"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go; I'm standing here outside the door. . . the dawn is breaking, it's early morn, the taxi's waiting, he's blowing his horn..."
Ok, so I took just a few creative liberties with the lyrics, but what better song to use in my last European post? Last European post? Unbelievable. It's going to be weird to not put up a post everyday (sadly though, my day to day life is far less interesting than when I'm travelling abroad).
So for my last day in Europe, I didn't do much. I sat outside in this little 'court yard' area the hostel has, and for most of the day, just started to re-read my book. It's been lovely weather here the last couple days, and since I've seen practically everything I wanted, it was nice to just enjoy the sun the last couple days.
I am showered and scrubbed down, packed with my clothes laid out for tomorrow, my taxi is reserved to take me to the airport at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning (that means early to bed tonight and up early tomorrow - grimace), then all I need to do is check in, go through security, and wait to board the aircraft that will bring me home to all of you.
I don't think it's really hit me that I'm coming home. Just like it didn't feel real the night before I left. I'm sure this whole trip hasn't hit me yet. I don't feel like I've done it. It's hard to explain. Nevertheless, I have no regrets with this trip. It has been an enlightening experience, educational in more than one way, and most of all, fun! Even when I didn't think I was enjoying myself, I realize that I was. I can say that I was in (fill in the blank)!
It is a bittersweet farewell I say to Europe: I'm thrilled to be coming home to get back to all the things I love, the people I love, but at the same point, I know there are still unexplored cities waiting to be seen and that they're incredible. It just gives me an excuse to come back :)
Don't abandon me quite yet: I know there should be at least one (possibly two) posts after I return home. Again, thank you for sticking with me! I could not have asked for better friends and family! I will see you all in a matter of hours! Love forever!!!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Enough Underwear
Hello my fabulous peeps! Well, good news: I packed just enough underwear! What are the odds of that happening? (For those of you who don't know, my great preparation for this trip was to pack 30+ pairs of underwear and 30+ pairs of socks and at the end of each day just throw them away and start with fresh ones - saves on washing and toting around). It's incredible, because there is exactly enough of both. I'm just wearing my sandals on the plane, but I have pair of socks for if my feet get cold and the last pair of underwear to put on after my final shower in Europe tomorrow night!
I didn't do a ton today since I was still tired from yesterday. That and me and Ingrid stayed up till after midnight watching Saving Private Ryan in the courtroom. And I can't help but wake up around 8:00 because everyone is moving around. So, just lazing about today, I finished my gigantic book that I brought with and have been reading off and on, unpacked my entire bag and slowly repacked it, taking careful inventory and throwing away everything that does not have to come back, and then took a short stroll later to get an early supper at a little cafe that I like (I took a nap in there somewhere too, but I'm still feeling tired).
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is my last full day in Europe. I don't really have any great plans. It's been great to just relax today, so I might do that tomorrow too and save on the nerves. I've already got the "Travel Sickness." It's just the nervousness about travelling I always get. I'm afraid I'm probably always going to have it. I know that it should go fairly smoothly, but I'm still getting to the airport exceptionally early Friday to make absolutely positive I make it through Check-In and Security and to my gate without any problems. Despite the normal nerves, I am pretty excited to break the Time-Travel barrier coming home. My flight leaves at 1:00pm here and I arrive at 3:30pm at home (same day) after being in a plane for 9 hours.
This has been a truly remarkable trip and even the bad and tough times have been worth it! I would not trade a second of this. I can't wait to see you all! Love from London!
I didn't do a ton today since I was still tired from yesterday. That and me and Ingrid stayed up till after midnight watching Saving Private Ryan in the courtroom. And I can't help but wake up around 8:00 because everyone is moving around. So, just lazing about today, I finished my gigantic book that I brought with and have been reading off and on, unpacked my entire bag and slowly repacked it, taking careful inventory and throwing away everything that does not have to come back, and then took a short stroll later to get an early supper at a little cafe that I like (I took a nap in there somewhere too, but I'm still feeling tired).
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is my last full day in Europe. I don't really have any great plans. It's been great to just relax today, so I might do that tomorrow too and save on the nerves. I've already got the "Travel Sickness." It's just the nervousness about travelling I always get. I'm afraid I'm probably always going to have it. I know that it should go fairly smoothly, but I'm still getting to the airport exceptionally early Friday to make absolutely positive I make it through Check-In and Security and to my gate without any problems. Despite the normal nerves, I am pretty excited to break the Time-Travel barrier coming home. My flight leaves at 1:00pm here and I arrive at 3:30pm at home (same day) after being in a plane for 9 hours.
This has been a truly remarkable trip and even the bad and tough times have been worth it! I would not trade a second of this. I can't wait to see you all! Love from London!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A Day Oot and Aboot Pictures
A Day Oot and Aboot!
Hello Lovely people! Wow! I can't believe that in 3 more days I will be home. It seems surreal that this entire trip has happened and has gone by this fast. Five weeks at home never go at the speed these last ones have gone. Nevertheless, the I have been trying to cram in what I can the last 31 days and hope that while I have not seen near to everything, that I have seen a lot for me to remember for a very long time (hoping of one day coming back and sharing the next experience with somebody).
I'm not going to say that this is going to be my last post, because I know I'll have at least another one or two before I leave and one or two when I get home, but before I talk about my fabulous day today, there a few things I want to say first (because I know after I post my last adventure, the attention to this fabulous blog will begin to fade and there a few things I think that I need to say which are important for me to share).
First, and even though I know I've said it before: Thank you. It is an all encompassing thank you. Thank you for the encouragement to take this trip, the support you've given me all through it, especially when I was at some of the lowest points I've ever been at with myself, the love you've given to me so freely, that I've felt from over 3,000 miles away. Thank you for following me on this blog, when there is no earthly reason why you'd have to - knowing that there was always someone on the other side of this has made all the difference in the world to me. Everyone has talked about this being a great experience for me and everything I'll take away from it, but every one of you is the best thing I'll take away. I know, without any hesitation you guys will always be there for me, and unfortunately for many people, they don't have that sort of support in their lives. I am so thankful for you! And, even though you might not believe it, you are all as much a part of this trip as me. You have been in my hearts and prayers since the day I left, and I have carried you all with me through every day I've been gone. It made being alone a lot less lonely. So again, Thank You!
The second thing I want to talk about is stability. It's a strange concept, I'm aware, but between all the e-mails me and Mom have sent back and forward, I've realized there's a "stability" in a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual way that was not 'even' in my life before. I direct you to Shrek - we are all onions with many layers. These proverbial 'layers' need to be stable. What Mom had told me was she wished there was some way that everyone could take a trip like mine a few years after graduating high school. And I realized it would be the best thing for everyone. When you're taken completely out of your element, thrown into a place you have absolutely no familiarity with, and you're on your own, you're forced to face yourself. And for so many people that's something they don't want to do. There were times, especially on my Travel Days, where I'd be slowly and reluctantly packing my things up, crying silently, literally so scared about what I had to do, my body would feel cold and I didn't think I'd be able to move. The only thing that got me through was a solid rational thought of "there is no one to do this for me. No one can or will come and get me and hold my hand and tell me it's going to be fine. You have to do this or it won't get done." And no matter how much dread I had or how much I cried while trying to do it, I did it. And I've realized through this, that I can do a lot more than I ever believed possible of myself. And I talked about reconnecting with my faith before and faith is something you have to have: it doesn't matter what religion or creed a person follows, but there has to be some sort of faith or a person could never do anything. If I didn't have faith the pilots were trained professionals, I'd have never gotten on the plane to leave. A good example of physical stability, is all of you. My family and friends represent a real and physical stability in my life. As I mentioned above, I could not have done this trip without it. I hope that this makes me a better family member, a better friend, and some day a good wife and mother. I want to be able to be that stability in someone else's life.
Now that I've done my "preaching" (which I thank you for taking the time to read -- I know I can carry on a bit) I'll tell you about my day: so there's actually a girl from New Jersey in my dorm room that I met a couple days ago, and this morning we were eating breakfast and since neither one of us had much on our agendas we decided to keep each other company for the day.
I have to say this, and for those of you who don't know this part of my family, I apologize, for those of you who do, you're going to find this absolutely hilarious. The girl, Ingrid, is an exact match to my cousin Nicole. Personality, mannerisms, her voice is almost identical, same height, same build, the only real difference is that Ingrid is black - though her skin is fairly light - but even some of her facial features resemble Nicole - her nose, the way she smiles, eye shape, everything. If I wasn't looking at her, I'd sometimes think I was with my cousin. It was weird, but fun.
So since neither of us had seen the changing of the guard, we took off for Buckingham Palace - wow, I wish that was my house! It was feaking huge and beautiful! Of course the armed guards just made it look all the more fabulous, so naturally I'm going to break up Kate and Prince William and marry him so that can be my summer home. Anyway, we got there and there were a ton of people! I thought for sure we'd be the only idiots waiting outside the palace watching a few men in uniform change shifts, but apparently not. We got there and I thought we had missed the big show and just as we were about to leave, a bunch of trumpets blared and we could hear drums going, and out came a bunch of soldiers, dressed in red uniforms and big black hats, some carrying instruments, some carrying guns, marching down towards the palace, through the palace gate, and then they proceeded to change the guard. Incredible! I kept thinking, "I wish a bunch of people would show up with cameras when I finished my shift at work and take pictures of me."
