Hogmanay and Happy New Year

I went to Hogmanay with my family. Hogmanay is a celebration for the upcoming New Year. We walked with torches. On the walk you pass Edinburgh castle, a ferris wheel and a merry go ride. You walk for a while more and when you reach the top of Calton Hill you see fireworks. They are gorgeous. They are right above your head with the colors red, blue, orange, yellow, green and more. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I Spy Edinburgh

Here is a short video of when I was on the rooftop of the Camera Obscura. Can you find the ferris wheel, the Museum on the Mound with a green top, St Giles Cathedral that has a top called a crown spire that you can see the light blue sky through, and the Hub which is a really tall building but you have to find the cross on it? Will you please tell me if you find them all or one or two of them?

Edinburgh and the Camera Obscura

I went to the Camera Obscura today. It is so cool. The Camera Obscura is a place where they have special types of glasses and mirrors. We saw Europe's largest plasma dome and went on the Vortex Tunnel. The Vortex Tunnel is a rideish type of thing that was made in a way so that the wall was spinning but not the metal bridge you are standing on. It was creepy but so cool. We planned on doing it once but was so fun we did it twice. Brock fell over whenever we had been on for half of it.

My Day in Edinburgh

Today for lunch I ate Mushy Peas and Buttery Mash. It was yummy in my tummy. Buttery Mash is like buttery mashed potatoes. Mushy Peas are like plain peas and extra good mashed peas mixed with it. My mum had fish & chips. The Scottish Restaurant was on the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile starts at Edinburgh Castle and goes all the way to Holyrood Palace. I went to Edinburgh Castle right before lunch. It is a beautiful place. It has a whole bunch of cannons on the top. The Edinburgh Castle has been standing since the 9th century.

St Andrews Cathedral

We rented a car and drove to St Andrews. It is a famous golfing town. We saw a lot of golfers on the golf course from our hotel. Our hotel room had a window right where we could see the last hole. We walked around the area and saw a cathedral. It is called St Andrews Cathedral. It was Scotland’s largest medieval church. Even though there is not much left of it, it is a beautiful place in sight of my eyes. If you were there with me you would have loved it.

An Aberdeen Adventure

Right now I am in Aberdeen. It is a beautiful place. It is in Scotland by the North Sea. Our time here is much later than my wonderful friends back home. When I am eating dinner it is about lunchtime for you. The night I wrote this I ate Pad Thai, yum!

Takeoff

I’m in Europe! On the big plane from Detroit to London I watched the Smurfs movie and read an American Girl book about Cécile. London is very fun. I had hot cocoa and watched the red double decker buses whiz by. I will be back to spend more time in London soon, but first I rode a train to Scotland! Oh boy! My seat had a table and I could eat and drink and watch everything go by outside the window. I left London at 2 p.m. and got to Aberdeen at 9 p.m. so I had a long time to see things. I saw sheep, a bridge, a castle, and fireworks.

My Class is Great

Last Friday was my last day of school! It was fun to know I would now be on Winter Break. My class made me a really pretty Eiffel Tower because I love it and will be seeing it on my trip. I saw it when I was four years old. My class decided they wanted to surprise me. They were fun and sneaky and told me that they were working on a rocket ship in the kitchen of our classroom, but really they were making the Eiffel Tower out of craft sticks. I got picked for recycle because that was part of Mr. R’s secret plan to get me out of the room. Joey and I did recycle and came back in the room very quiet because we all thought they were watching Treasure Island (my favorite character is Jim Hawkins because he fights pirates and he saves the Hispaniola). The class was not watching it, though. They were all in a row from shortest to tallest. I hung my coat up (it was very cold outside where the barn is and that is where we put the recyclables). Whenever I turned around all 23 kids (there are 25 but two of us were by the door) started to sing Bon Voyage Layla to me. They had put a cupcake on top of the Eiffel Tower which was in front of them. They also made a humongous card. Here is a photo of the pretty Eiffel Tower they made from scratch. I will keep it forever and the memories of my super class.

Where I Will Live

The day after Christmas I will be leaving on a big, exciting adventure. I will go on a plane and take a flight to England. I will be living right next to a castle. The castle is close to Grantham. Harlaxton Manor is the place I will be at for the next four months because my Mum will be teaching there. Harlaxton Manor was started in the 1830s by Gregory Gregory. Isn't that a fun name? Gregory Gregory wanted more space for his horses and stuff so he made an extra carriage house. That is where I will be staying. It's a place called Gregory's Cottage. I will try and find all of the secret passageways inside of Harlaxton Manor. Maybe I can show you them. I will enjoy writing about where I am and all of the places I go.