ASK Musings

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Travel Archive

Wednesday

21

April 2010

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Spring Break Part IV – Kentucky

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When I got to the airport Thursday I checked on my flight to see if the upgrade I requested had any chance of coming through. The gentleman at the counter was very kind, but replied “upgrade? Honey, we’re going to have to downgrade people.” The volcano had erupted the night before, and all flights to London were suspended. My flight to Chicago was meant to continue on to London, so they changed planes to avoid flying such a large one a relatively short distance. Unfortunately, that meant that nearly 20 people were left behind. I was not one of them however, and I made my way to Louisville and met Justin, who picked me up as he drove in from DC. We later picked up his girlfriend Vanessa, in on a later flight. We stayed over in Louisville and crashed at an airport hotel.

The next morning we drove to Lexington, before first stopping at a waffle house. The staff was nice, although we felt a bit out of place as we were dressed for the races and thus done up a bit more than the Waffle House crowd. Our server was nice, although when she brought Vanessa her chocolate milk, she asked if she wanted sugar or Splenda for it. Hmm…

We checked into the hotel and then went on the Keeneland for the races and met up with the bride and groom, Herman and Kathleen. They seemed great – so relaxed and happy. Friends of theirs have a box at the races, so we all gathered there, placing bets, some of us even winning money! That evening we gathered at Kathleen’s family farm for a BBQ. It was so great to see so many of my NYC friends!

Saturday started well – Erin, Bonnie, Kathleen and I (the original half-marathoners) met at the farm for a morning 5-mile run. It was such a great way to start the day. I was meant to go on a bourbon tour, but spent some time on the phone to my airline checking on my flight. That afternoon we headed out to the farm on a shuttle bus provided.

The ceremony was so beautiful. Kathleen looked utterly gorgeous, and Herman was cool as a cucumber. The readings were great, the weather was absolute perfection, and it was just … wow. Not over the top, and suiting them both so well. The tent for the reception was decorated with flowers from neighboring gardens, and lovely spring colors. The NYC folks were seated near the dance floor, as was appropriate. The food was delicious – all manner of amazing southern delicacies, plus red velvet cupcakes, including gluten-free ones for Jonathan (my wonder twin and date for the evening). We danced into the night, having such a great time. It was another wonderful wedding, and I’m so excited for the happy couple!

In the midst of all of this, I learned that my flight home to London was cancelled. Yikes. We figured out that I would hitch a ride to DC with Justin and Vanessa, staying there for a couple of nights, then take a bus up to NYC and stay in Herman and Kathleen’s apartment, where I am now, as they are on their two-week honeymoon. Sunday I’ll take a bus back down to DC, where hopefully I’ll take a flight out of Dulles Monday night and back to London, just eight days late. It seems like air space is open now, so hopefully by next Monday I’ll be all set! Pictures of all adventures will follow as soon as I can get them off of my camera …

Wednesday

21

April 2010

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Spring Break Part III – Seattle and San Juan (the island, not the city in Puerto Rico)

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I flew into Seattle via Denver on the 8th, and had a very nice and easy time of it. If you fly United I recommend changing in Denver, especially if you come in via an international flight. The baggage claim / re-check is rather convenient and stress-free.

I spent the first two evenings with my friends who kind enough to take me in when I move at the end of the summer, and I brought with me a suitcase full of my winter clothes to leave with them. Friday Renee and I did what we seem to do best when I visit: shop! We also had lunch with her mother, and then finished the day with some Beatles Rock Band (or Guitar Hero?) and dinner with Megan.

Saturday I got to see baby Jesse and oh man, she has grown quickly. I realize that’s what kids do, but it was amazing to see. It was also great to spend time with Jamie and Mike, as we strolled around Greenlake, went to a local waffle house and enjoyed the beautiful weekend weather. Sunday evening I met up with a couple of friends from college, then headed up to visit Reagan.

She took me to San Juan Island as a belated birthday present. Such a great adventure! We drove up to the ferry, and took it across over to Friday Harbor. We stayed in a beautiful place overlooking the harbor, patronized a local Mexican restaurant and rented a DVD (the Illusionist) and just relaxed. Tuesday we got up early and drove around the island. We started at the American Camp, which was set up to deal with the Pig War conflict of 1859. We were the only ones hiking around, and the views were phenomenal. We spotted a fox, but possibly the best was a rock that was in honor of one Robert, best known for Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure. Reagan and I are complete dorks, as that was a major high point of the trip. We made our way up the coast to a park where we could see the tails of some porpoises. It was peaceful and very cool, and I think at one point we could even hear them ‘talking’ to one another. Finally we headed up to the British Camp, then back to Seattle.

Wednesday Jamie, Jesse, Mike and I went to the Tulip Festival. It was an early bloom, so there were not many fields, except at Tulip Town. We also visited an Alpaca farm, which was awesome. Seriously, alpacas kick ass. They are so adorable.

