Vores oplevelse ved Loch Lomond, som er Skotlands største sø. Efter vi havde kørt et par timer i bus sammen med vores Chauffør Billy the Driver, stoppede vi ved den smukke sø Loch Lomond. Inden vi gik ned til søen, købte Clara noget brød som vi kunne fodre ænderne med. Ingen af os havde spist specielt meget til morgenmaden, så vi var alle sultne. Eli var vist ekstra sulten, for hun spiste noget af brødet i smug. Men det skotske højland var fantastisk, deres natur i noget helt for sig selv, og det var klart et af højdepunkterne på vores bus tur med Billy the Driver. Loch Lomond er bare en smuk del af højlandet og naturen i Skotland. Sille og Victoria.

Et sammendrag af billeder taget på studieturen!

https://picasaweb.google.com/100694931226944574957/2cGoesToEdinburgh#

Ovenstående link fortæller over en bred kam, hvad vi elever samt lærere fortog os på 2.c’s studietur til Edinburgh. Rigtig god fornøjelse med billederne!

Forrester High School

Tuesday afternoon our class went to visit Forrester High School which is located a few kilometers from Edinburgh where we stayed. From outside the school looked very big and new. Their outdoor fields were to die for according to most sport interested people. And when we entered the high school, we experienced, that it was enormous inside too and very fashionable. The building was divided into wings which were colored dependent on subject, it was also done to prevent people from getting lost.

A kind-looking woman welcomed us as we entered the school, and she introduced us to the school. She told us, that the teachers and the students just had “moved in” last year, so it was still very new to them, and everybody was still very excited about their new rooms, because the former school was very ramshackle. The kind woman showed us to the ensemble hall, where she introduced us to their school system, which is far from ours back in Denmark. One of the most important things was for instance that the students had to wear school uniforms, and speak politely to the teachers (Mr. and Mrs.). We experienced that ourselves shortly afterwards, as we were divided into small groups to participate in some of the lessons. Some took part in the art class, others in physics and others again in technology class.

If you want to learn more about them you can visit their homepage:

http://www.forrester.edin.sch.uk/index.htm

We were divided in groups of four or five, and went out to different classes. Me and three other girls should visit a first grade art class, so the kids were about 11 years old. We started out by walking around and watching what they were doing and they told us, that they were in the middle of a project about the Celts, and therefore they had to use their imagination and draw a shield, with a lot of beautiful colors and sketches. The kids were very open-minded and kind to us, so we sat down together with some of the girls, and we also began to draw a nice drawing to them, and as you can see on this photograph we also got a drawing from them. They were curious about Denmark and about us, so we told something about ourselves and about Denmark.

It was a nice experience listing to their Scottish accent, and seeing how they acted in school. The 30 minutes went very fast and suddenly we all had to clean up, and the class ended.

I admit, I got a bit jealous when I heard that the students of the high school could have dance as a subject. It seams like a dream to me (who have paid expensively for dance lessons outside of school) that you could actually learn how to dance in school. But when I got to the class finding five young girls jumping not very synchronously around to the sound of Justin Timberlake I got the feeling that maybe dance lessons in school was not that serious.

We started out by watching the five girls performing a dance, they had made. Afterwards we joined them on the dance floor and tried to learn some of the moves ourselves. The girls were apparently to shy to talk to us, so they only did the dancing, while the teacher had to teach us the moves. But after some time the teacher was called out to talk to a woman (most likely some school business), and since the girls didn’t dare to talk to us, we spent a lot of time sitting on the floor. When the teacher returned we were divided into groups to make up our own dance, which was a bit difficult, but we managed to make up some few steps, and we received a kind applause from the girls, when we performed for them in the end of the class.

When there was five minutes back, we thought it could be fun to show the girls some dance, we learned in Denmark, so we taught them the main steps of waltz. There wasn’t really time to teach them very much, but I think they found it fun enough just to try. Afterwards the class ended.

Dinner at MUM'S

A good way to celebrate the arrival to Scotland is to visit the great restaurant, MUM’S. This trip was all about meeting another culture than ours and we sure did at MUM’S. We were thirsty so of course we ordered one of the local beers from Edinburgh, Hollyrood. An Ale that won the World Beer Award 2010 for the best pale ale! And now what to eat? Some of the classmates ordered burgers but that is too boring! But what did we order then? Of course Shepherds Pie and Haggis! Two traditional Scottish dishes, that we had to try. Overall, it was a nice way to meet Scotland and its culture!

