SCOTLAND!

Goodbye Scotland...

2006-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

HELLO ITALY!! What a perfect ending to my semester in Scotland! It's been a dream of mine to ski the Alps and although this wasn't the Alps... the Dolomites were pretty darn close. My friend Steven Nyman was racing in Selva Val Gardena with the US ski team the last week I was in Europe and invited me over to watch them race. Thanks to Easy Jet, I was able to afford one more flight into Verona Italy where I took a bus up the most beautiful glacial canyon to a small ski town called Selva Gardena where I stayed in a quaint, family run hotel and ate more pasta than I've had in a month! It was everything I imagined this part of the world to be and more! I got ski two days on mostly man made snow, but it was so beautiful I hardly noticed the lack of it. It was absolutely breathtaking stepping out of the gondola and seeing the mountains before me--Do you see the big mountain behind me!? The races were fun to watch, I was hooked up with a media pass and got to see Steven win his first world cup in the mens down hill race... Congrats again Steven! We went dancing Saturday night after the big win and had a blast. I'm quite impressed with the dancing skills on the team, I was so dizzy by the time I went home...and no I didn' have any alcohol. It was a good fix to be in the mountains again and got me excited to get back to fluffy snow in Utah.
This little kid kept me entertained waiting for the races to start, sliding down the little hill in front of me, too cute not to snap a photo.

Bolzano, Italy

2006-12-25T02:06:00.000-08:00

After the big races, we explored the town of Bolzano tucked between the mountains, you'd never know it was there. Here we found the simple joys of christmas...good food, music, christmas markets and good company. You couldn't paint a more perfect setting for this town, it was beautiful! If only Christmas could be like this everywhere. I love Italy, even though I didn't see any of the major cities, which I still hope to see someday, I got to see an authentic side that I don't think most people who visit this country get to see. I think everyone who comes to Italy needs to steal away to a small town, eat real brushetta and interact with the people. Everyone I met was so kind and so full of life. I couldn't have asked for a better finale to my semester in Europe.

Leaving...

2006-12-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

John, Me, John Fellows, Liz, and Rich

last day at Parliament...

These are some of the many things we do here at parliament...some of you here will appreciate that. But
this is a slim idea of the kind of working conditions we face each day. Rich has gained quite a lot of weight since he got here and I never have enough room! ...lay off the haggis Rich!

The best YSA group we could have asked for!! Bishop Laird, wife-Sharon, Lindsey, Rich, Robby, Me, John, Liz, Gordon, Kyle, and Jenny. Going to miss you all :(
Last night we went Salsa dancing at club Medina, with Lindsey, Paula (cuban with moves I'll never amount to since I'm not cuban...) me and Jenny. Oh it was a good time. I actually danced with a guy who made me feel like a pro, he was really good and I came to realize that if you have a good partner that's all it takes to be good at salsa...atleast I thought so...
This can only end in tears!
Liz, Emma, Sarah, Tiff, Jenny, Jackie and me in our living room for the last FHE...we are such nerds, but beautiful nerds none the less. I love SCOTALAND and the people I've met here... maybe I should just stay?? It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but for some reason, I feel like I will be back sometime soon. (or vica versa-ROAD TRIP!) So no, it won't only end in tears...

St. Andrews Day

2006-12-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November. They just passed a bill that made it an official business holiday so we got the day off... but seeing as it fell on a thursday (the busiest day at parliament) we took friday off instead. During the day, we went down to Princess St. with Alex Salmond - SNP leader and candidate for the elections next May, who interviewed passing individuals of their plans for the holiday (a good campaign push.) It was crazy, but actually pretty fun. I got to interview a few MSP's (Members of Scottish Parliament) such as Bruce Crawford in the picture above. We handed out saltire flags and did our best to round people up. But I must admit, it was quite a stressful job especially since about 90% of the people walking by were in a hury and in no mood to talk. But hey, it got me out of the office.
The four interns with Alex Salmond.

