-selling soft drink in Scotland. On that conundrum, I think I’ll wrap this blog up. Until next time!

Today is the beginning of week 2 of classes and I have already dropped a course. I decided Intro to Gaelic was too much of a time commitment so I switched courses to Roman Art and Archaeology!

For those at home keeping track, my course load is now: Experimental Economics, Scottish Studies 1b, and Roman Art and Archaeology. All three seem very interesting, especially the Scottish Studies course. Our main project is to pick and examine a county in Scotland using the Old Statistical Accounts. Hopefully I can pick one and have the chance to visit and dig deeper into the culture!

Greetings from Scotland! My first week is coming to a close and so far, Edinburgh has been incredible! My flat is in a great spot, close to campus, and I’ve met two of my flatmates so far, who are also studying abroad from the US. It’s a fun experience to be meeting new people from all over the US and Europe, and of course it’s fantastic to be in a new city!

My first day here, I climbed Calton Hill to get a shot of the monument over the Old Town. Not only did my picture did out poorly, but shortly after I took it I was caught in a torrential rainstorm! My shoes and clothes got soaked on the walk home, but it was a good wake-up call that I needed to be ready for rain at any point.

Today, I went with a group of guys I met to climb Arthur’s Seat. The panoramic shot at the top of the blog is from the peak, but I particularly liked this one too. Unfortunately, an iPhone camera fails to capture the full beauty of the sun over the snow-capped Pentland Hills, so you’ll have to take my word for its magnificence.

Classes start Monday, so stay tuned for more updates!

-Emlyn