Boyfriend, full day bus tour & laboratory classes
Door: Samantha de Bruijn
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Samantha
06 November 2010 | Verenigd Koninkrijk, Glasgow
Finally the day (October 16) arrived that I could pick up Guy from the airport. It is quite easy to get to Glasgow International Airport. There is a direct bus (service 500) that departs every 10 minutes from Buchanan Bus station and the airport. You can also get on/off the bus at George Square, Central (train) Station and Queen Street (train) Station. When the bus arrived at the airport I saw two policemen in uniform carrying a big machine gun each. I had never seen such things before. They also came walking in into the arrival area. Although I had nothing to hide, it made me feel quite uncomfortable. I don't think the outcome would have been positive for me if they had attached me to a lie detector at that direct moment, because of my heart beat.
Finally, after half an hour or so, I saw Guy coming trough the doors. I don't need to tell you that I was happy seeing him again. To welcome him to Scotland I brought him some scones and a bottle of Irn-Bru (orange energy drink, even more popular than Coca-Cola in Scotland).
The parents of Leoni and Mathilde (and her brother) had arrived that Friday. Leoni, her parents, Guy and I went to Molly Malone that evening. It is an Irish pub (in Scotland, I know) right in the (shopping) city centre of Glasgow. On Friday and Saturday evenings they have live music. If you are ever in Glasgow during the weekend, I can really recommend it (for the guys: they also have large television screens with live Football. For the girls: they serve hot chocolate).
The Sunday morning started off quite early for all nine of us. We took a cab to George Square where the tourist office is and where we would meet the others. We were going on a full day bus tour to Stirling, Loch Lomond and the Glengoyne Distillery, organized by Rabbies! We were really looking forward to it. Guy's birthday was the 1st of October and I had of course not been able to give him a present that day myself, so I thought it would be good idea to give him this bus tour instead while he was here.
At about a quarter to nine a small van stopped at the tourist office. It had only seats for 16 people (excluding the driver) and the driver was also our guide during the times we were in the bus/van. With the nine of us, the van was already quite full. There was a good atmosphere in the van and the coach driver/guide was really great. He told us lots of nice things about the area we were in, sight-seeing things and (some history of) Scotland, usually mixed with a lot of humour.
The first stop was at Stirling Castle where we could have a look around for 1.5 hours. When we arrived we were just in time for a guided tour that took about half an hour. After the tour Guy wanted to have a look in the museum that was located right next to Stirling Castle. It was about two Highland divisions of the Scottish army. After that there was just enough time left to have a look in the castle shop and buy some postcards. It was very windy, misty and cold on top of the hill were Stirling Castle is located, so we didn't mind going back into the warm van again.
Since no-one should leave Scotland without having seen some highland cows, we stopped on the way to Loch Lomond to take a few pictures. They are so cute! They are very hairy, have a fringe all over their eyes and never seem to stop looking a bit lame.
When we arrived at Loch Lomond it started raining. I find it hard to say whether Loch Lomond is a beautiful place to visit, because we couldn't see anything besides a lot of mist. Well, we could distinguish a few little islands on which people still actually live. Also, the mist and clouds gave it a spooky and romantic look.
You remember the song? “Ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road …. on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Looooomond” Well, there actually is a high road and a low road on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond! The driver/guide gave us the choice, but it was raining and we couldn't see far, so we choose the low road so we might be able see at least something of the loch.
After having sang the song over and over again we headed towards Glasgow again, but not before we had a look at the castle where the Monty Python crew ran up the hill on hobby horses while slamming coconut shells together to create the sound of horse hoofs and where they threw cows off the castle wall. We have not actually been into the castle, but we just had a look at it from the outside.
After that we jumped into the van again and raced towards Glasgow in order to get a taste of the water of life ('whisky' for ordinary people). Our stop was at the Glengoyne Distillery just outside Glasgow. Guy had already been there with his parents, but that didn't stop him from having two tastings of whisky (while the rest of us were quite happy with one), haha. Once we entered the reception/welcome room we were immediately offered a glass of whisky. After giving it a try, I can now say pretty sure that I prefer the smell over the taste of it. Guy didn't mind that of course and while watching an introduction movie about the distillery, he had all the time to finish mine as well.
