photos

My rental car in front of the really creepy abbey in Ireland. Isnt the car so cute?

Bryn and I at Greenwich Park over looking London.

At the Prime Meridian


Changing of the Guard...look at the funny hats. these guys used to be sent in first because they were the scariest.

Fun at the pub with Bryn and Elis!

Busy days

Tuesday, we went to Greenwich to see the prime meridian. It was a pretty cool observatory with some displays of old tools they used to use to figure out time and longitude. There was a great view of London from the south. After walking around a bit we headed to the football match. The tube was packed with people going to the stadium. Arsenal is a big deal...and the stadium is a big deal. it is pretty new and huge. Bryn has a photo on her blog. We had really good seats 20 rows up behind one goal. We had a great view of the 2 goals Arsenal got to win the game! Everyone was so into the match...there was cheering and singing. Almost no one got out of their seats while the were playing. not like in the states when people run down to concession during the game. anyways it was super fun! And we owe it all to Paul (Elis's boyfriend) who gave Byrn and I his tickets...so sweet!

The next day we got up pretty early and made our way into town to get tickets to Cabaret. After managing to find the cheapest tickets we could for later in the day, we went to the national gallery. That was ok. there is a lot of old art which i am not too into but they did have some impressionists work which i really like. We werent in there for too long because we had to get to Buckingham palace to watch the changing of the guards. It was packed but we did see them enter the gates and play some tunes. There was a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the gates to just get a glimpse of what was going on. I peeked in but it didnt seem too exciting. They need a better system so everyone can see...but i guess they have been doing it this way for years so why would they change now.

After navigating our way out we went for a nice lunch and Nando's, this chicken place that is Bryn's favorite. It was pretty good and not too expensive. Then it was off to the show! It was at the Lyric Theatre...which was really nice inside. not too big and the matinee wasnt sold out. We ended up moving down a few rows for a better view. The show was fun...good singing and dancing. there were some very scandalous parts...of course it was Cabaret.

Yesterday we were on Elis's radio show. Here is the link...I havent listened to it all the way through so i dont know what i sound like. http://www.myspace.com/thecornershowskfm
It is show 17...i dont think it is posted yet but check back later. It was great to be on a radio show...never done that before. After the show I went down to the Tate Modern. It was a really cool museum and they had lots of art that I really like. It was really crowded and there were lots of students laying around working on their own masterpieces.

After that i went to the British museum which was very overwhelming. there were so many people and the place is huge. I walked around a little bit but then I met up with Bryn for some food. We didn't have a big night just met up with some of Bryn and elis' friends for a couple of pints and Chinese food.

Today we are going to hang around....I am tired. I have had such a busy schedule...it is great...I am having such a good time but my feet need a rest. Tonight we have some plans and tomorrow we are heading down to the beach at Brighton! I only have a couple days left here but I am sure we will live it up!

walking around London

The day before yesterday, I had a very busy day. i took the tube into the city center and walked along the river Thames. I saw the Tower bridge, the London Eye (which is this huge Farris wheel that I guess gives you a great view of the city- the line was too long so i didn't go on it), the parliment building, Buckingham palace and Westminster abbey. I also walked through a couple of parks. It was a very busy day in town because they closed off all the streets in central London for bike use. there were bikers everywhere--it was nice. Then I met up with Elis and we watched an organ player in westminster abbey. It was really cool and the organist was I guess one of the best they have had. We had a great Chinese dinner and then went to a posh bar and watched some live music.

Yesterday we took the canal boat into Camden. That was really nice because we passed all these crazy big houses. Camden was really cool with all these little boutiques selling everything from food to clothing. It is apparently a very hip part of London. we went into this crazy raver store that was covered in black lights and florescent clothes...never seen anything like it. We walked from Camden up to Primrose Hill...where all the famous people live. It also gives you a great view of all of London.

Last night we at a lovely dinner of bread and cheese and then we (just Bryn and I) went dancing. We went to this swing club that Bryn used to frequent. There was a class and then dancing. I have a few steps down and found a couple of guys who were willing to help me. I learned that the girl doesnt really have to know what she is doing as long as she has a good partner. I tried to hold my frame and follow the lead...it was really fun. There were also some really good dancers who were so fun to watch.

Today we have a lunch date then we are going to the Arsenal football match!!! I am so excited.

