So this is chronicling my trip to DUBLIN and the few days after! I am quite excited to tell you all about it!
Day 25
So the trip started at the crack of dawn…and by dawn I mean there it was pitch black outside.
After waking up at 430am to shower and get dressed we headed to the tube station, bags packed and eyes half open, at 530 in the morning. Now personally I don’t believe in 530 in the morning. Actually I don’t believe in 8, 9, or 10 in the morning either. So I wasn’t shocked that as we were walking to the tube station we saw maybe a total of 2 people.
The same thing went on in the tube station. As we were walking in and down the escalators there was no one around and THAT got me excited. This is it, I thought. I had been waiting for my chance for all of us to have an empty tube car to ourselves so that I could film us all singing and dancing while we pranced around the tube car and have a total “Santa Fe” from RENT moment.
But when we got to the platform all of these people were there. Then the tube came, and it was PACKED. PACKED? I mean it was 545 how in the world was the tube packed? It was shocking that there were this many people up at this ungodly hour…I didn’t like it one bit.
So after listening to some of The Little Mermaid soundtrack on my ipod we zoomed to the airport. Personally I consider Heathrow to be my favorite airport in the world. It has everything you could ever need, clothes, food, and designer shopping. So I basically was peeing my pants in enjoyment looking at all of the shops that surrounded me after we checked in with Aer Lingus and went through security.
Speaking of security lets discuss the difference between British and American security. First of all I went through security and found out that you have to do it twice and I thought…wow they are really hard core here. So the group all goes through security and while we are sitting down Izzy finds out that the IES leader gave her the wrong boarding pass that says Daniel Brown instead of Izzy Brown. So the problem is that when you go through security they scan your pass and then take your picture, which then becomes associated with that boarding pass. Now I could understand them looking at a pass for Izzy and thinking that her name was Daniel but pronounced Danielle. What shocks me is that they let Dan go through with a pass that said Isobel because trust me he looks nothing like an Isobel. Then when they went through the 2nd round of security with their boarding passes switched back the security officer didn’t seem at all concerned that they got through the first round of security.
So after a little bumpy ride we arrived in IRELAND. Upon landing I was quite excited as I saw us fly over greenery and hills and I realized that this was going to be just as magical as I imagined. We headed to the bus to take us into the city of Dublin and very quickly what I thought Dublin was going to be deteriorated in front of my eyes and here I was staring out the window a city that was not that pretty and was kind of dirty. Truth be told it looked a lot like downtown San Francisco. After checking into the hostel, which was totally ABFAB. I’ve seen/been in hotels that weren’t as nice as this hostel, which is saying just how awesome this place was. So we dropped off our bags and headed out to meet our guide for the exciting walking tour.
As we were walking to the meeting point I realized something about Dublin. The only buildings that I thought were remotely pretty were ones that reminded me of London and had that British influence in there.
We met at Trinity College for the walking tour and by walking tour I mean the most boring 3 hours of my life. Because actually this wasn’t a walking tour at all; It was this irish man who would stand in really boring places and talk for 45 minutes about the history of Ireland. History which I neither cared to know, nor could listen to for more then 3 minutes at a time without starting to doze off.
First we stood at Trinity College and listened about its history for 45 minutes and then we moved into the national bank of London into the room of lords or something and he talked at us for another extended period of time which was followed by standing in some alley way while he talked and then he took us to Dublin Castle.
Now as we were approaching Dublin Castle I was quite excited. I saw the sign “castle” and after watching numerous movies of Ireland I knew to expect something magnificent. This did not happen. There was a tower that was totally gorg and the rest of it (and by rest of it I mean not the inside) looked totally modern and not pretty just like the rest of Dublin. After this he did take us one place that was really beautiful and that was Christ Church.
I will always have fond memories because this is where I found a four leaf clover!! A real four-leaf clover. I felt so Irish that on my first day one just came to me.
