Day 11 - Back to the United States

WHAT A DAY! Today we had a super long travel day with a 5:45am meet time. We took taxis to Edinburgh airport where we boarded an hour flight to London. All went smoothly for our first flight. Most of us rested and got some sleep on the plane. Our next segment of the journey was a connecting flight from Heathrow Airport in London to Charlotte, North Carolina.

I (Madelyn) have been to Heathrow Airport before and know they take their security seriously. Me and Lexi were able to get through security smoothly and walk to our gate. We were the first to arrive and saw the gate was closing. Unfortunately due to our first flight arriving slightly late, changing terminals, and major delays with security most of the group did not make the connection in time to board. Lexi and I were the only ones from our group to make it to Charlotte. Once we made it there, we had another flight to Houston. We had to go through customs at Charlotte, pick up our bags, check our bags, go through security, and board the final flight. We luckily had no issues and are thankful to have made it home to Houston.

After the other group missed the flight to Charlotte, they spent the afternoon at the airline services desk in Heathrow to work on changing their flight schedule. Ben, Ally, Dana, Hayley, Legend, the Sullins, and I (Ashley) were able to get on a standby flight to Dallas. MacKenzie arranged for a hotel and a confirmed flight on Friday. Following our 9 hour flight back to the United States the group further dispersed taking connecting flights, a rental car, or staying with family. Although this wasn’t the last day we had hoped for, we made the best of our circumstances and shared a few laughs along the way. We greatly enjoyed our experiences learning abroad and are grateful to have made it back safely. 

Thank you for following along on our journey!

Madelyn Palmer and Ashley Fuqua 

Day 10: Final Day in Edinburgh :(

     Howdy, readers! Thank you so much for following along with us on this study abroad experience! I hope the read has been as fun as the trip itself has been! Unfortunately, today was our last full day in Scottish paradise before we board 3 flights tomorrow, so we had to fit in as much shopping, touring, and show watching as we could into 24 hours.

Ben’s group went to an opera show performed by Elizabeth Llewellyn and Simon Lepper on piano. While it was not exactly a performance that piqued all of our interests, it was still very beautiful and unique as she sang in English, French, German, Czech, and Italian. After the show, we went to The Southern for lunch, and enjoyed some mac n’ cheese, soup, and hot chocolate before going back to the hotel to embark on the difficult journey of packing.

Lexi’s group began at Islander Purse Shop and took a “build your own purse” class! We got to choose between different fabrics and colors to build something that we can remember the trip by. Afterwards, we attended our reservation at The Witchery, a high-end restaurant that served lots of delicious plates, including the lobster, which I personally struggled with cracking open. Then we went to the Royal Mile one more time to pick up some last minute souvenirs. 

Around 4pm, Lexi’s group met up with Ally and Legend for an acapella show at The Space Triplex, which showcased modern songs performed by the “Oxford Alternotives.” Then we went to Princes Street to do more shopping before heading back to the dorm to get ready for dinner. 

While all of this was happening, Dr. Sullins and Ashley hiked up to Arthur’s Seat, but on their way back down the mountain, Dr. Sullins twisted her ankle! Uber was not being very helpful, but luckily Ashley was there to help her back to the dorms and make sure everything was alright. Dr. Sullins is doing well and the injury was very minor, so thankfully, no hospitals or ambulances were required.

We all regrouped at the dorms and headed off to dinner at Salisbury Arms, where most of us enjoyed a steak dinner, some sweet treats, and each other’s company. We wrote some thank you notes to the generous alumni from Edinburgh-Napier University and other donors for being so gracious & generous for their support they provided throughout our trip. We all went around recapping our favorite parts of the study abroad and reminisced on the moments we shared together.

As we pack up for a loooooong day of traveling tomorrow, we are reminded of how grateful we are to have been a part of this experience, make new friendships, and immerse ourselves in Scottish culture. Thank you to everyone who has supported us on our trip, especially Dr. Sullins, who organized this entire experience for us and planned every detail so that we could fully enjoy the beauties that London & Scotland have to offer. THANK YOU DR. SULLINS!!!!