Billy the Driver

As the name might suggest, Billy was our driver on our trip into the country side of Edinburgh. Not the usual grumpy old man, you’d expect a driver to be, but (to me at least) he was essence of the Scottish national character, which we were met with by the Scottish people. Polite, obliging, ready for a laugh and of course had the lovely Scottish accent.
His humor shined through in his stories about Scotland. Everything was told with a passion and his own personal touch, which made the trip much more enjoyable. His explanation of “hirry coo-o-o-oo-oo-oos” (the last two o’s are silent), his advice about which pubs were good and sing-alongs of the great Scottish bands.
Even when he told more patriotic stories about Scotland, he was ready to make a bit of fun of it, i.e. how every boy and girl, including himself, in his home village are named William or Williamisa (after William Wallace, the greatest hero of Scotland) and how it was a long time since Scotland had won a football- or rugby match.
There is so much more to tell about, but it would end up being too trivial, and I would never be able to give a crystal clear picture of how entertaining and straight out awesome he was. To me, and some of my class mates, Billy was the representative of the Scottish national character – and what a great national character it is!

Kasper BH, 2c

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond er den største sø i Skotland, og har et areal på 71 m2. Søen er lang og smal, den er orienteret nord-syd og har flere småsøer i den sydlige del. Den dybe sø er uddybet af gletsjere under den sidste istid. Den skotske sø giver vand til Loch Lomond whiskydestilleriet, som ligger ved breden. Her bliver der produceret flere forskellige typer at maltwhisky, det er her den mest tørvede whisky biver produceret.

old-vandring

The beautiful architecture in Edinburgh Before we went in our trip in Edinburgh, we had been introduced about the Greek and Roman architecture in the world. Even though we had been study the different Greek and Roman architecture. It’s nothing compared to seeing it with your own eyes. We went a walk to see the buildings which had including the Greek architecture and then we had to tell some short facts/presentations about the different buildings. It gives us new perspectives when we don’t see it so much in Denmark. It was very interesting to see something news. The buildings had a special style. Many of the buildings in Edinburgh were designed with details and that was that made it so special. We walked around the city, to see many building, including The Dome, which used to be a bank. The buildings were very beautiful, and we got at lot of knowledge, on this architecture walk. Sümeyye, Serap og Anders N

Doune Castle, Stirling Castle and hairy coos!

Doune Castle

Actually we weren’t supposed to visit the Monty Python castle, which is really called Doune Castle, but our very dedicated driver just thought we could squeeze in another castle, into our already castle-packet sightseeing schedule. It was a quick visit, we only got about 5 minutes to get out, take pictures and get into the bus again – which didn’t give us the biggest impression of the castle. But the interesting thing about Doune Castle is, that it was one of the major locations in the cult-movie ’Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ The guide Billy told us, that in the summer, fans could be seen running around the castle, clacking coconuts together, so it would sound like they were riding a horse just like they do in the movie. It was a wee castle, nothing like Edinburgh castle, but we think it is nice that it was in a movie!

Hairy Coos / "hiilænd coos"

The highland cows, pronounced  “hiilænd coous” by Billy the driver, are long-haired cows, living up in the Scottish highlands. Amongst other things, highland cows are being associated as the national pride of Scotland. And with good reason if you’re into cute, hairy cows, who are not afraid of a little pat on the cheek – Or at least some of them weren’t! We made a stop in the great Scottish highlands, breathing in the fresh air, and saw the hairy animals. We patted a cow named Kyle, who was fairly calm and didnae mind being patted. But the cutest cow, was a teenage cow – if it was human, it would probably be 12-13 years old, but it kept in the distance – darn it! 

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is located at Castle Hill, Stirling. It is one of the most important castles in Scotland both historically and architecturally.

                      As we arrived our bus driver told us that it was build in the period from the 12^th century up till somewhere in the 1600^th century. He also told us that the Wallace monument, which was close to the castle, was a very important monument, since it was here William Wallace fought for independence in Scotland. He told us that William Wallace was such a big national hero, that a lot of people, including himself, have been named after him (only the first name though).

When we had entered the gate and payed for the ticket we were told that we had about two hours to explore the castle on our own. The castle was in fine condition and the view was amazing! It was a shame that until summer this year the Royal Palace was closed due to renovation – it is part of The Palace Project which will turn into an exhibition this summer with costume players etc.

The only bad thing about the castle was the exhibition dolls. In the jail-section it worked very well, also with the sound from different speakers – it created a very good mood. But all the other places were far too scary to enter since it was dark places filled with creepy, life-size dolls. Scary!

