So I last left you in Amsterdam I think. I should probably start reading over my own blogs to make sure I haven`t left anything out. But the internet is expensive, and even when it isn`t, I`m lazy. So I`ll begin in Cologne, our first German stop.
First of all, Germany is very nice filled with very nice people. Everyone here seems to be ready to chat and carry on a conversation, help whenever possible, and switch over to English since the only German word we know is Danka! They are, however, terrible with accents and everyone thinks we are British after they hear us speak- which shocks the crap out of us everytime since, to us, the accents are so different. We were speaking to one German chap on the underground and he said he couldn`t tell them apart at all.. be it North American, British, Australian etc. Weird.
Cologne. It`s been a while since we`ve left and I already forget most of what we did there. We saw an awesome gothic cathedral! But obviously not much else, maybe. The girls are all tucked into their beds meaning I don`t even have them near to refresh my memory. Okay, so more about Cologne in my next post!
Hamburg. Hamburg, I`m sure, is a very nice city. But we were staying on the Reeperbahn(spelling of German names may be an issue, but roll with it- I do.) or aka Hamburg`s red light district, so we just saw a lot of big, neon boobs. Not only was our hostel located on this strip, but right it the dirtiest part. There was our hostel, and on either side a huge strip club and a porn/sex shop. Next to these two classy getaways were more strip clubs and/or porn/sex shops. There were old men situated at the enterances of these strip clubs trying to get people to come inside. We were never invited. I guess our gender, baby faces and Gap t-shirts werent popluar with their regular crowed so they assumed we would be disinterested. That`s not to say we didn`t see more than our share of nudity, but more on that later.
At night, this place freaked us out more than Amsterdam`s red light district- that didn`t freak us out at all really. It seemed grittier. So we didn`t go out at night. One guy on a train even told us not to, that it would a safety risk. So we just didn`t. The COOL part about all this though was, if you know any Beatles history-and maybe by all my blog posts you now know a little more than before- we were almost exactly where they played all those years ago! Back then it was shady, forward to now it still is. And like i`ve said before, everything they`ve touched becomes a pilgrimage point, so they`ve named a square after them and have some neat little metal figures of them playing. This was the beginning. Before the cavern, before most of it. Yay!
Going back to the topic of nudity, I said that we had seen our share without even having to go into a strip club or pay one penny...well except for the euro it cost for the internet. Haha I just read over that sentence and it's not at all how it sounds. I promise. So, last night when Lynds and I were down near our hostel`s reception area finishing our prepaid internet time mindlessly Facebooking( you see where that comes in now?) we were greeted by a young German lad. He spoke to us but since we don`t understand any German it took me a second to realize it was directed at us. What really made me look over was a quick gasp, and erruption of surprised laughter from Lynsdey. I looked over and she was just staring at me, I looked behind her and saw a young guy from the torso up as Lyndsey was blocking the rest of his body with her head. I assumed he was in his underwear, a common sight in a hostel, but the look on her face told me otherwise. "Is he naked?" I asked her wide-eyed. More laughter and a horrified shake of her head revealed all. Like I said, her head was the only thing blocking my view. I looked directly back at the screen.There was this dude, now realizing we spoke English, with his hands on his hips and his Frankfurter hanging all over the place asking us to fetch him when we were done with the internet. I promptly responded without looking over that, not wanting to know why he wanted to go on the internet we were most certainly not going to go get him looking like that. He left, we laughed our shock away and just sat there stunned for a minute or two. I mean, this was a popular sitting and eating area. Then, the idiot came back, this time thankfully fully clothed, with a friend of his to chat us up! He offered us some crackers and we said that we refused to touch anything he has ever touched and we had this back and forth for minute until we just refused to talk to them and they left. We ran back to our room, not wanting them to know what one we were in, and were in too much shock to go to reception and have them kicked out. It was... I don`t even know what it was. Disgusting.
Other than pictures of naked ladies and real life naked men, we got to see the harbour with its nice ships and the town square with the nice town hall. Excuse me for the lack of enthusiasm about more old buildings/churches/halls but we have just seen so many that trying to go on and on about them would be pointless. They are all very, very impressive and some are better than others.
We also went to the concentration camps Neuengamme and Bergen-Belsen.
The first one we went to was Neuengamme. I don`t even know what is appropriate to say about going there. It was strange to be willingly traveling(and we traveled far for both) to a place where so, so many innocent people tried to escape going. Going forward towards somewhere that was built for, and represents such terror and evil. But I still, it's important for people to see these places, see the pictures and hear the stories so it eventually becomes impossible for anything like this happen. We have all learnt about it in history, but to actually be there, to be standing in the roll call square, to be standing in front of mass graves made it more real than it ever would have been otherwise. Neuengamme was still, for the most part, intact. You could walk the grounds, go inside the buildings and slave workshops. Both were so big and when you see how much time, money, thought and organization went into these mass murders you can`t help but feel overwhelming disgust.
Belsen was different from Neuengamme. There were no longer buildings or anything. Nice little paved paths lead you around the camp. It was a medow, and, as wrong as this feels to say, it was beautiful. The beauty of the area felt wrong but also triumphant. Here, is this area, a death camp, where so many people died in the most inhumane ways possible and was supposed to represent the strenght of the Nazi`s was now destroyed, filled with singing birds, wild plants and grass. It was kind of a symbol of how, even when evil is at it`s highest, beauty will still overcome it. There was a great monument in one corner, symbolic gravestones- the most decorated being that of Margot and Ann Frank,the girls who`s anix we were in just days before. They had an exhibit set up there, where they had artifacts and video interviews with survivors who shared their experience of coming back to that place. Some said they found it hard, some said they felt a calling to it, but one woman- who`s words I felt the most- said that she felt happy seeing it. That she saw how beautiful it was and wanted nothing more than to roll in the grass. That it was such a feeling, to come back to a place where you were supposed to die- and to come back with your children. We left with mixed emotions.
We have now just arrived in Berlin. More on the rest of Germany, and Cologne, when it happens/I remember.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Amsterdam..
Post is titled Amsterdam but I missed our last few hours in Bruges. They went as followed:
So after leaving the internet cafe we went one last time to visit, and say our final goodbye, to the butcher. His store was closed, we were sad. To overcome this sadness we decided to distract ourselves with some card playing at the bar where we each ordered a Coke and sat down for a nice, calm night. This is exactly what we would have had if some extremely drunk Canadian guy hadn't sat down with us. After about 5 minutes Lynds ran off to bed and Ky and I stayed to finish the game. Mistake. I spent the next hour cringing away from this guy and all his drunked "Aww fu*king rights man"'s and his extensive use of the word "eh" as if that was supposed to bring us together in our Canadianness. He even asked us if we were doing our country proud and not embarassing the leaf. After our game was over, and becasue this idiot talked..or swore..the whole time it took way longer than it should have, we made our escape. Shudder. I shudder at the thought of this guy.
Now for Amsterdam. Accom in Amsterdam was crazy expensive so we only stayed 2 nights. First day we went to check out teh Red Light District where all the ladies dance it teh windows selling their...services. Haha it was not really what I was expecting as some just sat there and ate or looked really bored. We were all too freaked out to look too long and kept our eyes forward for the most part.