After having raised the amount of alcohol in our blood, a guide from the distillery took us for a tour. Our driver/guide didn't come with us. Something to do with alcohol and driving he said, haha. The tour was quite nice. They showed us around in the distillery and told us some history and facts about whisky as well. Did you know that the kind of wood used to make the barrels that will allow the whisky to age influences the taste of the whisky? Even the amount of times that the barrel has been used or the environment is it in (next to a lot of stinky sheep?) matters!
This time it was really time to go back to Glasgow. We were a bit tired after all the sight-seeing and information we had been told. Despite of this and the fact that the weather could have been better, we had an absolutely wonderful day.
Since we arrived in Glasgow about tea time (dinner) and we were getting hungry, we were looking for a restaurant to eat. The driver/guide had recommended us Jamie Oliver's Kitchen which is located at George Square, although he had never been there himself. Luckily, they had place for nine people if we didn't mind waiting for half an hour. Mathilde, Guy and I had ordered a hamburger. It was big! It was almost impossible to eat following the etiquette of eating in a restaurant. Fortunately, we all managed to do so very well and enjoyed our dinner. While Mathilde was going along with her parents and brother to their hotel for a while after dinner, Leoni, Guy and I walked back home. In the rain. Not because we didn't want to take a cab, but because we were on a 'mission'. At half past 10 on Sunday evening we realized that we didn't have any eggs and milk to make cupcakes for Mathilde's birthday the next day! In the Netherlands (well, at least in Nijmegen and Middelburg) it would have been too bad for Mathilde, because the only stores that are open on Sundays will have closed by 5 o'clock. But not in Glasgow! We found a 24/7 Tesco store where we got everything we needed and on our way back home we came across at least another four stores that were open on Sunday evening! I don't think it's a bad idea to introduce that in the Netherlands as well. You usually don't realize you need something until it's 2 minutes past 5.
When we finally got back Mathilde was already back in Firhill Court, but I was able to sneak away and go to the kitchen of Esther and Melanie (C11, also in Firhill Court) where I have been making cupcakes until 11pm. It had been a long day, so I was glad I could finally go to sleep.
But not for too long! The next morning Leoni, Guy and I walked into Mathilde's bedroom (while singing of course) with balloons, presents and lots of cupcakes. Including little candles. Too bad we didn't have a lighter... Leoni and I had bought her a highland cow cuddly toy and together with the friends we have made so far, we gave her a Waterstone's voucher (big, big bookshop. I can highly recommend it.).
Once at university, the day started with a lecture. The two subjects we have lectures of at the moment are 'proteins' where we learn about the structure, shape, folding and properties of proteins and 'membranes and filaments' where we learn about how cells are constructed. That day was also the first day of our proteins lab. It is quite interesting actually. In the Netherlands I usually had one whole day of labs a week or two afternoons. Now we have one hour of lecture in the morning and the rest of the day we can be found in our white (well, mine is not so white any more after two years) lab coats at the 8th floor of the Boyd Orr building. We are also using lots of different techniques. We have been working with affinity columns for example (protein of interest should bind to the column, so you can separate it from the rest), we have made our own SDS-PAGE gels (gel that is connected to a high voltage and will therefore allow your sample to separate on size), made Western-blots and did protein staining (ways to see if you have any protein and help estimate the size of it).
After this day of hard work, the parents of Mathilde took us all (except for the brother of Mathilde, his flight had departed that morning) out for dinner at the Pizza Express in the city centre to celebrate the 21st birthday of Matilde. Guy had enjoyed himself at the Black Watch museum in Perth (about the Scottish/ Highland army). We said goodbye to the parents of Mathilde after the dinner, because they would drive back to the Netherlands the next morning.
Another update will follow soon!
