State of Play (ed)

Tonight Claire and I went to our local movie theater, the Cameo. We were excited and anticipating the screening of "State of Play," the new Kevin MacDonald movie (staring Russel Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, so forth). After the movie there would be a live discussion with the director. Lies. Well not exactly lies, it was live, yes, but in Notting Hill. They had a live stream broadcast to Edinburgh and 50 other cities in the U.K. We felt robbed! We were so excited, thinking of questions to ask, speculating whether or not Russel would be there (the director is Scottish, so we assumed he would be there!) Despite the rude shock the movie itself was good.

It's about a journalist, Cal (Russel) and his college friend, Congressman Stephan Collins (Ben!) and the scandal he uncovers linking two seemingly random deaths together. It was written by the same man who wrote the Bourne movies and Kevin MacDonald had previously directed "The Last King of Scotland." It was suspenseful. In the first five minutes you see a man running for his life, encountering cars and motorcycles to escape from his pursuer. You of course do not see who is chasing him or why he is so panicked. I was on the edge of my seat. Literally. The music selection was excellent--conveying the right amounts of tension and as a viewer I was aware of the danger the characters were in. There were several instances of my fingers in my ear trying to steer clear of any unwanted suspense. Then again, I am a chicken. The movie was shot with precision and it was such a disappointment I could not ask the director any questions. The movie had the best recipe for a suspenseful drama. It had tension, drive & motive, plot, twists and was fantastically acted. I approve!

Rebecca's Visit Day One: Hey There Chump!

The Cuz & I on an Edinburgh Bus Tour

After five full days of adventure Rebecca left yesterday afternoon. I have decided to write five separate entries to mark her momentous visit (as there are so many stories that they will overload your brain if you attempt to read them all at once). On Saturday, April 11th, Rebecca was in Scotland and we immediately set out for adventure times.

We ventured to Greyfriar's Churchyard and Rebecca got acquainted with Little Greyfriar's Bobby (the loyal pup who stayed by his master's grave for fourteen years). And since no trip to Edinburgh is complete without a trip to OINK, we ate pig. It was yummy as always. We meandered the Royal Mile. We rubbed David Hume's toe (his toe has been worn away because for good luck you rub his toe!) and we spat on the Mid-Lothian heart (another thing for luck). We looked inside St. Gile's Cathedral. You had to pay for entrance as well as permission for taking photos. But Rebecca and I decided we were Chinese tourists who spoke no English. But, we were fine! It was a stunning Cathedral. The flying buttresses were my personal favorite.

Greyfrair's Churchyard!

St. Giles Cathedral

Awesome Carvings

Rebecca got to taste the goodness that is Chocolate Soup. We went on a tour bus around Edinburgh. We were FROZEN on that bus. She saw everything Edinburgh had to offer in one sitting! Once we got off the bus, we went to the Edinburgh Dungeon.

The Edinburgh Dungeon was hilarious and fun. It is basically a theme park attraction where they have set up different scenarios so you get a sense of what creepy/haunted Edinburgh was like. They had a torturer, a cannibal, the famous Burke & Hare murders, and so forth. The line was intense and once we got our photo taken of Rebecca be-heading me, I went to bathroom as Rebecca paid. I came back and Rebecca was clutching a glossed program booklet. I questioned the booklet and she just said they handed it to her. I asked to see how much admission was and she handed over the receipt, the booklet was £4.50! I could not control my laughter. They saw Rebecca and decided she was a chump and charged her for the booklet! They sniffed her and declared, "suckkaaaa!" She had no idea, she thought it was a perk from admission! Ahaha.

The whole lot of us got shuffled into this room as a man in robes descended upon us. He bellowed he was the Fairiest Judge in all these parts and that we were there to stand trial. He called on one girl in the auidence and she stood up shaking. She was so nervous and scared that she couldn't even talk. The Judge asked her name and he was met with silence. He then moved on angrily and accused a man of being a cross dresser. We were ushered into the torture chamber where there were skeletons sprawled all over and various mean looking instruments. He called one man, "Hey, you, Furry balls, come sit here." He proceeded to "torture" the man by pulling his tongue out. It was interesting...

