Crazy that I'm creeping up on the halfway point of this program, and 3 weeks in Europe total. Wow. Anyway!
As you may have inferred, I visited the Guiness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol this week, specifically on Monday. We headed down as a class, got our tickets and such, then went to the storehouse. It was pretty cool, though somehow I liked the Heineken Experience better. More beers, maybe? Who can say! Anyway, some old gear and tubs, exhibits on transport and how ahead of the times Guiness has always been, advertising exhibits and such. There is a small bar where you can pour your own pint, but I opted to save my free pint ticket for the Gravity Bar, a glass-walled, circular bar at the top of the 7-story structure (shaped like a pint glass). Amazing views of the city, truly dazzling. Only one pint, but hadn't eaten since breakfast so I felt it a bit. Visited the gift shop, got myself a hat and a little something for Amanda, then the group hiked an endless hill to the Gaol (it was seriously a long walk, and the neighborhood looked a little sketchy to us). Anyway.
Kilmainham is a prison that was used by the British to hold and execute not only criminals but the 1916 Rising leaders and others. Many famous revolutionaries passed through that place, and it's fascinating to stand in. The newer portion was epic and airy, panopticon style of easy viewing for guards. The older part is downright dank, stone walls and echoing halls, windows that originally had no glass, and the original doors. Pretty harsh stuff, and freezing in winter. Also have a small museum that we visited, then hopped a bus back to city center for lunch.On the bus, a woman asked Keith to give a sip of his water bottle to a woman she claimed was pregnant, so he just gave it to her (it was a few days old anyway). The woman and her friends then smoked meth, which was unexpected and ridiculous. Made me nostalgic for Galesburg!
Anyway, most of us went to Eddie Rockets for lunch, basically an american diner themed restaurant. Decent food, standard prices for Dublin. Winnie went home and Kelsie wandered off on her own. After lunch we split up; Keith, Hany and I did some shopping, got a pint at Gogartys, and went to Trinity to hang out until music time. We chatted with a girl from Naperville there studying through NYU, disappointed kids at a leadership camp that kept asking us scavenger hunt questions we didn't know the answers to, and the others filtered in to join us. The music was great, two violins, a flute, a vocalist, a dancer, and uilleann pipes - so cool. Musicians talked about their instruments, history and culture around them, and so on. A lovely evening. Got a pint at O'Neills, and headed for home.
Tuesday after class we had a film, The Wind That Shakes The Barley. After that, some itnernet time doing journals and updates, then home for dinner. Our family put a TV/DVD player in our room, so we have some entertainment if we want it. We've watched some Mythbusters, soccer and King of Queens up there so far. The announcer on Mythbusters sounds Australian/Irish here. Good stuff. Later we came back to campus for more internet, then met up with the group at the Autobahn for . . . a pint.
Today (Wednesday) we had a good discussion in class, watched Dancing at Lughnasa, then internet time including setting up our trip to Cork this weekend - we'll have everyone but Winnie along for this trip, so it should be good. We've booked 9 of the 10 beds in our room at the hostel. Originally hadn't planned to go, but realized that I'd regret not going more than it was worth. Also, successfully set up transfer ability from my HSBC to my TCF bank account, so in a few days a good chunk of cash should be available to me again, which will make me feel better about things. I'm not in dire straights or anything, but the fact that I am still unable to access the money I was planning to use for this trip (HSBC) from an ATM means that my other account has to bear the brunt of my activities, so this transfer will put me more at ease. Anyway, went home for dinner and a shower, then came back for the internet. Planning to head home fairly soon I suspect and call it a relaxed night - first day since I hit Europe without some form of alcohol - I may faint! Must remember tomorrow to . . . have a pint.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Belfast and Beyond
What a great city. Apparently among the safest in the world for travellers, and definitely among the friendliest and most helpful. People jumping into the street to give directions (not really, but just about). Hostel was okay, rickety beds and gross showers, and I left my shower stuff in there on Friday and it was gone by Saturday. Alas. We all grabbed £'s at an ATM - Northern Ireland is still part of the UK, and thus on the pound, although they issue their own 'Ulster Pounds' which are equal in value to British ones.
Dinner at a pub nearby, had AMAZING bangers and mash - I never want to not eat champ (mashed potatos with green onions) ever again. Walked a ways, and found a pub called Fibber Magees, great live music, good drinks, and a wacky bachelor party with the groom in a Baywatch outfit. Hany motorboated him. Sat in the bar next door, which connected by a door, and talked to a guy we met who is from Rockford. Small world!
Saturday was an EPIC one. We hopped on a bus at 9am and headed out. Stopped at Carrickfergus castle, where William of Orange landed, then a harbor for a restroom stop, then on the the Giant's Causeway. Lunch at the hotel, then we walked. Amazing, spectacular. Just wow. We ran into the Rockford guy and his friends, Keith and I started to climb a steep hill, then backed out, but he went back and did it after all. I'm jealous, but happy for him. Photos and such for a few hours, then some of us caught the tram back, took photos of those who walked, and hit the shop. Got a postcard and a t-shirt. Then back onto our (un-air conditioned) bus with the annoying women from Yorkshire who renamed Keith and were drunk and infuriating. Well, they got quiter as the day wore on. Next was the Bushmills distillery, disappointing since we didn't get to do the tour, just take some photos and walk the gift shop. After a quick stop on the roadside to see a ruined castle, it was on to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. A looong walk through fields along cliffs, then a fantastic rope bridge to a tall island where was sat and enjoyed it. A long hike back, then the bus headed back to Belfast.
We talked pizza or BBQ for dinner, got locations of two places from the hostel desk, but they were more upscale than we had in mind so we ate at a large pub-type restaurant. Our server updated us on the soccer match when she could. Had the rib appetizer and a side of chips - perfect. Next we walked towards Fibber Magees again, with a stop at Filthy McNasty's, a bar/club with music from the US and quotes from rock stars on the walls. Had a Newcastle, then on the Fibber's. Great night with many pints.
Sunday, Keith went off to find an ancestral house, and the rest of the group took a Black Taxi tour, seeing murals in Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods, seeing the Bobby Sands mural on the Sinn Fein HQ, and seeing the Peace Wall, where people leave messages. Our driver gave us marker pens, and we left our marks on the wall. Really cool stuff. My ATM card wouldn't work, so Sam loaned me £3 to take the tour (£10 each). Hany broke my umbrella, which has been the source of much amusement. Discovered the bus back to Dublin was cheaper and just as fast as the train, so we bought tickets and headed towards the train station to get food and intercept Keith. We stopped at St. George's Market to see the stalls, and decided to eat. Hany offered to take out money for me, to pay him back later so I could eat. We found an ATM after a bit of an adventure, and I had a crepe filled with mozzarella, roasted peppers and pesto, as well as some caribbean fried dough things to share. Pretty good, though the crepe was served in a paper cone and when I unwrapped it to use as a plate juice went down my leg. Ah well. Matt and Diana went to find Keith, but he already had his ticket so we caught the bus (empty enough to all have our own seats, plus air conditioning!), met Keith at the statue of O'Connell. Kelsie called, and we went to her place then to the pub by DCU for a pint. Hannah met us, we had a pint, then got food at nearby 'Aberdeen Chinese Takeaway.' Ate on the green, and headed for bed. Up next: This Week, Featuring Keith!
Dinner at a pub nearby, had AMAZING bangers and mash - I never want to not eat champ (mashed potatos with green onions) ever again. Walked a ways, and found a pub called Fibber Magees, great live music, good drinks, and a wacky bachelor party with the groom in a Baywatch outfit. Hany motorboated him. Sat in the bar next door, which connected by a door, and talked to a guy we met who is from Rockford. Small world!