We leave you now with a final “Hip! Hip! Hooray!”

Thanks & Gig ‘Em,

Ben Stringfellow & Lexi Rivers

Enjoy some more random pics from throughout the week!

Day 9: Roaming Around in Scotland

    Tuesday we had the whole day free to attend shows, shop, sleep in some, and whatever else interested the group. Everyone eventually started their day with brunch at different cafés around town. Afterwards, a few of us went shopping on the Royal Mile to pick up some last minute souvenirs, while others attended a few Fringe shows around the city. One group meet with a student from Napier to go out to the coastline at Queensferry and Portobello. The bridges at Queensferry were a sight to see, as well as the lively boardwalk along the beach at Portobello. 

By the late afternoon everyone meet back at the dorms to walk to our show for the evening. We saw an annual show called La Clique at Underbelly Cowgate - a popular section of the Fringe. After the show a few people parted ways to participate in other shows like a traditional cèilidh  dance class or finding a nearby pub.

-Mackenzie Bryant & Taylor Nelson

Day 8: Military Tattoo & Edinburgh-Napier University

  This morning we were up and at 'em’ by 8:20 to catch the Bus to Edinburgh Napier University- Merchiston Campus.  It was here we met Dr. David Jarman, Lecturer and undergraduate Programme Leader for ENU. Dr. Donna Lee Sullins and Dr. Jarman have known each other virtually for 4 years so it was exciting to see this introduction/meeting in person occur.  This campus is 1 of 3 ENU locations in Edinburgh.  

We walked up this small concrete spiral staircase to a conference room to have a conversation with Dr. Jarman about his career history and other questions of note.  This was a portion of the birthplace of John Napier built in 1454.  The campus grew up around this beautiful building full of history. 

We then took another bus  to ENU Craiglockhart Campus, with the Western Craiglockhart hill behind it.  Dr. Jarman explained the history behind the original building as it began as a hotel.  It then became a Hospital during the First World War, where some of the greatest war poems were ever written and it is still displayed there today. 

We then settled into the beautiful Lindsay Lecture theater.  It was there we  had an insightful discussion with Dr. Jarman regarding events, logistics, best practices and potential suggestions of the Festivals we attended, the Festival Fringe and The Bridge of Allan Highland Games. 

 After meeting with Dr. Jarman, myself, Taylor, Ally navigated the bus to make our way to the Edinburgh Dungeon.  On the bus Ally sat next to a sweet fellow bus rider who explained her profession was an event planner for officials in London. Such a small world as Ally explained our purpose here in Edinburgh and they proceeded to have an engaging conversation until we reached our stop.  Mackenzie met us after her lunch concluded.  The next hour and a half was an interactive history lesson with the dark secrets of Edinburgh, albeit true of witches, haunted forests and severe punishment to those who committed a crime and were guilty by trial. 

(Legend) After the other group got done with discussions at the university and the groups spilt up, my group got an Uber back to the Royal Mile to eat lunch at Bella Italia. Which the group got various pasta dishes, sodas with lemons and I got a tasty fruit smash. After lunch we made the walking journey back to the hotel stopping at a gift shop. An insane number of people have now entered the city of Edinburgh for all the festivals and military shows. 

   Once back at the hotel we got a little bit of time to take naps and relax. After relaxation time, I got ready to go to the Fringe show Shamilton, which is a little like Hamilton but it’s improvised and the audience gets to pick who they are singing about. Our show picked Simone Biles and then asked us different facts about her to base the musical on. This show was an hour long and had us all laughing especially when they brought up Texas only has Tsunamis, humidity, and sunshine. I think everyone really enjoyed it. After the show we grabbed dinner from food trucks in a little courtyard that surrounded the fringe venue. Then we made our journey to the Military Tattoo queue to get in line. 

Words cannot even describe how amazing the Military Tattoo show was. We walked in not fully knowing what to expect but it exceeded all expectations. It was not one band but many bands from other countries including the U.S. and they played Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins. India was also featured and the Citadel from Charleston.  We were in the presence of British Royalty at the Tattoo as Her Royal Highness Princess Royal Anne was a surprise guest.  With the conclusion of each performance, Princess Anne would stand showing her appreciation on a job well done.  