It was kind of nice today, Ingrid talked me into walking instead of taking the Metro, which while it would have been much faster, we would have missed a ton too. So since I had never seen the Piccadilly Circus, she talked me into seeing it. I had no idea what it even was. On our way we stopped at Trafalgar Square. Just a cool neat building with a few fountains in front, where people just go to sit. There was actually a big clock they put up counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the Olympics start, so that was super cool. I've seen a bunch of stuff for the Olympics over here. The country is just gearing up.
We walked on and finally made it to Piccadilly Circus, which is quite literally a mini Times Square. It was super cool! There were just a bunch of shops and businesses and little independent stalls selling suvioners and ice cream! The atmosphere was just great. After that she had us walk down to the Covent Garden, which is a bit of a deceptive name. It's not a garden, but just a small of London, with more small shops and tents set up with clothes and trinkets to buy, more little food carts, restaurants, and just a whole assortment of things. It was just a neat bit of the city. And along the way, while we were walking we got to see a bunch of cool buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral - a fabulously huge church - it was great to be walking again. My mind set changed when I got to London and I just started using the Metro because it is easy and fast, but I didn't quite realize how much I was losing with it also, so I was glad Ingrid talked me into it (though my legs were slightly less thrilled).
Our ultimate destination was Tower Bridge, because Ingrid had not seen it yet, and since she's leaving London tomorrow, I absolutely refused to let her go without seeing this bridge. When we were getting close (and by close I mean about another 45 minutes walk) we found this niffty bridge, only for walking on, called the Millennium Bridge. I think this is the bridge they show every British person walking over whenever they film in London. I'm not positive, but maybe. Super neat anyway.
We finally made it to Tower Bridge, though when I pointed out London Bridge, she thought that was the one we were actually going to see, and was a bit disappointed. I had to tell her that was not the bridge we were going to, and the other one was much more impressive (which lets face it, it really is). Ingrid was really excited when she finally saw the right bridge. She was glad that I had taken her, because she said she would have been mad if she had left London and not seen it. So we walked across and caught the metro back to Kings Cross and made our way back to the hostel.
Overall, we were oot and aboot walking for 7 hours today. It was super enjoyable. Oh! I suppose I should explain the funny title and spelling of words. A couple times today, Ingrid had to have me repeat what I said. Including the words "out," "about," and "house." Apparently in Minnesota we have an accent and pronounce those words differently than they do in Jersey. When she had me repeat them she had a look of complete lack of understanding. I'm sure I had that look when I was Italy and France when people would talk to me, and I had no clue what they were talking about. Aboot. More than once I had to find a different word - like with house, I had to same a home...it was just the funniest damn thing. Who knew us Minnesotans had an accent?
Well this post is fantastically long, so I do apologize, but I looked and there's no way I feel I can make it shorter. My bad. I have no great plans for tomorrow other than to go through and throw stuff out of my duffel bag and re-organize that and my backpack. Since I have to change rooms Thursday I'm not going to have access to my bag half the day and will probably be so keyed up about leaving Friday morning, tomorrow is the day I'm going to relax and go through everything.
I know I've been saying it, but it is so unreal I'm packing to come home. These final days were as unfathomable as the day I left. I take my hat off to you all and wish you a beautiful night and day tomorrow! Love from me to you!
I'm not going to say that this is going to be my last post, because I know I'll have at least another one or two before I leave and one or two when I get home, but before I talk about my fabulous day today, there a few things I want to say first (because I know after I post my last adventure, the attention to this fabulous blog will begin to fade and there a few things I think that I need to say which are important for me to share).
First, and even though I know I've said it before: Thank you. It is an all encompassing thank you. Thank you for the encouragement to take this trip, the support you've given me all through it, especially when I was at some of the lowest points I've ever been at with myself, the love you've given to me so freely, that I've felt from over 3,000 miles away. Thank you for following me on this blog, when there is no earthly reason why you'd have to - knowing that there was always someone on the other side of this has made all the difference in the world to me. Everyone has talked about this being a great experience for me and everything I'll take away from it, but every one of you is the best thing I'll take away. I know, without any hesitation you guys will always be there for me, and unfortunately for many people, they don't have that sort of support in their lives. I am so thankful for you! And, even though you might not believe it, you are all as much a part of this trip as me. You have been in my hearts and prayers since the day I left, and I have carried you all with me through every day I've been gone. It made being alone a lot less lonely. So again, Thank You!
The second thing I want to talk about is stability. It's a strange concept, I'm aware, but between all the e-mails me and Mom have sent back and forward, I've realized there's a "stability" in a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual way that was not 'even' in my life before. I direct you to Shrek - we are all onions with many layers. These proverbial 'layers' need to be stable. What Mom had told me was she wished there was some way that everyone could take a trip like mine a few years after graduating high school. And I realized it would be the best thing for everyone. When you're taken completely out of your element, thrown into a place you have absolutely no familiarity with, and you're on your own, you're forced to face yourself. And for so many people that's something they don't want to do. There were times, especially on my Travel Days, where I'd be slowly and reluctantly packing my things up, crying silently, literally so scared about what I had to do, my body would feel cold and I didn't think I'd be able to move. The only thing that got me through was a solid rational thought of "there is no one to do this for me. No one can or will come and get me and hold my hand and tell me it's going to be fine. You have to do this or it won't get done." And no matter how much dread I had or how much I cried while trying to do it, I did it. And I've realized through this, that I can do a lot more than I ever believed possible of myself. And I talked about reconnecting with my faith before and faith is something you have to have: it doesn't matter what religion or creed a person follows, but there has to be some sort of faith or a person could never do anything. If I didn't have faith the pilots were trained professionals, I'd have never gotten on the plane to leave. A good example of physical stability, is all of you. My family and friends represent a real and physical stability in my life. As I mentioned above, I could not have done this trip without it. I hope that this makes me a better family member, a better friend, and some day a good wife and mother. I want to be able to be that stability in someone else's life.
Now that I've done my "preaching" (which I thank you for taking the time to read -- I know I can carry on a bit) I'll tell you about my day: so there's actually a girl from New Jersey in my dorm room that I met a couple days ago, and this morning we were eating breakfast and since neither one of us had much on our agendas we decided to keep each other company for the day.
I have to say this, and for those of you who don't know this part of my family, I apologize, for those of you who do, you're going to find this absolutely hilarious. The girl, Ingrid, is an exact match to my cousin Nicole. Personality, mannerisms, her voice is almost identical, same height, same build, the only real difference is that Ingrid is black - though her skin is fairly light - but even some of her facial features resemble Nicole - her nose, the way she smiles, eye shape, everything. If I wasn't looking at her, I'd sometimes think I was with my cousin. It was weird, but fun.
So since neither of us had seen the changing of the guard, we took off for Buckingham Palace - wow, I wish that was my house! It was feaking huge and beautiful! Of course the armed guards just made it look all the more fabulous, so naturally I'm going to break up Kate and Prince William and marry him so that can be my summer home. Anyway, we got there and there were a ton of people! I thought for sure we'd be the only idiots waiting outside the palace watching a few men in uniform change shifts, but apparently not. We got there and I thought we had missed the big show and just as we were about to leave, a bunch of trumpets blared and we could hear drums going, and out came a bunch of soldiers, dressed in red uniforms and big black hats, some carrying instruments, some carrying guns, marching down towards the palace, through the palace gate, and then they proceeded to change the guard. Incredible! I kept thinking, "I wish a bunch of people would show up with cameras when I finished my shift at work and take pictures of me."
It was kind of nice today, Ingrid talked me into walking instead of taking the Metro, which while it would have been much faster, we would have missed a ton too. So since I had never seen the Piccadilly Circus, she talked me into seeing it. I had no idea what it even was. On our way we stopped at Trafalgar Square. Just a cool neat building with a few fountains in front, where people just go to sit. There was actually a big clock they put up counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the Olympics start, so that was super cool. I've seen a bunch of stuff for the Olympics over here. The country is just gearing up.
We walked on and finally made it to Piccadilly Circus, which is quite literally a mini Times Square. It was super cool! There were just a bunch of shops and businesses and little independent stalls selling suvioners and ice cream! The atmosphere was just great. After that she had us walk down to the Covent Garden, which is a bit of a deceptive name. It's not a garden, but just a small of London, with more small shops and tents set up with clothes and trinkets to buy, more little food carts, restaurants, and just a whole assortment of things. It was just a neat bit of the city. And along the way, while we were walking we got to see a bunch of cool buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral - a fabulously huge church - it was great to be walking again. My mind set changed when I got to London and I just started using the Metro because it is easy and fast, but I didn't quite realize how much I was losing with it also, so I was glad Ingrid talked me into it (though my legs were slightly less thrilled).
Our ultimate destination was Tower Bridge, because Ingrid had not seen it yet, and since she's leaving London tomorrow, I absolutely refused to let her go without seeing this bridge. When we were getting close (and by close I mean about another 45 minutes walk) we found this niffty bridge, only for walking on, called the Millennium Bridge. I think this is the bridge they show every British person walking over whenever they film in London. I'm not positive, but maybe. Super neat anyway.
