Thoughts of the Student Wanderer

In Case Anyone is Listening

2010-11-20T20:16:00.002-07:00

I am sorry to say that I am closing this blog down. Some of the blogs have been saved elsewhere but I will be closing this blog by the end of the month.

The good news is I am starting another one. The focus of that blog will change and is going to represent my change in focus along with several new ideas thrown in. Hopefully it will also be updated more. Feel free to check it out and hopefully it will take off. Thanks for listening.

Edinburgh In Depth

2010-01-17T08:07:00.009-07:00

Hey everyone, its been a hectic last couple of weeks but tons of fun. My girlfriend Mary came out to see me and we got to see a lot of Scotland. But it was really hard for me to post during this time. The good news is Im back with full updates. Instead of doing time frames Im just going to do some of the places I have gotten to see, starting with Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is a gorgeous city full of amazing and fun things to do. The Castle dominates the landscape and is an imposing structure indeed. Though it fails to have the authentic feeling that some of the other castles do, it feels more touristy, it does capture the Scottish spirit and might along with having crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny. The castle itself is imposing and houses some interesting exhibits, all of which I got to experience in the snow in one of the coldest winters in Scotland for quite some time.

I have now heard the 1 o'clock Cannon twice now and let me tell you, that thing can be heard throughout the entire city. It has been going off continuously for over a hundred years and has only not gone off for a few days at important events. But there is more to see then just the castle in Edinburgh.

There was museums and a ton of different places to eat. Oh and this guy, I took a picture with him. But besides Scottish warriors raising money for charity.

Mary and I also found a Writing Museum featuring Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Walter Scott F. They were all prominent Scottish poets and writers. Robert Burns is also one of my favorite poets so it was a good find and one that Im glad I got to.

This is Buddy, the dog. He is a big member in Edinburgh because when his master died, a black friar, Buddy would go and sit on the grave stone every night. For 14 years Buddy would faithfully return to his master's gravesite until Buddy died there. We saw lots of statues of him

Well that's all for now. I will try to do Falkirk, Doune, and Dunblane next time. Hope to hear from you all soon.

Fog in Scotland

2009-12-04T06:59:00.005-07:00

Hey sorry it has been so long. I havent had a chance to get out much to do anything recently. Thats what finals do in the end. However it was foggy the other day so I decided to go out walking and take a few pictures. These are just random places around campus but I enjoyed the pictures and I hope you do too.

Hopefully soon I can post some more but these are just some of my favorite. I am going to Glasgow soon and I should be able to do another post after that. Hope to see you all soon.
The Wandering Student

Stirling Castle

2009-11-09T06:33:00.008-07:00

Hey sorry about the delay but I think the pictures are really fixed this time! So expect a blog tomorrow as well as soon as I get my hiking pictures up. ;) But today I am going to go over my visit to Stirling Castle!

I went to Stirling Castle a few weeks ago but it was such an amazing experience that I decided it would be great to revisit it. Stirling Castle sits opposite of the Wallace Monument and is visible anywhere you are in Stirling. It was occupied by many kings and queens of Scotland.

It was an opposing structure and one that I loved being on. They had tons of cannons up on the walls, all fake now but once they were in full use. The only way to really siege the castle is from the river Forth and as Lucky found out that would be near impossible.

The castle itself is surrounded by a graveyard that has gorgeous headstones. They sprawl out across the entire hillside and it is quite humbling to walk through because in addition to more modern graves they have graves dating back to the 1700's. The hillside is dominated by a structure called the pyramid of knowledge. Im sure there is a story behind it but I was unable to find it out.

I finished off the day by walking down into the streets of Stirling. There were a couple of houses and ruins that were amazing that I may get a tour of one of these days. The first of which was a house right next to the graveyard that was ruined and had a little sign next to it. I have forgotten the sign but it was an impressive house.

Overall though it was a great day with great weather to boot. Look for my next blog within a few days. I am doing something almost every weekend so it should pick up soon.
The Student Wanderer

Pictures Fixed + Edinburgh

2009-10-17T12:57:00.006-06:00

Hey everyone. Sorry about the pictures not working out so well the last time. I have fixed the problem and will hopefully be adding some more pictures to the few articles.

This is my trip to Edinburgh. I went out to see Lord of the Dance and it was incredible. At least 30 tap dancers in rhythm with some amazing scores of music and fiddlers who played and tapped at the same time. It was just amazing to watch.

I stayed on High Street in a hostel overlooking the street. It was a ton of fun and spent the night in a room with three german/russian guys. Couldnt tell which by the accents.
The next morning I went out on the town checking out the sights.

This was a view from up near the castle. I didnt get to go in but outside was amazing enough. I also wandered around town lost for quite some time but it was worth it because I saw some really impressive statues and buildings. Like St. Mary's Cathedral.

It was an impressive structure hidden away in Edinburgh. I hope to go back and go in sometime.
It was a really great trip and I hope I can go back because there were a lot of sights I didnt see and really want to. Needless to say that it was a great trip for the Student Wanderer.

Problems With Pictures

2009-10-10T05:26:00.004-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted here. It seems I am very busy and that pictures will not upload on to my computer at the moment. *cue heavy sigh*
Well I am back and will try to bring you all up to speed.

I have seen an amazing abandoned abbey that is the burial place of King James the 2nd. Only the foundation and the bell tower remain but it was a really cool find. And it is all thanks to this hiking book I found with several locations around Stirling. It shows you the walk and tells you about everything you are going to see. I plan on doing all the walks by the time I leave Scotland.

