So, I made it to the Camera Obscura. And it was a lot of fun. There were many touristy toys and fun facts about cameras. Lots of pinhole camera kits and professional results of pinhole cameras in Edinburgh. The tower itself was a lot of fun and gives some wonderful views of the city.

Above is the camera itself, and the view of the royal mile from the camera...which is adjacent to the castle at the top of the mile.

And here I am in the mirror maze. I must admit that I had probably more fun in here than any other adult in the vicinity.

And not only did Patrick Geddes give Edinburgh what is now the Camera Obscura, he also initiated a better quality of life for students, designing the first student housing in the city with a mind toward quality of life. Around the same time, he also designed Ramsey Gardens, flats designed for low-middle class people in the city centre that were nice to live in but also affordable.

Here's the view of Ramsey Gardens from the camera tower, though the front is much nicer looking.

The last couple of days have been wonderfully sunny and warm for Edinburgh, allowing me to do some of my studying in the park. On the main campus, there is a lovely little square turned park called George Square where there is ivy growing everywhere and holly, with big old trees and a real labyrinth in the middle. And a lot of grass. A perfect, meditative place to go and read and process thought.

This is a part of the Meadows, which extend south and west from campus.

I also made it through my first week of classes unscathed. And even learned how to look up cases properly in a law library...replete with British abbreviations for everything. Something else that I enjoy probably more than do most other adults around. But it is fun so far. A lot of reading, but it feels good to be taking in so much knowledge so constantly. Though who knows what I'll think a couple of months in. :)

This week, between books, I am going to venture out into Edinburgh's thrift stores and decorate my apartment. I'm excited to see what I will find, and will be sure to relay photos in my next post. And tomorrow I am going to attend my first Quaker Meeting here, something else that I am very much looking forward to.

Until next time.

hello all! so, today was the first official day of classes. i had planned on writing a post yesterday, but was antsy, and rushing to finish readings ahead of class, and thus decided to put it off until today.

it's been a good week, all told. mostly i attended study initiation/advice sessions and university welcome sessions. very informative, and also a little frightening. for example, a grade of 70% is a good thing. not only good, but excellent. that and the fact that just about the only time i'm going to have off in the next twelve months will be specifically to catch up on reading. resulting, not surprisingly in me thinking more than once, "what am i doning?!"

to be honest though, it is going to be a great year. something that i can say with some confidence having now met my classmates and gotten a look at the work i will be doing here. i am the one and only american in my programme, which leaves me with a lot of exposure to international influences. my professors have a range of expertise and are all eager to reach across traditional barriers and lines of disciplines, something that is going to suit me quite well. and all of my classes are socratic seminars, and not just in theory, which is going to be marvelous. and to top it all off, here is the building in which i will be studying:

the "old college"

(here's a look at the "new college," just for good measure)

law has been taught at the site of the "old college" for over 300 years, and you can feel it in the very ground. it is amazing.

this last weekend, i went to the portobello beach, to explore and relax a bit before i'm buried in books. and it was beautiful. warm for the region, and the sun even came out, a rare and pleasant treat. below is a photo of the rainbow that emerged as i reached the beach, and evidence of my wading (or rather, paddling, as they say here), and the shoreline and town. it's a beautiful place and only about a 30 minute bus ride from the center of edinburgh.

this week begins the long dive into learning that i came to edinburgh for and i think that i am going to treasure those moments when i can climb a hill, or play at the beach. they will be much needed breathers in my study and i'll post details of those adventures as they happen. for now, i am going to focus on readings and, perhaps, visit the camera obscura later in the week. i am ready, nervous, and excited. wish me luck!

Edinburgh

ok. so, here i am folks. in edinburgh, scotland. it seemed fitting to do this today, as it's my birthday and also the day i finalized my registration at the school of law at the university of edinburgh. wow. what a day, and week, it has been. i arrived here on tuesday, the 5th of september, one week ago tomorrow. i stayed in a hostel for a total of four days/nights, found a flat (apartment) and flatmates in no time at all and moved into my very conveniently located flat, right next door to the national library of scotland, the national museum of scotland, and less than one block from the law school. my flatmates are lovely, but more about them later. i've been cleaning, unpacking, and generally rushing around almost non-stop since i got here and today the wind caught up.

one thing to know about edinburgh is that it is always windy. some times are just more windy than others. today was one of those times. the day dawned bright and clear, but by noon the edge of hurricane katia was moving through, with winds ranging from 10 to 50 miles per hour. and silly me, i decided that this was the afternoon to venture out to princes street for a camera battery. but i did it, and now i have a lovely photo of my birthday dinner party:

left to right the others are ami (a new friend going to the u of e for digital design), caroline (my flatmate, from northern ireland and an undergrad at the u of e), fanny (teaching french at hariot-watt university, from france, and also a flatmate), and jasmine (flatmate number 3, going to u of e college of art for illustration, and from taiwan and australia).

soon i will take and post photos of the city (and me in it) and of my school and all the lovely things you all want to see. so far things are good here. the city is beautiful, foggy brick and morning sunshine. i've explored a little and this is without a doubt a city meant for foot traffic, with multiple layers to the city (literally) and interesting and mysterious (and generally safe) little stairs and alleys connecting everything. it is a lovely and friendly place and i can't wait to explore the country.

and just for good measure, here's a look out my window at the street below: