Of Ghost Hunting in Edinburgh

The wonderful (and I use this term lightly) thing about living in the UK is that winter, unlike California, feels like winter. It is cloudy, rainy, sometimes snowy, and all the time cold. The real cold, under 40 degrees Fahrenheit and actually warranting of wearing hats, scarves, gloves, and (God help me), Ugg boots. However, the downside of the UK in the winter is that traveling around it is not the brightest of ideas, as exhibited by Allison who went to Scotland in April and assured me that was mind-numbingly freezing (especially the water). Which was why we left places like Scotland, Northern England, and Wales for the latter part of our time here. And Paris ended up being the perfect winter destination anyway so no momentum was lost.

And so it brings me to the first of the handful of last travelogue postings: Edinburgh, Scotland. Or as its known to by those who live there, "the most haunted city in the UK." Did we find ghost? Well, you shall see...

Edinburgh, Scotland's main city and the land of 1000 tartan kilts

Like most cities that we have visited so far, we decided to stay as far away from the center of the city as possible (see Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, Rome). Yet this time, being cheap did not really bite us in the back since the view we got of the North Sea under the sunset was breathtaking. The water was so clear along the shorelines and since this was the first time I had been on a beach since I've come here, it felt almost like home (well, home sans the frigid water and the beautiful shells that I found).

Then, there was the obligatory castle which, according to our tour guide, was defended against foreign invaders (at one point) by only 30 troops. It looks like building castles on the edge of cliffs does have its perks.

Edinburgh Castle

Yet, this time, it was not the big structures that were unforgettable. Rather, it was the more unconventional things that were memorable. After all, at this point, I have already seen more than my fair share of ancient castles, large museums, and medieval districts (though it won't be the last of it, as you will see in future blog posts). Like, for example, I dined at the Elephant Castle, where JK Rowling first wrote Harry Potter on pieces of napkin. Sadly I did not receive any artistic inspiration while sitting there but the meat pie and tea was pretty good.

The most unconventional thing was, my favorite part, the ghost tour. Thus far, it had only been sight seeing and picturesque moments so to do something like this was out of the ordinary for us. Yet, it was also some of the most fun times that we had on this trip if only because of the (allegedly) true ghost stories that were told as we walked around the Royal Mile (center of medieval Edinburgh). There were stories of bloody public executions consisting of mutilations and public floggings. Then there was one of a wandering ghost in the many closes of old city, of a man who was executed for murder and now takes to walking around in the mists, scaring passersby with his echoing footsteps.

Or of the friendly cobbler ghosts hanging around the underground tunnels of Edinburgh who has a penchant for shoes. I'm not entirely sure if any of this was true since I do not entirely believe in ghosts. Yet, what I do believe is the otherworldly aura of Edinburgh, especially those tunnels, with their cold stillness from lack of air flow. I do agree that there is something about those underground tunnels that did make the hair on the back of your neck stand on ends and your heart to race, despite the fact that nothing was moving there.

There was moment when I did scream and I'm not sure if it was the story (of a woman who awoke from a coma but found herself in a coffin and her fingers being chopped off by grave robbers), the scream the pierced the air that was both mine and the tour guide, or maybe just the claustrophobic nature of those underground rooms and passageways. Let's just say that I was glad to step outside again.

Until we paid a 10PM visit to a cemetery and my friend Allison took a picture of a moon that wasn't there. I'm not so sure if there's anything after death but sometimes...you just don't know.

It looks like a stray camera light but it only shows up in this particular photo.

Edinburgh, the photo album

Of Isabelle

I would like to take this time to take us away from our normal programming to talk about events back home, most of all, the birth of a very special little girl.

Meet Isabelle.



She is the daughter of Tieu and my second oldest sister, Thu. She was born at 10PM California time on June 9, 2009. Weighing at just 4 pounds, 10 ounces, she is the smallest baby I have ever seen. And apparently, she is also very adventurous since she came almost 3 weeks early. Maybe one day she'll go abroad and write a blog about it too.

She is also the first baby girl in the family since me, and she is my first niece. Who has a lot of pink, poofy dresses coming towards her because after two nephews and many blue pant suits later, I finally get to shop in the little girl section.

Of Tumultuous Weather

I am sitting in my room, 24 hours and 600 words from being finished with my last Warwick Uni essay (ironically enough, the highest essay score I have received yet was on one that I absolutely abhorred writing. Which always seems to be the case in University). And it just down-poured for a good 10 minutes before clearing up back into greyness.

I am not one for stereotypes but times like these, I do find that sticking to the British stereotype of massive amounts of rainfall is the most likely way to predict British weather. At this point, I have given trying to look up the day's forecast on weather.com because I know that in one day during this season, it can go from overcast to drizzle to downpour then to sun. Sometimes all in the span of one hour. I guess that's part of that British charm; like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get when it comes to the weather here. I have also had a couple of really hot days here that were comparable to California summer. But like most things British, it was quickly eclipsed the next day with rain.

