Thursday, May 26, 2011
IRELAND: need to know
After spending some time in Ireland I have learned some things and now I will share them with you. Now lest you think I hate Ireland because of the following comments, it is not true, I loved Ireland but I just hated Dublin.
1. They absolutely love Obama. Which means that the park and other good things must be closed down when he comes to visit. Which of course must happen while I visit Ireland. You drink a pint with them and they will call you a hero.
2. Dublin stinks. Literally and figuratively. There isn't much to see there and the place smells like urine. After all, boys just pee on the walls so it makes sense. It is just full of pubs, dirty people, and trash.
3. There actually are no leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, or four-leaf cloves. True until proven otherwise.
4. If you want to work at a help or information desk it is actually a requirement not to know anything whatsoever. You must be of as little help to the tourists as possible and know as little knowledge as you can. You must also act like an angry Leprechaun when people ask questions.
5. They hate the Queen. Unresolved issue apparently. And because she visits everything must also be closed down, especially when I come to visit.
6. There actually is a plethora of GINGERS. I loved that! I saw lots of red-heads, it was great.
7. Trying to get transportation of any kind sucks and costs a lot of money. Because apparently buses dont all leave from the same place.
8. The people in the country are way more friendly and helpful.
9. The real Irish countryside is absolutely gorgeous, green, and breathtaking. Especially the coast.
10. They have tons of barbershops. One on each corner and then some. I assume that Irish men must be really hairy and it must needs be groomed often.
I LOVED IRELAND.
1. They absolutely love Obama. Which means that the park and other good things must be closed down when he comes to visit. Which of course must happen while I visit Ireland. You drink a pint with them and they will call you a hero.
2. Dublin stinks. Literally and figuratively. There isn't much to see there and the place smells like urine. After all, boys just pee on the walls so it makes sense. It is just full of pubs, dirty people, and trash.
3. There actually are no leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, or four-leaf cloves. True until proven otherwise.
4. If you want to work at a help or information desk it is actually a requirement not to know anything whatsoever. You must be of as little help to the tourists as possible and know as little knowledge as you can. You must also act like an angry Leprechaun when people ask questions.
5. They hate the Queen. Unresolved issue apparently. And because she visits everything must also be closed down, especially when I come to visit.
6. There actually is a plethora of GINGERS. I loved that! I saw lots of red-heads, it was great.
7. Trying to get transportation of any kind sucks and costs a lot of money. Because apparently buses dont all leave from the same place.
8. The people in the country are way more friendly and helpful.
9. The real Irish countryside is absolutely gorgeous, green, and breathtaking. Especially the coast.
10. They have tons of barbershops. One on each corner and then some. I assume that Irish men must be really hairy and it must needs be groomed often.
I LOVED IRELAND.
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| Cheers from Mr. President |
Travel Week Day 5: Last Day in Dublin
SATURDAY, MAY 21ST. DAY 25.
For the last day of travel week we decided to hit up Dublin, give it a chance, and see if there was anything worthwhile after all. We met at 9, walked to the City Centre, looked in shops for souvenirs, were given free ice cream on the street, saw the grand opening of the first Disney store in Ireland (complete with Mickey and Minnie), saw St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Dublin Castle, the viking area, and the Dublin Palace. All day I had been on the quest to find rings all day and they were all like 20+ Euros and I didn't even see any I liked but then I found a wonderful man (let's call him miracle max) and he gave me three rings for 25 euros, truly made my day, and I loved them all. One claddagh and two celtic. After we were done we took a bus to the airport, took a plane to London, and took a train and a tube home to our lovely flat, and it really is home. Once back we caught up with everyone from our group and talked to them all about the wonderful places they visited during the travel week. Then I spent the rest of the day eating and blogging and uploading millions of pictures. THE END.
Song of the Day: Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
For the last day of travel week we decided to hit up Dublin, give it a chance, and see if there was anything worthwhile after all. We met at 9, walked to the City Centre, looked in shops for souvenirs, were given free ice cream on the street, saw the grand opening of the first Disney store in Ireland (complete with Mickey and Minnie), saw St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Dublin Castle, the viking area, and the Dublin Palace. All day I had been on the quest to find rings all day and they were all like 20+ Euros and I didn't even see any I liked but then I found a wonderful man (let's call him miracle max) and he gave me three rings for 25 euros, truly made my day, and I loved them all. One claddagh and two celtic. After we were done we took a bus to the airport, took a plane to London, and took a train and a tube home to our lovely flat, and it really is home. Once back we caught up with everyone from our group and talked to them all about the wonderful places they visited during the travel week. Then I spent the rest of the day eating and blogging and uploading millions of pictures. THE END.