After the worlds most boring walking tour we scampered home to the hostel. I ended up in a small room with just Jenny, Izzy, and Emily, which I was totally ok with since I can only take so much estrogen at a time. After taking a nappy and then getting all ready we headed out to the dinner paid for by IES! It was at an Italian restaurant, which I found odd because I would think that if we were supposed to have the Irish experience then going to an Italian restaurant wouldn’t be the proper choice.
However I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. It was a little spicy though. I felt like the time I went to chipotle and asked for mild salsa and they gave me medium and I couldn’t feel my tongue for 5 days after. They didn’t make it clear that the pasta’s sauce had chili’s in it and was spicy so that was an interesting surprise.
After dinner we decided to paint the town red! I have to admit that Dublin’s nightlife is pretty awesome mainly because
One : there are no visible creepers in Dublin
Two: it was pretty relaxed and chill
Three: no creepers is really important
So after checking out the nightlife we all traipsed back home and went to sleep!
Day 26
So day 2 in Dublin was significantly more amazing then day 1. First of all I didn’t feel well in the morning because I had started to come down with something (which im pretty sure is the something that has now fully manifested itself and is torturing me now on day 30) but after taking the morning easy and taking a Tylenol I was ready to explore.
We went to sandy cove, which is a little beach a 20 minute DART right outside of Dublin. Sandy Cove, which also looks like San Fran, was totally ABFAB and is my favorite part of Dublin.
We went exploring and climbed on the rocks and played in the seaweed. After seeing Joyces Tower we continued to explore and play when we met a new friend.
Jamie Joyce, who was James at first but upon further examination became Jamie, is the most adorable dog. She was all alone and she wanted some friends to play with so we adopted her for the better half of an hour.
After our sandy adventure we headed back to the hostel and chilled with enough time to take a good hours nap. Josh, Izzy, Drew, Steve and I went to dinner at a pub down the street. This was one of the most awesome experiences in Dublin. We went there for dinner and all of the sudden I look at the clock and its 3 hours later. We had just sat around and talked for 3 hours and it was awesome. I think it’s so Irish to go to a pub with your mates and just chill for a few hours.
After that I was so tired that I went to bed early, which I think is ok because I was still tired from Friday. Lol
Day 27
Day 3 and our last day in Dublin was spent going to the Guinness factory. Now personally I don’t like American beer so I had high hopes for this experience. We toured the factory and learned everything you ever wanted to know about Guinness and more. Which included looking at the old ads that they used to put out which I thought was cool because I have always found PR to be a fascinating area.
So in the middle of the experience you can have a taste of the Guinness. So, in order to not waste any beer I decided to take a sip of Josh’s first to see what I thought. Personally, I find Guinness to taste something like horse manure smothered in cat urine but that’s just one gal’s opinion.
After the tour we headed to the Sky Bar, which was basically the reason to go the factory. This bar is so high up in the air and all the walls are windows (think space needle) and so you got a birds eye view of London. With our ticket you get a complimentary beer so I cashed mine in and got orange juice. I know…I’m so cool.
After returning to the hostel and then taking the bus to the airport I boarded the 2nd scariest plane ride in my life. It was one of those rides where you aren’t quite sure if you are going to make it out alive. However I had bought a coloring book in the gift shop and so I used that to distract me from the impending doom that surrounded me.
After reaching my pretty pretty dorm I realized just how much I love London and just how much I miss it when I’m gone. I also realized that leaving in December is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Day 28
Today was hectic because it was just filled with Drama which all occurred in a 3 hour slot of time.
For playwriting we had to go to this house to be inspired by the ghosts and everything. So we leave with more then enough time to get there since traffic is bad and the tube strike was going on.
First we board a bus and these two guys are screaming at each other in a way that told me (someone is about to get decked). All of the sudden the screaming stops…not sure why because I was on the top deck but then 10 minutes later the bus pulls over. So we are sitting waiting for the bus to move and then after waiting 5 minutes he announces “sorry for the delays they say we can’t move”. This is when the red flag pops up in my head and I’m thinking that maybe we should switch buses but no one wants to which is understandable. Then 10 minutes later after still not moving the bus driver comes back over the intercom and saying “you might consider getting on another bus, we can’t leave until the police arrive”.
