Arthur's Seat and Art Museums

Yesterday a group of us decided to go hiking. The name of the mountain/hill is Arthur's Seat and it is only a mile walk from the hotel and it was such a beautiful day that we couldn't pass it up. We prepared by buying pre-made sandwiches from Sainsbury's and then we left the hotel sometime after 11. We made it up to the top in about an hour and ate lunch there. We waited to hear the cannon fire at one (this is the way that the ships set their clocks) and then we went to another ridge and got an excellent panoramic view of the city and then we went down. Most of us got soft serve from the ice cream truck at the bottom and then we came back to the hotel.

Today I woke up and went to St. Mary's Cathedral for mass and then came back to the hotel as some members of the group were leaving for St. Andrew's. I decided not to go after seeing the weather and realizing that it would literally be an all day event. Instead I got directions to the Art Galleries and set out. The first two were about a thirty minute walk from the hotel. I got a little lost but I found a beautiful footpath by the river that brought me right in front of the Dean Gallery. It was a smaller gallery but had some nice Dada and Surrealist pieces. I ate lunch in the cafe there and then walked across the street to the Modern Art Gallery and walked around there for awhile and then headed to the National Gallery of Scotland which had pieces from about the 15th century up to the Impressionists.

I love Scotland!

Glasgow was amazing to say the least. We had a fun project that had us thinking in a whole new way. The day we finished our project we had a tour of the Mackintosh building. It was so strange walking around in this building after seeing so many pictures and learning so much about it. The building exceeded my expectations for sure. I was sad when the guide first told us that we were not allowed to take pictures but as I was walking through it I realized that pictures would not do this building justice.

After the tour we meet up with Sarah and her partner Lauren at a nearby bar where they both gave some advice on social networking and meeting important people for jobs, so really valuable information. We left to go get dinner after about two hours and went to a place called Bella Italiano that turned out to be a longer walk that we originally thought. However, it was worth it because it was wonderful food and we had 2 for 1 coupons.

The next day we had off until 4 which is when we were leaving for Edinburgh. I ended up walking through the park to the Kelvingrove museum. There I saw Dali's Christ on the Cross and a Monet, Van Gogh, and Matisse. After that I went to the Mackintosh House which was picked up from its original location and moved to the University of Glasgow campus. The house was amazing as well, I truly enjoyed that tour. After that I meet up with the group and we got on a train to Edinburgh.

Today I walked the Royal Mile and ended at the Castle where everyone was supposed to meet at 2. So after the group got together we went inside the walls and walked around all the buildings and saw the crowned jewels and the stone which the royals are crowned on. After that more walking and city touring.

Day 2 in Glasgow

Today we ate lunch at the Willow Tea Room, designed by Mackintosh. The lunch was small but very good. I had the ham and cheese and got honey and almond tea which had a smooth taste and was just sweet enough for my liking.

The main idea of the project stayed the same but individually we changed course a few times throughout the day. Aft the beginning of the day I was in a group of four working on improving the library for families and a tech geek. By the end of the day I was working with a partner on creating a system to benefit the unemployed and the system is run through the library.

I am liking the idea of service design, it makes a lot of sense when you really about it. Our leader, Sarah Drummond, started a company called Snook and he and her partner work on improving services by learning about emotions while experiencing the service. It seems very interesting and it makes sense that people would need to be doing this sort of work. I think it is something I will have to look into in the future.

The Design Factor: Belfast

We had an office visit in Belfast and I was very impressed with William Lee and The Design factor. William Lee gave an excellent presentation about the things they were doing in the office and then gave us all some great tips for getting a job or internship and just overall things for our futures.

on to Scotland

I am glad to be out of Belfast and now in Glasgow, Scotland. Yesterday was a long day of traveling and I think we did just about as many types of transportation possible, minus a plane. We checked out of the hostel at 11 and then had some free time until 3 when we had to leave the city. So most of us went to the botanic gardens and then the Ulster Museum and then to lunch. At 3 we piled into taxis which took us to a ferry. The ferry ride was awesome! You could walk around and get food or sit and try to use the impossibly slow internet. After the 2 hour ferry ride we got on a one hour bus ride to take us to the train station which was another hour to bring us into Glasgow. By the time we got off the train it was dark and we walked through the hilly city to the guesthouse. It was very odd walking past the Mackintosh building of the Glasgow School of Art. I have seen so many pictures and have learned about him and it was just strange that I was in front of the actual building!

