Student Reflection:

Hello everyone! My name is Vicky Thiel and I am studying Biology with a minor in Environmental Science at Centenary College in New Jersey. I am the only student on this trip that is not studying at Michigan Tech full time. There are two main reasons why I signed up for the Frontiers and Fortresses program. The first was to study abroad in a country that I have always adored, and the second was to experience life on my own (so to speak). I’m a commuter student still living at home so this was my first experience living away from home for a long period of time.
                  This morning was the earliest we had to wake up for a class trip. Traveling to Edinburgh took two hours and Prof. Blair wanted us to get to Edinburgh Castle as soon as it opened. So waking up at 6 in the morning was a bit difficult for some of us. Although the long bus ride was an excellent time to catch up on sleep.
                Once we arrived at Edinburgh Castle, I could see why Prof. Blair wanted us there so early. The front gate was already packed with tourists and the castle still had 10 minutes before it opened. Our group was able to walk through the pre-paid ticket line which allowed us to move much more quickly into the castle.
                  Walking through the front gate of Edinburgh Castle was like stepping into a portal to travel back in time. A cobble stone road snakes through the castle grounds and leads you higher up the hill. Looking over the castle walls, you can see why they call Edinburgh Castle the ‘castle in the sky’; the view of the city spread out below you is just breath-taking. On top of that you can see some of the Scottish hills rolling in the distance.                   We had some time to explore the castle and the few museums that were present. The best exhibit (and the only one I saw that day due to time constraints) was the Scottish Royal Crown Jewels. This exhibit took an interesting twist on presenting the history of the crown jewels before you actually saw them. Paintings, statues, and some surprisingly life-like mannequins helped make the history of the jewels and Scotland’s royal past come alive. The exhibit led down into the vault room where the actual Scottish crown jewels were kept. To see these pieces of royal history in person was a very unique experience, especially after seeing their past in the exhibit and how they survived for hundreds of years.
                  After visiting the castle, our group was led to the Scotland National Museum to get a quick look at the early history exhibit there. We didn’t linger in the museum for too long since we were given a short time to eat lunch. We had a historic ghost tour scheduled in the afternoon that could not be missed.
                  We ate lunch along the Royal Mile which is the hub of Edinburgh tourist shops and restaurants (so many cashmere shops). We all regrouped at the Marcet Cross where are wonderful tour guide Hannah, met us. She was a very entertaining guide who knew a lot of history about the city and of course the ghosts that haunt it. Hannah led us around the city telling us of some of its darker past, like when Edinburgh had to close off an entire section just to keep the plague from spreading. She finally took us to the vaults under the city were the really creepy ghost stories were told. The whole tour was incredibly entertaining.
                  The rest of the time in Edinburgh was spent wandering around the Royal Mile and nearby streets. The two hour bus ride back home once again served as an excellent time to catch up on sleep.

We woke up early this morning to leave York. On our journey home we stopped at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. We spent five hours roaming these grounds and it still was hardly enough time to take in the amazing site that is Fountains Abbey. Here is a student's perspective on the day.




Student Reflection: Dylan Miller
Hello, my name is Dylan Miller and I am studying Marketing at Michigan Tech with a minor in Historical Studies. There were two reasons that I chose this program. The first is that I have always wanted to study abroad, and second is my love of history. The combination of the two lead to Frontiers and Fortresses as being the perfect program for me.               

The morning began with our last breakfast at the hotel in York. After that we packed up everything we brought with us and started off for today’s main attraction, Fountains Abbey. There wasn't really anything special along the way. Usually we are blessed with the beautiful hills of the highlands. However we are in the lowlands today until we get closer to Carlisle.

When we arrived at Fountains we were greeted by a slight mist covering the fields with only the tower of the Abbey in view. The overcast was quickly giving way to the sun so the mist went away rather quickly. By the time we made it down to the main ruins of the Abbey the sun was shining brightly onto the magnificent stone structure of Fountains. When I say the “ruins” of Fountains Abbey, take it with a grain of salt. While it is still technically a ruin, it is still a sight to behold. The sheer size of the nave itself is enough to boggle the mind.

But before we went to look around the Abbey itself, we spent some time in the Porters Lodge, were it gave us a time line to follow during the existence of the Abbey. In the house there was also a plastic recreation of the Abbey in its glory days. I also took this moment to be a little goofy as I put on the monks robe that is there to try on and proceeded to reenact the monks from Monty Pythons Quest for the Holy Grail. If you’re not aware of it, here is a link to it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgYEuJ5u1K0

After having my fun as Brother Dylan, we started towards Fountains. This beauty of the Abbey is still fresh in my mind even now when I write this. The grounds have been cared for, so there is no over growth of plants yet the outside of the Abbey is surrounded by woodlands. To the right of the Abbey was the Mill that is still in operation today even if it isn't used for the purpose of grinding flour anymore. As we made through the buildings, talking pictures as we go, Professor Blair would ambush the stragglers with a pop quiz on some of the architecture style of the building. While I wasn't given a grade, I am happy to hear him say that he couldn’t disagree with what I told him. A victory for me.