We went to the next room which was for cannibals. Being the wise one that I am, I declared to Rebecca, let's stand in the front, because people in the back are always hiding and they're the ones that are usually called on. I looked around and everything was creepy, there were half eaten bodies and in the background through a screen you see people stabbing a man and gnawing on his flesh. When the cannibal looked around she shouted, "You!" I turn to the girl to the right of me. And the the cannibal shouts, "DON'T LOOK AT HER! I want YOU." I pointed to my chest and she nodded vigorously. She asked me in a creepy, eye-bulging way what my name was. When I told her she told me, "You have beautiful eyes, Alex." I said, "why, thank you." The cannibal chucked her head to the side and asked, "Can I have them?" I said, "Uh, no, I like them. I need them for myself." Then in a soft whisper she said, "You only need one..." And she shouted, "Mummmmmmmmyy, I want her eyes. They look so tasty." At that point a body falls from the ceiling, intestines and all exposed. It was a poor replica, but it was jarring! So much for that plan of being invisible when in the front.

Afterwards we got to go on a river "cruise." We were completely emerged in darkness. We sat huddled expecting something to attack us. And there were recordings playing of little children going, "let's flip the boat..." Creepy. We were in the darkness for a good two minutes when people started to scream. Rebecca to my right was jumping, and the woman to my left yelped. I sat there completely calm. I did not know why we were screaming. I was asking, "WHAT?! What happened!?" We were still in the dark...Rebecca told me that something came down on us from the ceiling. Well, I missed that one. So there I was, sitting in a boat full of screaming people not understanding what the hell was going on. Funny.

Another exhibit was when a man brought us into dimly lit hallway. He broke the group into two different lines. I was the start of the second line, exposed. I was expecting something to grab my ankles or attack me! I was staring around like mad. But my focus was on the man in the middle of the hallway that I completely ignored my backside. He disappeared as the ghost of the girl came down from above and he appeared out of NO WHERE to my back. It was startling!!

They had a new addition to the Dungeons, a ride that was a free drop. I could not handle it. So I asked the lady where the exit was and she directed me to go at the end of the hallway and turn right. I ended up in the hall of mirrors, except I did not know that until I nearly walked into my own reflection. Luckily, someone was kind enough to guide me out. As I waited in the reception area for Rebecca a guy comes up to me and goes, "What happened in there? Chickened out?" I was like, "I don't like heights..." Oh dear.

It was a lovely first day full of excitement! Now for the second full day....

Rebecca's Visit Day Two: Climbing The Seat!

The Cuz & I at the top of Arthur's Seat!

Rebecca's second day fell on Easter Sunday. We thought that Edinburgh would be crippled by the Easter practices, but that was not the case (except for the number 15 bus!) Edinburgh was bustling with tourists from all over. Our original plan was to go to Rosslyn Chapel in the morning. We waited an hour for a bus 15 that never came. Defeated we decided to explore the castle and meander.

We stopped by at the Elephant House (where J.K. first wrote Harry Potter). The castle was too crowded so looked at the grounds without paying. We walked along the Princes Street Gardens, which was lovely. We stopped to listen to the 1:00 cannon, but on Easter it was suspended. We window shopped along the Royal Mile and went for lunch at authentic Scottish food, Howies. Rebecca got Cullen Skink (a creamy fish soup with potatoes and bacon. Though I HATE seafood, I must admit, it is divine) and I got haggis spring rolls. It was interesting to say the least. It was very tasty but I would never have thought of it. It was haggis stuffed into spring roll shells and pan fried with a marmalade tangy sauce. It was tasty though!