Later that night we all went to a Ceilidh (pronounced- caely) a traditional Scottish Dance which ended up being a blast. Seriously, one of the funnest nights I've had here in Edinburgh. It was in a church up the Royal Mile and you know, it was pretty exciting walking past all those people, we got in free following the SNP posse...nice. You can't help but smile and want to start doing a jig the second you walk in the door. I love Scottish folk music! -bagpipes, fiddles etc... what a great time. I hate to make the comparisson to square dancing...cheeseball and lame... but that is kind of the idea where you have a partner (Rich and I were partners...and yes, we did plan the grey behind the blazers, we wanted to win the hottest couple award...rrright.) Basically guys are on one side and girls on the other and you take turns spining down each side...talk about dizzyness! Its was so much fun, my cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling the whole time.

We met some really cool people that night and it was fun because for three different dances almost the whole crowd was joined in dancing and those who knew the dances helped teach us all. It was a blast! I'm glad I got this cultural experience! Now I need to marry a Scotsman so I can have one at my wedding?? Oh, the wind that night was incredible, it blew so hard that I almost blew right over walking.

Switzerland!!!

2006-12-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

If only you could've seen my face...
Switzerland??! Boy did I luck out! Not only did we get to see Germany this trip... we were fortunate to find cheap tickets down to Basel Switzerland (a 3 hour train trip from Frankfurt) where my good friend Andy Psota -above, was kind enough to pick us up and drive us around. Andy you ROCK and I miss you already! I couldn't seem to shut my mouth the second those Alps came into view...literally jaw dropping. What a beautiful country, I could have died and gone to heaven! I tried snapping pictures out the car window, but none really turned out except the first one...humor me.

We drove to Interlaken which was a cute little town snuggled between mountains and a gorgeous lake....Okay, I'll take a summer home in Maui and a winter home here in Interlaken...when I'm rich some day?? Anyway, we sat and ate vanilla pastries in the park and listened to a man squeek out some terrible notes on a trombone nearby. Either he was trying to get rid of the tourists, or attempting to kill the pidgeons in the park. A moment in time I won't forget, priceless.
The Virgin Mountain....oooo

After Interlaken we drove to Bern, okay the most beautiful city, Interlaken is the most beautiful town...Bern was very unique and quite stunning. Below, I am standing in front of "the most beautiful street in Europe" -so said a tour guide I overheard. The people were beautiful as well, I've never seen so many good looking men out and about. Andy treated us to some roasted chestnuts...I can't believe we have a christmas song about these nuts and nobody ever roasts them... atleast I've never had them before. Oh man are we missing out...they are so good and fun to eat.! We ran around the city until it fell dark and everybody closed up. We headed to his home town called Langnaul where his family let us stay the night. His family is the salt of the earth! We were treated with such hospitality and kindness that I hope some day to repay. Everyone in his family speaks atleast two or three languages...man are we far behind! We had some killer cheese fondu with some of Andy's friends and later watched some down hill racing with his mom. In the morning, we awoke to a sunday brunch of delicious breads, cold cuts, cheese and hardboiled eggs, and were sent off with sandwiches for our long trip back, what a nice family! We spent the next 11 hours traveling back to Edinburgh (word to the wise...don't travel by Ryanair.. I hate that airline!!) We traveled by car-train-bus-airplane and train once more...talk about insanity!! I guess that's what I get for being such a cheap skate... But we did get to ride in our own room on the train and that cool, I love trains! So there ya go, my trip in a nutshell. I leave for home in 2 weeks from tomorrow... I can't believe this semester is coming to an end. It's sad but exciting because I get to see everyone soon!