So at this point everyone jumps out of their seats and hauls ass off the bus. I don’t know why the police were coming but I feel it had something to do with those two guys. So after getting a new bus we finally got to the area where this house is supposed to be. However, due to this whole debacle we are already 15 minutes late for our appointment.
Apparently, it didn’t really matter if we were late or not because even if we had arrived 45 minutes early we still wouldn’t of found the house. After looking around back and forth for over an hour we finally give up. Only to find out that we had passed by this house at least 3 times. Apparently, this house is unmarked. Now personally I don’t exactly how I’m supposed to find a house museum that has no markings so we were all VERY frustrated. So we will be going back next Monday and I will have to tell you how it was.
Day 29
As of today I have officially been in London for one month. I find this crazy because it does not feel like a month has gone by. It feels like just got here. There just isn’t enough time. In many ways I wish I had decided to do a whole year abroad but in other ways I know that being away from my family and friends would have been so hard if I had done that.
Today was a pretty awesome day. In playwriting we met at white chapel and walked to brick lane where our teacher showed us a vintage shopping store and a baigel store and a chocolate store. Truth be told the most moving part of the experience was when we walked into this church. I don’t remember the last time I went to church and so it was a chilling experience to be back there. I don’t particularly like church and the “democracy” of it all, but I am a very religious person. So seeing something that beautiful really struck a cord in me.
After acting in the afternoon Jamie and I headed to the Barbican area since we had to see a show there that night. After my last debacle with getting to the Barbican we had decided that it would be best to just get there 3 hours early, find a pub, and then chill until the show.
We stumbled upon this pub called the red cow. At first Jamie and I were questioning whether it was a gay bar because there were only men in it but we also were in the financial district so that could just be a coincidence.
The craziest part of the evening was about an hour into being in the pub this guy walks in. He is totally gorgeous and I nudge Jamie and tell her to look at the hott guy at the counter. I keep staring at him because I cant believe how good looking it is…all of the sudden it dawns on me. OH MY GOD. I knew this guy! I had met him 2 weeks earlier at O’Neil’s and we had talked for a few hours! Any question in my mind was washed away when he saw me and did a double take and we both just stared at each other trying to figure out if the other one realized who we were. But I didn’t say hi because personally I think that’s a guys job so I continued doing my homework. Shocked by the odds that in a city with this many million people you could run into someone like that.
So even if this had been a gay bar let me tell you, I would not have cared. I had the best meal I have had since I left for London. I had roast beef and roasted vegetables and potatoes and it basically was a religious experience what followed was not.
Now I don’t know a lot about dance so I guess I’m not the best judge on what is good and what isn’t. I knew that everyone in the show was extremely talented. You could see it in their techniques and their lines. But this piece was the most boring thing I have ever seen. I was literally dozing off in a theatre, which is a thing that I never do. This piece was so boring that I had to go home and go to sleep because I was so exhausted!
Day 30
Today!!!!
So today has been pretty boring considering the fact that I spent it in bed. I woke up feeling puky and my throat hurts. This all accumulated in me going to Boots and finding out that I have a 101 temp and a flu according to the pharmacist/nurse person. After stocking up on soup on my way home I took a lovely nap and caught up on glee and grey’s anatomy. This has led to now where I am finally blogging and catching up to today.
Since I can guess what will happen I will tell you what are my plans for the rest of the day. I plan to take another nap then watch an episode of friends followed by soup and then sleep. Today has not been the best day but I have lots of medicine so tomorrow could be a better day.
Shows seen to date= 12
Wicked
Merry Wives of Windsor
RADA staged reading
Pieces of Vincent
Love Never Dies
Les Miserables
Clybourne Park
Jason Robert Brown
Catwalk Show
All My Sons
Les Miz 25th Anniversary tour
I drink the air before me = modern dance show
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