We finally made it to Tower Bridge, though when I pointed out London Bridge, she thought that was the one we were actually going to see, and was a bit disappointed. I had to tell her that was not the bridge we were going to, and the other one was much more impressive (which lets face it, it really is). Ingrid was really excited when she finally saw the right bridge. She was glad that I had taken her, because she said she would have been mad if she had left London and not seen it. So we walked across and caught the metro back to Kings Cross and made our way back to the hostel.
Overall, we were oot and aboot walking for 7 hours today. It was super enjoyable. Oh! I suppose I should explain the funny title and spelling of words. A couple times today, Ingrid had to have me repeat what I said. Including the words "out," "about," and "house." Apparently in Minnesota we have an accent and pronounce those words differently than they do in Jersey. When she had me repeat them she had a look of complete lack of understanding. I'm sure I had that look when I was Italy and France when people would talk to me, and I had no clue what they were talking about. Aboot. More than once I had to find a different word - like with house, I had to same a home...it was just the funniest damn thing. Who knew us Minnesotans had an accent?
Well this post is fantastically long, so I do apologize, but I looked and there's no way I feel I can make it shorter. My bad. I have no great plans for tomorrow other than to go through and throw stuff out of my duffel bag and re-organize that and my backpack. Since I have to change rooms Thursday I'm not going to have access to my bag half the day and will probably be so keyed up about leaving Friday morning, tomorrow is the day I'm going to relax and go through everything.
I know I've been saying it, but it is so unreal I'm packing to come home. These final days were as unfathomable as the day I left. I take my hat off to you all and wish you a beautiful night and day tomorrow! Love from me to you!
Monday, May 21, 2012
"You might find me, if you like, around Fleet Street, I wouldnt wonder" Pictures
"You might find me, if you like, around Fleet Street, I wouldn't wonder."
"There's a hole in the world like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit, and it goes by the name of London. At the top of the hole sit a privileged few, making mock of the vermin of the lower zoo, turning beauty into filth and greed..." Yes? Well, not really. But then I'm not a demon barber living in London seeking revenge on a corrupt judge for imprisoning me, stealing my wife, and adopting my daughter, so I guess my perspective is a bit different.
I hate saying this guys, but whoa - I'm getting exhausted! My brain feels like it's overflowing from all the stuff I've been taking in. It's been great and fun and inspirational, but sometimes I think if I see one more magnificent thing I might keel over. That being said I went out today to go to one of the streets I really wanted to see (and if you couldn't guess by the title of this post or the quote at the beginning) I went to Fleet Street! The street that Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett operate their sinister establishments!
I LOVED Fleet Street! It was so lively and bustling it felt like what London should feel like, I think. It was amazing just walking up and down and there were some really cool looking buildings! I could tell they were older than in other parts of the city which are so modernized. In addition to walking up and down the street, there's a door, just a black door in the wall of shops, that you can go through, and behind the door is an alley (I know this is sounding like a badly budgeted horror film). But, if you walk down the alley at the end is the Temple Church. I don't know a ton about the church, but it had a really cool build to it. I didn't go in because they're charging quite a bit to do so, but it was an interesting alley. There were a bunch of building that were all connected back there, and I saw a ton of sharply dressed men and women walking through there and into the buildings. I felt like they're secret agents and were walking into the secret headquarters. I felt like a slob compared to how they all looked.
After that, I took the Metro to what I believed to be Hyde Park. Apparently not. So, I looked at my map and it didn't look like that far of a walk so I started going the direction I need to enter Hyde Park. Apparently I haven't gotten any better at judging distances because it took me an hour to walk there. But it was a nice walk and something I think I really needed. It felt good to be walking again. I love the Metro because you're where you need to be really quick, but I feel like I've exchanged that for losing a bit of the culture of the city.
I did eventually get to Hyde Park and it was really peaceful so I took out my book, took off my shoes and socks, and sat in the grass and read for awhile. It was great! It really felt like a nice day in the city of London.
I felt quite calm today, which after Saturday and the leftovers of Saturday yesterday, it felt nice to be so free from the stress. Tomorrow I don't have much of a plan other than trying to get my butt out of bed at a half way decent time and put some hustle in morning so I can get down to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. I don't have too much planned for Wednesday and Thursday other than trying to get all my stuff in order and re-packed so I can come home organized on Friday.
It's hard to believe this is really coming to the end. It doesn't feel like I've been away for 5 weeks. Love for you all from London.
I hate saying this guys, but whoa - I'm getting exhausted! My brain feels like it's overflowing from all the stuff I've been taking in. It's been great and fun and inspirational, but sometimes I think if I see one more magnificent thing I might keel over. That being said I went out today to go to one of the streets I really wanted to see (and if you couldn't guess by the title of this post or the quote at the beginning) I went to Fleet Street! The street that Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett operate their sinister establishments!
I LOVED Fleet Street! It was so lively and bustling it felt like what London should feel like, I think. It was amazing just walking up and down and there were some really cool looking buildings! I could tell they were older than in other parts of the city which are so modernized. In addition to walking up and down the street, there's a door, just a black door in the wall of shops, that you can go through, and behind the door is an alley (I know this is sounding like a badly budgeted horror film). But, if you walk down the alley at the end is the Temple Church. I don't know a ton about the church, but it had a really cool build to it. I didn't go in because they're charging quite a bit to do so, but it was an interesting alley. There were a bunch of building that were all connected back there, and I saw a ton of sharply dressed men and women walking through there and into the buildings. I felt like they're secret agents and were walking into the secret headquarters. I felt like a slob compared to how they all looked.
After that, I took the Metro to what I believed to be Hyde Park. Apparently not. So, I looked at my map and it didn't look like that far of a walk so I started going the direction I need to enter Hyde Park. Apparently I haven't gotten any better at judging distances because it took me an hour to walk there. But it was a nice walk and something I think I really needed. It felt good to be walking again. I love the Metro because you're where you need to be really quick, but I feel like I've exchanged that for losing a bit of the culture of the city.
I did eventually get to Hyde Park and it was really peaceful so I took out my book, took off my shoes and socks, and sat in the grass and read for awhile. It was great! It really felt like a nice day in the city of London.
I felt quite calm today, which after Saturday and the leftovers of Saturday yesterday, it felt nice to be so free from the stress. Tomorrow I don't have much of a plan other than trying to get my butt out of bed at a half way decent time and put some hustle in morning so I can get down to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. I don't have too much planned for Wednesday and Thursday other than trying to get all my stuff in order and re-packed so I can come home organized on Friday.
It's hard to believe this is really coming to the end. It doesn't feel like I've been away for 5 weeks. Love for you all from London.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
"Remember, remember the 5th of November..." Pictures
Me with the Portobello Road behind me!
Part of the crowed street of Portobello Road -- It was actually difficult to get good pictures because it is packed walking through the crowd. There really aren't good opportunites unless you get off onto a little side street (these pictures are actually from Saturday)
Tower Bridge from the other side.
The Eye of London or The London Eye
Big Ben! I got to hear the bell chime! So cool!
"Remember, remember the 5th of November..."
Alright, so after yesterday's full blown melt down, today was better by a massive amount. I woke up with still a bit of fear inside, like the bad leftovers of a hangover or medicine that makes it so you don't quite feel like you. I had this strong compulsion to stay in and stay "safe." It wasn't the same fear I had my very first day that included the fear of an unknown place and cultures, but more a fear of myself -- I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep it together outside of my bedroom, afraid of looking ridiculous (I can understand people here - before if they talked about me I had no clue), and afraid of being afraid. So as much as I dreaded/hated it, I finally made myself go out and take on the great city of London.
I decided after yesterday, I needed to do something that would trigger the "Oh, this is London" response from me, so I decided to go see the Tower Bridge. I hopped onto the metro (fortunately having figured that out yesterday) and got off and started making the short walk to the bridge. As soon as I got the street and it came into view all of the leftover weight from yesterday's stress seemed to fall away. It was incredible to be walking under the bridge that basically defines London. Everyone knows this place. I was walking across it and took a few pictures of myself on the bridge and few pictures of the bridge and started thinking about when I have children and they see it and I can be like, "I took a trip to London and walked on that bridge." It finally hit me that, no matter what, I have done this and it can't be undone or taken away. It's not like I didn't know that before, but for some reason it finally hit me.
So moving on from the Tower Bridge I walked down to London Bridge (not much to boast about) but I did it so I can say I have, walked across it and hopped back on the metro to go see the buildings of Parliament and naturally Big Ben. I got off the metro and this is so silly - I thought I was on the opposite side of the river, so when I got off the metro I didn't even bother to look at the building that was right off the platform and start making my way to the Eye of London - which I spotted right away. It wasn't until I looked at my map and was half way across the Westminster Bridge did I realize I had walked right on by Parliament and Big Ben! I turned around and stood back and looked at the iconic structures. Talk about incredible! I love the movie V for Vendetta but oh my gosh! I'd cry if these fantastic works of art were destroyed! They are simply fabulous! I just stood on the bridge looking at the buildings. I actually got to hear Big Ben ring and it a spectacular moment. I don't know if it's just because it's London, but the bell sounded more magical than a normal bell.