On our walk home later that evening we got followed for like half an hour by some creepy guys singing at us and before that basically got kicked out of a Mexican restaurant. Well, not so much kicked out as told to "really, really enjoy our food" a.k.a "eat, then get the hell out." This made paying a bit awkward when just before we saw the reservation storm out of the place after seeing us at her table and have our waitress chase after her down the road yelling "Johanna! Johanna!". It was almost romantic. I'm going to state, though, that we ate very, very fast and it was their fault for getting our one order out late. And since you only have my word, you're going to believe me.
When we got back to the hostel, our safe haven after creepy following guys, we got all ready for bed. We shared this one little corner of our 20 person dorm with the weirdest old man ever! He just stared at us, without lookign away, even when we caught his eye. He literally just watched us. Lynds and I were side by side on top buncks and stayed awake for like an hour talking becasue we were so freaked out. I think I had accidentally offened him so when I laughed he would mock me from his bunk! I forced Lynds to sleep in my bunk and we were glued most of the night. In the morning, when we could look at the situation in a clearer light, I might have over reacted a wee bit. End first night in Amsterdam.
Begin second day in Amsterdam. We did a walking tour of the area with teh same company as Edinburgh. This time our tour guide was kind of shy and quiet so I didn't get much out of it. Then we went to the Ann Frank Museum, got to go inside her hiding place. It was insane seeing, or being in, that place where we have read in her most famous diary. That night we went on another pub crawl. This one was slightly differnt than teh one in Scotland. There were waaaaay more people, they were always pouring vodka down your throat out of plastic pop bottles, and the guy to girl ratio was kind of off. At one club there were probably 100 people, and there were actually 6 girls including us. For some reason Amsterdam seems to attract the male population. Next morning we left for the train station and took a very expensive ride to Cologne.
In Hamburg now, next stop Berlin!
So after leaving the internet cafe we went one last time to visit, and say our final goodbye, to the butcher. His store was closed, we were sad. To overcome this sadness we decided to distract ourselves with some card playing at the bar where we each ordered a Coke and sat down for a nice, calm night. This is exactly what we would have had if some extremely drunk Canadian guy hadn't sat down with us. After about 5 minutes Lynds ran off to bed and Ky and I stayed to finish the game. Mistake. I spent the next hour cringing away from this guy and all his drunked "Aww fu*king rights man"'s and his extensive use of the word "eh" as if that was supposed to bring us together in our Canadianness. He even asked us if we were doing our country proud and not embarassing the leaf. After our game was over, and becasue this idiot talked..or swore..the whole time it took way longer than it should have, we made our escape. Shudder. I shudder at the thought of this guy.
Now for Amsterdam. Accom in Amsterdam was crazy expensive so we only stayed 2 nights. First day we went to check out teh Red Light District where all the ladies dance it teh windows selling their...services. Haha it was not really what I was expecting as some just sat there and ate or looked really bored. We were all too freaked out to look too long and kept our eyes forward for the most part.
On our walk home later that evening we got followed for like half an hour by some creepy guys singing at us and before that basically got kicked out of a Mexican restaurant. Well, not so much kicked out as told to "really, really enjoy our food" a.k.a "eat, then get the hell out." This made paying a bit awkward when just before we saw the reservation storm out of the place after seeing us at her table and have our waitress chase after her down the road yelling "Johanna! Johanna!". It was almost romantic. I'm going to state, though, that we ate very, very fast and it was their fault for getting our one order out late. And since you only have my word, you're going to believe me.
When we got back to the hostel, our safe haven after creepy following guys, we got all ready for bed. We shared this one little corner of our 20 person dorm with the weirdest old man ever! He just stared at us, without lookign away, even when we caught his eye. He literally just watched us. Lynds and I were side by side on top buncks and stayed awake for like an hour talking becasue we were so freaked out. I think I had accidentally offened him so when I laughed he would mock me from his bunk! I forced Lynds to sleep in my bunk and we were glued most of the night. In the morning, when we could look at the situation in a clearer light, I might have over reacted a wee bit. End first night in Amsterdam.
Begin second day in Amsterdam. We did a walking tour of the area with teh same company as Edinburgh. This time our tour guide was kind of shy and quiet so I didn't get much out of it. Then we went to the Ann Frank Museum, got to go inside her hiding place. It was insane seeing, or being in, that place where we have read in her most famous diary. That night we went on another pub crawl. This one was slightly differnt than teh one in Scotland. There were waaaaay more people, they were always pouring vodka down your throat out of plastic pop bottles, and the guy to girl ratio was kind of off. At one club there were probably 100 people, and there were actually 6 girls including us. For some reason Amsterdam seems to attract the male population. Next morning we left for the train station and took a very expensive ride to Cologne.
In Hamburg now, next stop Berlin!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
In Bruges..
So we are now in Bruges, Belgium. You may have heard of this little place from the movie In Bruges. If you have seen this movie let me tell you that our experience here has been just slighlty different.
We arrived here the day before yesterday and are leaving tomorrow. When we first arrived we just took our time walking around the city, got some chocolate, drank a bunch of Leffe and Raspberry beer. The first day I arrived starving and asked a hostel employee where I could get some cheap food- he sent me in the direction of a near butcher. We went and got some food and since then we have returned to our butcher everyday for soup and yummy little dishes. Yesterday we sat with him as he heated up our food and he started giving us samples of super expensive hams. He gave us the thinnest sliver that was worth about 2 Euro. This ham was around 260 euro a kg! Worse than that it was almost all fat and pretty icky but we smiled, held up our fatty meat, cheersed our best butcher friend and swallowed without chewing. Later the first night Kylene was feeling healthy and went for a run while Lynds and I were feeling sober and retired to the bar, played cards and drank Leffe, red wine, and yummy raspberry beer. In the bar we were seated by this tank of an old woman who appeared to be really offended by our card shuffling. When we had first arrived at the hostel around 1:30 pm she was there alone with her beer and then when we came back at 8:00 pm or so she was still in the same spot just people watching. For the short while we spent in the pub we saw her get up and come back at least four times with a huge mug of beer. This old woman totally put me to shame. When we went back yesterday she was there again, but this time with a noticably younger man on her arm. There are things to learn from old Belgin women.
Day two we spent on bicycles since everyone here rides one. We got yelled at a lot in Flemish for not quite understanding the bike rules but since we didn't understand a word it didn't bother us much. We just got lost for a few hours to see all the different parts of this pretty little city, visited our butcher friend and came back to get changed for a fun-filled Tuesday night. Up until then we basically had this 8 bedroom mixed dorm all to ourselves, up until then we have basically had all of our dorms to ourselves, so getting changed in the open has never been an issue for us. Or since I sleep talk a lot, exclaiming "I'm in my panties!!" in the middle of the night is more funny than embarassing. This is why when Kylene was changing her pants and I was lounging in my bed we were caught a little off guard, and in Ky's case-literally with her pants down- when three Welsh boys walked into our room. They were very respectful and shuffled back out when they realized what was happening. I just started laughing but the best reaction was definitly Kylene's, and that was no reaction at all. She didn't even flinch. She looked up, laughed to herself, put on her pants and called them back in. It was beautiful.
When the boys came back in we chatted with them for a bit and said we'd all meet up in the bar later. Armed with a deck of cards we all crammed into a booth and played Cheat for a bit. There were three of them: Dan 1, Dan 2 and Doug. We decided to change bars after a bit,and since Bruges isn't quite bumping on a Tuesday night we wondered until we eventually ended up at a different hostel's bar for some pool. Pool was fun, we each teamed with one of the guys to beat each other but I don't even remember sinking one ball all night. It was more the guys playing against each other but slower than usual because they had to wait a turn for us to hit the white ball randomly around the table. I was regularly distracted by this motorcycle in the room that we now have like 100 pictures pretending to ride. At around 4 am we finally and noisily got into bed and annoyed the one other person in our dorm. One special accomplishment of the night was finally getting Lynsdey properly drunk for basically the first time this whole trip. It was good, innocent fun had by... well us at least. The guys went to Amsterdam today to pave the way.