Love, Samantha
-------------------------------
Photos: http://s1046.photobucket.com/home/MathildeCastelijns/allalbums
Molly Malone pub: http://www.malonesglasgow.co.uk/
Rabbies tour: http://www.rabbies.com/glasgow_tour_pages/loch_lomond_stirling_1day_g_tour.asp?lng=en
Stirling Castle: http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/
Doune Castle: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_092&PropName=Doune%20Castle
Highland Cow: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cow_highland_cattle.jpg or http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbm55/galleries/72157622439045259#photo_544178614 or just google 'Highland Cow'
Waterstone's bookshop: http://www.waterstones.com/
Finally, after half an hour or so, I saw Guy coming trough the doors. I don't need to tell you that I was happy seeing him again. To welcome him to Scotland I brought him some scones and a bottle of Irn-Bru (orange energy drink, even more popular than Coca-Cola in Scotland).
The parents of Leoni and Mathilde (and her brother) had arrived that Friday. Leoni, her parents, Guy and I went to Molly Malone that evening. It is an Irish pub (in Scotland, I know) right in the (shopping) city centre of Glasgow. On Friday and Saturday evenings they have live music. If you are ever in Glasgow during the weekend, I can really recommend it (for the guys: they also have large television screens with live Football. For the girls: they serve hot chocolate).
The Sunday morning started off quite early for all nine of us. We took a cab to George Square where the tourist office is and where we would meet the others. We were going on a full day bus tour to Stirling, Loch Lomond and the Glengoyne Distillery, organized by Rabbies! We were really looking forward to it. Guy's birthday was the 1st of October and I had of course not been able to give him a present that day myself, so I thought it would be good idea to give him this bus tour instead while he was here.
At about a quarter to nine a small van stopped at the tourist office. It had only seats for 16 people (excluding the driver) and the driver was also our guide during the times we were in the bus/van. With the nine of us, the van was already quite full. There was a good atmosphere in the van and the coach driver/guide was really great. He told us lots of nice things about the area we were in, sight-seeing things and (some history of) Scotland, usually mixed with a lot of humour.
The first stop was at Stirling Castle where we could have a look around for 1.5 hours. When we arrived we were just in time for a guided tour that took about half an hour. After the tour Guy wanted to have a look in the museum that was located right next to Stirling Castle. It was about two Highland divisions of the Scottish army. After that there was just enough time left to have a look in the castle shop and buy some postcards. It was very windy, misty and cold on top of the hill were Stirling Castle is located, so we didn't mind going back into the warm van again.
Since no-one should leave Scotland without having seen some highland cows, we stopped on the way to Loch Lomond to take a few pictures. They are so cute! They are very hairy, have a fringe all over their eyes and never seem to stop looking a bit lame.
When we arrived at Loch Lomond it started raining. I find it hard to say whether Loch Lomond is a beautiful place to visit, because we couldn't see anything besides a lot of mist. Well, we could distinguish a few little islands on which people still actually live. Also, the mist and clouds gave it a spooky and romantic look.
You remember the song? “Ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road …. on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Looooomond” Well, there actually is a high road and a low road on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond! The driver/guide gave us the choice, but it was raining and we couldn't see far, so we choose the low road so we might be able see at least something of the loch.
After having sang the song over and over again we headed towards Glasgow again, but not before we had a look at the castle where the Monty Python crew ran up the hill on hobby horses while slamming coconut shells together to create the sound of horse hoofs and where they threw cows off the castle wall. We have not actually been into the castle, but we just had a look at it from the outside.
After that we jumped into the van again and raced towards Glasgow in order to get a taste of the water of life ('whisky' for ordinary people). Our stop was at the Glengoyne Distillery just outside Glasgow. Guy had already been there with his parents, but that didn't stop him from having two tastings of whisky (while the rest of us were quite happy with one), haha. Once we entered the reception/welcome room we were immediately offered a glass of whisky. After giving it a try, I can now say pretty sure that I prefer the smell over the taste of it. Guy didn't mind that of course and while watching an introduction movie about the distillery, he had all the time to finish mine as well.
After having raised the amount of alcohol in our blood, a guide from the distillery took us for a tour. Our driver/guide didn't come with us. Something to do with alcohol and driving he said, haha. The tour was quite nice. They showed us around in the distillery and told us some history and facts about whisky as well. Did you know that the kind of wood used to make the barrels that will allow the whisky to age influences the taste of the whisky? Even the amount of times that the barrel has been used or the environment is it in (next to a lot of stinky sheep?) matters!
