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Pier Walk

Windy walking

I woke up and decided to read for a little while before going out. I got dressed and packed my gown and camera for later, then grabbed my helmet and biked downtown. I got a bite to eat, then went over to the Fresher's Fayre at the Union. Every room was filled with booths offering services and club memberships. I joined a bunch of societies, which I may or may not choose to carry on with. I am now a member of or am on the mailing list for the Mermaids Theater Society, the Dance Society, the Baking Society, the Crafts Society, the History Society, the Wildlife and Conservation Society, the Literary Society, the Italian Society, the Arts Society, the Knitting Society, the Feminist Society, the Design Team, the Charities Campaign, and Transition. I would have like to join the B.R.A.S.S. (steampunk) society too, but I couldn't find their table.

After that, I biked (still in love with my bike) over to the castle entrance to purchase a membership for Historic Scotland. Not only will it allow me to visit the castle and cathedral anytime I want for free, it will also allow me to visit hundreds of historic locations and events around Scotland without paying each time. I know it will come in handy if I visit Edinburgh on a weekend, or find time to travel north.

A not-so-good picture of me

 in my gown, but I knew you

would all ask for one

I went over to St. Salvator's Quad next to meet up for the Pier Walk, and luckily was able to find a girl I knew from stage crew and her friend. We all began to walk down to the waterfront, in a big red tourist-attracting stream. It was a bit windy when we got to the pier, so we were kind of nervous about walking back on the skinny part where you are higher up and more exposed to the breeze. Eventually it was our turn to climb the ladder and start the frightening but fun walk back to land. We all survived, though it was a little sketchy when the wind picked up when we were in the middle. I broke off from the group on the way back downtown so I could visit the cathedral again.

Graveyard rose

The cathedral was very still compared to the commotion by the ocean. I walked along the tomb stones and took some pictures. I found the museum, which we had missed before, and used my new pass to gain entry. I spent a while reading the descriptions of the various artifacts, as it started to pour outside and I wanted to wait it out. When the rain was reduced to a drizzle, I went over to St. Rules Tower and used a token I had obtained to go through the gate. I climbed, and climbed, and climbed until I finally reached the top. The wind and rain was not actually too bad from that height and I could see a 360 view of the entire city.

Panorama view- click to see larger

The young and the old

I left the cathedral and stopped in a hardware store to get some masonic jars for flour and sugar, then went to a bookstore where I spent some time flipping through vintage and antique books. I found one about two Saint Andrews students in the 1700s that was compiled in the 50s and had a dedication that made me smile:

Book Dedication

After that I went to Sainsbury's to get a few grocery items, then rode my bike back to my dorm. I did more dishes, made labels for my fridge items, and sorted through my stuff from the Freshers Fayre, then worked on my blog for a while and ate leftovers from last night's dinner. I took a shower, did a little more blogging, and went to sleep.

My food labels

Some society membership cards and flyers

biking dorm exploring freshers week traditions