Well again, it's been awhile, but hopefully this blog is worth the wait:) Quite a bit has happened since the last post, and we've been so busy we (in all reality me) just haven't had time to write. Well here goes!
The weekend after ou
r last blog post, Rob and I got bundled up into as much Scotland gear as we could find, and headed for Murrayfield stadium (the professional rugby pitch here in Edinburgh) to watch Scotland play the New Zealand All Blacks, arguably the best rugby team in the world. We had a fabulous time...although New Zealand beat Scotland pretty badly, the game was great to watch, and great to watch Rob too...because he was in his element:) Murrayfield is a huge stadium...seating upwards of 70,000 people, and I would say that it was about 3/4 full. On our bus ride out there, the streets and sidewalks were crammed with people in Scottish rugby outfits rushing to the stadium....about a 20 minute walk from the centre of the city. It 
was really neat to see all the patriotism. Our seats were at the very top, but surprisingly, we could see quite well. It was quite cold, so we were really bundled up. The Scottish team was introduced with fireworks and flames shooting up from their entrance to the field....the crowd went absolutely wild....I think the energy can be compared to something you mi
ght see at an NFL game in the states. When the New Zealand team was introduced, they did their traditional Hakka. This is a Maori dance that displays prowess...the whole team did it....and the purpose is generally to intimidate the other team....it looked quite intimidating...but would have been more so for the crowd, if they had been miked...regardless the game was great. There were beer gardens everywhere, which Rob and I fell victim to:) Needless to say, the next day we didn't get up very early.
The following weekend, friends of Pat and Mike's and ours of course, Ian and Maria McLaren, came up from Durham, England to visit us. They took us out to dinner at Harvey Nichols (a posh restaurant with a view of the city) and drinks at the Dome (a beautiful old building in the city centre). We visited a pub afterwards, and got the taste for gin and tonics:) Ian and Maria then had to go home via train that night, but we had an absolutely fabulous time...it was also a different look at the city for us, which was really great. We can't wait to spend Christmas with them!!!
On the 22nd of N
ovember, bright and early in the morning, Rob and I walked up to the Hertz rent-a-car to pick up our vehicle for the trip up to Aberdeen to see Scotland play Canada (in rugby). We had been hoping for a standard transmission vehicle, but instead were given a fairly new automatic VW Passat. What a beautiful car!!! And it turns out, that it's a good thing it was automatic, because there is enough to focus on, being on the opposite side of the car and the road without having to worry about shifting too:) Getting out of the city proved to be quite simple (although really weird feeling)...as everything was opposite.....Rob was the only one who could drive, as I'm not 25...and he tended to drift a little to the left:) Passing cars is a little weird too, as you pass on the inside, not the outside. You have to look over the opposite shoulder than you're used to, and turns you really have to pay attention to to make sure you're in the right lane!!
Driving up to Aberdeen was great, as the scenery was just beautiful.....and about halfway up there, it really started to snow....which although lovely to see (because we really miss the snow), not so great for the roads....people got really freaked out and were driving quite snow, but us Canadians took it in stride, and plowed right through...the Passat was great for handling, as it is a heavy car, and stuck to the road like glue. The road up to Aberdeen follows the coastline, and so we were able to see the ocea
n for bits....the coast is really beautiful, although quite tempestuous (just like I imagined it to be....). We also passed the Cairngorns...a Mountain range that is located in the center of Scotland, and is renowned for skiing and hiking.....they were also quite beautiful.
Once we entered Aberdeen, we got into our first fight (I know we actually went almost 3 hours in a car without fighting about directions:) The city is a little complicated to manoeuvre in....and after about 20 minutes of driving around, we happened upon the road we needed in the first place, so we were okay. First impressions about Aberdeen, is that it is a fairly industrial city...with it's main focus being the oil rigs that come into port....but it has it's fair share of beautiful old buildings, and surprisingly, we found it to be cleaner than Edinburgh. It almost seemed like a small town, rather than a city.
