Sunday at Parliament and Trafalgar Square and Ponies!!

And by Ponies I do mean War Horses. Their Irish bred and beautiful if not nasty tempered animals.  Apparently quite a few of them are bitters and kickers and such.   Which might be because they aren't worked with until they're 3-5 years old.  Stupid.  Legitimately the horses are never going to be war horses again so why allow them to have that type of behavior is really unacceptable.

It was a short little tour through the military horse museum but it was pretty cool.

And then we took lots and lots of pictures of Parliament House and the clock tower (i.e. Big Ben).  We had an amazing lunch at Clarence right down from Trafalgar Square, Parliament and Westminster.  AMAZING food.  Steph had a cheese and leek cake which was heavenly.  I had a burger with bacon and chips (fries) and also heavenly in a slaughtered cow kind of way.

Everything is really impressive here.  So so so much history and hundreds and hundreds of years of it on almost every block in the downtown area.  It's amazing.

I do have to say that as far as a friendly service and patience for tourists Dublin does it best.  Londoners are less patient and can be kind of persnickety.  Still overall it's been a great experience.  I've met a lot of amazing people and have decided that Australians are definitely a good group of people to get to know (plus a Kiwi).    

Sick of long stories and just interested in short descriptions and pictures?

We arrived in London yesterday and checked in, got food and took naps.  We went out for dinner and drinks at a pub later but it was overall a chill day.  Which was good because the night before neither of us could sleep, the other girls in our dorm came in at 3 am from the bars and we had to get up at 6 for our flight to the U.K.  It worked out well. I felt genuinely better after having a nap.  Plus it's vacation. We are allowed to sleep more and not always be running around looking at stuff. 

GIANT BACKPACK!!

Tiger Beer is a Vietnamese beer that is imported into the UK.  Super delicious.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Strange things and the best thing about Ireland thus far...

On Friday we had a little bit of a late start because we had forgotten to bring an alarm with us. So we bought a small 2 euro clock from a little store and other than it wakes us up 20 minutes after we set it for.  So we got going and out the door at about 10 instead of 9:30 like we wanted but no big deal.

We’ve been riding on this Hop-On, Hop-Off bus that runs the city circuit all day and you pay 12 Euros for 48 hours of unlimited riding.  It was really helpful because we originally weren’t going to go to St. Patrick’s Cathedral but it ended up being a great adventure to head on for Day 3.

            There is no way in words or in pictures to explain the experience within the Cathedral.  There’s a choir singing and candles and incense smell.  The sun comes shining in the windows and through the stained glass and it’s the most amazing thing ever.  If there was ever a time I come to god it’s in a place like that but I can also see why the protestant revolution happened.  A church isn’t supposed to be worshipped and a lot of money went into building that church and creating amazing things in that church.  Granted not the most opulent Catholic Church but there is still pieces which show the significant wealth of the church.  The choir was singing O’Sinners when I lit a candle and said a prayer for Grandpa Darold, Grandmas Keeler and Purple and to keep Steven safe and far from harm.  Grandpa Darold probably wouldn’t mind that I prayed for him in a Catholic Church but it also made me giggle just a bit inside.

After we had lunch we got back on our bus tour thing and went to Phoenix park where we sat out in the sun for a couple of hours and I got in about a mile run.  It wasn’t much of a run but it was also about 90 degrees and midday so I didn’t want to push it.  We didn’t really wander around to all the monuments in Phoenix park but it was a fun relaxing time none the less.

On the way out of the park some poor schmuck was trying to rollerblade for the first time with his girlfriend and the bus driver made a couple of funny comments and then the girlfriend noticed us and started hysterically laughing and the poor guy was trying really hard but just couldn’t make it up this one small hill. There is a memorial park where men were hung because they were fighting for Irish freedom in the 1700s that is next to a very busy rode and as we were sitting there in rush hour traffic the driver and about half the bus noticed a couple in the middle of the park.  My first reaction was “Oh they look like they are having sex but that can’t be. Oh… Oh… Holy crap! They are having sex in the middle of the day in the middle of a wide open park space with another couple of people sitting like 5 yards from them and next to a very busy rode!” It was really uncomfortable because there’s a light right there and it was really busy so only about one or two cars went through at a time so we sat there trying not to watch but not able to look away for long periods of time because that was the side of the bus we were sitting on.  MOST AWKWARD SEX EVER!!

