Pictures from the Last Few Weeks

So Much for Simplicity ....

So much for simplicity ... I thought not having a cell phone would bring about a simpler life. However, yesterday I arrived at New College to meet Matt for lunch and ended up waiting 25 minutes in the lobby because there was no way to call him and say "I'm waiting!" (The bus had been exceptionally fast) And then, if I want to talk to my parents via Skype on the computer before they go to work, I have to be at the house in the prime of an Edinburgher day which is between noon and 3:30ish.

So here's the official announcement: we have Skype cell phones!!!! We are so very excited about this discovery. This new phone just arrived on the European markets about five days ago. Luckily, we walked into a 3 Store (I don't think we have these stores in America) just in time to snag the last two Skype phones in Edinburgh. Here's how it works: we have regular cell phone minutes/texts, but we also have FREE Skype through our cell phone. Therefore, I can call my parents internationally from my cell phone for free if they're signed onto Skype at home or have their Skype calls forwarded to their cell phones. You can also text message us for free through Skype.

Yesterday afternoon dad called me through Skype and I answered on my cell phone!!! I was so excited!!! I can be anywhere in Europe or the U.S. and receive phone calls. Matt talked to his parents in Brazil for about half an hour yesterday. Yay! We love this new discovery.

If you want Skype, go to their website: www.skype.com. It's free to download and use. There are extra options, like calling a landline, having your calls forwarded to a cell phone or landline, and other such things that have a small additional fee.

Doesn't this make the world a smaller place?

Great Discovery

www.pandora.com

Love it!!!

(especially when our FULLY FURNISHED flat doesn't come with stereo or cd player as seen in pictures - haha)

The Seven Sacraments

During this past week, I decided to take advantage of the numerous museums in Edinburgh. Last monday I visited the National Gallery of Scotland in the center of the city. Known as the best free attraction in all of Scotland, the Gallery boasts works of art by Suerat, Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh, Degas (both paintings and sculptures), Raphael, Boticelli, and so much more. I absolutely loved the French Impressionism exhibit. Another moving exhibit was the "Seven Sacraments" by Nicolas Poussin. Described as one of the most important post-Renaissance works of art, the display was set in an octagonal room with the entry making up one of the sides and the seven paintings filling the rest. Here's a link to a page with one of the paintings: http://www.aboutscotland.com/edin/artngs.html

I also visited the Writers Museum. This particular museum celebrates three great Scottish Writers: Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Sir Walter Scott. The first exhibit I wondered upon was that of Stevenson. While looking at paintings of his homes, a lady (probably in her early 90's) asked me if I was an American. I'm not sure why it is so obvious that I'm an American, but I pleasantly responded yes, as I was interested as to why she asked. This interesting lady is a former English teacher, and she also has a slight obsession with Stevenson. She told me that Stevenson married an American lady, and that she was the first American lady he had ever laid eyes on. She repeatedly told me of Stevenson's letter about his wife, and that he said something like "her eyes were like shooting pistols." This dear, dear lady loved whatever he said. I think it's so funny she was so touched by an analogy of a woman's eyes to shooting pistols!

Happy All Saints Day!

Pictures from Weekend