One thing that I can say positively about British weather is, though tumultuous, it is a lot more lenient to its denizens than California spring. Case in point: wildflowers. You never see this kind of bed in Orange County.

Oh look! It just got sunny again!

Of Music in Vienna

Looking back on Vienna (the last stop on my Eurotrip this past April), I think I will always put it as one of my biggest regrets. Forgetting that I was going to Austria, I did not plan anything in advance in anticipation of it, even though in the back of my head, it occurred to me that the city was the mecca of classical music and opera and that I should probably try to see some sort of show (especially when standing room tickets at the opera house and concert halls were only 5 euros). Alas, this wonderful thought did not occur to me until I was riding on the train to Vienna and thinking, "Oh wait, Vienna was my contribution to this part of the trip, where should we go?" That's what happens when you get trapped into the complacency that comes with being mellow and letting other people lead you around.


Vienna - 2 days

So what did happen in Vienna, besides the marathon that was going on as we were within the city that weekend, were 4 Americans stumbling around like zombies trying to enjoy the city but in actuality, just wanting to lay down and sleep for 100 years. At this point, after having been to 5 other countries this month alone, I was mentally tired and was not in the right state to thoroughly enjoy such a beautiful city.

Yet, what did hit me was how grand and beautiful the city center was. I can go on record to say that Vienna has one of the most beautiful city centers that I have ever seen. The road around that area were lined with trees and it was filled with public parks that were blooming with flowers, trees, and the occasional monument to a famous composer (I only saw three when we were there but trying to find them is like a scavenger hunt, they are scattered all through the city).


Monument to Mozart, who was buried in an unmarked grave outside of the city (which I regret not going to, Beethoven and countless other composers are buried nearby there too!)

The weekend we were there, there was a chance to go into one palace, we picked the Hofburg Imperial Palace which was built with a mixture of Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. Walking within the royal apartments, I was subtly reminded of Versailles but a more Neoclassical, simpler version that did not contain as much gold. Sadly, the royal apartments was the only place we went into since every component of the Hofburg had a separate entrance fee (and they don't even let you take pictures!)



Another educational experience was our tour of the Burgtheatre, built by Empress Marie Theresa (mother of Marie Antoinette) in the 1700's and filled with paintings from Gustave Klimt. You cannot help but feel like royalty when you walk up the more than 200 year old entrance hall, the grandeur of everything and being able to pretend that you were seeing a play there does help you feel like a million dollars. I even sat in a box for the first time in my life, my next goal is being able to afford to sit in a box to see a show. One of these days...


Come right in your highness...

Of course, a trip to Vienna would not be complete without trying the coffee. And despite the fact that I was not able to hear any classical music in one of the grand concert halls, I did hear a pianist during our afternoon coffee break play Leonard Bernstein "I Feel Pretty" while having a wonderful cappuccino. So it was not a complete loss. Yet, just walking around the city and listening to everything gave me a taste as to why so many famous composers wrote their best pieces here. The whole city is filled with music, I could hear it from the festivals that were going on in front of the Rathaus to the music from the street players beside the Danube Canal (the Danube River is located outside of the city), to just the chattering of people sitting in the park. It was not a symphony played with a full orchestra but it was musical nevertheless.


Eiskaffee, coffee with vanilla ice cream and my favorite thing about Austria.

Vienna, the photo album

Of Up!

Now, here is another conundrum about living across the pond.

Why is it that while America is the land that gave birth to Hollywood and thus, the first movie stars and celebrities, and where a majority of films and film companies originate, movies are so much more expensive over there than in Britain. I went to the local electronics store and saw a two disk special edition of Sweeney Todd priced at 10 pounds! That's 15 dollars! Wanna know how much that goes for on Amazon.com $22.99, retail price $34.99. In what world does that make sense?

Of course, that's just one example, I'm not counting the myriad of new releases that were all priced at 5 pounds. And at that point, I cursed US Region 1 DVD players.

Another thing that's cheaper in the UK, Ipods. And I am sure that Apple is not even remotely British. But that's another issue.

Yet, what does make me sad about being in the UK is missing the release of movies, since - "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" aside, the US tends to get first dibs on movie release dates. I will be missing the premiere of "Up" while I'm here and when I go back to California, guess what's going to get its first worldwide release in London? "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." Like the new "Wolverine" movie, this sucks.

And now, to alleviate the pain, the new trailer of Pixar's "Up," which opened the Cannes Film Festival. At least some film juries take animated pictures seriously, ie: no one in the Academy, whom I will never forgive for snubbing "Wall-E" in the Best Picture nomination. But again, that's another story.