Since the wind was picking up and the day was getting on (and apparently everything in Europe closes at 5 on Sundays) I decided to head back to the hostel, briefly stopping for some fish and chips and my dodgy little place, since it was delicious yesterday.
I want to thank you all again for the support, love, prayers, good vibes, and everything else you all sent this way yesterday. I know that is a large part of why I was able to get out and move around today. I love that I'm travelling in a time where I have the ability to connect to everyone. I don't know what I'd have done if I wouldn't have been able to get a hold of people yesterday. Tess, thanks again for texting Mom for me! Mom, thanks for calming support, and my fabulous brother, thanks for all the help with the bank stuff! I know I keep saying it, but it feels unreal this trip is nearly over -- it's just a matter of days now. I can't wait to hug you all again! Love from London coming your way!
I decided after yesterday, I needed to do something that would trigger the "Oh, this is London" response from me, so I decided to go see the Tower Bridge. I hopped onto the metro (fortunately having figured that out yesterday) and got off and started making the short walk to the bridge. As soon as I got the street and it came into view all of the leftover weight from yesterday's stress seemed to fall away. It was incredible to be walking under the bridge that basically defines London. Everyone knows this place. I was walking across it and took a few pictures of myself on the bridge and few pictures of the bridge and started thinking about when I have children and they see it and I can be like, "I took a trip to London and walked on that bridge." It finally hit me that, no matter what, I have done this and it can't be undone or taken away. It's not like I didn't know that before, but for some reason it finally hit me.
So moving on from the Tower Bridge I walked down to London Bridge (not much to boast about) but I did it so I can say I have, walked across it and hopped back on the metro to go see the buildings of Parliament and naturally Big Ben. I got off the metro and this is so silly - I thought I was on the opposite side of the river, so when I got off the metro I didn't even bother to look at the building that was right off the platform and start making my way to the Eye of London - which I spotted right away. It wasn't until I looked at my map and was half way across the Westminster Bridge did I realize I had walked right on by Parliament and Big Ben! I turned around and stood back and looked at the iconic structures. Talk about incredible! I love the movie V for Vendetta but oh my gosh! I'd cry if these fantastic works of art were destroyed! They are simply fabulous! I just stood on the bridge looking at the buildings. I actually got to hear Big Ben ring and it a spectacular moment. I don't know if it's just because it's London, but the bell sounded more magical than a normal bell.
Since the wind was picking up and the day was getting on (and apparently everything in Europe closes at 5 on Sundays) I decided to head back to the hostel, briefly stopping for some fish and chips and my dodgy little place, since it was delicious yesterday.
I want to thank you all again for the support, love, prayers, good vibes, and everything else you all sent this way yesterday. I know that is a large part of why I was able to get out and move around today. I love that I'm travelling in a time where I have the ability to connect to everyone. I don't know what I'd have done if I wouldn't have been able to get a hold of people yesterday. Tess, thanks again for texting Mom for me! Mom, thanks for calming support, and my fabulous brother, thanks for all the help with the bank stuff! I know I keep saying it, but it feels unreal this trip is nearly over -- it's just a matter of days now. I can't wait to hug you all again! Love from London coming your way!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Tired + Hormone Flux + Panic = Breakdown
Ok, well, I'm going to let you know I had considered not posting today and instead wait until tomorrow and skip over today. But then I realized that isn't the point of this, so here goes.
I woke up much earlier than I wanted to today: 1:00 a.m. Some girls came in late last night and apparently couldn't appreciate the fact that everyone was sleeping and went ahead and made as much noise as they possibly could. And I have ear plugs. It was that bad. But then apparently, they decided they wanted to go out at 3:30 a.m. too -- I have no idea if it was the same girls or different ones, but holy crap! And the hostel very clearly says that excessive noise is not permitted in the bedrooms after 11 p.m. Seriously. If you're going to make noise, book a private room. And of course, because that's apparently how it was going, girls started waking up at 6:30 this morning. I realize it's London, but lets get real! There isn't anything that's worth seeing open at 6:30 in the morning. And these girls too, decided that if they were going to be up, so was everyone else. So, tired from interrupted sleep, but clearly not going to get any more, I finally got up at 7:30 and went down to get breakfast.
I don't know if I had mentioned it before, but for my hostel in London, I had to make 3 separate reservations because they didn't have on room I could stay in for 7 nights straight. So I had to check out this morning and check back in this afternoon. At least now I'm in one room for 5 nights. I'll only have to check out on Thursday and check back in for my last night. So I did all this after getting dressed and determined to go and do something in London.
So my great plan of action was to go get an Oyster Card. It's the card you load money on so you can travel using the metro. It saves a lot of money since buying a one time use ticket will cost 4,60 Pounds every time. Not fun. So the Oyster Card is the best option. Well, I went to a self-service machine and tried using both my Debit and Credit Cards. And the message came up for both: Exceeds Ceiling Limit, Declined. Ok, well, I was a little freaked out because I have deliberately overestimated the rate of exchange to make sure I didn't run out of money and to also include the rate exchange my bank will charge me. Having no choice I went to a window with a person, and still managed to buy my Oyster Card.
It turns out the Metro here isn't bad, since it's a weird combination of Rome's Metro and Paris's Metro (it helps it's all in English). So my big plan was to go to Notting Hill and walk down Portabella Road. It was really really packed walking down there, but it's a lot like in the movie Notting Hill. A bunch of stalls are out with people selling a wide range of things. Some of the streets are actually closed to traffic for the day.
All of that aside I realized I maybe wasn't enjoying myself as much as I should have been. I had a weird cocktail of emotions going: frustration, tired, worry, happy was in there too, fear, and stuff I still don't know what they were. I knew that I couldn't be out any more. I don't know what it was but it felt like the pressure of the city was breaking me down and I knew at the very least I needed to go get checked into my new room and take a nap and have a good cry. Which was exactly what I did.
I basically cried myself to sleep -- why I was crying I have no idea because except for the jitters from flying from Paris to Dublin I haven't really felt too stressed about anything. Nothing really too much to worry about. Everything has been fairly smooth going (which I am incredibly thankful for), so I'm not too sure what brought this all on.
I woke up after a couple hours and went out and found (as the Brits would say) a dodgy little place for supper, but I ordered fish and chips and it could be the best I've had yet. Sometimes those dodgy places are the best. I was feeling (somewhat) refreshed, so I decided to try my Debit card at the ATM in the hostel. Came back DECLINED and saying "unable to connect to your financial institution." Back into panic mode. I started going through my little log book -- I've been keeping studious notes about where every cent of my money goes, and trying to figure out if I made a mistake somewhere. Going back through it, taking off extra to be on the safe side, I knew there was no way I could have gone over. The other horrible thought I had was my bank was charging me an obscene about of money every time I've made a withdrawal (not many, but probably enough to add up over the five or six times I've done it), and that has somehow drained all my money.
I have some money out, that I was planning to last me through my stay in London, but all the while, I kept thinking "but what if something happens and I need more money? I won't have a way to get to the airport Friday, I won't get home, I don't have money to buy a new ticket..." because thinking of the worst possible scenario is the best solution to every crisis. That seems to be human nature -- or at least mine -- though, because it happens even when I'm not travelling 3,000 miles away.
I think part of what has been so hard about this day was London has always been the place I've wanted to see. And my first day out in the city I felt so awful. I couldn't enjoy it. That's been about the hardest thing I think (apart from thinking I wouldn't see any of you lovies again).
Per panic mode, I jumped online and got in touch with Mom, Adam, Tess, and started figuring out a game plan for the money thing. I haven't checked my bank account online since I worry about the connections and someone potentially getting my info, but Adam told me to check it, just once, to see what the deal is. I checked it and let out a sigh of relief. I HAVE MONEY! I actually have about $400 more than I thought. Yeah, for overestimating! It still doesn't explain why my cards won't work, but I'm hoping to try again on Monday (when all banks are open -- I don't think I've pulled money out on a weekend before. It just never turned out that way) and hope beyond hope, that it'll work.
The only thing I can really attribute this day to would be my lack of sleep, I'm sure some werid hormone flux, which lead to the panic from the stress, so I had a fantastically wonderful breakdown over here. Nothing like completely draining the battery. I guess though I'll just have to plug myself in and recharge.
Like always, I appreciate beyond the realm that simple words can express, all of your guys' support! It really helps to have everyone thinking of me and wishing the best when I have dark moments and feel very alone. I don't know what I would have done today if I wouldn't have been able to get ahold of everyone and been stuck in my own pool of misery. So thank you for everything! You are all so fantastic!
I'm hoping to get a good nights sleep tonight and get back on my feet tomorrow. Maybe do something really Londony like go see Big Ben or Parliament. Love from London.