In addition to the Abbey I have now officially been to the site of the shooting of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Though I will not be able to post pictures of that one yet thanks to the problem of the pictures. But soon.
It was amazingly beautiful and I didn't make it inside because we were just a little bit late but it was still beautiful. My friend Andrew and I also saw a fairy ring(a small circle of mushrooms) and outside was a circle of stones. It was really cool actually. And we snuck across an old bridge(there weren't any signs saying keep out I swear) and took pictures of some old farm ruins that were really neat as well.

There will be more pictures next time when I actually get my pictures working so to leave you this is a picture of Stirling Bridge that is actually working.

Tour of Campus

2009-09-16T03:31:00.010-06:00

Hey for those of you who want to see campus keep reading. Yesterday despite being slightly out of it and not feeling well, I went out and took pictures of all of campus. Now I dont have enough room to post all of them but I will get the majority out for everyone to see.

First stop in the Cottrall Building. This contains some lecture halls, two computer labs and some administration stuff. This is where I spent my first few days going to welcome sessions and waiting in queue to get my student card.

This is Pathfoot in which most of my classes will be taken. The English Department is also here and I have a feeling a lot of studying will be done here. Below is a standing stone marking the place where a village had been built before the town of Stirling had been built it was named Pathfoot village.

There is a small stream that runs through campus and to the loch and the castle on campus was only built in the 1700s but is still very impressive. It is currently used as a radio station.

Then the last building is the robertson center. It is the student center and holds the union, the movie screen, and many shops and other such restaurants and bars. There is also a bridge connecting it to the main residences(not where I live)

I hope you liked this tour of campus. It is more beautiful then imagined and I hope to have some new pictures when all the leaves start to change color. I will leave you with a final shot of the Wallace Monument. It can be viewed anywhere on campus and is a good landmark in town.

Why is there a penguin?

2009-09-12T10:07:00.005-06:00

Hello from Bonnie Scotland!
I have made it safely to Scotland and have already moved into my chatlet. It is a 5 person house with two bathrooms and one toilet. For a tour please see the pictures below. I have yet to meet my house mates but I am sure all of them are fun.

But before I tell you about my plane ride many of you are probably wondering what is with the penguin in many of the pictures. His name is Lucky and he is a traveling penguin that missed Europe a lot. So he has come back with me and will be used in many pictures to hang out and see things with me. Lucky was found on a street in Pueblo and since then has decided to follow me everywhere.

The plan ride over was just fine and dandy. I traveled from Denver International to Philadelphia International where I had a six hour lay over then to London, where I was late and had literally 20 minutes to get through customs to my next flight which took me to Glasgow. I caught a bus this morning and here I arrived a little after 12:00 UK time at my room.

I have explored a little around campus and you will hopefully be getting more pictures soon. There is a hill before I reach anything of interest on campus but I have been informed I am closer to the town then anyone else on campus so that is a plus.

Well now I have to go track down some food and then find ways to stay up so I will talk to you on my next adventure!

Wandering Student is Going Abroad

2009-08-26T13:27:00.002-06:00

I guess this is my first official post of my study abroad in Stirling, Scotland. This will act as my primary mode of telling friends and family of my many exciting adventures. In case you didn't hear the full story of where Im going and why let me lay it out.

I have always loved to travel and to experience new things. My senior year of high school I took a trip with a school group to Europe. It was incredible and life changing for me. I knew then that I would have to go back. So when the chance arose this year to study abroad for a full year I jumped on it.

For me my choice to travel to Scotland was because...
a) They spoke the same language as me, if not for a different accent.
b) I have a rich Scottish heritage.
c) Stirling has an excellent english program.
d) I get to buy a kilt.
e) whiskey

Yes I am totally excited to go so stick around and check for updates after September 10, 2009. Thats when I leave to go to the wonderful highlands of Scotland. Hope to talk to you all soon.

Revolutionary Christian

2007-07-01T12:17:00.000-06:00

There is a revolution happening. A rebelion against this world. Against what we are told is right and wrong. Against everything we are taught.

This world changing revolution is not a new cult nor is it a new religion. It has been around for hundreds of years. It has been twisted before, changed, forced into a set of rules and regulations so that people will follow it like sheep to the slaughter. Twisting this revolution has caused hundreds of causualties in the spiritual war. And it is still causing wounds.

What is the revolution? You've heard about it, heck you might even think you are apart of it. Some even are without being aware. This revolution is Jesus. He is the founder, the first rebel against this world. He did not start a church, He did not set down a new set of rules, He didnt sit down and plan churches.

He lived a revolution.

He told us to drop everything, pick up our crosses, and follow him. No matter the cost, no matter the price. He didnt say go sit in a church and chant and follow rules and be a nice person. He said "and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Mathew 10:38-39

This is a call to arms. This is a chance to be apart of the revolution. It isnt a call to sit down and be nice. Jesus is the Lion of Judah. He turns the money tables. He shouts the Truth in the middle of crowds that want him dead. He stands till the very end with Strength and Diginity. Could you imagine if he wasnt a revolutionary? He never would have been able to stand up and say "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 This is the revolution.

Arent you tired of the chants in church? Arent you tired of having to go every Sunday when your whole life should be a celebration? Arent you tired of saying the same prayers over and over when all the words mash together to a meaningless mesh? This is the revolution.

In this revolution there is no rules, no regulations except for one. "Obey the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul." Seek him, find him. No long prayers except those that flow from the heart. No meaningless chants or responses, just songs that come from the soul. No building made from materials of this world, just the world God gave us and asks us to seek him in. He isnt found in a church building, he is found in the heart of the frontier, the heart of every man and woman that is bold enough to seek him with everything. This is the revolution.