Saturday was an EPIC one. We hopped on a bus at 9am and headed out. Stopped at Carrickfergus castle, where William of Orange landed, then a harbor for a restroom stop, then on the the Giant's Causeway. Lunch at the hotel, then we walked. Amazing, spectacular. Just wow. We ran into the Rockford guy and his friends, Keith and I started to climb a steep hill, then backed out, but he went back and did it after all. I'm jealous, but happy for him. Photos and such for a few hours, then some of us caught the tram back, took photos of those who walked, and hit the shop. Got a postcard and a t-shirt. Then back onto our (un-air conditioned) bus with the annoying women from Yorkshire who renamed Keith and were drunk and infuriating. Well, they got quiter as the day wore on. Next was the Bushmills distillery, disappointing since we didn't get to do the tour, just take some photos and walk the gift shop. After a quick stop on the roadside to see a ruined castle, it was on to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. A looong walk through fields along cliffs, then a fantastic rope bridge to a tall island where was sat and enjoyed it. A long hike back, then the bus headed back to Belfast.
We talked pizza or BBQ for dinner, got locations of two places from the hostel desk, but they were more upscale than we had in mind so we ate at a large pub-type restaurant. Our server updated us on the soccer match when she could. Had the rib appetizer and a side of chips - perfect. Next we walked towards Fibber Magees again, with a stop at Filthy McNasty's, a bar/club with music from the US and quotes from rock stars on the walls. Had a Newcastle, then on the Fibber's. Great night with many pints.
Sunday, Keith went off to find an ancestral house, and the rest of the group took a Black Taxi tour, seeing murals in Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods, seeing the Bobby Sands mural on the Sinn Fein HQ, and seeing the Peace Wall, where people leave messages. Our driver gave us marker pens, and we left our marks on the wall. Really cool stuff. My ATM card wouldn't work, so Sam loaned me £3 to take the tour (£10 each). Hany broke my umbrella, which has been the source of much amusement. Discovered the bus back to Dublin was cheaper and just as fast as the train, so we bought tickets and headed towards the train station to get food and intercept Keith. We stopped at St. George's Market to see the stalls, and decided to eat. Hany offered to take out money for me, to pay him back later so I could eat. We found an ATM after a bit of an adventure, and I had a crepe filled with mozzarella, roasted peppers and pesto, as well as some caribbean fried dough things to share. Pretty good, though the crepe was served in a paper cone and when I unwrapped it to use as a plate juice went down my leg. Ah well. Matt and Diana went to find Keith, but he already had his ticket so we caught the bus (empty enough to all have our own seats, plus air conditioning!), met Keith at the statue of O'Connell. Kelsie called, and we went to her place then to the pub by DCU for a pint. Hannah met us, we had a pint, then got food at nearby 'Aberdeen Chinese Takeaway.' Ate on the green, and headed for bed. Up next: This Week, Featuring Keith!
One Week Later
Well, the whole travel blog thing hasn't been as resounding a success as I had perhaps hoped, but I feel that I am not wholly to blame. We don't have internet access at home, and it took us until last Tuesday to get access at school, so it fell by the wayside in favor of hand-writing. However, I will now attempt to catch up a bit. The info below and to follow will be semi-condensed, but in a fun way, and chunked by where I was at the time.
Last week was a lot of settling in. I arrived Sunday on schedule and took a cab to my house. Suzanne (housemom) is very nice, a childminder who does laundry every day since she's home. That's good for me, since I only brought a week's worth of clothes. We can't shower in the morning or past 10pm, so basically we shower in the afternoon and use a lot of deodorant/body spray to make up the difference. Not the end of the world. Cereal, toast and juice for breakfast every day, and the dinners we've eaten at home have been good. We've eaten dinner downtown more often than I'd expected, since last week we had to go down basically every day for something or other for the program. Beds are comfy, we're both (Keith and I) mostly over our allergy/cold period, and it's only a 10 minute walk or so to campus. We come in early and sit on the internets for awhile every day.
Sunday we met for dinner at a pub, then had to find our way home with no map. We did so with a little help from a local who was very helpful.