I woke up much earlier than I wanted to today: 1:00 a.m. Some girls came in late last night and apparently couldn't appreciate the fact that everyone was sleeping and went ahead and made as much noise as they possibly could. And I have ear plugs. It was that bad. But then apparently, they decided they wanted to go out at 3:30 a.m. too -- I have no idea if it was the same girls or different ones, but holy crap! And the hostel very clearly says that excessive noise is not permitted in the bedrooms after 11 p.m. Seriously. If you're going to make noise, book a private room. And of course, because that's apparently how it was going, girls started waking up at 6:30 this morning. I realize it's London, but lets get real! There isn't anything that's worth seeing open at 6:30 in the morning. And these girls too, decided that if they were going to be up, so was everyone else. So, tired from interrupted sleep, but clearly not going to get any more, I finally got up at 7:30 and went down to get breakfast.
I don't know if I had mentioned it before, but for my hostel in London, I had to make 3 separate reservations because they didn't have on room I could stay in for 7 nights straight. So I had to check out this morning and check back in this afternoon. At least now I'm in one room for 5 nights. I'll only have to check out on Thursday and check back in for my last night. So I did all this after getting dressed and determined to go and do something in London.
So my great plan of action was to go get an Oyster Card. It's the card you load money on so you can travel using the metro. It saves a lot of money since buying a one time use ticket will cost 4,60 Pounds every time. Not fun. So the Oyster Card is the best option. Well, I went to a self-service machine and tried using both my Debit and Credit Cards. And the message came up for both: Exceeds Ceiling Limit, Declined. Ok, well, I was a little freaked out because I have deliberately overestimated the rate of exchange to make sure I didn't run out of money and to also include the rate exchange my bank will charge me. Having no choice I went to a window with a person, and still managed to buy my Oyster Card.
It turns out the Metro here isn't bad, since it's a weird combination of Rome's Metro and Paris's Metro (it helps it's all in English). So my big plan was to go to Notting Hill and walk down Portabella Road. It was really really packed walking down there, but it's a lot like in the movie Notting Hill. A bunch of stalls are out with people selling a wide range of things. Some of the streets are actually closed to traffic for the day.
All of that aside I realized I maybe wasn't enjoying myself as much as I should have been. I had a weird cocktail of emotions going: frustration, tired, worry, happy was in there too, fear, and stuff I still don't know what they were. I knew that I couldn't be out any more. I don't know what it was but it felt like the pressure of the city was breaking me down and I knew at the very least I needed to go get checked into my new room and take a nap and have a good cry. Which was exactly what I did.
I basically cried myself to sleep -- why I was crying I have no idea because except for the jitters from flying from Paris to Dublin I haven't really felt too stressed about anything. Nothing really too much to worry about. Everything has been fairly smooth going (which I am incredibly thankful for), so I'm not too sure what brought this all on.
I woke up after a couple hours and went out and found (as the Brits would say) a dodgy little place for supper, but I ordered fish and chips and it could be the best I've had yet. Sometimes those dodgy places are the best. I was feeling (somewhat) refreshed, so I decided to try my Debit card at the ATM in the hostel. Came back DECLINED and saying "unable to connect to your financial institution." Back into panic mode. I started going through my little log book -- I've been keeping studious notes about where every cent of my money goes, and trying to figure out if I made a mistake somewhere. Going back through it, taking off extra to be on the safe side, I knew there was no way I could have gone over. The other horrible thought I had was my bank was charging me an obscene about of money every time I've made a withdrawal (not many, but probably enough to add up over the five or six times I've done it), and that has somehow drained all my money.
I have some money out, that I was planning to last me through my stay in London, but all the while, I kept thinking "but what if something happens and I need more money? I won't have a way to get to the airport Friday, I won't get home, I don't have money to buy a new ticket..." because thinking of the worst possible scenario is the best solution to every crisis. That seems to be human nature -- or at least mine -- though, because it happens even when I'm not travelling 3,000 miles away.
I think part of what has been so hard about this day was London has always been the place I've wanted to see. And my first day out in the city I felt so awful. I couldn't enjoy it. That's been about the hardest thing I think (apart from thinking I wouldn't see any of you lovies again).
Per panic mode, I jumped online and got in touch with Mom, Adam, Tess, and started figuring out a game plan for the money thing. I haven't checked my bank account online since I worry about the connections and someone potentially getting my info, but Adam told me to check it, just once, to see what the deal is. I checked it and let out a sigh of relief. I HAVE MONEY! I actually have about $400 more than I thought. Yeah, for overestimating! It still doesn't explain why my cards won't work, but I'm hoping to try again on Monday (when all banks are open -- I don't think I've pulled money out on a weekend before. It just never turned out that way) and hope beyond hope, that it'll work.
The only thing I can really attribute this day to would be my lack of sleep, I'm sure some werid hormone flux, which lead to the panic from the stress, so I had a fantastically wonderful breakdown over here. Nothing like completely draining the battery. I guess though I'll just have to plug myself in and recharge.
Like always, I appreciate beyond the realm that simple words can express, all of your guys' support! It really helps to have everyone thinking of me and wishing the best when I have dark moments and feel very alone. I don't know what I would have done today if I wouldn't have been able to get ahold of everyone and been stuck in my own pool of misery. So thank you for everything! You are all so fantastic!
I'm hoping to get a good nights sleep tonight and get back on my feet tomorrow. Maybe do something really Londony like go see Big Ben or Parliament. Love from London.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Arrive London
'Ello, 'ello! (say it in a British accent, it sounds cooler).
So good, friends I have arrived in London. I woke up with the usual up-set stomach I've gotten use to getting on my Travel Days, but it didn't have much to do with being nervous about the train, so much as I don't like train rides or airplane rides. Stupid, really, since cars and driving are highly more dangerous, and I'm more likely to die in a car on the way to the train station or airport, but never the less.
I got dressed and packed and took a cab to the train station and found my platform with no big deal (I had a pretty good feeling I knew which one it was - I had scoped out the area when I picked my ticket up on Wednesday - and the train ride itself was no big deal. I sat next to this friendly girl who's my age and talked to her for part of the time. She's from Liverpool and was heading to London for the weekend to stay with friends, and she thought my accent was cool. Yeah, I have an accent. Anyway she was asking me what we call a bunch of different things in the U.S.A. She was absolutely fascinated by it. I was fascinated she found it fascinating. The circle of life. It turns out she was actually staying in a hotel just down the road from my hostel so we took a cab together from the train station so it was only 3,50 British Pounds for the whole ride. Not bad all things considered.
I've gotten checked into my hostel no biggy and found a nice little cafe that gave me the best omelet I've ever eaten. No lie. I probably couldn't make one better. And I'm a pretty good cook.
Otherwise I have no great plans for the evening. My first big goal tomorrow is to find a place to buy and Oyster Card. It's a card to use on the Metro and is much cheaper than buying single tickets all the time. And I'm going to need the metro to get around London.
Well, that's all for now my good peeps! Love you for always!!!!
So good, friends I have arrived in London. I woke up with the usual up-set stomach I've gotten use to getting on my Travel Days, but it didn't have much to do with being nervous about the train, so much as I don't like train rides or airplane rides. Stupid, really, since cars and driving are highly more dangerous, and I'm more likely to die in a car on the way to the train station or airport, but never the less.
I got dressed and packed and took a cab to the train station and found my platform with no big deal (I had a pretty good feeling I knew which one it was - I had scoped out the area when I picked my ticket up on Wednesday - and the train ride itself was no big deal. I sat next to this friendly girl who's my age and talked to her for part of the time. She's from Liverpool and was heading to London for the weekend to stay with friends, and she thought my accent was cool. Yeah, I have an accent. Anyway she was asking me what we call a bunch of different things in the U.S.A. She was absolutely fascinated by it. I was fascinated she found it fascinating. The circle of life. It turns out she was actually staying in a hotel just down the road from my hostel so we took a cab together from the train station so it was only 3,50 British Pounds for the whole ride. Not bad all things considered.
I've gotten checked into my hostel no biggy and found a nice little cafe that gave me the best omelet I've ever eaten. No lie. I probably couldn't make one better. And I'm a pretty good cook.
Otherwise I have no great plans for the evening. My first big goal tomorrow is to find a place to buy and Oyster Card. It's a card to use on the Metro and is much cheaper than buying single tickets all the time. And I'm going to need the metro to get around London.
Well, that's all for now my good peeps! Love you for always!!!!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
'Is there anybody going to listen to my story..." Pictures
'Is there anybody going to listen to my story..."
Alright, so day two in Liverpool:
I work up around 9:00 today which isn't horrible, but I took my time getting ready, not particularly sure what I wanted to do today. I did know that I was going to walk to the train station again to see if I could pull my duffel there tomorrow and save the cost a cab. Yeah right. Taxi it is. Without the duffel is no big deal, but I can't drag it that far. Having a plan for tomorrow, I changed direction.
I did want to go and investigate St. James Park that I saw yesterday behind the Liverpool Cathedral. So I walked there and explored it a bit. It's the huge park that's GREEN! If I were Kermit the Frog I'd be invisible in there. It was beautiful. It was actually lined with tomb stone markers all through the park. They weren't all graves, in fact most of them weren't, but they were there in remembrance to those who've died in the city of Liverpool. I actually found it a bit comforting to be there. It smelled nice and earthy, the birds were out, it rained last night so everything was still dripping with water, and since the sun was out, it was making everything shine in the garden. I just plopped down on a broken stone and read my book for a little more than hour. It was nice and relaxing.
