They wear kilt

They wear kilt even at Wednesdays. I have seen a lot but it's difficult to take some pictures because they walking. I paid this man £1 for a photo. However he was playing some music for me.

Presentations

Today we have to show and tell about our street project. Wee were two different groups and we have visited "our place", made some historic research and interviews with people.

George IV Bridge

Grassmarket

Swimming bath

Swimming bath
Originally uploaded by lillehanne.

My host recommended an old swimming bath only three streets away from the flat and I have just been there. It was a small pool only 10 x 25 meters but there was a beautiful light from windows in the roof. There was only one big room which contain the pool, the shower place and the sauna. The shower was in front of the poll, so everybody could look at you taking the shower but it doesn’t matter to me. I think it was more uncomfortable warring bath cloths when showering. Some guys in the sauna tool me that the swimming bath was nearly 150 years old.

Healthy food

I tror det nok ikke, men jeg fik lavet en kæmpe skål salat som aftensmad i dag. Min flatmate Amy mente, at det var meget healthy. Næste dag havde hun købt salat og alt andet sundt og godt til sin aftensmad. Men... jeg havde fundet et tilbud på noget fast food til microen - hmm... det kan gå tilbage for selv den sejeste.

The houses

De fleste huse i det omraade, hvor jeg bor

har en eller anden form for stakit. De fleste er af sten.

Nogle andre er af smedejern

og de har ofte Skotlands nationalblomst (en tidsel) som motiv et eller andet sted.

I omraadet, hvor jeg bor, er der en del lejligheder ledige. Jeg tror ikke, at folk har raad til et helt hus. Jeg kan forstaa paa folk, der lever her, at det er meget dyrt at bo i Edinburgh (baade mad, husleje og gas). En gade fra Forbes Road kan man for eksempel leje denne 1. sal med taarn. Ikke daarligt vel.

Huset jeg bor i, ser saadan ud fra gaden.

Jeg bor i baggaarden. Alle deres afloebsinstallationer er udenpaa husene. Jeg undrede mig meget over dette, indtil vi var med vores afternoon class paa visit i en af lejlighederne paa Charlotte Square. De fleste af husene er bygget omkring 1700 tallet og dengang var det ikke normalt, at der var indlagt vand m.v. Det har man saa gjort sidenhen og den letteste maade har aabenbart vaeret at lade alle installationer loebe udvendigt. Men jeg fatter ikke, at det ikke fryser i stykker om vinteren, men det goer det maaske ogsaa :-))

med en smuk udsigt til nogle engelske haver.

Whisky

I have found a lot of different types and types of whiskies:
Dallas Dhu, Cardhu, The Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Glen Moray, Strathisla, Benromach and Speyside Cooperage. So dear husband, which one would you prefer?

This weekend

Ohh… I have spent a lot of the weekend doing homework. Although I have some spare time for a beautiful walk with some friends, Hannah and Josef, at Holyrood Park. The park is grounded on a very old volcano few minutes walk from the Scottish Parliament.

Josef and Hannah



A view from our walk

Sunday evening was I at the cinema. But The good Germann, was so tragic. However the cinema, recommend off my host, was an experience. It had been there since 1938 and contains 4 screens. Compared to all the pictures at the walls many famous actors have visited the cinema at different premières.

Party

A few of us have a little party today for a Finnish student who was going back to Finland. I thought we should celebrate with a beer or maybe two, but no we were going to have lunch at italic restaurant. Nice and delicious food specially the dessert a chocolate cake with ice.

Drama

En gruppe studerende fra Schweiz afsluttede deres forløb i dag. De fremførte et skuespil, de selv havde skrevet.


Billedserien skal læses fra højre mod venstre (start forneden :-)

En grusom heks ønsker sig en flot ung mand, men det er ikke let, da hun bare er så grim. Men en heks laver selvfølgelig bare en trylledrik, der får en smuk ung mand til at falde i søvn og forelske sig i den første pige han ser, når han vågner. Men det gik bare så galt – heksen blev måtte af sted på naturens vegne – og var der selvfølgelig ikke, da skønheden vågnede. Den romantiske samtale der opstod mellem en smuk ung blond kvinde og den unge mand, forsøgte den lede heks at forstyrre på alle mulige måder. Mange nutidige og historiske personligheder dukkede op undervejs; Kong Arthur, en ægte skotte i kilt m.fl.. Til slut blev den stakkels heks arresteret af en betjent. Sørgelig historie som vakte enorm megen morskab blandt de mange nationaliteter som så på.