Right now the three of us are basically the walking dead. We have really been go, go, go since we arrived and yesterday just did me in. I could happily sleep for a good 24 hours straight but the insomniac Kylene likes to be productive. Plus, we needed to visit the Butcher. Now we are trying to find a way to Amsterdam tomorrow and we are growing a little freaked out because it's looking like it's going to be the most expensive stop yet. Hostel prices for weekend dates are high. But it must be done I suppose and I hope to have lots to blog about by the end of our stay! Until next time!
P.S - mind the spelling or if things look a little off. The keyboard here is very different and my brain is taking the day off :)
We arrived here the day before yesterday and are leaving tomorrow. When we first arrived we just took our time walking around the city, got some chocolate, drank a bunch of Leffe and Raspberry beer. The first day I arrived starving and asked a hostel employee where I could get some cheap food- he sent me in the direction of a near butcher. We went and got some food and since then we have returned to our butcher everyday for soup and yummy little dishes. Yesterday we sat with him as he heated up our food and he started giving us samples of super expensive hams. He gave us the thinnest sliver that was worth about 2 Euro. This ham was around 260 euro a kg! Worse than that it was almost all fat and pretty icky but we smiled, held up our fatty meat, cheersed our best butcher friend and swallowed without chewing. Later the first night Kylene was feeling healthy and went for a run while Lynds and I were feeling sober and retired to the bar, played cards and drank Leffe, red wine, and yummy raspberry beer. In the bar we were seated by this tank of an old woman who appeared to be really offended by our card shuffling. When we had first arrived at the hostel around 1:30 pm she was there alone with her beer and then when we came back at 8:00 pm or so she was still in the same spot just people watching. For the short while we spent in the pub we saw her get up and come back at least four times with a huge mug of beer. This old woman totally put me to shame. When we went back yesterday she was there again, but this time with a noticably younger man on her arm. There are things to learn from old Belgin women.
Day two we spent on bicycles since everyone here rides one. We got yelled at a lot in Flemish for not quite understanding the bike rules but since we didn't understand a word it didn't bother us much. We just got lost for a few hours to see all the different parts of this pretty little city, visited our butcher friend and came back to get changed for a fun-filled Tuesday night. Up until then we basically had this 8 bedroom mixed dorm all to ourselves, up until then we have basically had all of our dorms to ourselves, so getting changed in the open has never been an issue for us. Or since I sleep talk a lot, exclaiming "I'm in my panties!!" in the middle of the night is more funny than embarassing. This is why when Kylene was changing her pants and I was lounging in my bed we were caught a little off guard, and in Ky's case-literally with her pants down- when three Welsh boys walked into our room. They were very respectful and shuffled back out when they realized what was happening. I just started laughing but the best reaction was definitly Kylene's, and that was no reaction at all. She didn't even flinch. She looked up, laughed to herself, put on her pants and called them back in. It was beautiful.
When the boys came back in we chatted with them for a bit and said we'd all meet up in the bar later. Armed with a deck of cards we all crammed into a booth and played Cheat for a bit. There were three of them: Dan 1, Dan 2 and Doug. We decided to change bars after a bit,and since Bruges isn't quite bumping on a Tuesday night we wondered until we eventually ended up at a different hostel's bar for some pool. Pool was fun, we each teamed with one of the guys to beat each other but I don't even remember sinking one ball all night. It was more the guys playing against each other but slower than usual because they had to wait a turn for us to hit the white ball randomly around the table. I was regularly distracted by this motorcycle in the room that we now have like 100 pictures pretending to ride. At around 4 am we finally and noisily got into bed and annoyed the one other person in our dorm. One special accomplishment of the night was finally getting Lynsdey properly drunk for basically the first time this whole trip. It was good, innocent fun had by... well us at least. The guys went to Amsterdam today to pave the way.
Right now the three of us are basically the walking dead. We have really been go, go, go since we arrived and yesterday just did me in. I could happily sleep for a good 24 hours straight but the insomniac Kylene likes to be productive. Plus, we needed to visit the Butcher. Now we are trying to find a way to Amsterdam tomorrow and we are growing a little freaked out because it's looking like it's going to be the most expensive stop yet. Hostel prices for weekend dates are high. But it must be done I suppose and I hope to have lots to blog about by the end of our stay! Until next time!
P.S - mind the spelling or if things look a little off. The keyboard here is very different and my brain is taking the day off :)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
England.
So I was thinking back and I know that I said I would tell you about the non-Beatles part of Liverpool but the truth is it was a pretty much all Beatles.
Getting to Liverpool was terrible. We had planned to leave Edinburgh sometime in the afternoon but when we arrived and asked the lady at the ticket booth she said that the next bus left at 9:30. We then asked her loads of questions about discounts etc. She said nothing. We left to spend the rest of the day in a park where I got separated from the girls, went to sit in a park and meet them at the bus station at 9 or so. Little did I know the girls were freaking out a bit and spent about half an hour each searching for me. Lynds said she was on the verge of calling the coppers and even worse...my dad. Who would have been on a plane within minutes, I'm sure, armed with a machete and tear gas. As I was lounging by very nice tree I sat up for a moment and heard my name. Turns out the girls were sitting about 50 meters from me and were taking shifts looking for me. I walked over and was greeted by a hard slap from Lyndsey. We are still arguing over who's fault the separation was.
When we arrived at the bus station the ticket booth was closed. We asked one of the workers and he said you had to book the tickets in advance! We were enraged that the woman said nothing. After speaking with one guy he said he knew the driver personally and so they were all making calls to try to get us on the bus. Eventually we did get on but had to change buses at Manchester. After forever on that one bus we got off at Manchester at 4 am and had to wait until 6:15am to get the bus to Liverpool. After asking another worker about tickets and him giving us no information we assumed we just paid the driver like every other time. We then kicked our feet up and tried to sleep. It wasn't long until a worker came over and told us to say it a sitting position... at 4 in the morning. For the next 2 hours we were all very awkwardly hunched over our backpacks trying to keep our feet on the floor and trying to sleep at the same time. When the bus finally arrived we walked up to the bus driver and asked how much he wanted- he then told us that we had to buy a ticket in advance- again! He told us to grab an electronic ticket that took Lynds less than a minute to pay for and as we ran back he was pulling out and telling us with a smile not to worry because there was another bus in two hours. I wanted to cut his tires open. Turns out that only one hour later another bus came to carry us to Liverpool. When we got there a hour later we got on a bus and, since the bus doesn't announce what stop is coming up, we asked the driver if he could let us know when to get off. He answered with a flat "No". It caught us off guard and so we slowly walked into the bus. Since the road signs are placed on the sides of some building and are hard to see we would have been totally and completely lost if a nice old man who overheard us hadn't told us where to get off. This little experience has almost made me lose faith in the transportation workers if it weren't for a few kind people who had gone out of their way to help us.