I found that I was glad I had my time in the park. I don't know why, but I was feeling cranky with everything today. I've been scared, upset, homesick, happy, amazed, and a whole bunch of other things but today I found that everyone around seemed to irritate me so I was glad to find the garden empty. And it was a huge garden so there was no one who could have come through to bother me.
I was only out for a few hours today, but I felt like that was enough so I headed back to the hostel and took a couple hour nap. I don't know that I was tired and that's why I was feeling cranky, but I feel better now that I'm up, and I'm really really excited to go to London tomorrow! I know where my hostel is, the train is only a couple hours, and I'm hoping beyond hope to not repeat Rome and make my train by 30 seconds.
Well, good homies, have a fabulous night! I know a good bunch of you are getting together and drinking so drive responsibly! (at least some of you have children (who have licenses) that are now home for the summer so you have a sober cab -- use them!). Love you tons and I can't wait to see you in a week! Wow - one week! It seems unreal! The next time I'll write you will be from London!
I work up around 9:00 today which isn't horrible, but I took my time getting ready, not particularly sure what I wanted to do today. I did know that I was going to walk to the train station again to see if I could pull my duffel there tomorrow and save the cost a cab. Yeah right. Taxi it is. Without the duffel is no big deal, but I can't drag it that far. Having a plan for tomorrow, I changed direction.
I did want to go and investigate St. James Park that I saw yesterday behind the Liverpool Cathedral. So I walked there and explored it a bit. It's the huge park that's GREEN! If I were Kermit the Frog I'd be invisible in there. It was beautiful. It was actually lined with tomb stone markers all through the park. They weren't all graves, in fact most of them weren't, but they were there in remembrance to those who've died in the city of Liverpool. I actually found it a bit comforting to be there. It smelled nice and earthy, the birds were out, it rained last night so everything was still dripping with water, and since the sun was out, it was making everything shine in the garden. I just plopped down on a broken stone and read my book for a little more than hour. It was nice and relaxing.
I found that I was glad I had my time in the park. I don't know why, but I was feeling cranky with everything today. I've been scared, upset, homesick, happy, amazed, and a whole bunch of other things but today I found that everyone around seemed to irritate me so I was glad to find the garden empty. And it was a huge garden so there was no one who could have come through to bother me.
I was only out for a few hours today, but I felt like that was enough so I headed back to the hostel and took a couple hour nap. I don't know that I was tired and that's why I was feeling cranky, but I feel better now that I'm up, and I'm really really excited to go to London tomorrow! I know where my hostel is, the train is only a couple hours, and I'm hoping beyond hope to not repeat Rome and make my train by 30 seconds.
Well, good homies, have a fabulous night! I know a good bunch of you are getting together and drinking so drive responsibly! (at least some of you have children (who have licenses) that are now home for the summer so you have a sober cab -- use them!). Love you tons and I can't wait to see you in a week! Wow - one week! It seems unreal! The next time I'll write you will be from London!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Liverpool Pictures
Liverpool
I have to say, after nearly a week of scattered sun and quite a bit of rain in Dublin, I was thrilled to wake up this morning and see that it was sunny here in Liverpool. Maybe not warm, but sunny at least. I wasn't positive on what I wanted to do here, really, since it's sort of just a stopping point for me, but I knew I at least had to go to the train station and pick up my ticket I bought for Friday to get to London.
So I set off with my city map, not sure how long it would take me. Paris, I was staying in the city center, but it'd take me at least 10 minutes just to walk into town. Dublin, if I took three steps out of the hostel I was somewhere else. Liverpool, as it turns out, is quite a bit like Dublin. It's really not too difficult to navigate, and I found the train station without a problem and managed to pick up my tickets. I took a look around the station, trying to figure out my bearings a bit for Friday. I can NOT have a repeat of the fiasco in Rome. Fortunately this time, everything is in English so if I'm desperate, I can ask nearly anyone for help.
Realizing how small the city center is, I decided to walk down to Albert Dock. It's the main dock Liverpool is known for. They estimate nearly 9 million immigrants went through the dock in the last century. That's pretty fantastic. The dock was super cool. I don't think I've been on an actual dock before, so it was neat. It was a lot bigger than I thought it'd be too.
After walking around the dock for a bit, I spotted the Liverpool National Museum and went inside. And it was free, so that was a nice bonus. It was interesting to walk around because it explored the history of Liverpool and all the parts of its development. It explained the history of trains finally being built to connect it to the rest of England, the dock, the immigrants, and other pieces of the history that's been discovered over the years. It talked to about more current things like sports and music and what they influenced in Liverpool. It was quite was interesting. Although some of the life size statues they had freaked me out a bit. They looked shockingly real. A couple times I thought a person was standing in a glass case on display.
I have to tell you guys this funny story. I was just out and about today and was stopped at one point to consult my map and this group of girls, probably my age came up and told me they liked my sunglasses and wondered where I got them. Ok, well they're just a cheap pair I have from home -- So I told them I just brought them from home. They kind of looked at me. I told them I brought them from the U.S. All four of them went "Oooh --" then the one girl said, "So that's where your funny accent's from." Yup. I'm the one with the funny accent. And I've thought about it before, where I feel like I sound funny compared to everyone else, but no one has ever said anything. I had a small laugh about that after they left.
So after the musem, I still had a good piece of the afternoon left, so I walked to the Liverpool Cathedral. It's the largest cathedral in England and was only built in the early 1900s. Holy crap, you guys, this thing is massive. It's hard to explain the enormity of it. I bet at least 200 decent size houses could comfortably fit in there. Easy. It's strange because so often I'm impressed with the beauty of so many of these churches and the grand scale they were built on, then usually later on I find myself wondering, "did you really need to gold filligry in the ceiling?" At the time many of these were built people were poor and dying of starvation in the street. How many taxes were imposed on the citizens so the church could look as beautiful as it does? It's just crazy.
I don't really have any great plans for tomorrow other than to walk to the train station again to see how long it takes. I'm debating back and foward between pulling my duffel there Friday or taking a cab. I'll see how the walk goes. And this is going to sound horrible, but I think I'm ready to come home. The constant packing and moving is starting to wear on me a bit and I'm really lacking the motivation every morning to get out and do stuff. I'm glad there's a lot I want to see in London so the time should fly. I think though, I miss my bed, not packing up my shower stuff every time I take a shower, hot water, I miss cooking, driving, and all of you fabulous people. I didn't really feel 'lonely' today, but just more tired that had nothing to do with the amount of sleep I got. I'm not thrilled about going back to work, but everything else, yes.
Thanks again for being wonderful yous! Love from Liverpool! (does that sound like it could be the name of a movie? Hmm)
So I set off with my city map, not sure how long it would take me. Paris, I was staying in the city center, but it'd take me at least 10 minutes just to walk into town. Dublin, if I took three steps out of the hostel I was somewhere else. Liverpool, as it turns out, is quite a bit like Dublin. It's really not too difficult to navigate, and I found the train station without a problem and managed to pick up my tickets. I took a look around the station, trying to figure out my bearings a bit for Friday. I can NOT have a repeat of the fiasco in Rome. Fortunately this time, everything is in English so if I'm desperate, I can ask nearly anyone for help.
Realizing how small the city center is, I decided to walk down to Albert Dock. It's the main dock Liverpool is known for. They estimate nearly 9 million immigrants went through the dock in the last century. That's pretty fantastic. The dock was super cool. I don't think I've been on an actual dock before, so it was neat. It was a lot bigger than I thought it'd be too.
After walking around the dock for a bit, I spotted the Liverpool National Museum and went inside. And it was free, so that was a nice bonus. It was interesting to walk around because it explored the history of Liverpool and all the parts of its development. It explained the history of trains finally being built to connect it to the rest of England, the dock, the immigrants, and other pieces of the history that's been discovered over the years. It talked to about more current things like sports and music and what they influenced in Liverpool. It was quite was interesting. Although some of the life size statues they had freaked me out a bit. They looked shockingly real. A couple times I thought a person was standing in a glass case on display.
I have to tell you guys this funny story. I was just out and about today and was stopped at one point to consult my map and this group of girls, probably my age came up and told me they liked my sunglasses and wondered where I got them. Ok, well they're just a cheap pair I have from home -- So I told them I just brought them from home. They kind of looked at me. I told them I brought them from the U.S. All four of them went "Oooh --" then the one girl said, "So that's where your funny accent's from." Yup. I'm the one with the funny accent. And I've thought about it before, where I feel like I sound funny compared to everyone else, but no one has ever said anything. I had a small laugh about that after they left.
So after the musem, I still had a good piece of the afternoon left, so I walked to the Liverpool Cathedral. It's the largest cathedral in England and was only built in the early 1900s. Holy crap, you guys, this thing is massive. It's hard to explain the enormity of it. I bet at least 200 decent size houses could comfortably fit in there. Easy. It's strange because so often I'm impressed with the beauty of so many of these churches and the grand scale they were built on, then usually later on I find myself wondering, "did you really need to gold filligry in the ceiling?" At the time many of these were built people were poor and dying of starvation in the street. How many taxes were imposed on the citizens so the church could look as beautiful as it does? It's just crazy.