We stayed in a tiny bed and breakfast about a 2 minute walk from the stadium....so it was really quite convenient. Just before game time, we got all dolled up in our Canada gear (thanks to Pat who was awesome in sending us some stuff)...and headed to the stadium.....although we cheered for Scotland two weekends before, it was great to be cheering for our country. We walked the streets proudly decked head to toe in white and red....and got stares from almost everybody....but we didn't care:) At the game, we had great seats and sat w
ith some of our friends from home (from Rob's rugby team) and other Canadians who had been travelling with the team to see their games. It was great to hear people with our accents, and who could sympathize with the differences in the two countries. Although Canada got their butts handed to them (46-0 I think)....it was still great watching the game. Afterwards, courtesy of the CEO of Rugby Canada (and player on the Aurora Barbarians team....Rob's team), we were able to get tickets to the executive dinner afterwards with the two teams and Rugby Canada and Rugby Scotland execs.....that was pretty cool....and it was great to see our two friends (Aaron and Mike) who play on the team.
That night, after the dinner, we went out for drinks with two people from the Aurora team (Marco and JR) and had great fun...but were in bed fairly early for our long drive back the next day. Nothing too eventful happened on Sunday, except we did have a near miss with the car....we got lost on the way to the airport to drop Marco and JR off....and then were filling up the gas, and looked left...saw cars coming from the left, and then Rob decided to go, after those cars had passed without looking right....I can totally understand....because at home, that would have worked, although in Scotland we nearly clipped the front off of a car coming from the right hand side.....but thankfully, we looked before anything happened....scary, but we were safe. Then we just took the car around a bit to get some grocery shopping done before we had to drop it off again.....oohhh it was so nice to have it for that, because we've been carrying our groceries home (20 min walk) since we got here...and it really limits what you can buy when you have to carry it all...so needless to say we stocked up:) It was great to have a car for the weekend.....and nice to see a few different areas of Edinburgh than we had by foot.
Winter Wonderland has come to Edinburgh again this year. It is a huge carnival on Princes Street that attracts hundre
ds of people everyday. It opened on the first of December, and runs until just after the new year. A huge Ferris wheel has been set up, along with a merry-go-round, swings like they have at Canada's Wonderland, an ice skating rink in the gardens and much more. Rob and I went to check it out the other night, hoping to maybe go skating, but upon finding out that they didn't have hockey skates, only male figure skates, there was no way Rob would go on the ice:) When he asked for hockey skates, the Scots looked at him funny...because hockey to them, is field hockey...needless to say, they didn't have any 'hockey' skates.
At the carnival, a German Christmas market has also been set up....it is absolutely beautiful. Little huts have been set up, and their p
eaks have been decorated with boughs of fir trees and mini white lights. The huts sell anything from sausages, little warm slippers, ornaments, traditional German Christmas cookies and cakes, nutcrakers, toys, strudle, and 'fire punch' which is a mixture of rum and red wine heated up....quite good actually!!! The huts line Princes Street and make it all very festive...it would be great if cities in Canada did this kind of thing for Christmas!
Rob's last day of placement is today, and then he's back to class for a couple of weeks b
efore Christmas. He has been doing really well with the kids and with teaching, and all the teachers think he's a natural, and has improved since the first day. He isn't overly excited about starting a new placement, because everything will likely be quite different from this one, as the school he taught in is fairly priveledged...however I've said that often the tougher experiences are the ones you learn the most from.
As for myself, I'm working like crazy...am just about finished an almost 60 hour week, and I can't wait to sleep in:) I am quite settled in my job now, and taking on quite a few responsibilities. I am this year's Christmas Co-ordinator....so I get to organize lunches for all of the staff in the two buildings we manage....roughly 3,500 employees! It is challenging, but it keeps me busy....and will hopefully look good on a resume:)
We both can't wait for Christmas...Rob gets three weeks off, and I get 10 days...it will be a well deserved break (well sort of...considering we won't really be resting while in London:) We haven't really been travelling since October, so it will be nice to get out again and see new places.
Well that's it for now...hope everyone is doing well at home, and enjoying the snow that we seem to be sorely lacking...hopefully we'll get a dusting for Christmas. In case we don't write again before Christmas, we hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! Only about 3 more months until we're home for a little visit...can't wait:)
We miss you all!
