...to Calton Hill, where we watched a Lion Rampart effigy burn...
...and then stood in awe of a beautiful fireworks display.
However, the Up Helly Aa fireworks were soon to be outmatched. Two nights later was the Hogmanay New Year's Eve street party, attended by 100,000 people. Here's a shot down Princes Street, which doesn't even do the crowd justice:
Note the Saltire (Scottish flag) beanie in the foreground. I want one.Then, at the stroke of midnight came Auld Lang Syne (although we didn't really hear it, they were apparently trying to break a world record for biggest crowd singing the song, in honour of Robbie Burns' 250th birthday), and one of the longest and most beautiful fireworks displays I have ever seen. Taking place over the castle, no less:
After Hogmanay and the partying that accompanied it, the rest of my holiday was spent lounging around the house. Classes started on the 12th, and so far I'm enjoying them - both are in postmodernist literature and theory, which is right up my alley. A wee bit of dissertation-induced stress was allayed when I finally picked my topic (I turned in my abstract two days ago, so hopefully whoever they assign as my supervisor will deem it feasible). However, I have still yet to feel the real crunch of schoolwork - and therefore a few weekends ago it was deemed necessary to take advantage of our free time with another daytrip, this time to Durham, England, which fulfills the necessary daytrip criteria of housing both a castle and a cathedral.
Durham Cathedral, built in 1093, is massive and absolutely gorgeous - though apparently also crumbling (as the sandstone wears away) and sinking. The Cathedral houses the remains of St Cuthbert, and the Venerable Bede, whose tomb is shown below:
Though photos inside the church weren't allowed, some friends on the trip get some shots before they were informed of the rule. The photo below only hints at the majesty of the interior:
We came to Durham on a trip organized (poorly) by the International Students Centre, so we were only given a limited time to take a Cathedral tour, as we were told we had to meet across the way at Durham Castle. Upon arrival, however, we were told that the tour was full, and we were to come back in an hour. So, of course, we headed to the pub. Not just any pub, however, but the Shakespeare, apparently the most haunted pub in Britain:
We didn't see any ghosts, though the bartender told us some pretty spooky stories. After a pint, it was time to head back to the Castle for our tour. The Castle is actually part of Durham University - the Castle Keep is a student residence now.
One of the highlights is the Norman Chapel, found in the basement of the castle, and featuring these gorgeous Norman-carved sandstone pillars:
Despite the incompetence of the trip leaders, it was a really nice day - beautiful weather and a good group of Mylne's Court friends. Hopefully we'll get to go back and spend a bit more time there in the future.
The next January highlight was Obama's Inauguration, which we watched at a bar packed full of Americans, and then celebrated later that night with a box of Kraft Dinner, courtesy of Christopher Clark.
As amazing as it was to watch that moment, I think it's been even more exciting to see Obama get down to business in his first week in office, reversing so many of Bush's bad decisions. Obama has a lot of pressure to live up to, but so far so good, I'd say. Plus his daughters are absolutely adorable - wasn't it so cute to see them in the background taking pictures while their dad took the oath?And speaking of North America, I also got a little (ok, miniscule) taste of Canadian weather this month, as we finally had snow that stayed on the ground:
Ok, so it really only stayed on the ground in the hills (this picture is of Arthur's Seat). Temperatures here rarely go below freezing - apparently it's been a mild winter so far. Fine by me!And last but not least, the month was rounded out by not one but three Robbie Burns suppers. The first (and most traditional) was held by the International Office:
They went the whole nine yards tradition-wise. Here, they're piping in the haggis:
We also got to hear the Address to the Haggis, and a Toast to the Lassies, followed by the Lassies' reply. Dinner was the standard haggis, neeps (turnips), and tatties (potatoes). This was my first time eating more than a bite of haggis, and I have to admit that it was pretty delicious. I think the key is not to think too much about what's in it or how it's cooked.
A ceilidh followed - fun, especially because no one knew what they were doing.The next night, Mylne's Court held a Burns Night potluck, and two nights later a friend in residence held his own potluck. So not only have I cooked a lot of mashed potatoes recently, but I've consumed enough haggis to last me until the Rev-O's visit and I make them try it for themselves...
So, overall, 2009 has been good to me so far! February holds more good times in store - Guelph friend Michelle is coming to visit at the end of the month - but also more work, as my dissertation proposal is due at the end of the month. Happy (very) Belated New Year to everyone - I'll keep my fingers crossed that Wiarton Willie doesn't see his shadow tomorrow!
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