day off

The challenge with traveling, especially in Britain being that it is so compact and layered with history, is that there always seems to be something new to experience around the corner. You can go on and on. And it starts to blur. Today is our day off from any scheduled activities. A few choose to head off to Glasgow, an hour and half by train. Lucy has headed for the coast for the day while I sit tight. I want to get to know Edinburgh better as in focusing on quality rather than quantity. I visit the Art Museum with its spectacular collection of Dutch (and some Italian) paintings from 16 hundreds. It features, but is not overshadowed by, a poignant self portrait by Rembrandt. Then a stroll along the Scott Memorial, a short stop at the Writers Museum (featuring RLStevenson, Walter Scott, and Robert Burns), with a half hour bench sitting in Grassmarket Square. We have had a small change in the weather with longer periods of sunshine and for the most part being outside is pleasant. Yesterday, a student and I hiked up Arthur's Seat, a notable Highland formation of craggy rock and scrub, with great views of Edinburgh. I've never experienced stronger winds than that at the top. It was hard to stand upright while at the top. I feared being blown off. We didn't last, but were proud that we had weather it.
We head to Whitby tomorrow, so I will have little access to the Internet until arriving in London on Monday. Here are a few pictures that illustrate some aspects of Edinburgh. First, the hike up Arthur's Seat.

Most of the students are tired. If you compare the workload of this 3 week course to a regular semester than each day of this term is equal to a week of the full semester. Each night they has some reading and writing to do, and we have tried to pace things to allow for some downtime. Occasionally our plans break down as they did yesterday. Our intention to visit Holyrood Palace was superseded by the Queen and then our next couple of arrangements also did not work out. We had a good day together, but it tied us up longer than anticipated. The students have had a few encounters with individuals who are negative about Americans. It's eye-opening to see how others see us. Lucy believes that the US needs better public relations. We are seen by others as a land of excess, but sometimes the cost of all that isn't seen by others.
Students have been in a backpackers hostel which has been noisy. A number have come by to visit us in the flat which is a block away. We are in a really nice area called Grassmarket. Here are some pics.