This morning I woke up early and went for a run, still not believing that that is the actual Mackintosh building and the Mackintosh tea rooms in front of me. Then I had a Scottish breakfast which included beans, bacon, potato pancake, toast, and eggs. It was delicious. Then we went to school, meeting on the steps of the Mackintosh building and then going across the street and getting to work on service design.

Our leader is a graduate student named Sarah and I really like the type of work that she does. It is not so product centered, but she thinks about the experiences we have when using services and how to improve those. Our project deals with getting certain user groups to use libraries more often. We went to visit a library today and talked to the librarian about the different services offered and how busy they were and things of that nature. So we should be ready to get working tomorrow.

Inch Island

The castle and the cows.

The Middle Project to Belfast

At the beginning of this week we were assigned a project that had us thinking differently that we had so far in our curriculum. We were given a problem and a solution and it was our job to come up with the middle.

The problem was the people forget things that they need to remember and the solution was a photo frame that had a reminder system that would alarm when necessary. It was our job to decide whom the frame would be for and to design the system and how this would work.

After a night of procrastination/frustration about what we were supposed to be doing Anthony (the assignment giver) came back to the Inch House the next morning and gave us a few ideas on how to get started, some confused me even more, and then there was the one that gave me the technique I used that brought me to my final solution. Basically, I thought of daily life for different people categories such as college students, middle-aged parents, the elderly and then I settled on working mothers as my target audience. We had a short meeting at 3 on Monday to show what we had thought of so far and then after that we were on our own until 9:30 Tuesday morning when we had to present powerpoints. I took a break and went for a run and then come back and worked until late in the night. The internet (which is already very slow) completely cut out on us around 1 a.m. when majority of us were still up and looking for pictures. So we all panicked and started figuring out what time we should get up in the morning, in hopes that it would be working then, to finish our powerpoints. The Internet came back up in about twenty minutes so we were all able to finish before we going to bed, the majority between 2 and 3 a.m.

The next morning went very well, everyone had their presentations and also did well presenting them. Anthony said goods things about everyone individually and then about the group after we were done.

Wednesday at the Inch House was a free day. We had a big game of Ultimate in the field across the street, which is next to a bunch of sheep. There was a newborn that was having a lot of trouble standing up. We all watched it cry for help and struggle to get up. Its mom would not go very far, it was funny because it seemed like she was getting impatient and wanted to walk to the other side of the field but didn’t want to leave the lamb alone on the ground with all these people standing around. Eventually the little guy got up and we all clapped for it.

Tony, the man who runs the Inch House, had told us about this castle on the island earlier in our stay there and since it was our last night a few of us decided to go out and find it after dinner. It didn’t sound like it was very far and it also doesn’t really get dark until after 9 so after dinner 5 of us set out to find the castle. We were told that we had to climb over a fence and walk though a farmer’s field to get down to the castle but that it would be obvious when that time came. So when we spotted the castle’s silhouette in the sunset we knocked on the door of the house in front of it but nobody came so we just hopped the fence and started walking towards the castle. There were maybe five cows in the field and the all began to stare and then slowly move towards us, which started to get a little intimidating so we slowed down a little, then about 10 or more cows appeared from behind some brush and started moving a little faster towards us. We decided that there had to be another way in so we turned around and climbed out of the fence and went a little further and went over another fence and down a hill, over a small stream, over a gate, ending up in a sheep field (we heard them but it was starting to get too dark to really see them) which is where this castle is located. We were able to walk all through it and up the stairs. We climbed to the very top, but once up there I realized that it was a much farther drop to the bottom than I had thought. We struggled to get good pictures, but I think that Taylor (carrying a SLR) was able to get some. By the time we got back down to the bottom of the castle flashlights were necessary. Instead of going back the way we came we took a dirt road after hopping the gate which eventually brought us back to the same cow pasture from before only this time they didn’t notice us and then we walked back to the Inch House.

Yesterday we came to Belfast after a long day of traveling/touring. The first stop was a short photo break at a castle. Next was Giant’s Causeway, which is this large formation of hexagonal rocks by the ocean. After that a tour of the Old Bushmill’s whiskey distillery including a taste test at the end. Our last tourist stop was at a rope bridge to a little rock island. Then it was an hour and fifteen-minute drive to Belfast. The hostel we are staying at is not the best so it’s a good thing that we are only here three nights. I have to say I’m glad we are on the move again for a little bit, over a week at the Inch House seemed too long.