I don't really have any great plans for tomorrow other than to walk to the train station again to see how long it takes. I'm debating back and foward between pulling my duffel there Friday or taking a cab. I'll see how the walk goes. And this is going to sound horrible, but I think I'm ready to come home. The constant packing and moving is starting to wear on me a bit and I'm really lacking the motivation every morning to get out and do stuff. I'm glad there's a lot I want to see in London so the time should fly. I think though, I miss my bed, not packing up my shower stuff every time I take a shower, hot water, I miss cooking, driving, and all of you fabulous people. I didn't really feel 'lonely' today, but just more tired that had nothing to do with the amount of sleep I got. I'm not thrilled about going back to work, but everything else, yes.
Thanks again for being wonderful yous! Love from Liverpool! (does that sound like it could be the name of a movie? Hmm)
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A Bit of an Update
Arrive Liverpool! Yeah!
I'm going to recap the last few days a bit. On Saturday I met this really nice girl from Canada at my hostel, named Rochelle. She has a working visa so she's moving to Dublin for a year to work. Anyway, we sort of hit it off right away so we just sat and talked for a few hours about our lives and travels. Since I was going to the Cliffs of Mohr on Sunday we didn't see each other, but yesterday we both sort of stayed in the hostel for the better part of the afternoon, relaxing.
As it turns out, there's an organization for the people who are working in Ireland on a Visa, and they have dinner every night at this pub, so Rochelle asked me to go with, and since it was my last night in Dublin, I thought "why not?"
Dinner was fantastic! The group of people who showed up were amazing! I could tell they've stuck together and have formed bonds. They told stories about each other and talked about living and working in Ireland. They were fabulous. They were infectious with their vibrant moods. And right before we went to dinner I got a surprise phone call from home from my good friend Jack. It was so lovely to hear a voice I know. It completely made my day. So that on top of dinner was just the perfect end to the evening.
Of course now though, everyone in the group wants me to apply for a Visa and go work in Ireland for a year. Rochelle said I already know people so it would be great. I'll think about it :) It could be fun.
So this morning since I had some time before my bus was going to pick me up, Rochelle and I went for a walk around Dublin and we had coffee and cake at a little cafe. It was a nice morning out too, so I was thrilled to have something to do other than sit in my hostel.
I did eventually get the bus to the airport, and while I was waiting to check in (couldn't do it until 2) I talked with this funny older lady from London and she told me funny stories about when she was younger and back packing with her friends. It's just great.
The plane ride was something strange. It was suppose to depart at 5:15 so we board at 4:45. Well, we were all in line and waiting, but there was no one to take our boarding passes, it's already after 5:00. I'm beginning to think our flight was canceled. Finally they let us on, we all sit down (and bonus - not a full flight so I wasn't packed in like a sardine this time) we get going down the run way, and we sit there. And sit. And sit. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with the plane and they were going to make us switch or cancel the flight entirely. And of course I'm thinking if there is something wrong and we take off, the plane is going to blow up.
But, fortunately I've arrived in Liverpool (got to the hostel by taxi -- really nice guy) and I'm just updating everyone quick before I go find a bite to eat before bed.
I hope everyone has a fabulous week and I can't wait to see you all. Love always!
I'm going to recap the last few days a bit. On Saturday I met this really nice girl from Canada at my hostel, named Rochelle. She has a working visa so she's moving to Dublin for a year to work. Anyway, we sort of hit it off right away so we just sat and talked for a few hours about our lives and travels. Since I was going to the Cliffs of Mohr on Sunday we didn't see each other, but yesterday we both sort of stayed in the hostel for the better part of the afternoon, relaxing.
As it turns out, there's an organization for the people who are working in Ireland on a Visa, and they have dinner every night at this pub, so Rochelle asked me to go with, and since it was my last night in Dublin, I thought "why not?"
Dinner was fantastic! The group of people who showed up were amazing! I could tell they've stuck together and have formed bonds. They told stories about each other and talked about living and working in Ireland. They were fabulous. They were infectious with their vibrant moods. And right before we went to dinner I got a surprise phone call from home from my good friend Jack. It was so lovely to hear a voice I know. It completely made my day. So that on top of dinner was just the perfect end to the evening.
Of course now though, everyone in the group wants me to apply for a Visa and go work in Ireland for a year. Rochelle said I already know people so it would be great. I'll think about it :) It could be fun.
So this morning since I had some time before my bus was going to pick me up, Rochelle and I went for a walk around Dublin and we had coffee and cake at a little cafe. It was a nice morning out too, so I was thrilled to have something to do other than sit in my hostel.
I did eventually get the bus to the airport, and while I was waiting to check in (couldn't do it until 2) I talked with this funny older lady from London and she told me funny stories about when she was younger and back packing with her friends. It's just great.
The plane ride was something strange. It was suppose to depart at 5:15 so we board at 4:45. Well, we were all in line and waiting, but there was no one to take our boarding passes, it's already after 5:00. I'm beginning to think our flight was canceled. Finally they let us on, we all sit down (and bonus - not a full flight so I wasn't packed in like a sardine this time) we get going down the run way, and we sit there. And sit. And sit. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with the plane and they were going to make us switch or cancel the flight entirely. And of course I'm thinking if there is something wrong and we take off, the plane is going to blow up.
But, fortunately I've arrived in Liverpool (got to the hostel by taxi -- really nice guy) and I'm just updating everyone quick before I go find a bite to eat before bed.
I hope everyone has a fabulous week and I can't wait to see you all. Love always!
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Cliffs of Mohr. . .and More Pictures
The Cliffs of Mohr. . .and More
Good morning peeps!!! First, I hope every mom reading this had a great Mother's Day and some one spoiled you a bit (or you spoiled yourself). Alright, well now that I'm all rested and mostly recovered, I'll re-cap my trip from yesterday:
The tour people were picking me up at my hostel a little after 7a.m. What that meant was my handy-dandy alarm clock would be going off at 6 a.m. (for some reason it can only do the alarm on the hour - still, better than nothing). I've apparently forgotten what 3:30 a.m. feels like. 3:30? Yup -- there was an alarm going off and it sounded like a fire alarm right in the middle of the night. I wasn't the only one out bed opening the doors to see what was going on. It turns out the alarm wasn't even from our building, but the building across the street. Some security alarm got tripped and I guess it wasn't important enough for them to shut off. After that, no matter how hard I tried, I never really fell back to sleep. I was up before my alarm even went off.
I got picked up and on the bus (it was about a 2 1/2 bus ride to Galway) where we changed buses and went for about another hour to the Burren. The tour I took was the MacCoole Tour. It's this family who runs a tour to the Cliffs of Mohr and you get to visit their family farm. Legitimately their family farm. I think they said it's been theirs for about 300 years. The farm is located in the Burren. It's this area of Ireland the translation roughly means "The land of rocks and fertile soil." Which is true. The entire area looks likes it's covered in nothing but rocks, but when you go hiking through it you can see there is a ton of land in between the rocks. And the soil is the driest in Ireland (dry soil, I know), but the rivers in that area are underground, which makes their soil about the most fertile in the entire country. It's worth a ton to own that land.
You guys, the landscape was beyond beautiful. If you want to talk about Heaven on Earth and God's creation, this was it. The fields were a brilliant green, with fences made of nothing but rock on rock that keep cows and sheep in, dividing farmlands, and a very faint smell of fresh country earth all around, but not over powering. It was gray with patches of sun, but the dark clouds did nothing more than exaggerate all the colors making them even more brilliant. And it was quiet.
On our walking tour up their (what they call Mountain - more like a bluff) the guys who were showing us around had everyone lay down on a comfortable piece of grass and just be silent for about two minutes. It was probably two of the best minutes of my life: the wind was exceptionally strong yesterday so it blocked any sound out, and if you closed your eyes you even forgot where you were. I forgot there were 30 other people around me. I could have stayed on that hill listening to the wind. It was such the perfect place to not care about anything.
After our walk back down, we went into their grandmother's house (she's passed away, but rather than sell her house or move into it, they've left it mostly the same) and got their mom's home made pies and cakes and coffee and apple cider. Their mom bakes all the stuff they serve in their grandmother's house. And you just sit in the rooms. It was so homey and while I thought perhaps they were trying to commercialize "the family farm" it was clear to see that these guys are a real family and they work hard to keep what they have. One of the cousins actually sang us an Irish ballad/tale while were were eating our pies and drinking cider. It was so entertaining. And the way they picked on each other and goofed around reminded me so much of my family. You can't fake that sort of bond. It's there or it isn't. I was actually sad when we had to leave -- it was great to feel a 'home' atmosphere.
After that we drove about another 45 minutes to the Cliffs of Mohr. Alright, here it is. I did jump the "do not cross signs" but I did not sit on the ledge. I got pretty darn close, but the wind in Ireland was extremely bad. If you want to know how bad, stand your ground as hard as you can and have someone try to push you forward from behind. It was actually picking up my camera bag, while the camera was in it. I have a heavy camera. I got some pictures, but not nearly as many as I would have liked - there were little rocks flying through the air with sand, and I didn't really want my camera lens cracked or scratched. That, and I was getting sand in my eyes too. But, all of that aside, the Cliffs are beautiful. I know we have a bunch of man made things that are extraordinary, but nothing can compare to amazing sights we have from the earth itself.