Princes Street Gardens

We met with Semeli and made our way down the Royal Mile to the base of Arthur's Seat. We paused at the Museum of Childhood. Never again. It was chock full of creepy porcelain dolls and other dolls that stared into your soul. I did not approve. We walked past the unique Parliament building and started the climb. Oh and climb we did. I took some photos of the ruins. Rebecca and I were snailing behind Semeli. Semeli was a Arthur's Seat expert. We were taking breaks every twelve feet! We passed one particularly nasty uphill bend when I heard some Spanish tourists behind me. The girl had stopped her entire party, swung her head around taking in the rest of the climb as she uttered, "AY DIOS MIOS!" and continued upward. It was HILARIOUS. I cracked up. Rebecca's lung capacity was failing, breaks were necessary. She became huffy puffy. We inched our way to the top. When we finally reached the seat, it was well worth the exhausting climb. As soon as we did reach the top I threw my hands up in the air and yelled, "YATTA!" Some of the seat was trickier than others. At the very top, there was no real path, so you had to scale the rocks. It was beautiful. So HAH, Dad! I climbed the seat!

St. Anthony's Chapel
One of the lakes
Making our way up to the seat
A view of Leith
The climb to the very top!The Meadows!
A Stunning View
Us
All Smiles

For Easter Dinner I roasted a chicken and made garlic mashed potatoes. It was divine. A excellent meal! Rebecca was pleasantly surprised, as it was the first time she ate my cooking. Sara made an apple crumble and we played our favorite game. Semeli once again outdid herself and impersonated a pumpkin in a very unique way. Though it started out in a Chew fiasco the day was salvaged due to Semeli's helping hand on Arthur's Seat and the rewarding views it offered.

"YATTA!"

At the TOP!

Semeli's HILARIOUS pumpkin impersonation among other things!

Rebecca's Visit Day Three: HOGWARTS!

The Main Gate!

For the longest time I was puzzled why I could not find Alnwick Castle in any of my Scottish guide books. I mean that was where they filmed the first two Harry Potter movies, it was Hogwarts! How could they not write about that in any Scotland guide book? Well, it was obvious. Alnwick Castle is not in Scotland, it is in England. Duh. Semeli, Rebecca & I went to venture to England for a day!

The third day of Rebecca's visit was full of AWESOME surprises and good times. We woke up especially early and made our way to Waverely station to catch a train to Alnmouth. It was only an hour away. After we crossed a bridge we were in England, Northcumberland to be exact! As the train rode by we saw so many cute lambs!

We pulled into Alnmouth and we had to take a bus to Alnwick. At one stop on the bus there were A LOT of people getting off the bus. So I asked one lady if it was for the castle but a girl giggled and said, "oh no the castle is the next stop." She then turned to her friend and scoffed, "tourists." Putting a lot of belief in strangers, we got off the next stop. Castle my butt. There was NO castle, anywhere. She lied purposely. She was a bitch. I was ready for a fight! I was that angry. How dare anyone steer me wrong of Hogwarts! We were on a deserted strip of a tiny town. There was a woman across the street so we decided we would ask directions. But as soon as we crossed to be on the same side of the street as she was...she crossed to our original side. It was pretty awkward looking as the three of us re-crossed to our original side. The woman was pleasant though and led us to town. I asked her a silly question, "so, are we still in Scotland?" and she replied, "oh no dear, you're in England now." We grabbed a quick bite to eat and looked around the town square.

We found the tourist information and discovered where the castle was. We were buying the tickets as I asked for two concessions and an adult. The elderly gentlemen pushed his glasses down and said to Rebecca, "You look like a student, how about three student concessions? We can't just leave you out!" He was the sweetest and funniest British man. When we entered the grounds, I nearly died of happiness. We went to the Dragon quest section designed for children (and big kids too!) Now get this. We did COSPLAY! We dressed up as KNIGHTS! It was the best thing EVER! They had little activity displays. You could pose in a suit of armor and slay a dragon, get knighted, loose your head, practice your crossbow skills. It was beyond awesome. I was on such a high. Pure and utter GLEE. It was AWESOME. I cannot properly express how much fun it was. Semeli was dressed as a crusader, Rebecca a knight and I was Harry Hotspur (a knight that was so awesome, he got his own statue in the courtyard). We were grinning from ear to ear.