I don’t know how familiar you are with the Troubles, a time in Northern Ireland beginning in the 1970s and I’m not so sure that they are over yet, but it is different in Northern Ireland. Inch Island is about 5 miles from the border on the Republic of Ireland side and very close to Derry or Londonderry. I also noticed that it just seemed different in Derry (there is also a wall dividing the city) and there is also something different about Belfast. Now this tension that I am sensing here may just be made up of the fear that I have in these cities that something could happen here, but I really think there is something different. To me it seems like these cities are pretty big and that more people should be out on the streets doing things but there aren’t that many people out here.

Inch Island Activities

Well, compared to the other places we have been there is not a whole lot to do here in Inch Island. All fifteen of us are staying in one house which has actually been a lot of fun. There is a large kitchen and a lecture room which is where many people have been working on their sketches. There is also a music/tv room that has a guitar, piano, 3 ukeles, 2 mandolins, and 4 accordions, all of which are out of tune/broken. Being a mandolinist I was very excited when I first walked into the room to see that there were two , but my dreams of playing one were crushed after I picked them up and noticed that they were both missing strings and that the remaining strings were so old that they did not want to be stretched anymore. However, the fact that all the instruments were either out of tune or broken did not stop the majority of the group trying to play them (which sounded awful in case you were wondering).

I have been able to go running here. Yesterday I took a left out of the driveway and ran for awhile, today I took a right. There is basically one road, so I ran in the same direction for awhile and then turned around and ran back. The views are very nice, definitely what I pictured Ireland looking like. There are lots of sheep, green grass, water, and some hills in the distance which all make for a very nice run.

Other things that people have done to entertain themselves here are set up a ping pong table, play hide and seek in the dark, and watch a lot of movies. Last night we watched both Boondock Saints. I had never seen the first one all the way through and enjoyed that. The second one however, I did not find so enjoyable. Most people that started watching it left before half of the movie was over. I stayed until it was done to see if it ever got any better and it didn't. Oh well.

Easter, Connemara, and Inch Island

Easter Sunday I went to mass at the Galway Cathedral with a few other Auburn Students. The cathedral is known as one of the last European rock cathedrals. It was a beautiful structure located next to the river and had a very nice Easter service. One of the main differences between this mass and the typical mass that I am used to was Communion. In Galway, when it came time for Communion everyone just got up and went to the altar with no order whatsoever so we just stood up and slowly made our way into the line and up to the altar. They also kneeled for Communion here and there was no wine, both of which I am not used to. After mass we stopped at a little cafe to get a nice lunch because we all realized that we were missing a feast with our families that day.

Throughout Sunday people had been talking about going on a tour to Connemara on Monday because we didn't really have anything to do and we were also without a chaperone telling us what we needed to do each day. When I woke up Monday morning in time for the tour only one other person had gotten up for the tour. Everyone was still asleep, most likely from the previous night's activities. So just Taylor and I went on the bus tour. It actually wasn't a bad day to be sitting on a bus because it was cold and rainy outside, so our pictures weren't the best but we still got to see everything. The main site was the Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful mansion set in the mountains next to a lake. It used to be someone's home but now the Benedictine nuns live there and make pottery.

Tuesday morning we packed everything up and got on a bus headed towards Inch Island. Our fist stop was in Sligo for lunch and a lecture from someone at the Sligo Institute of Technology. After that we stopped at W.B. Yeats grave site, then at Donegal Castle. I slept on and off the entire bus ride, as did everyone else until 5ish when we stopped at a grocery store to get food for the week. 20 minutes after the grocery store we were at the Inch House on Inch Island, a very small place about 5 miles from the border of Northern Ireland. Tony, the owner here, gave us a talk about the differences between Ireland and Northern Ireland and didn't really mean to alarm us, but he did.

Today has been kind of a slow-paced day for everyone here. We all slept in and are starting to work on our sketch project. Randy, the professor that just left, gave us a sketch assignment to keep us occupied until the next professor gets here. We are designing a tape dispenser and the first step is to come up with 5 designs, then we pick the best out of those and do 3 iterations of it and then we pick the best of those 3 and do a final sketch and these are due on Saturday. After sketching for a little bit I decided to take a break and go running. There are many roads here so I just took a left out of the driveway and went for awhile, taking in the beautiful scenery all around me.

Galway

I made it to Galway yesterday. Instead of taking a nap when we got here, I decided to go walk around. I discovered many wonderful stores that are close to the hostel. One in particular is called The Four Corners. I was drawn in because of the mandolins in the windows and discovered that there were many more inside. I also saw a few bouzoukis, which is an instrument that I am very interested in learning to play. I then walked upstairs and found that there was an art supply store inside and found a light gray pen which is a great find for a designer or sketcher. After that buy I found a celtic mandolin book to add to my music library. Then I walked some more and went into a natural/health store and looked at all the products.