Song of the Day: Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
Travel Week Day 4: The Cliffs of INSANITYYY!
FRIDAY, MAY 20TH. DAY 24.
Alright lets crank these posts out. We met at 6am walked to the train station and took it to Limerick where our tour was supposed to start. Of course because it is Ireland, we get to the info desk to ask for directions to the address of the company and they say that they have none of those tours in Limerick and that they are all back in Dublin. At this point we had just taken like a two hour train ride to get there, paid a lot of money for the train ticket and tour, and the it was scheduled to leave very soon- our faces when she said this? priceless. But it never fails, the info desks are always misinformed so good news was that the tours actually were in Limerick. We hopped aboard the Paddywagon complete with a red-headed, gap-toothed irish tour guide (he was great). First Stop: The Cliffs of Moher. Breathtaking. Harry Potter 6 and the Princess Bride were filmed there (I was freaking out just a little bit). Next stop: a drive along the coast and a picture break at these awesome rocks where Harry and Hermione camp in the first part of the 7th Harry Potter movie (jealous yet?). We then stopped at this Tomb, of which I have no info or name for. Last stop: Pub next to a castle. At the end we got a picture with Sean the tour guide/leprechaun and took the train back to Dublin to eat baked potatoes at a pub.
Alright lets crank these posts out. We met at 6am walked to the train station and took it to Limerick where our tour was supposed to start. Of course because it is Ireland, we get to the info desk to ask for directions to the address of the company and they say that they have none of those tours in Limerick and that they are all back in Dublin. At this point we had just taken like a two hour train ride to get there, paid a lot of money for the train ticket and tour, and the it was scheduled to leave very soon- our faces when she said this? priceless. But it never fails, the info desks are always misinformed so good news was that the tours actually were in Limerick. We hopped aboard the Paddywagon complete with a red-headed, gap-toothed irish tour guide (he was great). First Stop: The Cliffs of Moher. Breathtaking. Harry Potter 6 and the Princess Bride were filmed there (I was freaking out just a little bit). Next stop: a drive along the coast and a picture break at these awesome rocks where Harry and Hermione camp in the first part of the 7th Harry Potter movie (jealous yet?). We then stopped at this Tomb, of which I have no info or name for. Last stop: Pub next to a castle. At the end we got a picture with Sean the tour guide/leprechaun and took the train back to Dublin to eat baked potatoes at a pub.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Travel Week Day 3: IRELAND's Garden
THURSDAY, MAY 19TH. DAY 23.
So for all of our sakes we decide to sleep in a little bit and meet for breakfast at like 9am. We hadn't planned anything for the day but knew that we wanted to get out of Dublin and see some pretty countryside because Dublin definitely does not make us feel like we are in Ireland. After looking through some very unhelpful travel guides and talking to the people at the hostel we decide we want to go to the Wicklow Mountains National Park where Braveheart and PS I Love You were filmed. It supposedly contains lakes, waterfalls, forest trails, and beautiful scenery. However we were too late for the tours and decided that we were just going to take a bus to the town of Wicklow and then somehow make it to the park even though they said there was no public transport out there. After much confusion getting bus tickets (like I said nobody knows anything there and the info desks help you as little as possible) we didn't leave Dublin till like 11:30ish. We get to Wicklow and it takes us forever to find a place to eat and we all take our time with our food so we don't leave there until like 3pm. (I convinced Preston to eat a napkin drenched in salt&vinegar for a milkshake while we were there- entertainment at its finest). We find out only taxis take you out to the park and they cost a lot a lot, so we try and find somewhere closer and settle on going to Mount Usher Gardens in Ashford. Yes, we went to Usher's gardens. They were gorgeous and we spent a few hours in there filling the air with Disney songs while frolicking through the flowers. Afterwards we took the bus back, ate, and went to bed.
