Mind the Gap: Reading Week

Halfway through the Scottish semester, (most) students have a week off from school called Reading Week. Ideally one should use this time to catch up on reading for your classes and do general studying. But instead of doing that all week, I went to London.

However, before going to London I celebrated Guy Fawkes/Bon Fire Night. I have not yet figured out whether we were celebrating his attempt to blow up parliament or the fact that it failed... but we went to a bonfire on the beach and it was spectacular.

My flatmate Jaz and I then spent a night in Edinburgh with her sister and brother-in-law (Amber and Andy). Andy works for the Edinburgh Dungeons so we got to go through them for free. (Thanks Andy!) That evening we went to a local pub for “pot tails” which are cocktails that come in a teapot. How charming.

The next day we caught a train down to London. Although it was only 4.5 hours it felt like ages. We showed up in London for 5:00 and then met a girl named Jenny at Tralfagar Square. Jenny is lovely, but she lives an hour commute from downtown London. Guess you kinda have to though, because it’s Lanndannn! By the time we made dinner and settled in, we were too tired to do anything else.

Monday morning we vowed to get up early, but let’s be honest when does Mindy Crow ever get up early? We made it to Madame Tussauds around noon. It wasn’t how I remembered it but we still had a good time. I danced with MJ, participated in mo-vember with Hitler and Houssain, and even drug Jaz through the hall of screams with live actors. Then we got lunch and went shopping. The only Abercrombie and Fitch in the UK is in London. We went, and got a Polaroid picture with a model at the door (whistles). When it got dark (as early as 430) we rode the London Eye where Jaz pointed out all the landmarks. After that we met her momma, who is truly wonderful!

Tuesday we did actually get up early (…ish), went into town and bought tickets for Wicked (!!!), and then met Jaz’s friend for some lunch. Then we wandered around town sightseeing/shopping. Decided to go for an early dinner because of the cold.. little did we know it was time to start getting used to it. Luckily the restaurant (for which we had vouchers) was just across the street from Wicked. The show was absolutely terrific. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out all this time!

The next day, sadly was catch a train back to Edinburgh day. But Andy and Amber picked us up from the station, made us dinner, and then we all watched Shaun of the Dead together. There was talk of going to a pub, but Jaz and Amber fell asleep… so I ended up watching Pan’s Labyrinth instead and calling it a night.

Thursday I went into town to try and get my iPhone unlocked. Alas, no such luck. So we got hot chocolate at a shop called Chocolate Soup and went to the Hardrock Café before catching a bus home. And it was really great to be home. I was surprised at how much I missed “the bubble” as they call St Andrews since I’ve only been here for a short while.

The rest of reading week I did (sadly) spend doing reading and reviewing for a marketing exam. School: bah humbug.