Of the Nature Boy

There was a boy...A very strange enchanted boy

19th century King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The tour guides said he was "eccentric." We think he just was not ready to be King of Bavaria which is why he chose to retreat into a world of fairy tales and music.

They say he wandered very far...Very far...

Hohenschwengau, located next to the Bavarian Alps and the nearby town of Fussen (where we stayed), and the summer palace of the Bavarian Royal Family. Yet, Ludwig was not satisfied and sought to build his own dream world. It was in Hohenschwengau where he retreated to oversee the construction of his magnum opus.

Over land and sea...

You cannot take pictures inside the castle except for the view out of the windows. And what a view it was. If you could wake up every day and see such a sight from your window, anyone would feel like royalty. You can see my pink camera floating on top of the lake.

A little shy, and sad of eye...But very wise was he...

Neuschwanstein castle, Ludwig's legacy and fantasy come true. It was the unfinished product of personal funds, 14 years worth of work, and of dreams. Today, it's one of the most visited places in Germany and the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. It also has a cave (complete with waterfall) within one of its many rooms and a large concert room for Richard Wagner, Ludwig's close friend and favorite composer. Like the inside of Hohenschwengau, you can only enter the castle via a tour, which you buy tickets for at the foot of the mountain. But it was well worth it just for the panoramic view of the Bavarian countryside, the mountains, and the image of the quintessential fantasy castle come to life.

And then one day
One magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things...
Fools and kings...
This he said to me...

Sadly, after a mere 100 days within the castle, Ludwig was declared mentally insane and overthrown. 3 days later, his body was found floating in Starnberger Lake, a sign that the world is not kind to dreamers...

Despite his tragic and untimely death, for 100 days, Ludwig got to do what so many of us can only dream of someday doing: live in his perfect, fantasy world. That is some consolation.


"The greatest thing, you'll ever learn, is just to love
And be loved, in return" - Eden Ahbez, "Nature Boy"

Fussen, the photo album

Of Wow in Switzerland

Wow, that's all I could really say about Switzerland...just wow. The amazing part was, I did not expect it to be as breath taking as it was. I was just speechless when I set foot out of the train station and before me was Lake Lucerne and the freakin' Alps! Imagine waking up to this every morning:


Lucerne. Time spent: 2 days.

Thinking about Switzerland, I always imagined things like chocolate, rolling hillsides, and yodeling. There wasn't much yodeling but there were a lot of green hills, farm animals, and beautiful, beautiful scenery. Lucerne was that perfect size between metropolitan city and small town. There were just enough cars and shops to give it life but not too big that it was stifling. We spent the better part of the day just walking by the lakeside and looking out at the waters. I found myself taking pictures of the same thing over and over again since every time I thought I had a good view of the lake and the mountains, I got an even better one a couple of yards up.



Of course, the downside with Lucerne was the hefty pricetag. Since the Swiss Franc was equal in value to the dollar, everything looked more expensive (I had gotten used to a small number on the price tag, even if sometimes that number equaled something exponentially bigger in dollars) and in actuality, it was more expensive. $18 for a souvenir little boy t-shirt...oy vey. Suffice to say, all I have from Lucerne are memories and a LOT of Lindt chocolate, which was the cheapest thing and which came in fun flavors such as creme brulee, chocolate mousse, and cherry and chili. For the latter, I'm not entirely sure how it tastes, that's what the people back home are for when I give it to them as a Swiss souvenir.

Yet, the best part about Lucerne, the one that made up for the hefty pricetag, were the Alps. At a cost of 50 euros (after a discount since we had a Eurail pass), a ski lift took us all the way up 7000 feet to the top of Mount Pilatus where according to local legend, a dragon is supposed to be buried there. Of course, I didn't go for the dragon but rather, I went for this view:



I remember going to Yosemite National Park in California when I was 8 and there was a sign that said that because of smog, that visibility from the top of those mountains had decreased. Which is why, standing on top of the world, and being able to see far and wide, even out to Germany, I just felt so lucky to be able to see something like that. It seemed to me that this was nature at its purist, no trace of smog, no hint of civilization, just clouds, water, fields, and snow for miles around. Though there was a small trace, a cross and church on a summit, probably because it was the closest thing to heaven. But in that part of the world, that high up, that little structure eemed like something that was not built humans but rather, by God (or whoever God is called). You couldn't help feeling so small and minuscule, like in so many sublime paintings of the wilderness and the grandeur of everything just threatened to overlap you.



Afterward, we went into the restaurant and warmed ourselves up from the icy cold with a bowl of potato soup and a cappuccino. So ended a day at the top of the world.


Beware of the swans, they bite.

Lucerne, the photo album