Oh, We're Half Way There!

This past week was half-term break in our schools and, conveniently enough, also marked the half way point of our program. It feels like we just got here, and like we've been here forever, all at the same time. There's a few things I'm still figuring out, and I'm still meeting people, but I feel like I have known my students for so long (though I've pretty much given up the quest for outside friends- I know 60 people really well. Who cares if they are mostly 5 and 6?).

December 14 seems so far away, but it will be here before I know it.

Anyway, for half term, Hilary and I traveled north. We got a ride to York with my teacher, stayed there for the first three days, then took the train up to Edinburgh, Scotland. From Edinburgh, I took a few day trips- to the city of Glasgow and on a tour through the countryside to Loch Lomond, the country's first National Park.

York is a beautiful old (well, most of the cities are old) walled city. We walked the walls, went to the art gallery, toured York Minster, and visited the National Railway Museum. I enjoyed all of it, but the Minster (That just means church from specific time period- Norman I think? It's like cathedral, only not.) was my favorite. We climbed the tower, which was not my favorite part due to the hundreds of tiny spiraling steps it took to get there, wandered around the inside while listening to Evensong, and toured through the Undercroft, which has been partially converted into a very cool museum about the history and maintenance of the church. There have been three different buildings on the site, and parts of them, including a Roman basilica, are visible in the Undercroft. We also happened to be there during a festival called "Illuminate York" which was a part of some research that is being done for the planning of the opening ceremonies for the London Olympics. It was really cool, and may get it's own post later. Here's some pictures from the city.

We actually took this on the last day, but it's the thought that counts.

York Minster

View from the top of the tower, over the grounds of the Minster.

A tower that we stumbled across in the middle of a car park.

The Shambles, an especially old shopping district. Those buildings were not originally that close together, but they've shifted over time. We bought crepes near here for lunch!

Look for a post about our time in Scotland in the next few days.