Understandably we were dead tired and sore when we arrived at the Hostel but unfortunately we couldn't check in until 3. I called Rod who picked us up and had taken us out for a cheap breakfast. He then took us around Liverpool, told us some history, went to the docks, the cavern and then took us home. Then we slept, a lot. The next day I already explained in great detail and now I'm in London.
We arrived in London pretty late and had an adventure getting to our hostel. We had written both the phone number and address down wrong so after walking for about an hour at night decided it didn't exist. We started getting a little snappy at each other and eventually, with hesitation from Kylene and me, caught a cab. After less than a minute in the cab and 3 pounds later we were at the Hostel and went to sleep.
We have been sightseeing the whole time- not much else. First day we started in St. Paul's Cathedral, it was nice. It was at St. Paul's where I learn't that I have slight anxiety about walking up long stretches of spiral staircases. It's like a corner you can never turn! The thought didn't sit well with me. Plus, the passages were so narrow one shoulder would touch one wall and the other the other wall. We saw a nice view of London and the Whispering room and then left with me feeling pretty tense and nauseous. Next was Tate Modern and walked around for a while. Impressed, amused and confused were the three main feelings surrounding Tate. We were pretty hungry by that point so spent less time in there than we should have. Food. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was our next destination point and that was super cool. It was an exact replica, right down to the way it was built, of the one where Shakespeare first debuted his plays. We would have gone to a performance but the season doesn't start until April 23rd. Standing tickets are only £5- pretty good. Next was a closed London Tower and then home.
Day 2 started at...wait for it, Abby Road!!! Mmmmmm more Beatles.. We walked to the cross walk and got our pictures taken strolling across it just like 20 other people. It was a pretty busy intersection and I felt for the cars that might have to cross it daily with soooo many tourists trying to imitate their favorite Beatle for the camera. Right beside it was Abby Road studio. Everywhere they have touched is now covered with pen markings and messages of love. Got a picture on the steps. The studio is pretty small from the outside, I was kind of surprised. After that we visited Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St. James Park, Parliament, Big Ben, attended a service at Westminster Abby as public viewing was not open that day, the Eye, then some London wandering and again home(home = wherever our backpack is).
We unfortunately didn't get to see much of Westminster Abby. They shuffled us in and out pretty quickly. We took the long way out and did get to see the Coronation Chair- and the hole where The Stone of Destiny used to be. We were pretty excited since we had just learnt the long history of the stone in Edinburgh. Over our shoulder we saw a tomb that we like to believe belongs to Elizabeth I or Mary Queen of Scots. Would have been cool to see Jane Austin's grave or Shakespeare. Too Bad.
Today we were supposed to leave to Belgium but because of the Volcano incident all of the couches were booked. So today I went inside London Tower and the girls went to Kings Cross to take a picture with half of a grocery cart. London Tower was so cool! Saw the court Yard where Ann Boleyn was beheaded among others, the church where she was buried, the Bloody Tower where those two young boys where murdered, the stairs where they found their remains. I saw all the crown jewels, the old armor of the old kings, the dungeons and torture chamber. I was a little over excited and again spent too long there and so we missed getting to The Royal British Museum. Oops. Had some fish and chips as our last English meal- pretty good. We tried to go out last night to meet up with some people for the Hostel but got lost, so we will try to go out again tonight. Maybe to a comedy show- maybe a bar, maybe a club. Haven't decided yet- but I'll let you know soon! I'll try to keep these shorter in the future, there is just so much happening!
Getting to Liverpool was terrible. We had planned to leave Edinburgh sometime in the afternoon but when we arrived and asked the lady at the ticket booth she said that the next bus left at 9:30. We then asked her loads of questions about discounts etc. She said nothing. We left to spend the rest of the day in a park where I got separated from the girls, went to sit in a park and meet them at the bus station at 9 or so. Little did I know the girls were freaking out a bit and spent about half an hour each searching for me. Lynds said she was on the verge of calling the coppers and even worse...my dad. Who would have been on a plane within minutes, I'm sure, armed with a machete and tear gas. As I was lounging by very nice tree I sat up for a moment and heard my name. Turns out the girls were sitting about 50 meters from me and were taking shifts looking for me. I walked over and was greeted by a hard slap from Lyndsey. We are still arguing over who's fault the separation was.
When we arrived at the bus station the ticket booth was closed. We asked one of the workers and he said you had to book the tickets in advance! We were enraged that the woman said nothing. After speaking with one guy he said he knew the driver personally and so they were all making calls to try to get us on the bus. Eventually we did get on but had to change buses at Manchester. After forever on that one bus we got off at Manchester at 4 am and had to wait until 6:15am to get the bus to Liverpool. After asking another worker about tickets and him giving us no information we assumed we just paid the driver like every other time. We then kicked our feet up and tried to sleep. It wasn't long until a worker came over and told us to say it a sitting position... at 4 in the morning. For the next 2 hours we were all very awkwardly hunched over our backpacks trying to keep our feet on the floor and trying to sleep at the same time. When the bus finally arrived we walked up to the bus driver and asked how much he wanted- he then told us that we had to buy a ticket in advance- again! He told us to grab an electronic ticket that took Lynds less than a minute to pay for and as we ran back he was pulling out and telling us with a smile not to worry because there was another bus in two hours. I wanted to cut his tires open. Turns out that only one hour later another bus came to carry us to Liverpool. When we got there a hour later we got on a bus and, since the bus doesn't announce what stop is coming up, we asked the driver if he could let us know when to get off. He answered with a flat "No". It caught us off guard and so we slowly walked into the bus. Since the road signs are placed on the sides of some building and are hard to see we would have been totally and completely lost if a nice old man who overheard us hadn't told us where to get off. This little experience has almost made me lose faith in the transportation workers if it weren't for a few kind people who had gone out of their way to help us.
Understandably we were dead tired and sore when we arrived at the Hostel but unfortunately we couldn't check in until 3. I called Rod who picked us up and had taken us out for a cheap breakfast. He then took us around Liverpool, told us some history, went to the docks, the cavern and then took us home. Then we slept, a lot. The next day I already explained in great detail and now I'm in London.
We arrived in London pretty late and had an adventure getting to our hostel. We had written both the phone number and address down wrong so after walking for about an hour at night decided it didn't exist. We started getting a little snappy at each other and eventually, with hesitation from Kylene and me, caught a cab. After less than a minute in the cab and 3 pounds later we were at the Hostel and went to sleep.
We have been sightseeing the whole time- not much else. First day we started in St. Paul's Cathedral, it was nice. It was at St. Paul's where I learn't that I have slight anxiety about walking up long stretches of spiral staircases. It's like a corner you can never turn! The thought didn't sit well with me. Plus, the passages were so narrow one shoulder would touch one wall and the other the other wall. We saw a nice view of London and the Whispering room and then left with me feeling pretty tense and nauseous. Next was Tate Modern and walked around for a while. Impressed, amused and confused were the three main feelings surrounding Tate. We were pretty hungry by that point so spent less time in there than we should have. Food. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was our next destination point and that was super cool. It was an exact replica, right down to the way it was built, of the one where Shakespeare first debuted his plays. We would have gone to a performance but the season doesn't start until April 23rd. Standing tickets are only £5- pretty good. Next was a closed London Tower and then home.