Thanks for reading! 

Legend and Dana

Day 7: Highland Games!

Today we experienced the Scotland Highland Games in Bridge of Allen with a visit to Stirling to see the iconic castle atop the mountain.

We all ubered to the bus around 6:30 and had to speed walk to other side of the street where we eventually found the stop. The bus ride took around an hour and a half and we had a 10 minute walk to the Highland Games. My personal favorite part was the Highland Dancers they had dancers of all ages to as young as about five years old! 

After that we had to make the trek to our train station about 25 minutes away but we saw some of the most beautiful houses along the way with some very impressive gardens! We visited Sterling castle which had to be the best part of the day in my opinion. Seeing their chambers all made up with actors was so fun and refreshing! 

When we got back to Edinburgh, we split up into groups to experience different shows at the Fringe. One group went to a cafe to get some food and then went to one of the shows! It was a super funny and interactive murder mystery based on the old tv show “murder she wrote”. I would give it a 10/10!

The other group went to one of the shows which  was a surprise! Without proper signage, or direction, some of us were sent to the wrong show. We were given a great example of some of the mistakes that happen within these big events and festivals. 

Day 6- A Taste of Edinburgh

 As we reach the halfway point of our journey, today served a balance of freedom and learning about the place around us. 

I started the morning by grabbing breakfast goods from the local co-op, and getting turned around, walking the wrong direction on the way back… However, these little instances of trying to trust my instincts and recognize my way around is part of the fun of being abroad! I love the opportunity for students to try to trust themselves, and even if they mess up, they have tools like their cell phones to help them out. 

(Flyers for Fringe shows are everywhere…though very neatly displayed.)

We’ve done a lot of walking on this trip… And I warned the students that we would… But you can’t really get prepared for the hills when you live in the flatness of Texas. It seems like everything in this city is a hill both ways! We are surviving, although sometimes we split into a faster group and a slower group. (Unfortunately, I’m in the slower one.) 

(A daily walk for us.)

Before heading out, two of the student groups gave their oral presentations on different areas that we would be visiting or have the option to visit. We discussed some of the venues we had visited already along with events we had been to and refreshed ourselves on the kind of things to be looking for as of it managers. For example, the distillery had some very interesting spaces, but they have a very low fire capacity and can only have adults. While the short march of the Changing of the Guard didn’t seem like too much, we discussed all of the details and logistics that had to go into that kind of daily event from safety/road closures to access control to staffing schedules and even music selection. 

At the top of the Royal Mile is the Edinburgh Castle. While we have seen it from a distance, we couldn’t quite realize what of you. We would get off the city from the top until we were there. We got to walk through the temporary grandstands that have been placed for the Royal Military Tattoo… Another event, we are soon to visit. In addition to just looking at the castle and the grounds, I was taking in all of the lighting and sound equipment and pyrotechnics that were set up for the tattoo. We all came to truly appreciate the Interpretation class taught in our department as we had an audio tour…a huge step down in engagement from guided tours we have had other days. 

After breaking from the large group, A smaller group stayed behind at the castle to have lunch in the tea room. One group found a TikTok, famous restaurant and bar called Frankenstein, and some sought a, sadly, sold out soccer match. Some students came upon a market and enjoyed finding local goods along with some good fines at stores in the area. Another group came upon a free show with a Fringe newcomer, interestingly, being held in the private room of a Chinese restaurant. Some took naps or did laundry to get ready for the week ahead.

For the evening, we walked as a group to the Royal College of Surgeons where a performance group shared Scottish traditions with us! We all have our first taste of haggis. Overwhelmingly it was described as steak fingers. Most had some clapshot (mashed potatoes with turnips) with chicken and some chose Cullen Skink (a potato soup with haddock). After a traditional dessert of cranachan (cream and raspberries) the show began. There were a couple of singers, a bagpipe player, and accordion player, a fiddle player, and several dancers who told stories and performed for us over the next hour or so. It was very fun hearing about the past in this interactive and creative way. I loved hearing Loch Lohman, and it made me think of the singing cadets performing this on campus. They had us all stand and hold hands to sing Auld Lang Syne at the end which was a nice way to end the evening.