Lots of love,
Rob and Sarah
The weekend after ou
r last blog post, Rob and I got bundled up into as much Scotland gear as we could find, and headed for Murrayfield stadium (the professional rugby pitch here in Edinburgh) to watch Scotland play the New Zealand All Blacks, arguably the best rugby team in the world. We had a fabulous time...although New Zealand beat Scotland pretty badly, the game was great to watch, and great to watch Rob too...because he was in his element:) Murrayfield is a huge stadium...seating upwards of 70,000 people, and I would say that it was about 3/4 full. On our bus ride out there, the streets and sidewalks were crammed with people in Scottish rugby outfits rushing to the stadium....about a 20 minute walk from the centre of the city. It 
was really neat to see all the patriotism. Our seats were at the very top, but surprisingly, we could see quite well. It was quite cold, so we were really bundled up. The Scottish team was introduced with fireworks and flames shooting up from their entrance to the field....the crowd went absolutely wild....I think the energy can be compared to something you mi
ght see at an NFL game in the states. When the New Zealand team was introduced, they did their traditional Hakka. This is a Maori dance that displays prowess...the whole team did it....and the purpose is generally to intimidate the other team....it looked quite intimidating...but would have been more so for the crowd, if they had been miked...regardless the game was great. There were beer gardens everywhere, which Rob and I fell victim to:) Needless to say, the next day we didn't get up very early.The following weekend, friends of Pat and Mike's and ours of course, Ian and Maria McLaren, came up from Durham, England to visit us. They took us out to dinner at Harvey Nichols (a posh restaurant with a view of the city) and drinks at the Dome (a beautiful old building in the city centre). We visited a pub afterwards, and got the taste for gin and tonics:) Ian and Maria then had to go home via train that night, but we had an absolutely fabulous time...it was also a different look at the city for us, which was really great. We can't wait to spend Christmas with them!!!
On the 22nd of N
ovember, bright and early in the morning, Rob and I walked up to the Hertz rent-a-car to pick up our vehicle for the trip up to Aberdeen to see Scotland play Canada (in rugby). We had been hoping for a standard transmission vehicle, but instead were given a fairly new automatic VW Passat. What a beautiful car!!! And it turns out, that it's a good thing it was automatic, because there is enough to focus on, being on the opposite side of the car and the road without having to worry about shifting too:) Getting out of the city proved to be quite simple (although really weird feeling)...as everything was opposite.....Rob was the only one who could drive, as I'm not 25...and he tended to drift a little to the left:) Passing cars is a little weird too, as you pass on the inside, not the outside. You have to look over the opposite shoulder than you're used to, and turns you really have to pay attention to to make sure you're in the right lane!! Driving up to Aberdeen was great, as the scenery was just beautiful.....and about halfway up there, it really started to snow....which although lovely to see (because we really miss the snow), not so great for the roads....people got really freaked out and were driving quite snow, but us Canadians took it in stride, and plowed right through...the Passat was great for handling, as it is a heavy car, and stuck to the road like glue. The road up to Aberdeen follows the coastline, and so we were able to see the ocea
n for bits....the coast is really beautiful, although quite tempestuous (just like I imagined it to be....). We also passed the Cairngorns...a Mountain range that is located in the center of Scotland, and is renowned for skiing and hiking.....they were also quite beautiful.Once we entered Aberdeen, we got into our first fight (I know we actually went almost 3 hours in a car without fighting about directions:) The city is a little complicated to manoeuvre in....and after about 20 minutes of driving around, we happened upon the road we needed in the first place, so we were okay. First impressions about Aberdeen, is that it is a fairly industrial city...with it's main focus being the oil rigs that come into port....but it has it's fair share of beautiful old buildings, and surprisingly, we found it to be cleaner than Edinburgh. It almost seemed like a small town, rather than a city.