I have to admit that yesterday, despite all of the amazing things, I was feeling a bit lonely. Everyone on the tour was with their boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, or a bunch of friends. It wasn't that I didn't talk with anyone, and everyone was friendly, but at the end of the day I was still by myself. I haven't really felt like that in awhile so I was struggling a bit again. And I've noticed I have this huge flaw and I realize now how debilitating it is: I have a Panic Button. I was on the bus ride back to Galway and we needed to catch our other bus back home. And all they had said was it was in the City Centre. I was freaking myself out thing "How am I going to find my bus if they just drop us on the side of the road?" "Am I going to be able to find it in an hour before it leaves?" And realistically I know that I could always ask the bus driver for directions and there are people around, but I can't stop these horrible panicked thoughts from getting in my head. And then I obsess over them. I know that feeling lonely didn't help with the panic because I was feeling a bit down anyway, but I know now that's something I've got to get a handle on. I didn't really know before how much it affects me, but it does.
So tomorrow I have another Ryanair flight from Dublin to Liverpool. My flight is at about 5/5:30 and it's only 45 minutes. I'm trying really hard to feel positive about the flight since I've already done one before, but I'm afraid that if I start thinking things are going to go well and I'm not worried, then something will of course go horribly wrong. But it's short flight and I have a bus picking me up very early so I have plenty of time when I get there to figure it out. And I'm just going to spring for a taxi from the airport in Liverpool to my hostel. And bonus, I already have my train ticket from Liverpool to London for Friday. I'm just going to book my hostel later today. It's weird because it's the last one I'm going to book.
Have a absolutely fantastic day! I'm jealous of your weather. I've been wearing wool socks here every night.
The tour people were picking me up at my hostel a little after 7a.m. What that meant was my handy-dandy alarm clock would be going off at 6 a.m. (for some reason it can only do the alarm on the hour - still, better than nothing). I've apparently forgotten what 3:30 a.m. feels like. 3:30? Yup -- there was an alarm going off and it sounded like a fire alarm right in the middle of the night. I wasn't the only one out bed opening the doors to see what was going on. It turns out the alarm wasn't even from our building, but the building across the street. Some security alarm got tripped and I guess it wasn't important enough for them to shut off. After that, no matter how hard I tried, I never really fell back to sleep. I was up before my alarm even went off.
I got picked up and on the bus (it was about a 2 1/2 bus ride to Galway) where we changed buses and went for about another hour to the Burren. The tour I took was the MacCoole Tour. It's this family who runs a tour to the Cliffs of Mohr and you get to visit their family farm. Legitimately their family farm. I think they said it's been theirs for about 300 years. The farm is located in the Burren. It's this area of Ireland the translation roughly means "The land of rocks and fertile soil." Which is true. The entire area looks likes it's covered in nothing but rocks, but when you go hiking through it you can see there is a ton of land in between the rocks. And the soil is the driest in Ireland (dry soil, I know), but the rivers in that area are underground, which makes their soil about the most fertile in the entire country. It's worth a ton to own that land.
You guys, the landscape was beyond beautiful. If you want to talk about Heaven on Earth and God's creation, this was it. The fields were a brilliant green, with fences made of nothing but rock on rock that keep cows and sheep in, dividing farmlands, and a very faint smell of fresh country earth all around, but not over powering. It was gray with patches of sun, but the dark clouds did nothing more than exaggerate all the colors making them even more brilliant. And it was quiet.
On our walking tour up their (what they call Mountain - more like a bluff) the guys who were showing us around had everyone lay down on a comfortable piece of grass and just be silent for about two minutes. It was probably two of the best minutes of my life: the wind was exceptionally strong yesterday so it blocked any sound out, and if you closed your eyes you even forgot where you were. I forgot there were 30 other people around me. I could have stayed on that hill listening to the wind. It was such the perfect place to not care about anything.
After our walk back down, we went into their grandmother's house (she's passed away, but rather than sell her house or move into it, they've left it mostly the same) and got their mom's home made pies and cakes and coffee and apple cider. Their mom bakes all the stuff they serve in their grandmother's house. And you just sit in the rooms. It was so homey and while I thought perhaps they were trying to commercialize "the family farm" it was clear to see that these guys are a real family and they work hard to keep what they have. One of the cousins actually sang us an Irish ballad/tale while were were eating our pies and drinking cider. It was so entertaining. And the way they picked on each other and goofed around reminded me so much of my family. You can't fake that sort of bond. It's there or it isn't. I was actually sad when we had to leave -- it was great to feel a 'home' atmosphere.
After that we drove about another 45 minutes to the Cliffs of Mohr. Alright, here it is. I did jump the "do not cross signs" but I did not sit on the ledge. I got pretty darn close, but the wind in Ireland was extremely bad. If you want to know how bad, stand your ground as hard as you can and have someone try to push you forward from behind. It was actually picking up my camera bag, while the camera was in it. I have a heavy camera. I got some pictures, but not nearly as many as I would have liked - there were little rocks flying through the air with sand, and I didn't really want my camera lens cracked or scratched. That, and I was getting sand in my eyes too. But, all of that aside, the Cliffs are beautiful. I know we have a bunch of man made things that are extraordinary, but nothing can compare to amazing sights we have from the earth itself.
I have to admit that yesterday, despite all of the amazing things, I was feeling a bit lonely. Everyone on the tour was with their boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, or a bunch of friends. It wasn't that I didn't talk with anyone, and everyone was friendly, but at the end of the day I was still by myself. I haven't really felt like that in awhile so I was struggling a bit again. And I've noticed I have this huge flaw and I realize now how debilitating it is: I have a Panic Button. I was on the bus ride back to Galway and we needed to catch our other bus back home. And all they had said was it was in the City Centre. I was freaking myself out thing "How am I going to find my bus if they just drop us on the side of the road?" "Am I going to be able to find it in an hour before it leaves?" And realistically I know that I could always ask the bus driver for directions and there are people around, but I can't stop these horrible panicked thoughts from getting in my head. And then I obsess over them. I know that feeling lonely didn't help with the panic because I was feeling a bit down anyway, but I know now that's something I've got to get a handle on. I didn't really know before how much it affects me, but it does.
So tomorrow I have another Ryanair flight from Dublin to Liverpool. My flight is at about 5/5:30 and it's only 45 minutes. I'm trying really hard to feel positive about the flight since I've already done one before, but I'm afraid that if I start thinking things are going to go well and I'm not worried, then something will of course go horribly wrong. But it's short flight and I have a bus picking me up very early so I have plenty of time when I get there to figure it out. And I'm just going to spring for a taxi from the airport in Liverpool to my hostel. And bonus, I already have my train ticket from Liverpool to London for Friday. I'm just going to book my hostel later today. It's weird because it's the last one I'm going to book.
Have a absolutely fantastic day! I'm jealous of your weather. I've been wearing wool socks here every night.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Happy Mother's Day!
I know it's only the early afternoon at home, but it's the end of the day here:
MOM!!! Happy Mother's Day!! I love you so much and miss you terribly!!! I wish I was there right now to give you a big hug and tell you in person what a great mom you are!! I could not hope to ever find a better support and inspiration! Even though I don't say it nearly enough, I appreciate everything you've ever given me. You are the best parts of myself. Thank you. Have a fabulous day.
P.S. I don't know if Adam followed instructions and got you at least a card. I hope so. If not, well, we'll try again next year.
TINA!!!!! Happy Mother's Day!!! I don't quite know how I ended up with two moms and two great inspirations but I am one of the luckiest people alive! You give such great advice and support when I need it the most (and even when I don't think I do). There are times I could not have gotten through without you! I love you so so so much! Thank you for all you've given me!
Same as with mom -- I put Adam in charge, so we may have to try the whole 'gift/card' thing again next year.
To all the other moms reading this: You are all incredible women and I wish you the best day ever!! You have all been an inspiration in my life and I am a better person because of it. Nothing would be the same without each and everyone of you. Enjoy the day and spoil yourselves. You deserve it. Thanks for the everlasting love and support. You're amazing.
MOM!!! Happy Mother's Day!! I love you so much and miss you terribly!!! I wish I was there right now to give you a big hug and tell you in person what a great mom you are!! I could not hope to ever find a better support and inspiration! Even though I don't say it nearly enough, I appreciate everything you've ever given me. You are the best parts of myself. Thank you. Have a fabulous day.
P.S. I don't know if Adam followed instructions and got you at least a card. I hope so. If not, well, we'll try again next year.
TINA!!!!! Happy Mother's Day!!! I don't quite know how I ended up with two moms and two great inspirations but I am one of the luckiest people alive! You give such great advice and support when I need it the most (and even when I don't think I do). There are times I could not have gotten through without you! I love you so so so much! Thank you for all you've given me!
Same as with mom -- I put Adam in charge, so we may have to try the whole 'gift/card' thing again next year.
To all the other moms reading this: You are all incredible women and I wish you the best day ever!! You have all been an inspiration in my life and I am a better person because of it. Nothing would be the same without each and everyone of you. Enjoy the day and spoil yourselves. You deserve it. Thanks for the everlasting love and support. You're amazing.
A Relaxing Day in Dublin Pictures
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