Thanksgiving in Germany

2006-12-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought crab at a cafeteria?? This is Freidberg Germany, 30 mins north of Frankfurt where Liz, my roomy here in Scotland, invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her sister-in-law, Brooklyn and her two kids. Liz's brother is serving in Iraq and so we spent the holiday on an army base and had thanksgiving dinner at the Howze D-fac..(army lingo for the dining facility as shown below...) Yes, that is a crab leg on my plate...pretty good food if you ask me...infact, it was the best I'd ever had in a cafeteria. A few men in uniform served the meal and were awarded medals for doing so. Then with children screaming, thier mothers chasing them around the room and E.T. playing in the background, I felt right at home...classic American spirit! I missed my family a wee bit, but I've spent the past 4 thanksgivings away from home and it wasn't anything new. This was deffinitely a unique experience and left no room for homesickness. We got home just in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (a hatch family must) and of course what would t-day be without a nap? Later we drank apple cinnamon tea and had more pumpkin pie, that was enough to put me in the holiday spirit and I am looking forward to spending Christmas with my family. I talked with Brooklyn about her husband and the experience they had since he joined the service and it made me really greatful for my freedom and those who are serving our country. This thanksgiving, I am thankful for my freedom. Brooklyn and her mom were so hospitable and so nice to let us stay with them. We ate so well, I think between the donnar kebaps, the pastries and the chocolate I gained like 20 pounds!

This was the Ronenburg Castle, dated back to the 1300's I believe. We ran around this castle the first day we got there and it was fun to see the difference in architecture and style coming from the UK...what a difference. The coolest part was a 300 ft. well inside with a bucket and hose that we filled up 4 times and dumped down the well in awe of the length of time it took to fall. It was very entertaining for the three of us... Oh and the nomes, we couldn't resist! Germany is beautiful, atleast the part we got to see. It was flat, but so colorful and the people were actually really friendly.

Glasgow Photo shoot

2006-11-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

First the interview with BBC radio, now the newspaper wants me to model as some college student whose never seen an ipod.... What next, Vogue? Just kidding. Above is the picture from the photo shoot with SNP Deputy Leader-Nicola Sturgeon promoting the new video podcast of Alex Salmond. (to see the video scroll down a few posts.) Jennifer Dempsie, one of our Press Officers, took us up to Glasgow on Friday for the photo shoot and then gave us the rest of the day off to shop and explore the city. Primark or die! -thanks Jen! Below, Liz, John, Rich and I tried to recreate the image since Rich wasn't even in the shot... or we are just being dumb.

Bonfire Night

2006-11-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Remember, remember the 5th of November. I recently watched "V for Vendetta" in lieu of the 5th of November aka "Bonfire night." As some of you might know, bonfire night celebrates the capture of Guy Fawkes back in 1605 for conspiracy to blow up Parliament. Here in Scotland, fireworks have gone off every night for the past month. Sunday night sounded like a war outside, I've never seen so many fireworks! We sat with hundreds of people on a hill just behind our flat to watch as the huge bonfire was lit and then more fireworks. I have to speculate whether this was all in celebration for the capture or Guy Fawkes...or was it celebrating the 'would have been' succession of Guy Fawkes in overthrowing Parliament...fireworks-explosions-fire?? Check out the website at http://www.bonefire.org/guy/

Alex Salmond- Iraq issue

2006-11-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Highland Adventure!

2006-10-30T05:35:00.000-08:00

Eilean Donnan Castle
Here are just a few pictures of our Highlands trip two weekends ago. 8 of us drove up friday night in two cars, barley surviving the death-trap two lane highway up to Skye where we camped the night in a small fishing town called Portree (thanks to Sarah and my Aunt Brenda for travel advice. The town was beautiful!) The girls slept in the cars and the boys slept in their £8 tesco tent. What an adventure! The Scottish Highlands are a deffinitely the Garden of Eden here on earth, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Above is my favorite castle, the Eilean Donnan Castle. It was built in the 1100's but was later destroyed by Vikings and wasn't rebuilt until the 19th century. We first saw it at night and I almost ran the car off the road. It was so spectacular!
Talk about being on top of the world...I could have spent hours up here, mabye even days. The rock to my right is called Old Man Storr, a 30 min. climb from the road. The view was absolutely amazing and how lucky we were to have sunshine! Mist and clouds set in just before we left and created the most eerie cool scene. It felt like we walked right into the film Lord of the Rings. I think I want to retire here in Portree someday...