As an fyi, every site I looked at and book I read said, "Don't get a rolling suitcase you'll regret it." B.S. I love my backpack and it's working out well but I needed a small rolling suitcase once we got here because trying to do day backpack and actual travel backpack was a horrible idea.  Rick Steves Lies.

We went shopping later and the only thing either of us bought is my favorite thing from the entire trip.  I bought it for my cousin's little boy Alex who is the sweetest cutest thing on the planet.  I'm hoping he likes it because otherwise I don't know what I'd do with it and I'm so excited about it I think I'll be devastated if he isn't. 

Some day I will have children to buy adorable things like this soccer uniform for.  

Day 2: A wee bit O'Guinness

Today was very full of things to do and see and eat.  I ended up being crabby for a large portion of the afternoon and against my original intentions I needed a nap before dinner.  It was for the best. I felt like a toddler about to have a temper tantrum and after I woke up I was feeling all better.  Tonight I will be taking a sleeping pill instead of being up late reading. 

There's another girl in our hostel dorm but other than her and a girl who came in for a couple of hours last night and then left when we were a sleep we haven't really met anyone else yet.  

Today we got on a hop-on, hop-off bus and totally worth the 12 euros to do it.  It goes around a circuit of downtown and you can hop on and off for two days as many times as you like.  We went to Dublin Castle and did the tour and did the Guinness factory.  I also got a couple of presents at the Guinness store and something for myself too.  

Dublin Castle is a strange mix of centuries of settlement in Dublin.  There are pieces of the Normans, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th and 18^th century as well as changes made in the last couple of centuries.  It’s not a fairy tale castle though. It’s an office of state and a fortress. There’s a Celtic design with bricks through grass in the gardens and we took a lot of pictures there.  It was awesome. The tour is worth it.

It’s amazing how cheap things are for students.  At least 1 or 2 euros less than full price adults.  I wish we had more of that in the U.S. but most student discounts are for high school or lower.

The Guinness factory takes up 8(?—Look up) blocks of downtown Dublin in the area that would have been outside the city wall in Norman times. The factory is actually a history museum (with taste testing) about the history, process and advertising of Guinness. I stole a bit of barley from one of the touch displays to bring home.

By midday I was flagging badly but I wanted to keep pushing through for the rest of the tour and possibly for some shopping later.  We had lunch in the Guinness factory. Steph had a spicy vegetable stew and I had a burger and potato wedges. The wedges were good but I forgot that the burger would not be the usual Angus beef.  It was a little bit of a shock and ended up being a really dry not so tasty choice (even covered in ketchup and mayo).  The deserts on the other hand were magical.

We had a Guinness Chocolate Mousse, White Chocolate and Bailey’s cheesecake, and an apple strudel.  They were little ones but the most delicious part of the food and by the end I was stuffed. Deliciously stuffed.  Unfortunately we didn’t take pictures of the spread but it was amazing.

Before lunch, we had our first Irish Guinness.  It was definitely better than I expected but heavy.  I think I had a sip of someone else’s at one point but this is my first actual glass of Guinness and Steph’s as well.  I’ll be drinking it again that’s definitely for sure.

We went up to the gravity bar and tried to look around but it was packed up there and no place to stand or sit and we had a big lunch so we were too full to actually use our free pint things but we’d had free beer earlier in the tour so it was an overall great experience. 

We ended up taking a couple of pictures but left for the shop soon after.  I picked up a couple of gifts and something for myself.

I think it has hit me quite suddenly several times that we are in Ireland.  I just forget that sometimes that we are legitimately across half a country and an entire ocean from Madison. 

Standing up on the top of the gravity bar looking out at the green hillside past the edge of the city and the ocean and docks on the other side, I really felt it then more than ever.

Day 1: Freedom Memorial and Writers Museum

Yesterday I did a quick and dirty blog post about our first day and the travelling.  Today is a real post with pictures! And you get 2 for the price of one because we did a lot today as well and I'm going to get on a schedule of posting regularly.  I've gotten a lot of material for my book that I will someday write.

The plane rides were mostly uneventful and boring.  As most plane rides are.  The one interesting thing that happened was that the man in front of me going through security at O'Hare had a case of white castle with him.  In case he got the munchies on the plane? Maybe he was leaving the country and there aren't any white castle and he can't live without them.  Regardless it was the strangest thing I've seen someone bring with them in an airport.