Classes are odd, but good. We're basically in class for 2.5 hours every day, then usually something in the afternoon. Our first day, last Monday, was the Book of Kells and the Long Room at Trinity. It was cool, but we didn't get to see much of the book itself - they put out 2 pages every day along with other relevant documents. Most of the exhibit is about the process, history, and culture of the book. The Long Room is basically a library, century-old books on giant stacks. Long and nifty, no photos allowed at either unfortunately. I got a SIM card for my phone, and a few others have phones that work in one way or another so most of the pairs can keep in contact and plan, as well as call our professors if things go wrong, such as with our bus passes which were not bus passes. We got the passes the next day, but still a bit of a shock. Anyway, we (Keith, Kelsie, Hannah and I) walked to Stephens Green, shopped a bit, ate at home and went to Autobahn pub with Kelsie and Hannah.
Side note - for brevity, I will describe some people as part of specific roommate pairings; Kelsie and Hannah are 'the ladies,' Matt and Hany are 'the boys', Kris and Sam are 'the younguns', and . . . well, Diana and Winny will be described separately since we mostly encounter Diana. If pressed, I will call them 'the girls.'
Tuesday was a long one; caught the bus after lunch and walked to Henry Street, down Mary Street to the old Jameson Distillery (will take the tour in the near future), then to St. Patricks down a street we were advised to get off of by a concerned local, pointing us to a main road. St. Patricks was neat - Jonathan Swift's grave, a chair William of Orange sat in, etc. Walked past Christchurch and ate at a hipster type place, then on to the Literary Pub Crawl; began with a bit from Waiting for Godot. The actors were quite good, doing a few pieces and giving a lot of information on the pubs, the writers, etc. Pubs we visited were The Duke, O'Neills, The Stand, and David Byrnes'.
Wednesday we showered and napped after class, then went down to The Abbey Theatre to see the premier of a play, 'Bookworms.' Good show, front-row-center seats. The Youngun's weren't impressed, but they've apparently never been to an awkward dinner party. Thursday after calss we watched a film, 'When Brendan Met Trudy' - excellent movie, see it if you can. We ate, then took the bus to City Center and walked to the hostel where Dustin was staying. We headed out to find a pub, and ran into Dr.s Renk and Chown, who invited us to join them for dinner. They ate, we had some pints (Dustin had wine), then he walked with us to the Circle Theatre to see Tom Stoppard's 'Arcadia;' it was pretty good, but really long and hot. No automated message at the start, a guy in a tux came out and did the emergency exits/no smoking/ no photos thing. That was neat. By the end we were rushing to catch a bus back, since they stop running at like 11:30 (and aren't that reliable sometimes in general).
Friday was a private screening of two films at the Irish Film Institute, 'Hush A Bye Baby' and 'Nora;' both pretty good. Afterwards, seven of us rushed to catch a train to Belfast: Myself, Keith, Matt, Hany, Kris, Sam and Diana. Arrived just fine, got to our hostel and checked in without them discovering our group was technically over their limit of 6 by cleverly booking in two shifts online. Reminds me I still owe Matt for the room and train tickets. Kelsie and Hannah didn't come, in part because their hosts were having a party they were going to. Winny also didn't come, for her own reasons. Train was fine, rode backwards with nobody next to me so I had some room. Train was delayed by some signal issues, but since the sun is up until like 10pm here it didn't cause problems.
Last week was a lot of settling in. I arrived Sunday on schedule and took a cab to my house. Suzanne (housemom) is very nice, a childminder who does laundry every day since she's home. That's good for me, since I only brought a week's worth of clothes. We can't shower in the morning or past 10pm, so basically we shower in the afternoon and use a lot of deodorant/body spray to make up the difference. Not the end of the world. Cereal, toast and juice for breakfast every day, and the dinners we've eaten at home have been good. We've eaten dinner downtown more often than I'd expected, since last week we had to go down basically every day for something or other for the program. Beds are comfy, we're both (Keith and I) mostly over our allergy/cold period, and it's only a 10 minute walk or so to campus. We come in early and sit on the internets for awhile every day.
Sunday we met for dinner at a pub, then had to find our way home with no map. We did so with a little help from a local who was very helpful.