Funny facts:

-          - The oldest surviving football has been found at Stirling Castle

-         -  In 1993 Mel Gibson and the rest of the crew from “Brave Heart”  held a celebration party

If you follow this link to youtube, you'll be able to see a video filmed in Stirling Castle as well as the castle itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0f5GoF6oG8&feature=related

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Castle

http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/home.htm

Written by Helene, Eli, Dilan & Sarah

Edinburgh castle

One of the first and most special things you notice in Edinburgh is the Edinburgh castle, which rules the city on top of a volcanic rock. The castle has been there since at least the 12^th century, but no one knows exactly when the castle was built. The castle has been involved in many battles and

wars during the fight for Scottish independence. The castle was built on top of the rock, to give the Scottish warriors a perfect overview during the battles, which is one of the main attractions today. Many tourists visit the castle just for the amazing view. The castle also contains the Scottish crown

jewels. The crown jewels are known as “Honours of Scotland”.

Another tourist attraction is the One O’Clock Gun that is fired every day at exactly 1 pm. It was originally a time signal to the Scottish ships as the time ball on the Nelson Monument was useless in foggy weather.

Some short facts:

Today the castle has more than 1 million visitors a year.

The castle contains a soldiers’ dog cemetery.

There are 30 cannons placed around the castle.

The Real Mary King's Close (The Ghost Walk)

We had a lot of expectations before visiting Mary King’s Close. What could we expect? Many of us shivered by the thought of walking around in narrow passages, beneath the streets of Edinburgh. Would it be a horrifying experience? Or a cozy street-walk like when one visit The Old Village in Aarhus.

Mary King’s close is located in the heart of Edinburgh, in the part called Old Town by the Old Mile. We arrived and were divided in to two groups. We waited for our guide. He arrived, dressed in what looked like a sack, an attempt to look like he lived back 1600’s. He later told us that he was dressed as a ‘Foul Clenger’, a person hired to clean houses infected by the plague. The other group was guided by a man dressed in more fancy clothes; he was supposed to look like Robert Ferguson, a very well known poet who use to come in the close.

And now our tour began. We moved down some stairs, and walked around. There wasn’t much space. Everything was very well preserved, and you could really imagine how awful it must have been living like that. We saw both the part of the close where the poor people lived and the part where the more wealthy people lived. Like Mary King, who must have been a very important woman, since the close was named after her.

Our guide talked with a thick Scottish accent, and at times he was a bit hard to understand, but very entertaining. He showed us a part of the close were a family of approximately twelve people lived together, and it was much smaller than your average living room. He also showed us a small stable were they used to have cattle. Very impressive.

It was a nice experience, but maybe it is a bit misleading to call it a ‘Ghost Walk’, because there was nothing scary about it.

By Regitze, Sofie and Ida.

Scottish traditional culture


Whiskey:

“Scotch” or a Scotch whisky is the name of whiskey from Scotland.

Under British law, whiskey among other things must meet the following conditions to be called Scotch whisky:

At first the whiskey must be matured for at least 3 years in oak casks.
Secondly the maturing must have happened in a customs warehouse registered in Scotland.
Finally the alcohol percentage must be at least 40%.

Scotch whisky is also grouped by the area it is produced in. For instance highlands and lowlands whisky. The difference is often in the process of maturing and the alcohol percentage.

Known Scottish whiskey brands includes:
Dalwhinnie, Talisker and Cragganmore.


Sources:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky)
http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/swa/43.html

Bagpipe:
The origin of the bagpipe is actually unknown. But there are some people who claims that it goes back to the old Egypt, Persia and Greece, while other think that it goes back to the old Roman empire where the emperor Nero has played the instrument. We can therefore conclude that it isn't a Scottish invention. The story then says that the bagpipe was brought to Ireland and Scotland by the Romans, and for some reason it later became their mark.

The reason why the bagpipe maybe can be traced back to such old civilisations is because that many herdsmen had the necessary materials at hand. These materials was a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe.

Although the bagpipe is played in many countries of the world it is associated with Scotland. It has long been used by Scottish regiments to play military music.
The bagpipe was developed as an outdoor instrument, as a way to stir soldiers to war. Its very high volume allowed it to be heard over the sound of battle.

Sources:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes)
http://www.bcfpb.com/id11.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090516234156AAvtLkQ

Tartan:
Tartan is a pattern, woven coloured stripes. Often seen on Scottish kilts, and associated to Scotland.
It is the national dress of Scotland.

In the end of the 18th century the Scottish Regions each had different patterns of tartan, and some Scottish clans also had their own tartan, if it was a very big or very important clan. Often you could tell where people where from by the pattern of their tartan.

