Stirling

Our first weekend our group went to an about out of the Edinburgh to Stirling, a medieval town that's known as the "gateway to the highlands". We explored the city which was quaint and peaceful. Like in Edinburgh, the roads weren't planned and built as a grid but flowed with the contours of the landscape. I could feel how much of a difference this layout had as we ventured up the hill and felt protected from the wind. Stirling Castle was beautiful but my favorite attraction was the Wallace Monument because of all of the symbolism involved, it made me understand why William Wallace is regarded as the Scottish hero.

The Edinburgh Archives

Today we went on a field trip to the Edinburgh City Archives. Located at the bottom level of town hall, this dusty treasure trove of old ledgers and manuscripts is a researchers dream. We have been separated into three groups and assigned a specific area of Edinburgh to research. Our area is Leith- a neighboring burgh of Edinburgh that was incorporated into the city limits in 1920. The goal is to present how the area has changed throughout a 100 year period and the best evidence of this can be seen walking the streets through the virgin eyes of a tourist- perfect!

The History of Edinburgh

Our class is held in a the former medical building of the University of Edinburgh. Despite being hundreds of years old the accommodations in the classroom were unlike anything I've ever seen. There's a smart board, desks that have pull out desktops, and a door that is only opened when someone already inside the room pushes the button to let you in. Here's what it looks like to walk into the university. (Photos by Kevin Evers)

Arriving

Safely landed in Edinburgh! The weather is a lot colder than I expected it to be; less like spring and more like early fall... I hope this changes soon. I'm here a day earlier than the program begins and our TA, Michelle graciously offered to let stay with her at the flat that she's renting. While I way staying, there I noticed some changes in the city code: switches to the bathroom are outside the door but there's a a pull chain light switch inside. This is how it is in every restroom throughout the city. Another awesome thing that I found is that every outlet has an on/off switch. This means that you can leave your electronics plugged all the time, just shut off the switch when you know you're not going to be using them. Most people don't know that the outlet is still pulling electricity and wasting power whether or not there's anything in it so the constantly, needlessly consuming. It takes a second to turn off the switches but I bet it makes a huge difference in the demand for new energy plants.

Introduction

I thought I'd start out my blog with thanks Benjamin A. Gilman, former US State Representative from New York. His international scholarship programs allows thousands of students from various states, fields, and ages to get an opportunity to study abroad. As an Urban Planning major with a focus on European Studies the chance to study in Edinburgh was a dream come true. I'm trusting that this experience in a renowned "green city" will give me insight into the process of history and commerce coming together to retrofit the urban city.