Hello from Alnwick

After a full day of flying, 2 layovers (the first in Ohio, then again in New York), and a 2 hour bus ride from Edinburgh, Scotland to Alnwick, I have finally arrived at the castle! I am still feeling a little bit of jet lag but that hasn't stopped me from already enjoying this experience. The plane rides were exhausting but once we broke through the clouds and began our decent into Edinburgh, Scotland, that's when the excitement really started growing. After winding through the hills we made a final turn and this is what I saw outside my window... click it to enlarge

This is our front door...

And our backyard...


Kodak moments are everywhere!





There are plenty more amazing pictures which I hope to share shortly. Also, I spent an afternoon in Newcastle this weekend and have some nice pictures from there as well as around town here in Alnwick.

So far things are going great, the people in my group are awesome and so are the faculty and castle staff. We have already been getting to know our way around town and meeting some of the locals. It is a very tight knit community here in Alnwick and the residents (minus some of the teenagers) are quite welcoming and helpful. Classes officially start August 24th so it will be interesting to juggle school and travel. Personally I have been holding up very well. I am having a hard time getting used to the exchange rates and such but as far as culture shock goes, issues have been minimal. I hope to have a bit more of a routine from here on out so I expect to be able to update my blog more frequently, stay tuned!