Classes are odd, but good. We're basically in class for 2.5 hours every day, then usually something in the afternoon. Our first day, last Monday, was the Book of Kells and the Long Room at Trinity. It was cool, but we didn't get to see much of the book itself - they put out 2 pages every day along with other relevant documents. Most of the exhibit is about the process, history, and culture of the book. The Long Room is basically a library, century-old books on giant stacks. Long and nifty, no photos allowed at either unfortunately. I got a SIM card for my phone, and a few others have phones that work in one way or another so most of the pairs can keep in contact and plan, as well as call our professors if things go wrong, such as with our bus passes which were not bus passes. We got the passes the next day, but still a bit of a shock. Anyway, we (Keith, Kelsie, Hannah and I) walked to Stephens Green, shopped a bit, ate at home and went to Autobahn pub with Kelsie and Hannah.
Side note - for brevity, I will describe some people as part of specific roommate pairings; Kelsie and Hannah are 'the ladies,' Matt and Hany are 'the boys', Kris and Sam are 'the younguns', and . . . well, Diana and Winny will be described separately since we mostly encounter Diana. If pressed, I will call them 'the girls.'
Tuesday was a long one; caught the bus after lunch and walked to Henry Street, down Mary Street to the old Jameson Distillery (will take the tour in the near future), then to St. Patricks down a street we were advised to get off of by a concerned local, pointing us to a main road. St. Patricks was neat - Jonathan Swift's grave, a chair William of Orange sat in, etc. Walked past Christchurch and ate at a hipster type place, then on to the Literary Pub Crawl; began with a bit from Waiting for Godot. The actors were quite good, doing a few pieces and giving a lot of information on the pubs, the writers, etc. Pubs we visited were The Duke, O'Neills, The Stand, and David Byrnes'.
Wednesday we showered and napped after class, then went down to The Abbey Theatre to see the premier of a play, 'Bookworms.' Good show, front-row-center seats. The Youngun's weren't impressed, but they've apparently never been to an awkward dinner party. Thursday after calss we watched a film, 'When Brendan Met Trudy' - excellent movie, see it if you can. We ate, then took the bus to City Center and walked to the hostel where Dustin was staying. We headed out to find a pub, and ran into Dr.s Renk and Chown, who invited us to join them for dinner. They ate, we had some pints (Dustin had wine), then he walked with us to the Circle Theatre to see Tom Stoppard's 'Arcadia;' it was pretty good, but really long and hot. No automated message at the start, a guy in a tux came out and did the emergency exits/no smoking/ no photos thing. That was neat. By the end we were rushing to catch a bus back, since they stop running at like 11:30 (and aren't that reliable sometimes in general).
Friday was a private screening of two films at the Irish Film Institute, 'Hush A Bye Baby' and 'Nora;' both pretty good. Afterwards, seven of us rushed to catch a train to Belfast: Myself, Keith, Matt, Hany, Kris, Sam and Diana. Arrived just fine, got to our hostel and checked in without them discovering our group was technically over their limit of 6 by cleverly booking in two shifts online. Reminds me I still owe Matt for the room and train tickets. Kelsie and Hannah didn't come, in part because their hosts were having a party they were going to. Winny also didn't come, for her own reasons. Train was fine, rode backwards with nobody next to me so I had some room. Train was delayed by some signal issues, but since the sun is up until like 10pm here it didn't cause problems.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Berlin Part 2
Walked to the TV tower, saw some churches, got photos of the East German street crossing light men (look it up). Left foot hurts like hell. Finished 'A Star Called Henry.' Check in should open soon. Blurgh.
Day 2
Well then. Apologies for any odd spellings or characters, I am using a freaky German keyboard.
So, day 2 in Amsterdam was pretty loaded. Granola and toast for Breakfast, showered and checked out, stored my suitcase in their lock-room and headed out. First stop: the Van Gogh museum. Very cool, and ate up like 3 hours. Good pieces, good displays, interesting anecdotes and themes noted throughout, as well as contemporary pieces for comparison and such.