This is the Sunset over Loch Ness. We didn't get there in time to explore the Urkhart castle or the museum, beware last entrance is 3:45 - lame... So Rich, Adam, Tiff and I hopped the fence to try and sneak into the castle and got kicked out. So much for Loch Ness! up yer kilt on that one! So we just looked really hard for Nessie but didn't find her... only a wax figure in a pond two miles down the road at another exhibit. It was a beautiful loch, but I found the the hype a little over-rated. Out of spontanaity it was a great trip, but for driving all that way... I recommend atleast 3-4 days. We ended the trip in Inverness, the city just east of Loch Ness with fish and chips. I even tried HAGGIS for the first time!!! Lets just say that one bite was enough for me. (those of you who don't know what haggis is, it's pretty foul, infact it doesn't taste bad, it's just knowing what it is and how its cooked...go goolge it.)

Video

2006-10-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by Steele & Hatch Productions....

SNP Conference - Perth

2006-10-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Liz, SNP Leader- Alex Salmond, Me and Tiffany

What a politician! Electricity shot through the auditorium as Alex Salmond spoke to deligates on Friday at the Scottish National Party Conference in Perth. My opinion stands firm in that this man would be a perfect leader to take Scotland into independence. Elections for a new First Minister are in May and I'm a bit jealous I won't be here. We drove up to Perth Friday afternoon just in time for his speech and afterward formally met him and President of the SNP, Ian Hudgeton. Alex reconized Liz and I by brief phone conversations and by the few minutes we talked to him I was impressed at what a genuine person he is. I'll probably leave here in in two months and forget the details of Scottish Politics, but I sure won't forget his speech. It motivated me to vote for him, and I'm not even a permanent resident. I wish him the best of luck in the upcoming elections.

Alex Salmond

Nicola Sturgeon

SNP- It's Time!

Brian Adam- SNP Member of Scottish Parliament over tourism. Brian is also a member of the LDS church and helped the four of us get on our feet with security passes and all. Thanks Brian! (what cheeze ball Americans...me and my flag, and Rich... thumbs up??)

Rich, Me, John Fellows (Chief Press Officer and drill sargent of the SNP Press office where we all work ;) jk John.. you are the best!) Liz and John. After the speech, we just mingled as if we knew what we were doing tried to get some free food, but no one let us into their private banquets, guess you have to be important for that kind of stuff. So plugged in...

The Interview...

BBC radio wanted to interview some interns and John hooked us up. He asked only a few questions, but being put on the spot like that...boy do you have to think quick! I was nervous, but it actually ended up being a cool experience....that is until he asked me why I chose to intern with the Scottish National Party here in Scotland... I didn't acutally chose to intern here at all, it was more like a twist of fate really. So I blew that question big time- good thing it wasn't live. The other two questions were better.

William Wallace Monument

2006-10-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

Rich, Liz, Me, Tiffany, Sarah, and John at the top of the monument. We took so many pictures, you'd think it was a photo shoot for something cool, what nerds. Sarah was our tour guide and photographer (since she lives in Stirling and had been to the top several times) Wonderful Sarah, loved it!

Wallace Monument from Stirling castle. It's a pretty tall structure as is, but you feel on top of the world since it's set up on a hill. It's quite a climb to the base.
The far left side of that tower you will see the exterior of the tiny spiral staircase we climbed to the very top. What a work out! Claustrophobia occured only once as a large woman came down and we had to squeeze past her and I mean squeeze past her to the next level. This monument was built mid- 1800's and dedicated to William Wallace and many other knights and Lord's.
The view from the top of the Wallace Monument. It was incredible! My camera doesn't do justice, it was absolutely gorgeous from up there. we got lucky and the sun was out almost all day.
On Guard! Tiffany and I re-enacted the battle fought here 600 years ago against the French in which the Scottish dominated royally. Three cheers for the kilts! (we both don't know how to hold "swords" so it really wasn't that cool.) but the valley was so green and with the exception of a few farms, it was exactly the picture I'd paint in my mind when trying to imagine these battle feilds.

PARIS!!

2006-10-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

EIFFEL TOWER YO!!!!
And here I am! Exploring the city of love... Lady and the Tramp.... Hunchback of Notre Dame.... French Kiss....French Fries.... French Bread... French Dressing...and Peru! I know a few of you will get that.