While we were enjoying the evening, we were also looking at the space as a venue. Students have an assignment to do when they must select a venue and sketch it noting key elements such as power sources, immovable, objects, entryways, and restrooms. I was counting this pieces of stage and considering the impact of the dancers’ leaps. The lighting and sound was high quality, even though this space is only available to them in August since it is part of a local university, that is on break for festival season.

More to see tomorrow!

Dr. Sullins

Day 5: A Day in the Highlands

 

Today we had an early start, meeting at 7am to make our scheduled bus tour with Highland Experience. We grabbed breakfast and Coffee at Cafe Nero and loaded up. Our tour guide Alan gave us 12 1/2 hours of superb direction, Scottish music, and loads  of Scotland’s history, its culture and its beautiful countryside. 

We headed out of Edinburgh, and went over the Firth of Fourth, 3 over water bridges running parallel to each other all built in different centuries, all serving a different purpose. 

Our first stop was the Perthshire Visitor Center. We grabbed souvenirs, snacks and took pictures with a friendly Highland Cow. On our 2.5 hour drive to Loch Ness, we paused to take photos at the Pass of Drumochter. After driving through Inverness we arrived at the edge of Loch Ness. There we grabbed lunch and snacks at the Loch Ness Clansman hotel. Everyone then boarded a boat to enjoy a boat tour on Loch Ness with Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises. Upon arriving at the shore of Urquhart Castle, our group parted ways. One group sailed back to the hotel and drove on the bus to the castle. The other group remained at the castle ruins to explore and eat lunch. 

Loch Ness is fed by 8 major rivers.  The temperature of the water in Loch Ness is 5 or 6 degrees Celsius and stays that temperature year round regardless of the season. In 565 AD were  the first recorded sightings of a monster.  In 1933 there were other reported sightings, however there hasn’t been published proof of the monster.  In the early 1990s a sighting was reported with a photograph, which later was proven to be fake. The last reported official sighting was in October 2023.  

On the route to our last main stop from Loch Ness, we drove through multiple towns including Fort Augustus, Fort Williams, and Glencoe. We took a brief stop to visit the Commando Memorial (WWII). While traveling through some majestic landscapes, we passed Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. We took a brief moment to pause and take pictures in the rain at the mountain, Bidean nam Bian. Further down the road, we made our final tour stop in Tyndrum at The Green Welly Stop. There we grabbed dinner and boarded for the last stretch of the journey back to Edinburgh.

During the drive we learned about Scottish culture, history, and other fun facts about the country while viewing the picturesque  hills and Lochs of the Scottish Highlands. Scotland has more than 30,000 lochs with Loch Ness being the largest by volume.  Sheep were scattered across the landscape throughout the tour. There are more than 6.5 million sheep in Scotland which outnumbers Scotland’s human population. During the tour we observed some backpackers which seemed to be behind fenced land.  It was then we learned about the law Scotland has, Right to Roam. The Land Reform Act of 2003 states everyone in Scotland has the right to be on land for recreational purposes and to cross this land for their use. There have been many disputes regarding this which all have ruled against the landowners and favored the “right to roam”.  

At the end of the tour we were dropped off around 8:45pm at St. Andrew’s Square as our original pickup as the roads were closed, due to the Fringe festivities. Our group spilt up for the evening and some retired back to the hotel, some went to Albanach on the Royal Mile. We along with Dr. Donna Lee Sullins went to the St. Giles Cathedral for our first experience of the Edinburgh International Festival: 900 Voices. This showcase is a combination of 100 Voices being interviewed of what belonging and feeling a sense of community means to them living in Edinburgh. Speakers are stationed throughout the Cathedral with different tones and stories playing simultaneously. Listening to this, each attendee will hear and feel something different than the others through the voices. 

Thanks for reading about our journey through the highlands! 

Ashley Fuqua & Dana Keenan