The group set out to go to the movies last night around 9 and we were going to see the Clash of the Titans but when we got there the line was out the door for ticket sales. We looked at a schedule and saw that Alice in Wonderland was playing at a later time. After some group debate we decided to split up to see different movies, a few of us Going to Alice in Wonderland and the rest going to Clash of the Titans starting at 11:55. We made a quick stop at the Ben and Jerry's stand before going into the theater and seeing the movie. I had not heard very many good things about this movie but I still wanted to see it and after it was over I was glad that the bad reviews did not stop me from seeing it because I really enjoyed the movie. I thought that it brought up a good point about how imagination is suppressed because it is viewed as weird or not normal. I think it is important to keep thinking or crazy and impossible things because that it the only way those things can become possible.

"We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality"-Vaclav Havel

The panoramic I took after missing mass.

some short stories...

This past weekend I was in a small fishing town called Dunmore East. Now I haven't been to mass since I've been over here because of touring or traveling but this Sunday was going to be different. Saturday night I asked a hotel worker where the nearest Catholic church was and he said it was about a fifteen minute walk and told me how to get there and said that mass was at half ten (10:30, thats what they say over here). So I set my alarm and allowed some extra time in case I got lost or wanted to take pictures. I woke up and ate the full Irish breakfast at the hotel and then set out. I walked for about ten minutes and then stopped to ask someone to make sure I was going in the right direction. She told me I was and that it was about a fifteen minute walk to the top of the hill where the church was located so I was glad I added in extra time. I hiked up the hill and got to the church and walked around the fence to the entrance and as I walked up I heard singing and though "Oh I'm just in time" only mass was letting out and people started coming out of the doors. I was handed a palm cross and then I looked around to see if there were anymore services that day but I couldn't find anything. Determined to make my hike worth something, I stayed up on the hill for a while and took some pictures before heading back. I took my time on my way back, stopping at the beach and getting a panoramic shot and then went back to the hotel. There was an Anglican church on the way back and just as I was walking by it the bells started ringing and I notices that the gates were open (they had not been earlier) so I started walking up and saw people going in and decided to go in. Now, I think I have maybe been to 3 different types of churches in my whole life and never an Anglican so it was a new experience for me. One of the things that I like about the Catholic church is that mass is always the same everywhere you go so I was a little nervous going in, not know what to expect. One thing that jumped out right away as different was that a woman was doing the service, something I never have experienced! But it was nice, I got to go to church and learn some new things.

Yesterday (Wednesday) the group went to Blarney Castle and I think we experienced all four seasons in that one day. When we first got there it was beautiful weather and we walked around the castle and then up to the top where I kissed the Blarney Stone. Side note: I read today that kissing the Blarney Stone is rated as one of the most unhygienic tourist attractions. After that I walked back down and then around the castle grounds. There is a really cool place called the Rock Close outside the castle where a witch used to live and many of the things around were based on things to keep the with happy. There was a staircase next to a waterfall called the wishing steps and if you walk up and down with your eyes closed and concentrate on a wish then the with will grant it within a year. She had to grant these wishes because she took firewood from the Blarney Castle. There was also a rock that is shaped like the witch's profile and her kitchen with fireplace was also nearby. While we were in the Rock Close it rained, then sleeted, then snowed, and then got sunny and warm again, I guess thats Irish weather for you.

Today we went on a tour of Cobh which is the last place the Titanic picked up passengers before it set off into the ocean. At first I was not too thrilled about this tour that was "optional" because I felt I hadn't even gotten to know the city of Cork very well and wanted to do that on my last day, but I went anyways. It turned out to be a very interesting history lesson and I felt that I caught a lot. I saw the building where the last passengers were before being taken to the ship and I saw the harbor where the ship came in. Besides being a harbor, Cobh also has a magnificent cathedral on top of a hill. The Catholics had to abide by penal laws for so long that when the laws were lifted, the Catholics wanted to build a huge Cathedral that was very showy and they definitely succeeded here. This cathedral was massive and had so many statues all around it. We were also told that the leader of the project was a bit of a perfectionist and ordered that all statues be made to ground level of detail (meaning they all had to be perfect pretty much when usually the statues that were going up high were not kept to that level of detail). The inside contained beautiful walls, more carved statues, and stained glass. There is a rosette window that was compared to the one in Notre Dame, the one in Notre Dame is 18 inches bigger but the one in Cobh has more vibrant colors. It is crazy to think of all the work that went into this magnificent creation.