Day 2 started at...wait for it, Abby Road!!! Mmmmmm more Beatles.. We walked to the cross walk and got our pictures taken strolling across it just like 20 other people. It was a pretty busy intersection and I felt for the cars that might have to cross it daily with soooo many tourists trying to imitate their favorite Beatle for the camera. Right beside it was Abby Road studio. Everywhere they have touched is now covered with pen markings and messages of love. Got a picture on the steps. The studio is pretty small from the outside, I was kind of surprised. After that we visited Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St. James Park, Parliament, Big Ben, attended a service at Westminster Abby as public viewing was not open that day, the Eye, then some London wandering and again home(home = wherever our backpack is).
We unfortunately didn't get to see much of Westminster Abby. They shuffled us in and out pretty quickly. We took the long way out and did get to see the Coronation Chair- and the hole where The Stone of Destiny used to be. We were pretty excited since we had just learnt the long history of the stone in Edinburgh. Over our shoulder we saw a tomb that we like to believe belongs to Elizabeth I or Mary Queen of Scots. Would have been cool to see Jane Austin's grave or Shakespeare. Too Bad.
Today we were supposed to leave to Belgium but because of the Volcano incident all of the couches were booked. So today I went inside London Tower and the girls went to Kings Cross to take a picture with half of a grocery cart. London Tower was so cool! Saw the court Yard where Ann Boleyn was beheaded among others, the church where she was buried, the Bloody Tower where those two young boys where murdered, the stairs where they found their remains. I saw all the crown jewels, the old armor of the old kings, the dungeons and torture chamber. I was a little over excited and again spent too long there and so we missed getting to The Royal British Museum. Oops. Had some fish and chips as our last English meal- pretty good. We tried to go out last night to meet up with some people for the Hostel but got lost, so we will try to go out again tonight. Maybe to a comedy show- maybe a bar, maybe a club. Haven't decided yet- but I'll let you know soon! I'll try to keep these shorter in the future, there is just so much happening!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Beatles
As my title suggests this blog post will be entirely dedicated to my Beatles experience in Liverpool. Our horrendous trip getting to Liverpool and anything else we have done since we have been here will have to wait- The Beatles always come first. The sooner you know this about me, the better we'll get along.
First let me give you my history with The Beatles. I love them. I really, really love them. I love Paul McCartney especially and our tour just enforced that more- so if you've known my love for him before I left, watch out. I think I really started listening to them when I was 13 or 14 and have never looked back. My friends know me as somewhat of a Beatles encyclopedia. Love. Love/obsession.
Okay, now for the story part. We arrived in Liverpool at around 8 am and had planned on just sleeping all day after a long trip. I had arranged with a friend Rod, a Liverpudlian, to pick up a phone that would work over Europe so I could keep in touch with my worried parents. We arrived at our hostel and found out we couldn't get into our room until 3 pm. We were devastated at first but instead of just wasting the day sleeping Rod ended up coming to pick us up and show us around his town. We did some stuff and saw some stuff and ate some stuff but the best was visiting the legendary Cavern Club- where The Beatles found their fame. Bummer is that it isn't the original. It is made from all the original stones and is made to look just like the original, but still- it just isn't. It is a replica, made right next door to the actual Cavern. Literally, right next door. The original entrance it there with a sign letting everyone know where the entrance actually was but they had to close it down for safety reasons. The story is that the building above The Cavern had caught on fire and they were afraid that is would collapse and closed it down for 9 or 10 years. Being one of the most famous clubs in the world, and a huge cash grab, they built a replica and is now open for business. I was much more excited than any normal person should be. We talked the barman into giving us a pen so we could sign the wall. There is was, my name forever written on the stones that housed them. Or for at least two years before they power washed all the writing off the walls to make room for more markings. I got a picture, that will have to do until my next visit.
Sleep.
Day 2 equaled Beatles everything. First we went on a Fab Four Taxi tour. The three of us packed into the back of a black cab and spent the next three hours visiting all the sights. I am a little surprised that I am actually sitting here able to recount all this since I was almost convinced, as were Lyndsey and Kylene, that my heart was going to explode in my chest. We saw the hospital where John was born, the art school John went to, the school of Paul and George, the school and house of Brian Epstein, all of their houses, Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, the church hall where John and Paul met for the first time, Eleanor Rigby's gravestone and the registry office where John and Cynthia got married. I've read the stories, listened to the lyrics, imagined the scenarios and now have finally seen where it all happened. The whole time I was just trying to picture them walking out of their doors, practicing the guitar in their living rooms, waiting for the bus at the shelter in the roundabout. The whole time knowing I was seeing what they saw, walked where they walked and was in the places that had inspired them to become the greatest band in the history of music. I warned you...obsession.
I thought I knew everything there was to know, but on the tour I got even more of their background. I actually think the cabbie was a little fed up with me volunteering facts while he was trying to tell his tale, I stopped doing this early on. I could sense his satisfaction when I would have to admit I didn't know some of the history he was sharing with us.
We actually got to go inside of Ringo's house that he lived in between the ages of 5 and 23. Our cabbie just walked up, knocked on the door and it was answered by a woman named Margret in her 80's (I'm guessing) who had pictures and pictures of The Beatles all over her living room walls. She told us stories about Ringo, since she had lived in the house two doors down while he was growing up there. The houses of John and my love Paul were only to be seen if you were on a national trust tour, but since Margret now owned this house- she just showed devoted fans the house and shared her stories out of awesomeness. In Penny Lane we saw the shelter, the barbershop, the old bank and just down the street the fire station. We saw Strawberry Fields- not an old Salvation Army orphanage anymore, but more a grown over field.
After those three-and-a-half hours of dream filling we were dropped off at Albert Dock where the girls went to see the cathedrals and I satisfied even more of my Beatles lust by going to the Beatles Story museum. We had arrived at 2:45 and we said that we would meet back at the Hostel shortly after since I thought I would only be an hour or two- 4 hours later when they basically kicked me out (meaning we missed the John Lennon impersonator at the Cavern) I met back up with the girls. The museum was really pretty good! They had built replicas of all the places that were important in their history. For examples you would walk into the recreated street outside The Cavern, proceed into the Cavern, walk into The old Hamburg clubs, Nims Record shop, Abby Road Studios, the Yellow Submarine etc.Very cool.
Later, we again met up with Rod for a quick drink, he went home and we three headed back to The Cavern for more drinks. When we arrived we found out that it was only open late on Thursdays and the weekend and since it was a Wednesday it was closed. I was pretty bummed.
Next day(today) caught the bus to London where I have every intention in the world of going see Abby Road and everything else too.
Can't even begin to describe how amazing it all was. I have to play it down or I don't think my system could handle it. It's how I stay normal. There is so much to tell but I think this sums up the basics. Took loads of pictures so I'll be posting them eventually. I'll write more on other aspects of our trip later but it is time for bed- we are usually pretty tired on travel days. Sweet dreams to all, and remember; all you need is love <3
First let me give you my history with The Beatles. I love them. I really, really love them. I love Paul McCartney especially and our tour just enforced that more- so if you've known my love for him before I left, watch out. I think I really started listening to them when I was 13 or 14 and have never looked back. My friends know me as somewhat of a Beatles encyclopedia. Love. Love/obsession.