Next, to the Heineken Experience! Seriously, if you,re in Amsterdam, do this. Good stuff at the original Heineken brewery, where they now do small batches for the tours )main brewery relocated). History and awards, take all the photos and video you want. Through the brewing room where you get to taste Wort )sweet, kinda gross, then past the horses and on to the "Brew You" video, which takes you through the whole beer brewing process on a shaking floor with water spray, heat lamps and bubbles to make it immersive. Very fun. After the video, a small beer is served by a brief guide who talks about various things like why they pour with a big head (keeps air out). Then a couch-lined room showing commercials and video from around the world and on to more information on the process, marketing and brand itself. Ends at a bar, where you get another free beer (our guide didn,t collect our tokens the first time, so we got 2).
Walked back for my suitcase, went to Centraal Station and put it in a locker, then walked to the Dam to see it, the royal palace and the national memorial. Then over to the Anne Frank house, which was neat and interesting but kind of underwhelming - not sure what I expected, but there you go. Still worth doing. Meandered back to the station, caught my train to Amstel Station to catch my bus (had some fries with mayo on the way).
Crazy guy at the bus station asked for change, I,d seen him in the train terminal talking loudly to himself (NOT an earpiece, I checked). He asked if I spoke English, and explained his dislike for all the "tourists" he had already asked who didn,t' then asked for change to call relatives since he lost all his Euros. I told him I had no change left, and he seemed fine with it. Then he looked in the general direction of a guy on a bench and seemed to have half of a conversation with . . . who can say. He later entered the bus station and ranted at a payphone, something about New York. Good times!
Bus. Oh cripes, what a bad idea. I sat next to a guy with smelly feet, but we got on well. I frankly don't smell like fresh cookies myself, so whatever. We chatted a bit about various laments, he was heading on to Poland from Berlin. My tailbone hurt for some reason so I couldnät recline comfortably, and couldn't sleep easily bolt upright, so basically I tried to doze in between long bouts of staring at darkness. Checked passports around midnight when we hit Germany, stopped for food and restroom around 2am, arrived in berlin a bit after 6am. I made my way to the hostel, which was incredibly easy from the bus depot, so that was a saving grace of that debacle. But I can't check in until 2pm - it#s 8:35am wight now. I'm going to rest up a bit, then I figure I might as well walk to the TV tower and see what's up. I wish I could get a shower first, though. Later, hoping to meet up with Rachel, sightseeing tomorrow starting with a walking tour that gets rave reviews, hook up with Olaf and go from there. I fly out Sunday for Dublin at long last (so ready).
Lesson learned: Traveling alone basically sucks. No one to talk to, lots of random seat partners, can't use the restroom because you can't leave your bag, and you watch all the myriad tourists with their friends or relations for company and get hella jealouis and lonely (jealonly?).
That said, I feel kind of like a badass for pulling this off so far. At this point, if I do nothing but sit in a hostel room until Sunday I can be proud that I did what I done.
So, day 2 in Amsterdam was pretty loaded. Granola and toast for Breakfast, showered and checked out, stored my suitcase in their lock-room and headed out. First stop: the Van Gogh museum. Very cool, and ate up like 3 hours. Good pieces, good displays, interesting anecdotes and themes noted throughout, as well as contemporary pieces for comparison and such.
Next, to the Heineken Experience! Seriously, if you,re in Amsterdam, do this. Good stuff at the original Heineken brewery, where they now do small batches for the tours )main brewery relocated). History and awards, take all the photos and video you want. Through the brewing room where you get to taste Wort )sweet, kinda gross, then past the horses and on to the "Brew You" video, which takes you through the whole beer brewing process on a shaking floor with water spray, heat lamps and bubbles to make it immersive. Very fun. After the video, a small beer is served by a brief guide who talks about various things like why they pour with a big head (keeps air out). Then a couch-lined room showing commercials and video from around the world and on to more information on the process, marketing and brand itself. Ends at a bar, where you get another free beer (our guide didn,t collect our tokens the first time, so we got 2).
Walked back for my suitcase, went to Centraal Station and put it in a locker, then walked to the Dam to see it, the royal palace and the national memorial. Then over to the Anne Frank house, which was neat and interesting but kind of underwhelming - not sure what I expected, but there you go. Still worth doing. Meandered back to the station, caught my train to Amstel Station to catch my bus (had some fries with mayo on the way).