Here I am on sunday (in a skirt non the less) ooolala! Serioiusly a jaw dropping, speechless moment in time. I can't believe I made it here and I'm just a little gal. What a pathetic waste of a romantic city eh? j/k I absolutely loved Paris! I wish I had a week to explore this city! I couldn't get enough cheese and croissants and baguettes...oh they were so good. But other than that, the food wasn't the best. Either that, or the French like moving things in thier seafood salads...

Am I good or what!

Me and the Siene River, just chillin.

Notre Dame
Sanctuary....Sanctuary... We made it inside, but by the time we came back to go up to the towers, they were closed :( Better luck next time I guess.

Can you find Quazie?
The most beautiful rose window I'd ever seen. Oh you stain glass lovers would have really appreciated this cathedral. How somber, yet so stunning. The inside was very dark and they were holding a service while hundreds of tourists walked around...very interesting.

A little cafe outside across the street. I couldn't resist, all the cafes were so colorful and quaint.
Oh, I almost forgot. If you ever get to Paris, don't stay at the aloha hostel...they are very rude and ran out of sheets! We had to sleep with towels and they forgot to tell us there was only one key to the room, so we were rudely wakened by the 4 other girls who came home late the first night... mmmm hostel living--it's the best... WHAT AN ADVENTURE!! I can't believe how much we saw and did in 4 days! I do recommend better planning, but hey, it was exciting.

PARIS

2006-10-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

THE LOUVRE - Da Vinci code anyone? Talk about illustrating my imagination! This place was the highlight of Paris! What an incredible museum, full of historic icons throughout time. The first painting we saw was the Mona Lisa, no I didn't get any good pictures, for obvious reasons...and to be completely honest, I was a little disapointed to behold the most famous painting in the world, a wee bit smaller than I imagined and to stare at it from 7 ft away. The room was too claustrophobic even at 10:00 a.m. But regardless, it was still amazing to stand before her. The Mona Lisa, a painting I'd known since childhood. It was almost too cool enigmatic

Madona of the Rocks-
This painting (also in the movie Da Vinci code) was really impressive. How crazy, I got to see these old famous paintings!! This place looks a whole lot different in the day with a zillion tourists...not quite like the movie. But I felt a little mischievious, perhaps I should have pulled the power and got my flourecent lighting out to see if there was anything written...naw, I just wanted explore more of the building!

Venus di Milo
The goddess Aphrodite. Once again, I stood jaw dropped and speechless.
A beautiful sculpture in itself, but too many people...claustrophobia...I should look into getting VIP treatment next time after hours.
THE MUMMY
This is a real mummy they extracted from one of the tombs. Creepy... I loved it! The Egyptian wing was one of my favorites, I enjoyed it immensely! I couldn't believe how many tombs they had displayed and yet there were hardly any people in this wing. I can't wait to go to egypt someday. This place was a mini-series of "Around the world in 3 hours"
The Siene
ARC di TRIUMPH!
What a gloomy day...sorry the pictures aren't brighter, it rained on us almost all day. This, unlike the Mona Lisa, was a LOT bigger than I expected! Another jaw dropped, speechless moment.
Liz and I paid 5 euros to climb the spiral staircase, what seemed like 10 stories high, froze while we took some nerdy tourist pictures, and then went back down 10 minutes later. Paris is not cheap! But it was the greatest view from up there, deffinitely worth it, but gee whizers!
I will...I will... I will Triumph!

(another French Kiss stop)

More Paris...

2006-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Paris Opera House
Yes, believe it or not, this is the Opera House where the famous play, Phantom of the Opera (a Hatch family favorite) takes place. Inside the theatre everything was so gaudy. This grand hall made me want a ball gown and glass slippers...or a mask....