Okay, now for the story part. We arrived in Liverpool at around 8 am and had planned on just sleeping all day after a long trip. I had arranged with a friend Rod, a Liverpudlian, to pick up a phone that would work over Europe so I could keep in touch with my worried parents. We arrived at our hostel and found out we couldn't get into our room until 3 pm. We were devastated at first but instead of just wasting the day sleeping Rod ended up coming to pick us up and show us around his town. We did some stuff and saw some stuff and ate some stuff but the best was visiting the legendary Cavern Club- where The Beatles found their fame. Bummer is that it isn't the original. It is made from all the original stones and is made to look just like the original, but still- it just isn't. It is a replica, made right next door to the actual Cavern. Literally, right next door. The original entrance it there with a sign letting everyone know where the entrance actually was but they had to close it down for safety reasons. The story is that the building above The Cavern had caught on fire and they were afraid that is would collapse and closed it down for 9 or 10 years. Being one of the most famous clubs in the world, and a huge cash grab, they built a replica and is now open for business. I was much more excited than any normal person should be. We talked the barman into giving us a pen so we could sign the wall. There is was, my name forever written on the stones that housed them. Or for at least two years before they power washed all the writing off the walls to make room for more markings. I got a picture, that will have to do until my next visit.
Sleep.
Day 2 equaled Beatles everything. First we went on a Fab Four Taxi tour. The three of us packed into the back of a black cab and spent the next three hours visiting all the sights. I am a little surprised that I am actually sitting here able to recount all this since I was almost convinced, as were Lyndsey and Kylene, that my heart was going to explode in my chest. We saw the hospital where John was born, the art school John went to, the school of Paul and George, the school and house of Brian Epstein, all of their houses, Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, the church hall where John and Paul met for the first time, Eleanor Rigby's gravestone and the registry office where John and Cynthia got married. I've read the stories, listened to the lyrics, imagined the scenarios and now have finally seen where it all happened. The whole time I was just trying to picture them walking out of their doors, practicing the guitar in their living rooms, waiting for the bus at the shelter in the roundabout. The whole time knowing I was seeing what they saw, walked where they walked and was in the places that had inspired them to become the greatest band in the history of music. I warned you...obsession.
I thought I knew everything there was to know, but on the tour I got even more of their background. I actually think the cabbie was a little fed up with me volunteering facts while he was trying to tell his tale, I stopped doing this early on. I could sense his satisfaction when I would have to admit I didn't know some of the history he was sharing with us.
We actually got to go inside of Ringo's house that he lived in between the ages of 5 and 23. Our cabbie just walked up, knocked on the door and it was answered by a woman named Margret in her 80's (I'm guessing) who had pictures and pictures of The Beatles all over her living room walls. She told us stories about Ringo, since she had lived in the house two doors down while he was growing up there. The houses of John and my love Paul were only to be seen if you were on a national trust tour, but since Margret now owned this house- she just showed devoted fans the house and shared her stories out of awesomeness. In Penny Lane we saw the shelter, the barbershop, the old bank and just down the street the fire station. We saw Strawberry Fields- not an old Salvation Army orphanage anymore, but more a grown over field.
After those three-and-a-half hours of dream filling we were dropped off at Albert Dock where the girls went to see the cathedrals and I satisfied even more of my Beatles lust by going to the Beatles Story museum. We had arrived at 2:45 and we said that we would meet back at the Hostel shortly after since I thought I would only be an hour or two- 4 hours later when they basically kicked me out (meaning we missed the John Lennon impersonator at the Cavern) I met back up with the girls. The museum was really pretty good! They had built replicas of all the places that were important in their history. For examples you would walk into the recreated street outside The Cavern, proceed into the Cavern, walk into The old Hamburg clubs, Nims Record shop, Abby Road Studios, the Yellow Submarine etc.Very cool.
Later, we again met up with Rod for a quick drink, he went home and we three headed back to The Cavern for more drinks. When we arrived we found out that it was only open late on Thursdays and the weekend and since it was a Wednesday it was closed. I was pretty bummed.
Next day(today) caught the bus to London where I have every intention in the world of going see Abby Road and everything else too.
Can't even begin to describe how amazing it all was. I have to play it down or I don't think my system could handle it. It's how I stay normal. There is so much to tell but I think this sums up the basics. Took loads of pictures so I'll be posting them eventually. I'll write more on other aspects of our trip later but it is time for bed- we are usually pretty tired on travel days. Sweet dreams to all, and remember; all you need is love <3
Monday, April 12, 2010
Scotland!
Let me fill you in on our time in Scotland since I have another 4 hours until we catch our night bus to Liverpool and needed somewhere to stay busy and warm. Internet cafes take in the bruised and tired. Actually, the weather in Scotland has been very sunny and hot- there is absolutely nothing to complain about!
So we arrived in Scotland via ferry/bus. Like I mentioned we paid an extra 30 pounds for the trip across even though we asked every question about how we might be able to get a cheaper price. We found this out from an older couple that we met on the train that had paid half for the same trip. This couple was a Godsend. They are the only reason we made it from Glasgow to Edinburgh. We loved them.
First day in Scotland went like this: We jumped off our shuttle from the hostel we were staying at (nice little converted cottage just outside of town right on the Atlantic Ocean) and walked up Calton Hill where we saw some monuments and "the entrance to the fairy world". But these fairies aren't your typical Tinkerbell fairies, these fairies will kick your ass. When we were there we saw none, I must have intimidated them into their hiding holes. Ariana: 1, Fairies: 0.
Next we went on this walking tour. It was free and super awesome! We learnt a lot about Edinburgh and Scottish history. The guides were all young and very energetic. We saw an old prison that was supposed to be the most haunted place in the world, learnt the story behind Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and other stories about other old locals, Braveheart, the Stone of Destiny etc. If you are ever here I suggest you take it, it's the only one the city offers. Then we went back to that prison because just outside was a graveyard where a lot of the Harry Potter characters got their names. Lyndsey and Kylene are Harry Potter fans. Enough said. We walked up and around Edinburgh Castle, had some curry and called it a night.
Night two in Edinburgh was good. We climbed this mountain and took in a view of the entire city, came down and walked around an Eco festival, went to the Royal Museum of Scotland and went back to hostel to get ready for a pub crawl. The museum was cool, we were so tired at that point though that we just kind of wondered and very briefly looked at stuff, that is until Kylene and I found the dress up station and dressed up like noble women while this older lady watched on. The dresses were obviously made for the 11 to 12 year old girl age group and were a Little short. After we took our curtsy pictures we changed, the old woman thanked us for the show, and we bowed low as she walked away. I've always loved bonding with the elderly over 18th century costumes. Next came short naps and a pub crawl. We bought a 2 euro bottle of wine the day before so started the night off each passing the bottle around our room and trying to finish the thing in 7 or 8 minutes before the shuttle left. With a 2 euro bottle of wine it was harder than it sounds. We caught the shuttle and got to the first pub. In all the pubs we went to, in total, we got one free beer, one free shot of whisky, two other shots, discounted 2 euro jagerbombs, and 1 euro mixed drinks. We sang karaoke and finished the night in a club where we danced with our new friends, two Ozzies mainly. I made particular friends with some Scottish girl in a bathroom where we took up the short lived tradition of asking each other if they were doing okay and then hugging. We took the night bus home and in the morning inspected our new bruises. I can probably attribute mine from butt-sliding down 5 or 6 stairs after coming so close to making a whole day without embarrassing myself in some way.
Today though is going to be the main cause for pain in the morning. Most of the day was spent lounging and people-watching in a field but the beginning of it was spent fulfilling one of Lyndsey's fantasies; horseback riding through the rolling hills of Scotland. I sit here now constantly shifting my weight on this hard wooden chair fearing what kind of new, more intensified pain tomorrow will bring.