Today we see tartan everywhere, on different items of clothing. But also on other materials than clothing

A short description of a scene from Train Spotting

One of the important scenes in ”Train Spotting”

I believe that one of the most important scenes in the movie, Train Spotting, is the scene where our protagonist is laying in bed in his old bedroom from when he lived with his parents. This is the turning point in the movie where the protagonist becomes clean and realizes that he has to choose the right path. He sees amazing and terrifying things when he is sobering up from a bad trip. The dead baby for example. And that is why he know he has to stay sober. You can say that it is the point of no return for the protagonist in the movie.

I apologize for the short description of this scene. It’s late and I’m having hangovers. Now let us have a nice trip!

Classical Architecture in Edinburgh

Opgave: Fremlæggelse på stedet indeholdende:

a. Præsentation af bygningen, dens opførelsesår, arkitekter, oprindelige formål, historie, evt. nuværende brug/fremtid.

b. Grundplan: rektangulær, kvadratisk, rund, fundament, fremspringende mure, antal rum (hvis muligt).

c. Søjler: antal og placering, dorisk, jonisk, korintisk, kapitæler, overbygning.

d. Skulpturudsmykning: gavle, metoper, frise.

e. Hvilke antikke forbilleder er der? Forskelle og ligheder med antikken? Hvilke klassicistiske træk er der? Historicistiske træk?

f. Tolkende del: kunstnerens/arkitektens budskab, slutning fra værket til typiske træk ved tiden og samfundet, ”tidsånden”. Hvorfor er der anvendt græsk/romersk arkitektur? Hvilke værdier ligger der i den klassicistiske arkitektur, og hvordan hænger det sammen med punkt a?

Forberedelse: find oplysninger og billeder på nettet i denne time. I kan jo selv finde ud af en masse om arkitekturen ved at se på forskellige billeder og bruge jeres oldbog.

Produkt: mundtlig fremlæggelse hvor man peger og fortæller. Et ark til udlevering med ”key facts” (navne, årstal, søjletyper etc.), da det er svært at tage noter, når man står op. Man kan få sin oldlærer til at lave kopier af arket før på fredag…

God fornøjelse!

1 & 2 Old Royal High School & the Robert Burns Monument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Royal_High_School,_Edinburgh

http://www.robertburns.plus.com/MonumentsEdinburgh.htm

3 & 4. The National Monument & Nelson Monument on Carlton Hill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Monument,_Edinburgh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Monument,_Edinburgh (Ikke særligt klassicistisk, men alligevel.)

http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/national_monument.htm

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Architect-flags-up-plan-to.2521669.jp

Bemærk: “folly” kan også betyde ”kunstig ruin/tempel.”

5 & 6. The Dugald Stewart Monument on Carlton Hill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugald_Stewart_Monument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choragic_Monument_of_Lysicrates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugald_Stewart

Se også på: The Playfair Monument

http://www.edinburghseasons.com/2009-07-12/the-playfair-monument-on-calton-hill/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Playfair

7. New Town

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Town,_Edinburgh

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/728

Hovedfokus på byplanlægning, og de to torve i hver ende af George Street: Charlotte Square og St. Andrew Square.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Andrew_Square,_Edinburgh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Square

Gå lidt mere i dybden med disse to ting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundas_House

http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/melville_monument.htm

8. The Dome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dome,_Edinburgh

http://www.thedomeedinburgh.com/history.html

http://www.thedomeedinburgh.com/

9. National Gallery of Scotland

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/aboutus/page/1:173/

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/page/2:121:2/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Scotland

Se hele ruten her:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=da&t=h&msa=0&msid=202223544747296939835.00049e4a727831a94ddf0&ll=55.955291,-3.18184&spn=0.002547,0.010568&z=17

Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan - Chapter 1

Wendy knew every child would grow up, except for one. One time when she was 2, she ran around the garden and plucking flowers, when her mother, Mrs. Darling, suddenly lifted her up and cried “Why can’t you stay like this forever?” . After that day, Wendy knew she would grow up.

Wendy was the chief one in the family. But before her, Mrs. Darling was. She was a beautiful and a romantic lady. Before in time, every man tried to come to her and get her, but Mr. Darling came first.

Even though Mrs. Darling loves her husband, but she still had an inner box of her she haven’t told him about. Mr. Darling knew she had one and he was frustrated about it.  He once told Wendy about how she not only loved him, but respected him. But yet she didn’t reveal her inner box.

The Darling family had three children. Firstborn was Wendy, then John and last came Michael. But after having Wendy, the Darling family didn’t know they had enough money for more children, but after some calculations they discovered they had more than enough.

We are introduced to the family dog and nurse Nana. 

   She takes care of the children and nurses them when they're sick and follows them to school and even though Mr. Darling knows that she is a very good nurse, he still thinks about what the neighbours think of them.  Mr. Darling also feels like Nana doesn't admire him, but Mrs. Darling always assures him that she does.