Me doing a super easy crossword.  It's a whole book of them and they constantly reuse the same clues.  Next time I'm getting the medium level. 

We got off the plane in Dublin and managed to get on a bus and get within two blocks of our hostel.  We then immediately went the wrong direction down the street and ended up making a loop back to where we started and what should have taken 2-3 minutes took 20 but we made it, we checked in, dropped our bags off in the back room and headed out for coffee and a walk to a park we walked by when we were lost.  

The park ended up being the Freedom Monument for the Irish Freedom of 1922.  Super cool park.  We ate a muffin and had coffee and then wandered around the area for a little while.  Because we didn't know what time necessarily or what condition we would be in when we got into Dublin we didn't really have a whole lot planned but the Irish Writer's Museum is right next to the Freedom park so we ended up doing a lot more than we planned on the first day.  

Steph drinking coffee and eating a muffin in Freedom Park.

Me standing at the front of the park, behind me is a giant cross that is a pool of water with motifs of swords, spears and shields.

You can sort of see the pool of water and the statue with the angels and the Irish Free States flag behind me. 

Steph looking spiffy in her scarf. And showing some Irish pride in green with her ginger hair. (Though really she's actually not at all Irish. Not even a drop).  

This is really cool.  As much as I have a problem with religious politics and religious hypocrites I do have to say that churches, Christian artwork, and symbols are very amazing things. 

Dublin writers museum.  You can't take pictures inside so there are only pictures of the building but it was a fun  and easy thing to do on our fist day and was relatively cheap. And I now have a whole list of authors to look into when I get home (my reading supply on my Kindle is already huge so I probably shouldn't add anything.)

These were on the doors of the "reading room"

We walked along Henry Street (a long sort of State street-esque pedestrians only street).  There was a very cool toy store and this giant 7 foot stuffed animal tiger was in the window.  If only I could figure out a way to get it home I would totally get it.  (Not that I have anywhere to put it or do I know how much the giant thing cost). 

I'm going to give you advice for travelling occasionally for things I learned about this trip.  Here's a recap and the next new tip.

Tip #1: Make sure to buy passes AND reservations for the rail system well in advance.  They almost always will need to be mailed even though it says they can be e-tickets or picked up at the stations. Most can't, you have to buy them and have them mailed.

Tip #2: If you're battery for your computer says 110-240V 50-60Hz you can plug it in without needing the converter and just use the adapter. (Very helpful because you aren't supposed to use the converters for long periods of time).

AND the newest tip.

Tip #3: Make sure to spend a day without plans.  We had no intentions of doing anything the first day besides wandering around and it worked out like a charm.  We had a great time and we found some cool things to do. (I might be writing a travel book. I'm not sure but I'm having fun talking about all this stuff.)

Things of note very quickly...

If your laptop battery says 100-240 V 50-60 Hz you can use it with just the adapter in Europe instead of needing the converter.  #ThingsIleanredtoday.  (Yes I know this isn't Twitter but I couldn't help it. Plus I'm going to maybe write a book about things I learned in Europe or planning for Europe.

Also, we are safely in Dublin, Ireland.  We went to the Free Irish State Remembrance Memorial which is super pretty (pics later) and we went to the writers museum (also pics to come later). And now we are going to buy track phones and have dinner.  And we're probably going to see a movie (silly I know but we're exhausted and don't really want to do much tonight).   More to come later but for now this is our trip.

Leaving on a jet plane... I know when I'll be back...

So today is the day.  A year and a half of planning. Changing travel companions and destinations, amount of time... But it's here.  For real.  WEIRD!! In ten minutes I will be leaving my house, getting on a bus and going to O'hare.  Big Scary O'Hare but it was several hundred cheaper for a flight.  I've just always flown out of Minneapolis/St. Paul so I know nothing about the airport.

There was a scare with the ticket reservations for our train rides but UPS was amazing and I was able to pick them up this morning.  Otherwise? Goodbye $400.  So for future reference: buy both train passes AND reservations several months in advance.  Learn from my mistake.  Also, reservations are REQUIRED for certain trains so make sure to plan all that out well in advance.

Regardless they are in my possession, along with our train passes and all other important documents needed.  So Bon Voyage United States.Bonjour!/Hello!/Halo/Guten Tag/Hallo to Europe!