Crazy guy at the bus station asked for change, I,d seen him in the train terminal talking loudly to himself (NOT an earpiece, I checked). He asked if I spoke English, and explained his dislike for all the "tourists" he had already asked who didn,t' then asked for change to call relatives since he lost all his Euros. I told him I had no change left, and he seemed fine with it. Then he looked in the general direction of a guy on a bench and seemed to have half of a conversation with . . . who can say. He later entered the bus station and ranted at a payphone, something about New York. Good times!
Bus. Oh cripes, what a bad idea. I sat next to a guy with smelly feet, but we got on well. I frankly don't smell like fresh cookies myself, so whatever. We chatted a bit about various laments, he was heading on to Poland from Berlin. My tailbone hurt for some reason so I couldnät recline comfortably, and couldn't sleep easily bolt upright, so basically I tried to doze in between long bouts of staring at darkness. Checked passports around midnight when we hit Germany, stopped for food and restroom around 2am, arrived in berlin a bit after 6am. I made my way to the hostel, which was incredibly easy from the bus depot, so that was a saving grace of that debacle. But I can't check in until 2pm - it#s 8:35am wight now. I'm going to rest up a bit, then I figure I might as well walk to the TV tower and see what's up. I wish I could get a shower first, though. Later, hoping to meet up with Rachel, sightseeing tomorrow starting with a walking tour that gets rave reviews, hook up with Olaf and go from there. I fly out Sunday for Dublin at long last (so ready).
Lesson learned: Traveling alone basically sucks. No one to talk to, lots of random seat partners, can't use the restroom because you can't leave your bag, and you watch all the myriad tourists with their friends or relations for company and get hella jealouis and lonely (jealonly?).
That said, I feel kind of like a badass for pulling this off so far. At this point, if I do nothing but sit in a hostel room until Sunday I can be proud that I did what I done.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Day 1-ish
Well, here I am in Amsterdam and utterly exhausted. So far, not exactly the banner trip I had been anticipating. Lets see . . .
Minor panic attacks and fury/regret (furgret?) prior to leaving, combined with not, as it turns out, knowing my HSBC pin number and thus leaving me in a precarious position. I can't get cash from my HSBC account without it, and that's the one I planned to use to fund this whole mess. A solution is in place but just one more damn frustration.
Moving on! The seat I chose on my transatlantic flight was not as good as I was led to believe. The bulkhead was close enough to make any gained legroom minimal, though I picked up the trick of wedging your legs against it in midair, so we'll see on the flight back. My seat wouldn't stay in the upright position even when I wanted it to, provoking chiding from flight attendants and grunts from the guy behind me. We could see the bastards in premium class with their reclinerbed chairs. The seats were laughably narrow - I'm not svelt, but this was ridiculous. The personal TV was pretty awesome; watched Shutter Island and Daybreakers, neither of which was as good as I'd hoped. Food was decent, the old guy next to me was pretty nice, but a woman right behind us passed out mid-flight and provoked some flurry of activity and concern. Also, smell of vomit for the rest of the flight - yay!
Thought I lost my watch in Dublin airport, but found it outside Amsterdam Centraal Station, so all good there. Didn't find a phone place, but no hurry on that.
Amsterdam, what little I've seen, is very "nifty." Lots of canals and bikes, people sort of faffing about and hippie-types. The process of getting to my hostel was a bit more complex than I had anticipated - train from airport to Centraal, tram to a certain stop, then a longer walk than expected. However, it was easy to find once I got my bearings, and is away from really crazy stuff. At this point I'm too exhausted to want to do anything - I'm really not sure what I'll even eat at this point. The Filmmuseum, which used to be like 5 blocks from here in a huge park, has moved just far enough that I'm no longer willing to make that a trip for today.