This time it was really time to go back to Glasgow. We were a bit tired after all the sight-seeing and information we had been told. Despite of this and the fact that the weather could have been better, we had an absolutely wonderful day.
Since we arrived in Glasgow about tea time (dinner) and we were getting hungry, we were looking for a restaurant to eat. The driver/guide had recommended us Jamie Oliver's Kitchen which is located at George Square, although he had never been there himself. Luckily, they had place for nine people if we didn't mind waiting for half an hour. Mathilde, Guy and I had ordered a hamburger. It was big! It was almost impossible to eat following the etiquette of eating in a restaurant. Fortunately, we all managed to do so very well and enjoyed our dinner. While Mathilde was going along with her parents and brother to their hotel for a while after dinner, Leoni, Guy and I walked back home. In the rain. Not because we didn't want to take a cab, but because we were on a 'mission'. At half past 10 on Sunday evening we realized that we didn't have any eggs and milk to make cupcakes for Mathilde's birthday the next day! In the Netherlands (well, at least in Nijmegen and Middelburg) it would have been too bad for Mathilde, because the only stores that are open on Sundays will have closed by 5 o'clock. But not in Glasgow! We found a 24/7 Tesco store where we got everything we needed and on our way back home we came across at least another four stores that were open on Sunday evening! I don't think it's a bad idea to introduce that in the Netherlands as well. You usually don't realize you need something until it's 2 minutes past 5.
When we finally got back Mathilde was already back in Firhill Court, but I was able to sneak away and go to the kitchen of Esther and Melanie (C11, also in Firhill Court) where I have been making cupcakes until 11pm. It had been a long day, so I was glad I could finally go to sleep.
But not for too long! The next morning Leoni, Guy and I walked into Mathilde's bedroom (while singing of course) with balloons, presents and lots of cupcakes. Including little candles. Too bad we didn't have a lighter... Leoni and I had bought her a highland cow cuddly toy and together with the friends we have made so far, we gave her a Waterstone's voucher (big, big bookshop. I can highly recommend it.).
Once at university, the day started with a lecture. The two subjects we have lectures of at the moment are 'proteins' where we learn about the structure, shape, folding and properties of proteins and 'membranes and filaments' where we learn about how cells are constructed. That day was also the first day of our proteins lab. It is quite interesting actually. In the Netherlands I usually had one whole day of labs a week or two afternoons. Now we have one hour of lecture in the morning and the rest of the day we can be found in our white (well, mine is not so white any more after two years) lab coats at the 8th floor of the Boyd Orr building. We are also using lots of different techniques. We have been working with affinity columns for example (protein of interest should bind to the column, so you can separate it from the rest), we have made our own SDS-PAGE gels (gel that is connected to a high voltage and will therefore allow your sample to separate on size), made Western-blots and did protein staining (ways to see if you have any protein and help estimate the size of it).
After this day of hard work, the parents of Mathilde took us all (except for the brother of Mathilde, his flight had departed that morning) out for dinner at the Pizza Express in the city centre to celebrate the 21st birthday of Matilde. Guy had enjoyed himself at the Black Watch museum in Perth (about the Scottish/ Highland army). We said goodbye to the parents of Mathilde after the dinner, because they would drive back to the Netherlands the next morning.
Another update will follow soon!
Love, Samantha
-------------------------------
Photos: http://s1046.photobucket.com/home/MathildeCastelijns/allalbums
Molly Malone pub: http://www.malonesglasgow.co.uk/
Rabbies tour: http://www.rabbies.com/glasgow_tour_pages/loch_lomond_stirling_1day_g_tour.asp?lng=en
Stirling Castle: http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/
Doune Castle: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_092&PropName=Doune%20Castle
Highland Cow: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cow_highland_cattle.jpg or http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbm55/galleries/72157622439045259#photo_544178614 or just google 'Highland Cow'
Waterstone's bookshop: http://www.waterstones.com/
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