Afternoon class

At this days afternoon class we went to see some buildings from the 18th century designed by one of the most famous Scottish architects, Robert Adam (1728 – 92). He was grounder at the neo classicism in Scotland. We went inside to one of the buildings at Charlotte Square, a part of the New Town (18th century). Robert Adam haven’t designed the individual rows only the palace front so the houses have a "grand civic composition". A video at the museum told that Edinburgh at that time was called the "North Athens". Despite of the modern new look the rows didn’t have any facilities like water, bath or sewerage. Everything has to be delivered or taken away by hand.

Pixar exhibition

Salem and I went to the Pixar exhibition this afternoon. It is one of the most interesting and exclusive collection I have seen. Storyboard and paintings in acryl, pencil and pastel and some of them as digital drawings too, all foundations for famous animation films from Pixar: Cars, Toy Story, Monsters, Fining Nemo, The Incredibles and so on.
It was significant for me to see how much they have worked with each figure; it is not by chance cow tractors from Cars e.g. are so similar to cows. On a poster it was shown how a cow’s face was transformed to a tractor; it is the same form and attitude. It was so fascinating.



The exhibitions contained sculptures of the most famous figures in different positions and situations; crying, laughing etc. And of course the old Pixar movies were also shown, e.g. The bird.

Street project

In the afternoon class we had got a street project. We should chose a place or a street in the town and make some historic research, take some pictures, make interviews with different people on the street etc.
Next week we are going to make a short presentation with visuals, highlighting the most interesting things about the street. We have to design a one-page leaflet about our street for visitors to Edinburgh. My group had chosen the Grassmarket an old place where the execution had been place at the Killing Times from the mid of 17th, it also used be to a busy market spot for corn, forage and cattle.

Postbox

I am sorry that you, my dear family, got the postcard a week after they where written but I couldn’t find a post box last week ;-(
I think I now knew why. Aren’t they a little bit similar with dustbins? Or maybe I am wrong.

This weekend

I was at the Edinburgh Castel this Sunday with Taja (my Korea classmate) but we don't think it was so interesting, because it was most about the deferent wars between the Scottish and the English and about the Scottish lost off independence.


Taja and me at the Castel


View at the Castel

I find history about peoples life circumstances more interesting; of course different kings way to rule have some influence.
Saturday was I at the movie seeing a film named An imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus a brilliant and fascinating film. Tickets are cheap only £ 4.5 so I have planned to see "The others life" and… some others this week.
I will go to the theatre too and see The Scottish Ensemble playing something called Tutti Frutti next weekend.

Performans

På gaden var der ofte forskellige former for performans. Her en gruppe unge som dansede til intense trommerytmer i flere timer. De havde en hund med, som var malet i ansigtet som dem. Den for rundt og nappede dem i haserne. Den var desværre for hurtig til, at jeg fik den fanget på et foto.

Guided tour

Oh… I was so tired after walking around in the shopping area at the centre visiting a lot of shops and shores. So I went to a guided tour by bus.



Relaxed on a good place, I saw a lot of places I already have been at. However, I got the story off the places and the most important of all, I saw how the different streets where connected. I was unfortunately also aware off my circle walking yesterday.

I dont think I will get lost any longer - Edinburgh are gone to be like my own pocket :-))

Weekend Plans

I have a lot of plans for this weekend. All historic museums are free this Saturday and Sunday. One of our teachers has suggested that we visit Edinburgh Castel, other times it will cost 11 pound.
I have also planned to visit National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street to see the exhibition Pixar: 20 Years of Animation

Students in Edinburgh

Many students in Edinburgh are from other countries, perhaps most of them are from Asia. Some of them are using Flickr too, I haven’t met this girl and maybe she not a student, but her pictures tell a history about the city and the countryside.

Hard work

It have been some interesting days at university we have worked with reading, writing and listening. I have had the opportunity to work together with students from so different countries as Liberia, Taiwan and Japan and Spain. Today our group, Yi-Hsin, Keisuke and me, got a picture of an volcano and the task to write a history about it.
It was not easy and take some time, we have to discuss the history, the words and their pronunciation. Ohh... we was discussing grammar too :-((

Brothers and sisters

I went this afternoon to Jehovas Witten’s Kingdom Hall at Edinburgh (one of them I have been toll there are nine). There were brothers and sisters from many different countries and some of them were very difficult to understand. There was others visitors; Rathi was on visit too from Chennai (Madras). She is on a congress for second languages teachers and has given her e-mail address to me, if I should need help with my English studies – not bad. Christie and family were so polite giving a lift too my accommodation.