Eventually we made our way back to the entrance to eat at the local restaurant for lunch. After that we took a walk around the path that loops around both Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, the other part of the visit today. On the Studley Royal side of the land was the family’s personal church, the inside of which was very beautiful, complete with a floor mosaic that we had to put covers over shoes in order to walk on it.

Eventually as we continued on the path we entered into the area where the lake was and the river that went into it. Following the river back toward the Abbey (certain portions of the Abbey are built over the river) we came across the water gardens, which are riddled with artificial pools and shrubbery that would have been present at the time it was built. National Trust has been hard at work reconstructing the gardens to show us what it would have looked like in its heyday.

After the gardens we headed back to the visitors entrance one last time to hop on the bus to head back to Carlisle. In fact that’s when I started to write this portion of the blog, so I think I will end it here so I can get some sleep like everyone else is at the moment.



 

Today we were lucky enough to spend the morning in the beautiful York Minster, which is one of the largest cathedrals in Northern England. Enough cannot be said about it, so I will let our student reflection explain it.
We had lunch at an old Roman Bath Pub/Museum, here students enjoyed lunch and a tour underneath to the Roman remains below.  
After lunch we then moved on to Jorvik Viking Center, which is a museum and visitors center placed over an old Viking village. After archaeologists uncovered the village they built a museum, preserving the excavation site. Students were able to get a view of what an excavation site really looks likes, and was also, thanks to the help of Jorvik, were able to experience what life is thought to be like back in Jorvik when the Vikings ruled the area.
Then we went to Barley Hall, a reconstructed Medieval townhouse. Students were able to explore the house/museum in order to gain understanding of what life would have been like in York during these times.


Student Reflection: (Update!)
Hello there! 

First, my apologizes for the delay on the blog! I was exhausted from the days’ activities.

My name is Valerie Clevenger. I am going into my third year at Michigan Tech as a Chemical Engineer. Yesterday our group spent the first full day in York. Beginning with the York Minster. We were given three hours to explore the enormous cathedral, which was surprisingly not enough time. I can see why people spend their entire day there. The minster is divided into many sections like most Cathedrals there was a Nave, Chapter House, Organ and Quire, with the addition of Undercroft/Treasury. 

Of course the Nave is grand and beautiful with a high white ceiling and great small designs, they equipped the place with mirrors so we were able to appreciate the ceiling and a few windows without breaking our necks. After making rounds about the Nave our group was fortunate to have tickets to climb the Central Tower. Over 200 steps and it shows. The view of York is endless and wonderful - if you are afraid of heights I do not recommend this. After climbing down I took it upon myself to spend quite a bit of time studying the East end. Here they are reconstructing the gigantic stained glass window and walls. At the East Wing there was an ‘Orb’ which describes in detail the workings of the stained glass with actual displays from the window. I took a lot of interest in the restoration of it all so I spent a majority of time here. Then there was the Undercroft/Treasury located in the basement. There was a lot of information down there but the key was that when the Minster was being reconstructed for better support they dug up remains of a Roman Fort. With glass on some flooring to show the remains along with descriptions of what the Fort was like, it was really interesting. Aside from the Roman excavations they showed the history of the Church and its people and also contained the Treasury.

            Although I wasn’t able to witness this some students were able to watch/listen to a massive choir take over the Chapter House. This room is not only gorgeous but accompanied by a choir, I could only imagine it was magical. We wrapped up the day there at noon and headed to the Roman Bath House Pub. Food was good, but the real reason for going clearly lies in its name. Underneath the pub it was discovered that there were remains of an actual roman bath house. The whole system was impressive, especially for its time in 71 AD. To heat the flooring and the baths there was heat being ventilated from a furnace – the cool thing was, was that there were still scorch marks on several parts of the remains.

            After eating we headed to Jorvik, where we obtained more information about a Viking excavation which was literally shown through the glass flooring. Not only that they had a complete ride that took you through the typical day in a life of the village – even incorporating smells. Jorvik is a very popular attraction, so we interacted with the displays, took the ride and got out of there.

Our final stop of the day took place at Barley Hall. This was a medieval house which was the home to Priors of Nostell and the Mayor of York. The building actually was going to be destroyed but soon its history was discovered. Some parts even date back to the 1360’s. Inside the enormous house they were able to give a spectrum of information of what life was like during this time, examples such as medicine remedies, children’s game and even fashion. A student (Dan the Man) and I were able to play a children’s game similar to Tik-Tac-Toe. By this time our crew had been adventuring since 9 AM and it was going on 4 PM. From here everyone took their own direction to do what they please, I partook in some shopping and familiarized myself with the streets. This lasted until dinner which took place at the Ye Olde Starre Inne which is believed to be the oldest licensed premises in the city of York. Again it’s hard to make the food bad here, so we enjoyed it thoroughly. After dinner a group of us participated in a Ghost Tour about the town. We met outside of a pub and took walks with a guide who dressed all in black and was able to scare you merely from stories. I had a wonderful long day and was able to sleep well that night aside from the scary stories. Can’t wait for what’s coming up next. Thanks for your patience on my part and I hope you enjoyed!