Song of the Day: Mirando by RATATAT
So for all of our sakes we decide to sleep in a little bit and meet for breakfast at like 9am. We hadn't planned anything for the day but knew that we wanted to get out of Dublin and see some pretty countryside because Dublin definitely does not make us feel like we are in Ireland. After looking through some very unhelpful travel guides and talking to the people at the hostel we decide we want to go to the Wicklow Mountains National Park where Braveheart and PS I Love You were filmed. It supposedly contains lakes, waterfalls, forest trails, and beautiful scenery. However we were too late for the tours and decided that we were just going to take a bus to the town of Wicklow and then somehow make it to the park even though they said there was no public transport out there. After much confusion getting bus tickets (like I said nobody knows anything there and the info desks help you as little as possible) we didn't leave Dublin till like 11:30ish. We get to Wicklow and it takes us forever to find a place to eat and we all take our time with our food so we don't leave there until like 3pm. (I convinced Preston to eat a napkin drenched in salt&vinegar for a milkshake while we were there- entertainment at its finest). We find out only taxis take you out to the park and they cost a lot a lot, so we try and find somewhere closer and settle on going to Mount Usher Gardens in Ashford. Yes, we went to Usher's gardens. They were gorgeous and we spent a few hours in there filling the air with Disney songs while frolicking through the flowers. Afterwards we took the bus back, ate, and went to bed.
Song of the Day: Mirando by RATATAT
Monday, May 23, 2011
Travel Week Day 2: Doing Edinburgh Right
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18TH. DAY 22.
So after going to bed in our hostel we then woke up around 3am-ish. 3 IN THE MORNING. For a sunrise hike on a volcano called Arthur's Seat. All 12 of us made it out of bed and to the trail on time and all together. Miracle? Yes. We started off on a trail that looked pretty steep because apparently it looked like it went up to the top of the hill even though it was on the opposite side of the mountain where the sunset would be. More than halfway up we figure this out and head back down but the sun had already begun rising. However it was still absolutely gorgeous and I got to see some of the sunrise as we came down. After we got to the bottom some of us still wanted to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat because we found a map with the actual trail. We hiked for a while that morning, and let me tell you, it was so worth it. The view hiking up was breathtaking. It was so green and the yellow flowers were blooming along the sides of hills. We got to the top and as I caught the view of Edinburgh below I gasped, and I won't lie, my eyes might have teared up a little bit. It was incredibly windy up there and I felt like I was going to blow over, but it felt amazing. And for a couple minutes as the hymns "High On A Mountain Top" and "How Great Thou Art" ran through my head, I was the highest person in Scotland. It was the perfect way to start the day and no pictures or words can describe it.
After the hike we went back and slept for about two hours and ate our free breakfast. Next after we were a little refreshed went to the Edinburgh Castle to explore. I have been to many castles in my life time and I have found a common theme: they are ancient and made out of rock. Don't get me wrong, they are very interesting but after a while they all kinda blend, especially after you have been up since the wee hours of the morning. So I am not really sure if I remember too much about the castle haha. Our group of 12 then divided in half- 6 to stay in Scotland and head north, and 6 of us to head over to Ireland aka the motherland. I was in the Ireland group so after we were done at the castle we had time to kill before we had to catch our flight. We wandered down this street and happend to come upon a cafe called The Elephant House...and guess what it just happened to be?! The cafe where JK Rowling wrote a lot of the Harry Potter series. They had pictures and articles on the wall about her and even a Harry Potter toilet. I will admit that I used it, but it's just one of those things you have to do. I loved the elephant house though, it was so cute, there were elephants everywhere and the food was great. I got a beef and mushroom pie and an elephant shortbread.
We then went to a souvenir shop before catching a bus to the airport. I found my dad a Scottish tie (he gave me specifics types to look for) and I was so proud of myself for finding one for him, since he only wear Scottish ties I had to do it for him. So we get to the airport, check in, and get in line to board the aircraft (yes we were in the tunnel almost out the door) when one the airport stewardesses tells us that our plane has been delayed until 10pm. At this point I had been awake for way too long and they were telling us we would be waiting in the airport for like another 5 or 6 hours. My reaction? I just bust out laughing. This is how I respond to ridiculous things out of my control, especially when I am slap happy. This trip was full of my tired gigglings. So we attempted to sleep, we ate a couple of times, I listened to music and then eventually the time came and we boarded the plane for real this time. It was a short flight to Dublin from Edinburgh and when we got in we tried to get a bus to our hostel, but we soon found that nobody knows anything in Dublin, and maybe all of Ireland while we are at it. The first Irish man we meet and ask for help is rude and grumpy and gives us poor information. Lovely. After talking to a couple more workers we finally figure out how to catch the bus and make it to our hostel after more wrong directions while trying to walk there from the bus stop. We get to the hostel eventually and it looks to me like the Leaky Cauldron from the outside, complete with a bald hunch-backed man creeping outside the entrance. But we checked in safe and sound and extremely tired. Safe to say after a much needed shower, I slept like a rock that night.
ps- I didn't take any pictures of the 2nd hostel and I can't find any from the others, sorry.
