Dollar, Drummond Castle, and Loch Katrine

I signed up for an International Students trip to Dollar Glen and Drummond Castle Gardens. Below are the shenanigans that followed.

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The train bridge over the River Forth. The bridge used to need to be painted constantly- it was so long that once the workers finished painting, they had to start over again, hence the phrase "it's like painting the Forth Bridge." I've never heard that phrase before, so it doesn't matter.

We were heading to Castle Campbell in Dollar Glen. We took a hiking trail through Dollar Glen. It was entirely uphill and took about a half an hour, thereby exposing my extreme out-of-shape-ness.

Iris at Castle Campbell

You've never seen me so happy to be at a castle. Really...except maybe in this photo:




Iris at Castle Campbell (again)

Campbell Castle was formerly known as "Castle Gloom" (situated between the River Sorrow and the River Care. I'm not kidding), until one of the Dukes of Argyll took over and had it renamed to Castle Campbell.

The view of the town of Dollar (where our hike began) from atop the castle tower

The courtyard from atop the tower

The intact tower with the crumbling main hall in the foreground

Arsty. Very.

The castle has a very small garden, much smaller than in the castle's heyday.

Castle Campbell again, on our way back to the bus.

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Drummond Castle was next on our list. It features a symmetrical garden that was popular at some time in Italy.

Drummond Castle Gardens

The garden focused in the center a sun dial which supposedly tells the times of different capital cities. Really, it just looked like a bunch of protruding nails and metal shards, to me:




Drummond's "Sun Dial"

And then someone pointed out the obvious futility of having a sun dial in Scotland. Maybe a rain dial.

When the owners of Drummond Castle no longer saw a need for a fortress, they built a manorhouse right next to it:




Drummond Castle on the left, the manor house on the right.

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Next we went to Loch Katrine (made popular in the poem "Lady of the Lake" by Sir William Scott), but it began raining (surprised?) pretty heavily, so there's no photos.

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Out of 40-some foreigners, I was the only American- which seems to be a common trend, leading me to the hypothesis that there are no Scottish people or Americans in Edinburgh.

Going Home

On a regular basis I find myself laughing hysterically in the middle of the street (or, at least, in my head). I can't exactly believe that this is a place where I live. Below are some photos of scenes I pass everyday.

Here's a small map of a typical route home from the bus.

My bus stop, with something suspicious lingering in the background...

A short walk along the Princes Street Gardens.

The view down Princes St. Serious shopping. If I photographed it at another time/day, it'd be quite filled with people.

A turn down Lothian Road, little stores, medium-sized grocery stores.

An ooooold cemetary on the corner of Lothian and Princes Sts.

The castle peeks through, along Fountainbridge.

Almost home...lol.

My apartment building.

Weather

It has rained all but one of the days I've been here. It has been in the mid-50s everyday. I wish I brought my hiking boots. This will soon be remedied.

Intarweb

I do not have an internet connection in my flat, and do not plan on having it. Instead of spending £25 on the initial connection (plus £4 per week), I bought a 2GB flash drive for £25 so I can upload stuff at work. Now if only I could ping dunx1!

Activity

I'm trying desperately not to take a nap. My schedule is completely funky.

Harris (the kid whose room I have taken over) has been incredibly nice to me. Yesterday, when I arrived, he showed me around the building. 'Told me where the laundry place is, the downstairs lounge, etc. He has lent me use of his extra cell phone (since my Turkish phone is questionable), given me his leftover spices and tea, and has lent me his bicycle. Of course, I'd have to be nearly insane to bike in a town I barely know, but we'll see. Today Harris showed me the whole town, lent me 10£ so I could buy a UK Sim Card, introduced me to his friends, showed me where the Edinburgh College of Art's (ECA's) graduating senior exhibit is, and so on.

I think I may slowly begin to understand where things are located.

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And now, a small tour of my flat. Excuse the filthiness. I live with two guys, and I really don't care to clean up after them.

My splendid bedroom

Hallway of bedroom doors

The fabulous kitchen

The amazing common room. Well. Not so amazing.

Surreal

That's what I woke up to this morning, at the foot of my bed.

There's something about being in a place you never thought to be that makes daily life surreal.