Until Peter Pan came they had had a happy little family, but then he came and interrupted them.

It started one night, when the children were put to sleep, and the mother tidied the children’s minds up. She sees the name Peter written all over. Then the storyteller tells us about the map of a child’s mind. It is very complicated, and filled with special features. This explanation leads him to the description of the island Neverland, which is very much like a land from a fairytale, with beautiful, vigorous nature, and princes and princesses. And everybody has been at Neverland, as a child, even though they can’t remember it. When you go to Neverland, you live somewhere. It is told that John lives in a boat turned upside down, Michael lives in a wigwam, and Wendy lives in a house made of leaves.

After being confused about this Peter Pan’s appearance she begins to recall him from his own childghood, and suddenly she is very aware of whom this guy is. Mrs. Darling consults her husband about Peter, but he is not worried.

One day Wendy talks to her mother about a dream she had. It was about Peter Pan, who had been sitting in her bed. And actually Wendy thinks it is a true story, but her mother refuses. But something strange has been found in her room. It is some leaves, which reveal that Peter Pan actually has been in the nursery room. And suddenly Mrs. Darling begins to believe in what is about to happen to her children.

In the end of chapter one, the children’s real adventure begins. It all starts with all of them being asleep, when Mrs. Darling wakes up because of a light from the nursery room (the light turned out to be from Tinkerbell). She sees Peter Pan coming in through the window. Immediately Mrs. Darling knows that this is Peter Pan. Characteristic about him was that he looked very much like her kiss.

Peter Pan - Chapter 2

The second chapter in Peter Pan is a bit complicated because of its structure. What happens in the beginning of the chapter does actually first happen way later in the story, where Mrs Darling is only seconds from stopping what seems to be a kidnapping of her children. The “kidnapping” does not take place until the chapter three, but even though we hear the parents discussing the kidnapping in this chapter two. 

     The parent reminisce about the last evening with their children where they are all in the children’s room, and the boy Michael does not want to take his medicine. Mr Darling tries to trick his son by saying that if Michael drinks his medicine, Mr Darling will drink his. After some discussion back and forth Michael takes his medicine, while Mr Darling quickly smuggles his into the water bowl of the dog. The whole scene in the children’s room is about the parents preparing to go to a party. They are not very pleased with leaving the children, but in the end they do. The beginning of the chapter, when Mrs Darling realises that the children are missing, is when she returns from this party. The parents are then afterwards sitting in the living room and blaming themselves for what happened. The most characteristic fact about this talk is that neither one of them is blaming the other.

Peter Pan - Chapter 3 

In the end of chapter three the parents leave for a party and hereafter the children are being put asleep.

                Suddenly Peter’s shadow is jumping into the room, being followed by Tinker Bell the fairy. Peter Pan thereafter arrives and searches for his shadow but is not able to find it. Tinker Bell helps him and says that the shadow is in a box and Peter tries to stick the shadow into him with soap. Apparently this doesn’t work and Peter starts to cry, which wakes up Wendy.

                Peter and Wendy starts to talk with each other and Wendy is very surprised by a lot of the information that Peter tells her – his address, that he has no parents etc.

                Wendy misunderstands why he is crying and believes that it is due to having no parents, but Peter explains that it is about his shadows. Wendy helps him catch it and then she sews it to his leg.

                Hereafter Peter acts cockily and Wendy pretends to be sad and hides under her sheets in the bed. But Peter quickly charms her by saying that she’s worth more than twenty boys. She gets really happy and wants to kiss him, but he misunderstands what she’s doing so instead of embarrassing herself, she gives him a thimble and says that it is a kiss. Then he wants to give her a kiss in return and she receives an acorn button.

                Hereafter he tells about his birth – he ran away because his parents had already planned his live. He didn’t like that so he ran to Kensington Garden and grew up with fairies. Wendy is very impressed by the fairies so he tells a bit of information about them, for example how the first fairy were born. He also tells that there’s a fairy for each boy and girl. If the children don’t believe in fairies, they die.

                Hereafter he tells Wendy about Tinker Bell and Wendy get’s very excited. She wants to meet her really bad, but first Peter tells about the lost boys in Neverland, pirates etc. Peter kicks John out of bed and as a reward Wendy kisses him, which she now calls “a thimble”. Peter kisses her in return and now Tinker Bell gets very angry and jealous.

                Peter persuades Wendy to come with him and teaches her and her brothers how to fly. Meanwhile the dog, Nana feels uncomfortable about the situation and runs out to the party that the parents are attending. She drags them home with her, but when they arrive at the nursery, the children are gone.