MASQUERADE! Paper faces on parade...
MASQUERADE! Hide your face so the world can never find you.... lallalalalalal!
Where are my glass slippers...
Where is my prince charming...
I think I am getting my stories mixed up
Okay, so this was George V, the "posh" ritzy area just down the street from the Arc di Triumph. We weren't dressed properly to go in any of the shops, I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman... but I don't think a new do and my good looks would do it, I need a sugar daddy with plastic.
Fashion statement of the year...
-get some new clothes nichole-

PLAZA HOVEL on GEORGE SENC
I tracked this hotel down all afternoon. Yes it's the Plaza Hotel where my favorite chick flick "French Kiss" was filmed. After stopping at 3 hotels, we finally made it only to be turned away by a rude French bellman! Oooo the French are not on my good side. But I did peer through the spinning glass door and saw the glass elevator, the bell desk and the red couches. I guess that will have to do until I'm rich enough to stay there some day. I swear,, how many bellmen does a person need to get from their car to the front loby- less than 40 ft away! There was atleast 5!!
Rich people...

It was a very lovely hotel and this area was just beautiful. It rained on us all the way from the Arc di Triumph to here and it was actually quite refreshing. However, it doesn't smell good when it rains...in fact Paris never smelt good. It reeked of BO and mold. Just look, don't smell.

The Eiffel Tower by night. I highly recommend going straight to the top at night, no better way to see Paris and get a thrill out of it too! See Paris by day at the Arc di Triumph, then hit this by night - no lines, no wait, less people, and oh what a ride! I got a few butterflies on the way up. The view from the top is incredible!

Statistics for you brainy readers:
The Eiffel tower stands 75 stories high (1000 ft.) and weighs around 10,000 tons! It was named after its designer and engineer Gustave Eiffel. It was built between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for the Worlds Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. And only one man died during the building of it.

Liz and I
at the
top of the
Eiffle Tower
Yes it was
very windy
good thing
we were
fenced in.

THE SEINE RIVER from the top

London

2006-10-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

BIG BEN!!!!!!!
DONG....
DONG....
DONG....
This was the highlight of London.
I kept thinking back to the day
when I watched Peter Pan flying
around this clock and ...
You can fly you can fly you
can FLY!

Me and Big Ben...it was almost emotional

PARLIAMENT: House of Commons
Back side of Parliament.
The bridge was actually
under construction and
I couldn't get a good shot
so this is the best I could
do. Note to readers: Don't
come to europe with a
dinky camera like mine...
They took tourists on big
zodiacs up and down the river.
I wanted to do that!

BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Bob Barker beauty here...
"Look what you've just won...
a new Palace!!" Da da da da...
(mom, I think I got it from you..how do I look?)
Quite the spectacular building, if I was the Queen, I'd hide at the top like a sniper and peg the tourists and have a good laugh or two. The lighting is terrible because it was getting late.
We didn't get inside either..

THE GUARD

How does this guy stand so still??
Liz, our friend Geoff from Parliament, and Me.
We almost got a tour of the Parliament
building, but since it was saturday, they wouldn't
let us in. I guess I'll just have to go back.

Geoff was our spare of the moment tour guide.
He showed us around the city a bit and then we found ourselves in the ritzy part of London where the famous Harrods shopping court was.
HARRODS

I can't believe how expensive this place was! Just think if someone set fire to it??!? Prada, Gucci, Armani, Docle and Gabana, DKNY, Valentino...you name it ladies, it's there! And poor little Nichole could only look.
WICKED!!!

This play was FAbulous! Not better than Les Miserables
(my favorite) but it was quite good. The cool thing was that the original lead (Elpheba) was here in London and wow, she was AMAziing! Her voice was incredible. The story line is interesting, but the costumes and music were really fun.

I thought we were getting a killer deal £45 for a last minute weekend show, but when I got to the playhouse, I noticed the ticket said 19.00 GBP. I later found out that the dirty old man who sold us the tickets earlier had ripped us off. The seats weren't too bad, but for what we paid, we could have been atleast ground floor and closer to the stage. Oh well, you live and you learn right?

What a miracle, we made our train at 5:10 a.m. sunday morning and barley made our flight that left at 6:20. In two days, we got a total of about 6 hours of sleep. Great for running around a foreign city, let alone the two largest cities! All I have to say is, WHAT an ADVENTURE!
I highly recommend better planning, especially when it comes to hostels and flight changes. We realized after the fact that we had taken a zillion different trains and hit 6 different airports in the 4 day excursion...remind me never to look into travel agencies..