Welcome to the first world

I arrived safely in London on Thursday and met up with one of Bryn's friends, Elis. I was pretty tired so we didn't do a whole lot but we did walk around her neighborhood a bit. She lives right off one of the canals so it is pretty nice. On Friday we headed back to the airport to meet Bryn. We got there just in time to see her come out of customs. Unfortunately she didnt have her luggage...surprise, surprise since she was coming from Dakar. (It has since arrived so thats good) we walked around a little bit and treated bryn to a chocolate milkshake and some good breakfast food. It was good to be there while she was in awe about being back in the real world.

After catching up and resting up a bit, we went out to a pub and met up with a few of Bryn's friends. The whole group of us went to this bowling alley bar that also had a band playing and dancing. It was pretty neat. We were out so late but had a good time. Yesterday we didnt do much but today we will get out and about a little bit. I don't know exactly but I will let you know.

walking dublin

Today I have pretty much been walking around town. I got tired so i decided to take a break and write a note. My first stop was the Dublin Castle. It wasn't too exciting. Then I went to the Christ church and actually paid the 5 euros to get in. I heard that it was the one Dublin attraction that you had to go to. I don't know if that was true but it wasn't bad. The architecture and detailed sculptures were pretty neat. It also had a collection of treasures from the churches past. That exhibit was kinda creepy because it was in the crypt and there were a bunch of tombs.

After that I had an adventure trying to move my car from one garage to another. The garage I was in opens at 8am and tomorrow I have to leave before then so I needed to find a 24 hour place....anyway that's not important but I didn't have too much trouble driving.

I grabbed an OK lunch at the Bad Ass Cafe and headed towards the shopping district. I went into a bunch of stores but am not ready to lug around much at this point in my trip. I did get a deck of cards that I haven't seen anywhere else. When I leave here I am going to O'Connell street where the shopping is apparently much better. Still not planning on buying anything but it is fun to look. The street is also home to the Spire. which is this tall needle like monument. It is supposed to be Dublin's symbol...kinda like Paris has the Eiffel tower and NYC has the statue of liberty. I drove past it on the bus tour and it seems silly but oh well.

I am off to London tomorrow first thing in the morning. I am super excited!! I will have people to hang out with and will get to explore a whole new city.

Being a tourist in Dublin

There are so many tourists here from all over I almost fit in. Last night I visited the Guinness storehouse. This is where they used to make the stout but they have turned it into this massive, very expensive tourist trap. It was a walking tour through the brewing steps and through some historical stuff about Guinness. The last stop was of course at the bar where you got your 'complimentary' pint. The bar is on the 7th floor and it is a round all glass room. It overlooks the whole city which was cool but I have to say Dublin doesnt have a very impressive skyline.

Last night I hit up some night life in Temple Bar (which is the name of a pub as well as a whole district in Dublin). I heard some good music and met some people from all over the world. Talked with some people from Europe mostly but did talk to a couple of boys from south Africa and new Zealand.

This morning I hopped on the tourist bus and stopped at St. Patricks Church but didn't go in because it was €5 (i have seen too many old churches to want to spent the money). Then I went to the Irish museum of modern art. It is in an old hospital on nice grounds with green fields and a well maintained garden. The museum was pretty neat had some good pieces and had some really weird ones. There was a whole exhibit with short films that were so bizarre and not my cup of tea in terms of art.

I came back into town and had lunch then went on the Jameson whiskey tour. I was much more impressed with this guided tour. It was interesting and our tour guide threw some humor in. And yes at the end we got to taste the Irish drink :) In the gift shop there is a bottle of Jameson that was on sale for over €2000. Crazy to think that people may actually buy something like that....I would never want to drink it.

I spent the later part of the afternoon at the Irish Museum. It is pretty new I guess and displays lots of old and newer Irish artifacts. The most interesting part was an exhibit of historical clothing and jewelery. the whole place was really big and I got tired of looking at stuff so I didnt see it all. I went full circle on the tour bus and now I am tired. I made a plan for tomorrow that I am excited about...but I will tell you about that tomorrow.

Crystal and Celtic football

Lets see...where were we. The first night in waterford I hit a pub to watch the Ireland rugby team play in one of the wold cup games. they just barely beat Georgia. it was fun to watch. Sunday I went to the Crystal factory and took a tour. It was pretty neat to see them all working blowing and cutting the glass. I now see why the glasswear costs so much. So much goes into just making one cup. I would hate to see any of it break.

Yesterday afternoon I watched the national cup game for Celtic football. I guess it is kind of like Aussie rules football. A cultural must see as I learned from an Irish fellow I met who explained the rules to me. Kerry won for the 35th time in a row.