AHAHA

The Knights!slaying the dragon!being knighted!off with my head?!

We made our way to the tour. We were on the path where Harry, Ron & Hermione confront Hagrid about Fluffy (in the 1st movie). The tour guide asks the audience, "so who can tell me what the name of the three-headed dog is?" Polite little children rose their hands waiting patiently to be called on when I was possessed by Harry Potter knowledge and yelled out (without hesitation), "FLUFFY!" Everyone giggled. Then the tour guide gave out a chocolate egg, but a man said, "but she was not the one who got it." The tour guide, puzzled asked who had gotten it right and the guy said, "she did." Everyone's glare was on me. And I stuttered, "prematurely..." and I got a free chocolate egg! The tour guide pointed out where the beginning of the Forbidden Forest was and how in the second movie that the cars really flew. The tour brought us to where Madam Hooch taught them how to fly, where Neville broke his wrist, where Harry caught the rememberall & where Oliver Wood taught him qudditch for the first time. As we entered I immediately spotted everything. I knew where Professor Mcgonagall's office was and which field was used for what! The tour guide asked the little children where flying lessons were held (there was a sign on the right side of the field saying, "FLYING LESSONS) so all the children ran to it, as I whispered to Semeli, "it's the left side." She called the children back and told them it was actually the left side. HA. I knew so much, I could have given the tour.

The path where Harry, Ron, & Hermione confront Hagrid

The beginning of the Forbidden Forest!

Professor McGonagall's Office & where Harry flew to catch the Rememberall

Where Neville fell and broke his wristFlying Lessons

Later we wandered the grounds and went to the State Rooms. The corridor in that section of the castle was where the lantern of Hogwarts was (the ever-lasting blue flame of Hogwarts representing the life of the school) and where Hermione runs away crying after Professor Flitwick's class (when Ron insults her!) It was AWESOME!

The LionSemeli the dinosaur

The ever-lasting flame lantern & the corridorThe Corridor!

Then we came across an owl because they had a birds of prey exhibit. It was adorable! After the castle we went to the Alnwick gardens that boasts 3000 different roses. Except the roses were not in bloom, it was disappointing. But the garden was lovely as well!

Willow the owl!The Garden Fox!

We nearly missed the bus to the train. Luckily we caught it (it came once every hour) and on the train ride back we did riddles. It took Semeli and I 45 minutes to solve one riddle. It took Sara only two minutes. We ate some yummy dinner at The Apartment, a belated birthday dinner.

Rebecca's Visit Day Four: Hey There Highlands!

Loch Ness

On Tuesday, we woke up super early. I woke up at 6:22 to get picked up from Rebecca's hotel (which was a two minute walk from my dorm). We sat on a bus for hours! I had my camera in my hand the entire time because I did not want to miss a thing (except for those five minute naps I took periodically because my eyes refused to stay open). We made a pit stop in the town of Callander where I met Hamish, the Highland cow! He was adorable. I was also obsessed with taking photos of lambs, but alas did not get a good one.

Hey there Hamish!

LAMB!

We drove through the Highlands. It was absolutely stunning. The plains, lochs, mountains looked all so peaceful and were breath-taking. We stopped by the three sisters of Glen Coe (where the 1682 massacre of the MacDonald clan happened), drove by the Doune castle (where the Monty Python's Holy Grail was filmed), the Ballachulish (the most deserted area in all of Europe), as well as Ben Nevis (the tallest mountain in Scotland!) Everything was just nature at its best. I can't really describe the beauty, so i'll let the pictures do most of the work.

Railway

Stunning
=)
The Ballachulish
Rebecca & I at the three sisters of Glen Coe
BEN NEVIS!