Pub

2006-09-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

same pub as below...this time with John in there instead of Tiffany

KARAYOKE!!

2006-09-28T06:28:00.000-07:00

Emma, Me, Sarah (our Scottish friend) and Tiffany singing our hearts out to "It's raining men" at the karayoke pub saturday night. It's much better karayoking here, no stage, no spotlight and a bunch of drunk people as back up singers. We had so much fun, Irn Bru is the popular fizzy drink that provided a sugar high that kept us hyper all night... silly mormons.

Swan chase..

2006-09-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Me being me... I couldn't help try and pet the swans on our way down from Arthur's Seat. We came upon a pond where a dozen or so basked in the sun. Saturdays we are entitled to act like tourists. Afterward, we treated ourselves to some delicious, greasy fish and chips! They were sooo good and with a run and a hike that day, it was much deserved.

Parliament-My work

2006-09-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Parliament- arial view from Arthur's Seat

Arthurs Seat

2006-09-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

At the top of Arthurs Seat, the whole 250 meters... not quite the Rockies, but the view was amazing! Behind me is the Firth of Fourth just off the more industrial part of the city of Edinbugh and some beautiful green pastures.
Two more girls from BYU joined us (Emma from Chicago and Tiffany from Idaho) and they have a car - hallelujah! So we have been exploring in quicker fashion. Saturday morning the 4 of us climbed up here (it was actually a pretty steep climb...it's a great work out to get in shape for winter!) The view from the top was absolutely insane, I can't believe how big this city is and the ocean...what a sight for sore eyes! I wanted to pretend it was as warm as kaanapali beach, get my suit and drive the 5 km to jump in...but we'll have to save that for another time. The sun was out, I went for a run earlier this morning, it was absolutely gorgeous. The weather is crazy, one day it's bright and sunny, the next it's rainy and cold - a difference of atleast 15-20 degrees. I miss the sunshine already.

The Royal Mile

2006-09-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my home for the next 3 months! This is the Royal Mile...a little taste of what the city looks like, and me (today I am a tourist...monday, I'll be an intern)

Van Gogh Exhibit

2006-09-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Dean gallery- Van Gogh Exhibit. We were very cultural this weekend...they didn't have any of his really famous works, but it was still amazing. We also saw some crazy Picasso pieces. (yes, I refrained from sneaking photos inside..) CHEERS!

Me and Liz

2006-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Laughing cow cheese...can I say more? (roomy- Liz and I in our ghetto flat)

The Gardens

2006-09-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Me and a beautiful park with the Edinburgh castle, I still haven't visited yet, in the background. It was a foggy day. Don't I look excited!

Parliament

2006-09-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

Looks like a set doesn't it? This is not the best view of the Parliament building, but it was another beautiful day. I love working in this building.

Way home from work

2006-09-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Phone booth...I had to, they are all over and it was a gorgeous day walking (30 mins) home from work one day. This is the Royal Mile, a street I walk twice daily and still window shop on my way to work. Don't ask about the leg lift...

Rudi's

2006-09-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

I decided to take you along my way to work, here are some pictures from around the city. I pass Rudi's bakery every morning for a breakfast croissant and turkey sandwich for lunch. I made good friends with Rudi, he is a short funny gray-haired man.

The Meadows

2006-09-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Our walk through the meadows every day to and from work

B 4 Parting

2006-09-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

Just outside California Pizza Kitchen, the 5 hatch women and good friend Kathy Craftchow snap a picture before parting their seperate ways... what a sight! Linda is currently in Maui enjoying the warm sunshine, Alise and Aarika are in Provo learning to get used to cold weather and bills. Natalie is about 45 minutes north in Salt Lake City working, Kathy is about traveling the world and I, Nichole am in Scotland for the next three months.

Scotland!

2006-09-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and family! I am starting my 2nd week here at the Parliament building, researching in the Press office of the Scottish National Party (SNP). I live in a ghetto apartment, a 30 min. walk from work, with a gal from my home ward in Salt Lake named Liz. We also work and play with two interns here from BYU, John and Rich. I absolutely love it here and will be posting the beautiful pictures of this amazing city sometime later this week. LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!