Song of the Day: Modern Nature by Sondre Lerche
So after going to bed in our hostel we then woke up around 3am-ish. 3 IN THE MORNING. For a sunrise hike on a volcano called Arthur's Seat. All 12 of us made it out of bed and to the trail on time and all together. Miracle? Yes. We started off on a trail that looked pretty steep because apparently it looked like it went up to the top of the hill even though it was on the opposite side of the mountain where the sunset would be. More than halfway up we figure this out and head back down but the sun had already begun rising. However it was still absolutely gorgeous and I got to see some of the sunrise as we came down. After we got to the bottom some of us still wanted to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat because we found a map with the actual trail. We hiked for a while that morning, and let me tell you, it was so worth it. The view hiking up was breathtaking. It was so green and the yellow flowers were blooming along the sides of hills. We got to the top and as I caught the view of Edinburgh below I gasped, and I won't lie, my eyes might have teared up a little bit. It was incredibly windy up there and I felt like I was going to blow over, but it felt amazing. And for a couple minutes as the hymns "High On A Mountain Top" and "How Great Thou Art" ran through my head, I was the highest person in Scotland. It was the perfect way to start the day and no pictures or words can describe it.
After the hike we went back and slept for about two hours and ate our free breakfast. Next after we were a little refreshed went to the Edinburgh Castle to explore. I have been to many castles in my life time and I have found a common theme: they are ancient and made out of rock. Don't get me wrong, they are very interesting but after a while they all kinda blend, especially after you have been up since the wee hours of the morning. So I am not really sure if I remember too much about the castle haha. Our group of 12 then divided in half- 6 to stay in Scotland and head north, and 6 of us to head over to Ireland aka the motherland. I was in the Ireland group so after we were done at the castle we had time to kill before we had to catch our flight. We wandered down this street and happend to come upon a cafe called The Elephant House...and guess what it just happened to be?! The cafe where JK Rowling wrote a lot of the Harry Potter series. They had pictures and articles on the wall about her and even a Harry Potter toilet. I will admit that I used it, but it's just one of those things you have to do. I loved the elephant house though, it was so cute, there were elephants everywhere and the food was great. I got a beef and mushroom pie and an elephant shortbread.
We then went to a souvenir shop before catching a bus to the airport. I found my dad a Scottish tie (he gave me specifics types to look for) and I was so proud of myself for finding one for him, since he only wear Scottish ties I had to do it for him. So we get to the airport, check in, and get in line to board the aircraft (yes we were in the tunnel almost out the door) when one the airport stewardesses tells us that our plane has been delayed until 10pm. At this point I had been awake for way too long and they were telling us we would be waiting in the airport for like another 5 or 6 hours. My reaction? I just bust out laughing. This is how I respond to ridiculous things out of my control, especially when I am slap happy. This trip was full of my tired gigglings. So we attempted to sleep, we ate a couple of times, I listened to music and then eventually the time came and we boarded the plane for real this time. It was a short flight to Dublin from Edinburgh and when we got in we tried to get a bus to our hostel, but we soon found that nobody knows anything in Dublin, and maybe all of Ireland while we are at it. The first Irish man we meet and ask for help is rude and grumpy and gives us poor information. Lovely. After talking to a couple more workers we finally figure out how to catch the bus and make it to our hostel after more wrong directions while trying to walk there from the bus stop. We get to the hostel eventually and it looks to me like the Leaky Cauldron from the outside, complete with a bald hunch-backed man creeping outside the entrance. But we checked in safe and sound and extremely tired. Safe to say after a much needed shower, I slept like a rock that night.
ps- I didn't take any pictures of the 2nd hostel and I can't find any from the others, sorry.
Song of the Day: Modern Nature by Sondre Lerche
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