We had driven nearly six hours or more by the time we reached Loch Ness. We stopped at Fort Augustus to take a Loch Ness cruise. We ate at a genuine chippy. The woman behind the counter was this elderly little old lady who was very generous with her salt and vinegar squeezing. I saw a Chinese man wearing a kilt. I was surprised to say the least, but it was AWESOME.

KILT!

On the cruise it was windy but provided wonderful views of the loch. Unfortunately there were no Nessie sightings, shucks. There were a billion Chinese student tourists that were incredibly loud and inconsiderate. They were blocking the stairs and being uproariously loud. It was crazy that I understood about 60% of everything they were saying, oh dramas. The cruise took you twenty minutes or so down the loch and you swung around. It was extremely peaceful (despite the loud Chinese) to be surrounded by mountains, trees and Nessie's spirit!

Loch Ness Tour!
Where's Nessie?There's Nessie!

We were very lucky. The weather cooperated with us. We got nothing but sunny skies and blue fluffy clouds! We went further North, made a pit stop at Urquhart Castle and drove through Inverness (the capital of the Highlands). Our final stop was at Pitlochary, which was completely deserted by the time we got there. Everything was closed. On the drive back I saw five pheasants as well as three bunnies. Oh nature! We drove and saw the Forth Rail bridge on our way back to Edinburgh.

Urquhart Castle
Pretty weather!
Forth Rail Bridge

It was a epic day. My camera was attached to my hand, always ready for photo opportunities. But there were times where I was not quick enough. Oh well!!

Rebecca's Visit Day Five: Rosslyn & Gandalf!

Rosslyn Chapel

It was Rebecca's last day in Edinburgh. Since we did not get a chance to go to Rosslyn, we went yesterday. We (finally) caught the 15 bus and rode a half hour to Rosslyn. The chapel itself was not exactly impressive (there was an umbrella hanging from its roof to protect it from the rain as well as scaffolding running along side). What was impressive was the carvings in every single surface of the interior. Each one told a story. It was amazing. Everything was intricately carved that it just showed the effort put into creating these masterpieces. It was breathtaking.

The front of the Chapel with the umbrella roof
Buttress!

See the face within the wing?

After Rosslyn we ventured to Princes street where Rebecca did her shopping. I bought a sheep, Tuppens (who went home with Rebecca). He was the softest thing ever. We ate lunch at a pub--having mince meat & chicken curry pies. Rebecca even got her half-pint from the tap! We trekked back to my dorm and packed and chilled before she had to go for her flight. It was wonderful having my cousin come to Edinburgh! Thank you so much cuz for spending the time with me! As well as taking me to many different things I had yet to experience in Scotland! =)

After Rebecca left, Sara, Claire, Semeli & I made our way to go see Waiting for Godot a play by Samuel Beckett, staring Sir Ian McKellen & Patrick Stewart (GANDALF & PICARD!) The play itself was pretty boring. Wonderfully acted (of course) but quite slow. It was not as intense as I thought it was going to be. It was witty & the character portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen was hilarity itself. Afterwards we rushed out (we were the first out of the theater) and waited patiently for their autographs! It was hilarious because all of them had never waited for autographs before. I told them that I was from New York, "I got this." If anyone dared to skip us, i'd knife them! But it is very different from New York, people queued up patiently, no pushing involved. I was impressed. Patrick Stewart was wearing a baseball cap as well as a hefty beard...so I did not recognize him and he nearly walked by me! Luckily I stopped him and got his autograph!! Then one cast member came out and when I complimented his performance he was sincerely touched. He kept on repeating thank you, thank you. I guess not many people paid attention to him. Finally, Sir Ian came out. I nearly died of happiness (I know Claire did!) I got him to sign my playbill and take photos of him! We went home happy.

Ahaa

Semeli, Sara, & Claire waiting

SIR IAN MCKELLEN!