We stayed in a tiny bed and breakfast about a 2 minute walk from the stadium....so it was really quite convenient. Just before game time, we got all dolled up in our Canada gear (thanks to Pat who was awesome in sending us some stuff)...and headed to the stadium.....although we cheered for Scotland two weekends before, it was great to be cheering for our country. We walked the streets proudly decked head to toe in white and red....and got stares from almost everybody....but we didn't care:) At the game, we had great seats and sat w
ith some of our friends from home (from Rob's rugby team) and other Canadians who had been travelling with the team to see their games. It was great to hear people with our accents, and who could sympathize with the differences in the two countries. Although Canada got their butts handed to them (46-0 I think)....it was still great watching the game. Afterwards, courtesy of the CEO of Rugby Canada (and player on the Aurora Barbarians team....Rob's team), we were able to get tickets to the executive dinner afterwards with the two teams and Rugby Canada and Rugby Scotland execs.....that was pretty cool....and it was great to see our two friends (Aaron and Mike) who play on the team. That night, after the dinner, we went out for drinks with two people from the Aurora team (Marco and JR) and had great fun...but were in bed fairly early for our long drive back the next day. Nothing too eventful happened on Sunday, except we did have a near miss with the car....we got lost on the way to the airport to drop Marco and JR off....and then were filling up the gas, and looked left...saw cars coming from the left, and then Rob decided to go, after those cars had passed without looking right....I can totally understand....because at home, that would have worked, although in Scotland we nearly clipped the front off of a car coming from the right hand side.....but thankfully, we looked before anything happened....scary, but we were safe. Then we just took the car around a bit to get some grocery shopping done before we had to drop it off again.....oohhh it was so nice to have it for that, because we've been carrying our groceries home (20 min walk) since we got here...and it really limits what you can buy when you have to carry it all...so needless to say we stocked up:) It was great to have a car for the weekend.....and nice to see a few different areas of Edinburgh than we had by foot.
Winter Wonderland has come to Edinburgh again this year. It is a huge carnival on Princes Street that attracts hundre
ds of people everyday. It opened on the first of December, and runs until just after the new year. A huge Ferris wheel has been set up, along with a merry-go-round, swings like they have at Canada's Wonderland, an ice skating rink in the gardens and much more. Rob and I went to check it out the other night, hoping to maybe go skating, but upon finding out that they didn't have hockey skates, only male figure skates, there was no way Rob would go on the ice:) When he asked for hockey skates, the Scots looked at him funny...because hockey to them, is field hockey...needless to say, they didn't have any 'hockey' skates.At the carnival, a German Christmas market has also been set up....it is absolutely beautiful. Little huts have been set up, and their p
eaks have been decorated with boughs of fir trees and mini white lights. The huts sell anything from sausages, little warm slippers, ornaments, traditional German Christmas cookies and cakes, nutcrakers, toys, strudle, and 'fire punch' which is a mixture of rum and red wine heated up....quite good actually!!! The huts line Princes Street and make it all very festive...it would be great if cities in Canada did this kind of thing for Christmas!Rob's last day of placement is today, and then he's back to class for a couple of weeks b
efore Christmas. He has been doing really well with the kids and with teaching, and all the teachers think he's a natural, and has improved since the first day. He isn't overly excited about starting a new placement, because everything will likely be quite different from this one, as the school he taught in is fairly priveledged...however I've said that often the tougher experiences are the ones you learn the most from. As for myself, I'm working like crazy...am just about finished an almost 60 hour week, and I can't wait to sleep in:) I am quite settled in my job now, and taking on quite a few responsibilities. I am this year's Christmas Co-ordinator....so I get to organize lunches for all of the staff in the two buildings we manage....roughly 3,500 employees! It is challenging, but it keeps me busy....and will hopefully look good on a resume:)
We both can't wait for Christmas...Rob gets three weeks off, and I get 10 days...it will be a well deserved break (well sort of...considering we won't really be resting while in London:) We haven't really been travelling since October, so it will be nice to get out again and see new places.
Well that's it for now...hope everyone is doing well at home, and enjoying the snow that we seem to be sorely lacking...hopefully we'll get a dusting for Christmas. In case we don't write again before Christmas, we hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! Only about 3 more months until we're home for a little visit...can't wait:)
We miss you all!
Lots of love,
Rob and Sarah
1 comment:
Wow... sounds like a heck of a trip. I was glad you were in a Passat rather than some little tin wonder. Rob, don't feel bad about nearly getting clipped. It's happened to the best of us. Just remember both of you to ALWAYS look BOTH ways - even when you are back here.... on foot or by car. Great post. Sarah, I can see how you would fit right in to the office environment. You are a lot more talented than the folks they'd usually get to fill those jobs.
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