Glasgow and Edinburgh, Days 24-27

To recap the rest of the week so far...

Tuesday was Day 24. We met for our first class session at the Department of Celtic and Gaelic at the University of Glasgow. We got our visitor library cards there to do research and had our first discussion of Beowulf. I had lunch with Charlie at a cute little pub called the Oran Mar (I believe), which was a converted cathedral; very pretty. We had a second class session after lunch. Dinner consisted of leftovers from the night before (sorry that's not very glamorous) and most of the evening was passed in the common kitchen, chatting with a big group of folks and drinking some wine. Eventually we wandered over to a spot in the neighborhood called The Goat, then called it a night.

Wednesday was Day 25. We met again at the Department of Celtic and Gaelic to discuss Beowulf. We spent several hours reading various critical essays on the poem and working in the library. I had a quick bite to eat on campus, then we had another class meeting after lunch. After class Beth, Earl, Lauren and I took a cab to the Auchentoshen distillery for a tour and tasting. That evening dinner was had at the Islay Inn (no more leftovers!) and a group of us went to open mic night at the '78, a spot right next door to our dorm. The music was actually pretty good.

Thursday was Day 26. We met again at the Department of Celtic in the morning. Thomas Clancy, a grad school pal of Charlie's who arranged for us to work in the department, spoke to us about languages and literature in medieval Scotland. It was very interesting. After that, a big group of us high-tailed it to the train station to head in to Edinburgh. We had a 2:00 appointment at the National Library to see some of Byron's papers from the John Murray Archive (squeal!). It was such an amazing experience. We looked at 5 different folios: Byron's last diary, a scrapbook sent to him by one of his "lady friends" Lady Caroline Lamb, a manuscript by Byron and the transcription done by Mary Shelley of it, his original manuscript for Don Juan, and a notebook filled with over 100 poems (some written on the pages of books he'd torn out from places). We also looked at numerous loose letters, several from Mary Shelley (mostly complaining about how horrible his handwriting was), a bill for over 500 pounds from a wine seller that he had owed for 6 months (that amount would buy ALOT of booze in 1811), and various letters to his publisher and his doctor. I wish we had more time to spend with the papers, but our window was short. I might go back next week and request to see different papers. After that, Charlie, Beth, Lauren and I headed off to the National Gallery. Then Charlie and I met Shri for dinner and drinks at the Edinburgh branch of the Royal Overseas League. The dining room looked onto Edinburgh Castle; it had a terrific view. We stopped at a little pub after dinner for whiskey and wine, then caught the last train back to Glasgow.

Today is Friday, Day 27. I took advantage of the day off from class to sleep in...very very late. I got up for lunch with Sarah and Clint at the Islay (we must like that place) and now I'm doing laundry. It's kind of a low-key day of rest. I think we'll be heading to the movie theater by the University this evening to see Harry Potter finally. Other than that, Korean for dinner is the plan. Tomorrow people are undertaking different road trips, so I'm not quite sure where I'll end up yet!

I'm still going to direct you to Facebook for pictures at this point...