Just two more hours now until I can stalk all of Paul McCartney's old hangouts. I'm not 100 percent sure how I'm going to react to this. Probably end up doing something ultra creepy. I've warned Lyndsey and Kylene about this little obsession of mine but I'm not convinced they understand the intensity- oh well, they'll soon find out. I'll be blogging about it for sure. If you think these entries are long- just wait until I start talking about anything Beatles.
So we arrived in Scotland via ferry/bus. Like I mentioned we paid an extra 30 pounds for the trip across even though we asked every question about how we might be able to get a cheaper price. We found this out from an older couple that we met on the train that had paid half for the same trip. This couple was a Godsend. They are the only reason we made it from Glasgow to Edinburgh. We loved them.
First day in Scotland went like this: We jumped off our shuttle from the hostel we were staying at (nice little converted cottage just outside of town right on the Atlantic Ocean) and walked up Calton Hill where we saw some monuments and "the entrance to the fairy world". But these fairies aren't your typical Tinkerbell fairies, these fairies will kick your ass. When we were there we saw none, I must have intimidated them into their hiding holes. Ariana: 1, Fairies: 0.
Next we went on this walking tour. It was free and super awesome! We learnt a lot about Edinburgh and Scottish history. The guides were all young and very energetic. We saw an old prison that was supposed to be the most haunted place in the world, learnt the story behind Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and other stories about other old locals, Braveheart, the Stone of Destiny etc. If you are ever here I suggest you take it, it's the only one the city offers. Then we went back to that prison because just outside was a graveyard where a lot of the Harry Potter characters got their names. Lyndsey and Kylene are Harry Potter fans. Enough said. We walked up and around Edinburgh Castle, had some curry and called it a night.
Night two in Edinburgh was good. We climbed this mountain and took in a view of the entire city, came down and walked around an Eco festival, went to the Royal Museum of Scotland and went back to hostel to get ready for a pub crawl. The museum was cool, we were so tired at that point though that we just kind of wondered and very briefly looked at stuff, that is until Kylene and I found the dress up station and dressed up like noble women while this older lady watched on. The dresses were obviously made for the 11 to 12 year old girl age group and were a Little short. After we took our curtsy pictures we changed, the old woman thanked us for the show, and we bowed low as she walked away. I've always loved bonding with the elderly over 18th century costumes. Next came short naps and a pub crawl. We bought a 2 euro bottle of wine the day before so started the night off each passing the bottle around our room and trying to finish the thing in 7 or 8 minutes before the shuttle left. With a 2 euro bottle of wine it was harder than it sounds. We caught the shuttle and got to the first pub. In all the pubs we went to, in total, we got one free beer, one free shot of whisky, two other shots, discounted 2 euro jagerbombs, and 1 euro mixed drinks. We sang karaoke and finished the night in a club where we danced with our new friends, two Ozzies mainly. I made particular friends with some Scottish girl in a bathroom where we took up the short lived tradition of asking each other if they were doing okay and then hugging. We took the night bus home and in the morning inspected our new bruises. I can probably attribute mine from butt-sliding down 5 or 6 stairs after coming so close to making a whole day without embarrassing myself in some way.
Today though is going to be the main cause for pain in the morning. Most of the day was spent lounging and people-watching in a field but the beginning of it was spent fulfilling one of Lyndsey's fantasies; horseback riding through the rolling hills of Scotland. I sit here now constantly shifting my weight on this hard wooden chair fearing what kind of new, more intensified pain tomorrow will bring.
Just two more hours now until I can stalk all of Paul McCartney's old hangouts. I'm not 100 percent sure how I'm going to react to this. Probably end up doing something ultra creepy. I've warned Lyndsey and Kylene about this little obsession of mine but I'm not convinced they understand the intensity- oh well, they'll soon find out. I'll be blogging about it for sure. If you think these entries are long- just wait until I start talking about anything Beatles.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
More Ireland and a little Scotland
I believe I last left you at our arrival in Galway. It seems to be our trend to like every city better than the previous and declare that we will all buy houses and live there forever. Such was the case with Galway, then Belfast and now Edinburgh.
Galway was very nice. I can't remember if I mentioned that we got there via tour from Dublin and just never got back on the bus to return. We all patted our tired and strained backs for that little trick as we only ended up paying 25 Euro for a 45 Euro tour if you exclude the money that we would have spent just getting a bus straight over. Later that may have caught up with us when we ended up spending 35 pounds more than we had to getting to Edinburgh. Not cool UK transportation system, not cool.
Our first night in Galway was very relaxed. We napped. That's about it. Second day we walked around the streets, took in the sights, averted our eyes from shop windows. Everything is pretty expensive here, except super market food, it's brilliant. We can make a huge dinner for the three of us off 7 or 8 Euros and since Lyndsey is a cook we just let her get creative. That evening we met an American University rugby team at our hostel who were there for a tournament. After chating for a bit we three went to a pub, and when that closed went to a club where we ran into said rugby team and danced the night away. Fact about Ireland and Scotland: the girls wear the smallest outfits and highest heels when out at night. We knew that we were going to look like backpackers during this trip but these girls make us feel like hobos. The next morning we left for Belfast.
Belfast I actually liked better than Galway. First day we got to look around a bit as it was still early. That day we saw Queens University and this beautiful park they have behind it. The next day we took the Black Cab Tour that I really enjoyed. I found it super interesting to learn about their political troubles, the IRA etc. We drove around the Protestant and Catholic areas and saw the huge walls and barbed wire gates that seperated them. In the Protestant area they paint murals on the sides of houses that have to do with their past and hopes for their future. Their is one of a man in a ski-mask with a gun that follows you as you walk by. A friendly reminder to strangers that there were more than just eyes on you(not anymore!). After that we got to write on The Peace Wall(the biggest wall that seperates the two rivals) where I reminded them that All You Need Is Love :) We think this is all in the past but two recent car bombings(2 weeks ago) and some murders by the Real IRA just outside of Belfast let us know just how real this all still is for the Irish living there. We then visited the museum that gave us even greater insite on The Troubles and Belfast's history, Ireland's history and other fun things. If you ever visit Belfast, check it out.
That evening we decided that we had so much fun dancing in Galway that we would go for it again in Belfast. We stayed in our regular clothes but traided our sneakers for some flats. We lined up at the club and 30 seconds later when we got to the front the bouncer mumbled something to me that I couldn't understand( that is common for me with their accents, slang and speed of speech) so I assumed he asked for my ID. I showed it to him and he then opened the rope and let me by. After the three of us had walked past the velvet rope I looked around and noticed that we were on the wrong side. Rejected! Apparently our casual outfits offended them. We had a hearty laugh and walked over to the pub and ordered a Guiness. The whole walk of shame might have hurt more if we hadn't had 2 cheap bottles of wine before leaving the hostel. In the pub, two young Irish lads helped themselves to the empty bench seats at our table. They were with about half the people there and when it was closing they invited us over to a house party. We obliged. We then spent the rest of the night at this party where they were ordering delivery beer. One more time: delivery beer service at 3:30 am. Brilliant. After a short walk home, 4 hours of bad sleep, another afternoon in the museum we were off to Scotland where I am now.
Scotland is beautiful. I had already decided that I had liked it better than Ireland almost as soon as we got on the train and started passing through the country. Big rolling green hills spotted with white sheep and cute little towns tucked away between them. I think I could live here forever. Today we spent the day in beautiful Edinburgh where we took a very excellent, educational, free walking tour for about 3 hours and are off to explore again tomorrow. But more on Scotland another day :)
We have one more full day left before we move onto England but I wish we had more. There is so much to be seen and not nearly enough time. All of a sudden three months is nothing. It's only been days and already I'm trying to figure out when I'll be able to come back and see more. I think it's safe to say that it doesn't take long for a bug to bite.