The hostel itself is pretty cool - if this were a bar, I would hang out at it. And it is a bar, though you have to be staying here to use it (and the wifi). My room has 6 beds, I have a lower bunk. Sink and mirror in the room, shower and WCs on each floor. My own locker, which is large enough to hold my entire suitcase (but isn't). I like this bar - sort of relaxed, good music, funky, a smoking room through a glass door (what a concept!), and the World Cup on TV. I think I'll be a lot happier with things once I get some sleep - right now I'm sort of generically hostile to the world, though a delicious beer called Dommelsch is helping. Drinking at 3 in the afternoon is nothing new, but it's like 8am at home sooooo . . .
Okay then. Tomorrow I will sightsee, then haul my way out to the bus station and head to Berlin on an overnight bus that was a much better idea a month ago!
Minor panic attacks and fury/regret (furgret?) prior to leaving, combined with not, as it turns out, knowing my HSBC pin number and thus leaving me in a precarious position. I can't get cash from my HSBC account without it, and that's the one I planned to use to fund this whole mess. A solution is in place but just one more damn frustration.
Moving on! The seat I chose on my transatlantic flight was not as good as I was led to believe. The bulkhead was close enough to make any gained legroom minimal, though I picked up the trick of wedging your legs against it in midair, so we'll see on the flight back. My seat wouldn't stay in the upright position even when I wanted it to, provoking chiding from flight attendants and grunts from the guy behind me. We could see the bastards in premium class with their reclinerbed chairs. The seats were laughably narrow - I'm not svelt, but this was ridiculous. The personal TV was pretty awesome; watched Shutter Island and Daybreakers, neither of which was as good as I'd hoped. Food was decent, the old guy next to me was pretty nice, but a woman right behind us passed out mid-flight and provoked some flurry of activity and concern. Also, smell of vomit for the rest of the flight - yay!
Thought I lost my watch in Dublin airport, but found it outside Amsterdam Centraal Station, so all good there. Didn't find a phone place, but no hurry on that.
Amsterdam, what little I've seen, is very "nifty." Lots of canals and bikes, people sort of faffing about and hippie-types. The process of getting to my hostel was a bit more complex than I had anticipated - train from airport to Centraal, tram to a certain stop, then a longer walk than expected. However, it was easy to find once I got my bearings, and is away from really crazy stuff. At this point I'm too exhausted to want to do anything - I'm really not sure what I'll even eat at this point. The Filmmuseum, which used to be like 5 blocks from here in a huge park, has moved just far enough that I'm no longer willing to make that a trip for today.
The hostel itself is pretty cool - if this were a bar, I would hang out at it. And it is a bar, though you have to be staying here to use it (and the wifi). My room has 6 beds, I have a lower bunk. Sink and mirror in the room, shower and WCs on each floor. My own locker, which is large enough to hold my entire suitcase (but isn't). I like this bar - sort of relaxed, good music, funky, a smoking room through a glass door (what a concept!), and the World Cup on TV. I think I'll be a lot happier with things once I get some sleep - right now I'm sort of generically hostile to the world, though a delicious beer called Dommelsch is helping. Drinking at 3 in the afternoon is nothing new, but it's like 8am at home sooooo . . .
Okay then. Tomorrow I will sightsee, then haul my way out to the bus station and head to Berlin on an overnight bus that was a much better idea a month ago!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Summer 2010 Book List
And of course, it wouldn't be an English department trip without some books - IRISH BOOKS!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer 2010 Film List
My program is "Media and Culture in Ireland," and as such we must watch films - FILMS ABOUT IRELAND!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Doomed to Europe: My Summer 2010 Itinerary
Itinerary:
June 15-16 : Amsterdam, The Netherlands
June 17-19 : Berlin, Germany
June 20-July 17: Dublin, Ireland [Study Abroad Destination]
June 15-16 : Amsterdam, The Netherlands
June 17-19 : Berlin, Germany
June 20-July 17: Dublin, Ireland [Study Abroad Destination]
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Recommissioned/Repurposed
I hereby declare this Blog re-opened. I will be starting out by using it as part of my Study Abroad travels this summer, 2010. Hopefully, this will jump-start the process, and I will keep it up in the long term.
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