Indian food

Salem suggests an Indian restaurant for lunch today, he told it was cheap. The food was fine but the place was a little bit different from a restaurant.

Brosten

De er bestemt noget anderledes end dem der bliver lagt i Danmark. Jeg tror ikke, at jeg kunne tage blot en af dem op selv om jeg brugte begge haender.

Logi

View slideshow
Mit rum med en dejlig seng, skrivebord og en fantasitisk udsigt til smukke engelske haver.

First night in Edinburgh

Bagefter spadserede jeg igen byen tynd, kikkede vinduer, fik kaffe og fandt Jehovas Vidners Rigssal, hvor jeg blev inviteret indenfor til en polsk menighed! Men jeg talte dog med en engelsk bror og hans kone. Han arbejder paa universitet og vi har aftalt, at vi skal drikke kaffe en af dagene i middagspausen.

Og som I kan se har jeg fundet en super internetcafe (universitets lukker kl. 18:30), men jeg har glemt kablet til kameraet paa mit logi. Billederne oploader jeg i morgen i stedet. Det er kulsort udenfor nu og jeg vil se om, jeg kan finde hjem.

First day in Edinburgh

Det tog ca. 20 min. at spadsere fra mit logi til universitet, hvor jeg skulle checke ind kl. 9. Men igen kunne jeg ikke finde stedet, selvom Sharon og jeg var forbi i aftes. En flink parkeringsvagt fulgte mig derhen - det er utroligt, mit lokaliseringsgen er totalt lost.
Jeg fik en fin modtagelse og blev fulgt op til en slags informationsrum med masser af japanske og korenske studerende og en enkelt rusisk pige, Nada, som jeg faldt i snak med. Vi var de eneste to nye og skulle begynde med en skriftlig og mundtlig test. Min rusiske veninde have valgt et andet engelskkursus end mig, da hun kom fra en bank og havde planer om at tage en IBM i England.

Efter testen, placering af niveau og udlevering af skema, gik jeg til 1.lektion - mundtlig og skriftlig engelsk (2 lektioner). Derefter frokost og igen 2 lektioner. Jeg deltager i to forskellige klasser og der er studerende fra Spanien, Korea, Japan, Libien og Saudi Arabien.

Vi sluttede kl. 15:40. Jeg fik et access kort til computerne og fik skrevet lidt i bloggen og lavet nogle lektier!

A long trip

I have choosen a fly from Billund to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Edinburgh. It's not the easy way but I was a little bit slow too ordering fly tickets to Edinburgh and then the prices for direct flying to Edinburgh have been too high. My budget allows me only to spend 3000 d.kr. for a ticket out and home - it was possible when I made the budget in December last year.
The flying was going well and it was easy to find the gate in Amsterdam. Edinburgh airport was a lot different from Amsterdam or Billund for that case. The sun was shinning in both places and I was sorry not taking my summer dress with me. At the airport in Edinburgh a very friendly tourist guide tell me how to get to town - bus and then taxi - and she shown the locality of the university at a map and gave a lot off other information’s.
Getting to my host - Sharon, a woman in my age - was not difficult, but nobody was at home. I sad down on the stairs waiting and reading a good book, until an older man came out and asked what I was doing. He tolls me to go round the corner. I went back to the mean road looking for a different road with the same name. But he meant round the corner off the house! It took me a half hour, a short walk and a call to Denmark to find out – tanks to Matti.
After showing the flat and my nice room Sharon took me to trip round in the neighborhood showing all the good places - bars, restaurants, cinemas’, supermarkets and an old fazing swimming hall.
After a rest and packing out I went out for a walk trying to find the swimming hall, I want to check the opening times. I got something to eat and taste a whisky - sorry I cant remember the name, they have a lot of sorts I even have seen or hear about before.

Prepared

Saturday I have clean my cloths, check my camera, telephone, pas, accommodation and a lot of other things. I have tried to check in at the airport via the internet but it I haven’t been able to so I have to be at the airport Sunday between one and half hours before departing. I have a lot of problems with my package - the suitcase was too small and I have taken all the summer cloths out and some of the books and toilet stuff. I have desired to take the suitcase as hand baggage but it was also too heavy even when I have take a lot of stuff out so I desired to take a big back with me as hand baggage and the suitcase! And then I have begun from the beginning and now it is two a.m. Sunday morning…