Galway was very nice. I can't remember if I mentioned that we got there via tour from Dublin and just never got back on the bus to return. We all patted our tired and strained backs for that little trick as we only ended up paying 25 Euro for a 45 Euro tour if you exclude the money that we would have spent just getting a bus straight over. Later that may have caught up with us when we ended up spending 35 pounds more than we had to getting to Edinburgh. Not cool UK transportation system, not cool.
Our first night in Galway was very relaxed. We napped. That's about it. Second day we walked around the streets, took in the sights, averted our eyes from shop windows. Everything is pretty expensive here, except super market food, it's brilliant. We can make a huge dinner for the three of us off 7 or 8 Euros and since Lyndsey is a cook we just let her get creative. That evening we met an American University rugby team at our hostel who were there for a tournament. After chating for a bit we three went to a pub, and when that closed went to a club where we ran into said rugby team and danced the night away. Fact about Ireland and Scotland: the girls wear the smallest outfits and highest heels when out at night. We knew that we were going to look like backpackers during this trip but these girls make us feel like hobos. The next morning we left for Belfast.
Belfast I actually liked better than Galway. First day we got to look around a bit as it was still early. That day we saw Queens University and this beautiful park they have behind it. The next day we took the Black Cab Tour that I really enjoyed. I found it super interesting to learn about their political troubles, the IRA etc. We drove around the Protestant and Catholic areas and saw the huge walls and barbed wire gates that seperated them. In the Protestant area they paint murals on the sides of houses that have to do with their past and hopes for their future. Their is one of a man in a ski-mask with a gun that follows you as you walk by. A friendly reminder to strangers that there were more than just eyes on you(not anymore!). After that we got to write on The Peace Wall(the biggest wall that seperates the two rivals) where I reminded them that All You Need Is Love :) We think this is all in the past but two recent car bombings(2 weeks ago) and some murders by the Real IRA just outside of Belfast let us know just how real this all still is for the Irish living there. We then visited the museum that gave us even greater insite on The Troubles and Belfast's history, Ireland's history and other fun things. If you ever visit Belfast, check it out.
That evening we decided that we had so much fun dancing in Galway that we would go for it again in Belfast. We stayed in our regular clothes but traided our sneakers for some flats. We lined up at the club and 30 seconds later when we got to the front the bouncer mumbled something to me that I couldn't understand( that is common for me with their accents, slang and speed of speech) so I assumed he asked for my ID. I showed it to him and he then opened the rope and let me by. After the three of us had walked past the velvet rope I looked around and noticed that we were on the wrong side. Rejected! Apparently our casual outfits offended them. We had a hearty laugh and walked over to the pub and ordered a Guiness. The whole walk of shame might have hurt more if we hadn't had 2 cheap bottles of wine before leaving the hostel. In the pub, two young Irish lads helped themselves to the empty bench seats at our table. They were with about half the people there and when it was closing they invited us over to a house party. We obliged. We then spent the rest of the night at this party where they were ordering delivery beer. One more time: delivery beer service at 3:30 am. Brilliant. After a short walk home, 4 hours of bad sleep, another afternoon in the museum we were off to Scotland where I am now.
Scotland is beautiful. I had already decided that I had liked it better than Ireland almost as soon as we got on the train and started passing through the country. Big rolling green hills spotted with white sheep and cute little towns tucked away between them. I think I could live here forever. Today we spent the day in beautiful Edinburgh where we took a very excellent, educational, free walking tour for about 3 hours and are off to explore again tomorrow. But more on Scotland another day :)
We have one more full day left before we move onto England but I wish we had more. There is so much to be seen and not nearly enough time. All of a sudden three months is nothing. It's only been days and already I'm trying to figure out when I'll be able to come back and see more. I think it's safe to say that it doesn't take long for a bug to bite.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Ireland so far..
So we arrived in Ireland on Saturday after a few very smooth flights with British Airways. The smoothness might have something to do with all the alcohol they give you on the flight.
We arrived in Dublin at night and went staright to bed...after hitting up a local pub to taste our first Guiness in Ireland. Im sure everyone knows that the Guiness tastes better in Ireland as it seems to be a way of life more than anything. It was exactly how we wanted to spend our first night. It was a little local pub full with a couple of Irishmen playing some traditional music (including a fiddle) and a couple Irish dancing. It wasn;t long before we stumbled home to our backpacks for a good night sleep.
The next day we went on a self guided walking tour. It was a Sunday so nothing was open and it was Easter Sunday meaning that went double. We sadly didnt get to see some of the things we wanted but what we did see was the Jameson Distillery, the Christ Church, Trinity College, The Castle of Dublin and then most of the city after we got lost in it for about 2 hours. That night we went out to a very cool pub in Temple Bar with Chicago(or Danny as he called himself) that a local told us about and when we were kicked out( with a 2 Euro to-go beer) we stopped at a McDonalds where we met an excellent Irishman. After speaking with him for about an hour I got back to our Hostel slightly down in spirits. Our conversation with Irish friend was mostly about the downhill slide Ireland was in and he proceeded to ask us to marry him for our Canadian citzenships. Kylene made a beautiful bride.
We are now in Galway and it is very beautiful here. The cutest little city. We stayed in the first night to let our livers and eyelids rest but after walking around all day today we plan on walking, maybe a little less skillfully, all night too. We got to Galway via tourbus that took us to a bunch of little counties and the Cliffs of Moher- they were amazing paired with the Atlantic Ocean. Tomorrow we head to Belfast for a few, very excited, and then off to Scotland! Keep you posted!
We arrived in Dublin at night and went staright to bed...after hitting up a local pub to taste our first Guiness in Ireland. Im sure everyone knows that the Guiness tastes better in Ireland as it seems to be a way of life more than anything. It was exactly how we wanted to spend our first night. It was a little local pub full with a couple of Irishmen playing some traditional music (including a fiddle) and a couple Irish dancing. It wasn;t long before we stumbled home to our backpacks for a good night sleep.
The next day we went on a self guided walking tour. It was a Sunday so nothing was open and it was Easter Sunday meaning that went double. We sadly didnt get to see some of the things we wanted but what we did see was the Jameson Distillery, the Christ Church, Trinity College, The Castle of Dublin and then most of the city after we got lost in it for about 2 hours. That night we went out to a very cool pub in Temple Bar with Chicago(or Danny as he called himself) that a local told us about and when we were kicked out( with a 2 Euro to-go beer) we stopped at a McDonalds where we met an excellent Irishman. After speaking with him for about an hour I got back to our Hostel slightly down in spirits. Our conversation with Irish friend was mostly about the downhill slide Ireland was in and he proceeded to ask us to marry him for our Canadian citzenships. Kylene made a beautiful bride.
We are now in Galway and it is very beautiful here. The cutest little city. We stayed in the first night to let our livers and eyelids rest but after walking around all day today we plan on walking, maybe a little less skillfully, all night too. We got to Galway via tourbus that took us to a bunch of little counties and the Cliffs of Moher- they were amazing paired with the Atlantic Ocean. Tomorrow we head to Belfast for a few, very excited, and then off to Scotland! Keep you posted!
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