Now I am in Dublin. It just started raining :( I am not sure what I will do the rest of the afternoon but tomorrow I think i am going to get the tour bus. It stops at all the sites and you can get on and off all day. I am certainly not going to drive anymore in the city.

Waterford

Last night after I had my pint of Guiness I ran into two cousins from Vermont. It was the funniest thing...I just paid for my beer and was leaving the pub when in walk Jack and Julie. I did a double take but it was them. We had a drink and then got dinner. It was very nice. I havent seen them in years so it was so strange to bumb into them in Galway. They had just gotten in and will be in Galway again tonight. Our itineraries dont match up again until London. I may see then again when we are there.

I got into Waterford today around 230 and checked into my hotel. It will be nice to have my own room and some quiet for a couple of nights. I have been walking around the town for the past few hours. I went into the town museum and walked through very interesting displays of Irish history. I learned a lot. I also went to one of the old towers and took a tour there. I learned about the origin of piggy banks. In the 12th century they used to make these clay pots with a single slot. They would put their extra coins in but the only way to get the money out was to break the pot. Since you would eventually have to break the pot, it was made from very cheap clay called pyg clay. That eventually turned into the piggy bank. Just and interesting tid bit for the day. I am off to the crystal factory tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.

roundabouts and tires

I had a very busy day today. I drove west along the coast and then went north through the connemera area. It is such a different landscape than the states. The hills are covered with grasses speckled with sheep and stone walls. Very pretty. I stopped in Ashford Castle which has been turned into a very impressive 5 star hotel situated on 345 acres right on Loch Corrib. They have some pretty nice gardens too. This may sound like and ad but it isnt...it was €5 to get in which wasnt really worth it...oh well. I continued on my loop and stopped at ross abbey. It was a very creepy place out in the middle of some cattle pastures. I drove down this one car road...fortunately i did not run into anyone coming the other direction. I was the only person at this old abbey. It was built in the 1300s and I guess the ruins are some of the oldest in Ireland. I went inside and poked around for just a second. The cows were giving me the evil eye so i didnt stay long.

I heade back towards Galway and decided to get to one more touristy spot. On the way I hit a rock...really bad and blew my tire. I was able to get to a good pull off place. I knocked on 2 doors but no one was home so I couldnt call roadside assistance. I had to chage the tire. The spare is a full size so I can drive on it for a while. It sucks though because i have to pay for a new tire. It isnt covered in my super coverage insuranse package. The next adventure will be to try to find a fix it place. I Will worry about that tomorrow...for now i am going to get a pint.

night clubbing

Yesterday I went to the Aughnanure Castle... no wonder I couldnt remember the name.

Well last night I went out with a few people from the hostel. We listened to some Irish music at a pub and then when the pub closed at midnight we went out to a night club. It was a bit crazy but super fun dancing and talking to some cool people.

Today was pretty uneventful. I walked around Galway a bunch...went down to the waterfront. I think tonight I will take it easy and try to plan my day out for tomorrow. Thats about all for me for now.

day one

Hey all!

I had a much more exciting day today. I didnt sleep too well last night because my window is right over the main street and the bars are open til all hours. After I remembered I had my ear plugs I did ok.

I poked around Galway this morning and went to The Galway museum and then st nick's cathedral. Then I hopped in the car and went to a place north of Galway...you know i dont remember what it was called and I only have a few minutes on this computer so I will tell you later... but it was this old castle ruins. It was in a pretty location but I was bummed you couldnt climb all the way to the top of the tower. Usually at these places you can climb the spiral staircases and get a view of the Irish countryside. Oh well. The driving is fun. I really like the little car and aside from getting mixed up on the Galway town roads I have been finding my way around. I have picked out a restaurant to eat at tonight...fish and chips place and I am planning on finding some Irish bar music tonight.

arrival

I have made it! I am so tired but I am making my self stay up for a little bit. I had a lay over in Dublin for a while and then I had an hour and a half drive to Galway. It was kind of exciting to get into the little toyota and drive on the wrong side of the road. the stick shift wasnt too hard because the petals and the gear location on the stick are the same as in the states. I just kept reminding myself to stay left. I am staying at a hostel right in Galway which is super exciting...there are bars and lots of things too do right here.

I just wated to let you all know that I made it. dont have too much time left on the machine. I will write soon when I have more adventures.

ready for take off

This is just a quick note to let you all know that I am leaving for Ireland tonight. I am super excited and just a little bit nervous. I am renting a car while I am over there and it is going to be so weird at first to drive on the left side of the road. On top of that the little car I am getting will be a stick shift so I will be changing gears with my left hand. Thank goodness the petals are all in the same place!