Thursday I made my way to the airport, when part four of my adventure continued …

Monday

19

April 2010

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COMMENTS

Spring Break Interrupted

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I had a great time in the Pacific Northwest, and a wonderful time at the wedding in Kentucky, both of which I’ll yammer on about later. Now I am here on the East Coast until at least next Monday, as my flight last night was cancelled due to the volcano. I’m super tired and running a bit low on clean clothes, but luckily I’m at my friend Justin’s place, and he has a washing machine! Tomorrow I’m taking a bus up to NYC so I can see some more of my friends, then heading back down here Sunday to catch (hopefully) a flight back to London Monday night. I have access to the interwebs, and have a copy of my thesis on a thumb drive, so I can even do some work. Which means I should get up and get moving – it looks lovely here today.

Plus, it could be so much worse. Yeah, I’m not really able to properly study this week, and yeah, my body is sort of stiff and exhausted from all the different forms of travel / sleeping accommodations, but at least I’m not stuck in an airport in a country where I don’t speak the language. At least I don’t have to pay $150/night to stay in a less than stellar airport hotel, or rely on food vouchers from an airline. And the best part is this reminder of what amazing and generous friends I have – putting me up in their homes, giving me their keys while they are out of town, and just generally offering whatever help they can. It’s pretty awesome, to say the least.

Tuesday

6

April 2010

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Spring Break Part II – Birmingham

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Good Friday and Easter Monday are Bank Holidays here in England, so most people clear out of town. Kate and Richard decided to head up to the Midlands to visit his mum, and invited me along for the trip. We left Friday afternoon and after a sadly unsuccessful attempt to find some white eggs for dying, we made it to Birmingham. I had my first good fish and chips ever, and it was pretty fantastic. Saturday the three of us set out – with the assistance of a very posh-sounding TomTom guide – to visit Ironbridge. Ironbridge is a World Heritage site, and is apparently where the industrial revolution in England began. It was pretty cool town, actually, and one I’d visit again. It almost reminded me of an Italian village, the way the homes were built into the hills. We visited the Gorge museum, but there are nine others one can see, and I’d imagine they’re all pretty interesting. The bridge itself – the first built from cast iron in the world – is quite a site.

That evening we saw Clash of the Titans. In 3-D. It’s entertaining. And kind of a fun reminder both of boring Saturday afternoons when nothing else was on TV as well as my 10th grade mythology section.

Easter Sunday we took the Kraken (aka Holly, the most beautiful German Shepherd EVER) to the Lickey Hills. That’s right, England has some hills. These ones are gorgeous. After regrouping back at the house Richard’s mum joined us for a visit to Aston Hall, a lovely old manor house built during the Jacobean era. The owner, Mr. Holte, was a Royalist, but somehow the house was not burnt to the ground by the parliamentarians. There is, however, still a scar in one of the staircases from cannon fire. The only bummer is that it is right next door to the football club that shall not be named. Fellow Blue Noses must hold their lunches down to make the drive in, but once inside the estate it is easy to forget about the Villains. Of course, they are easy to forget anyway!

Yesterday before heading back to London we stopped by to see the Staffordshire Horde. Yeah, I hadn’t heard of it either. But it is amazing. A local man who likes to use a metal detector to find old coins and such discovered it in July last year, and it is one of the only finds of its kind. It’s by definition a treasure, so it technically belongs to the Crown, but Birmingham was able to raise the funds (over £3 million) to keep it in the Midlands. Right now there is just a temporary display of some of the items from 700 CE, but they are an absolute sight to see. Such intricate detailing. One of the staff members said it will take about ten years to go through it all, clean it, attempt to identify it, and work it into a display.

Monday

8

March 2010

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Une Américaine à Paris

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In the past 11 months I’ve run five half marathons. My times have ranged from painful (2:26 in the heat and humidity of NYC in August) to not so bad (2:05 on an overcast fall day in London), but each time there have been some real highs and some annoying lows. In the first race, it was the combination of my iPod shuffle freezing up at the moment my hips were trying to convince me to just lay down under a tree for a minute that brought me down, but the sight of that first finish line that brought my spirits through the roof. In my second race, the annoyance of the NYC Road Runners volunteers disappearing after mile nine (leaving me with no hydration for the final four miles) itself disappeared as I ran along the Coney Island boardwalk.

The race this weekend was similarly both incredible and disappointing. 

Friday Becky and I arrived in Paris in the evening. Our hotel was centrally located, and perfect for what we needed. We wandered over to a restaurant she loved (she had lived and studied in Paris before) and ate some excellent French food. Escargot really is super yummy.

Saturday we made our way to the park to pick up our race numbers and chips, and then wandered around, eventually settling into the park across from the Louvre with baguette sandwiches, soaking up the sun (it was FREEZING but still bright and sunny). Paris feels like a dream whenever I’m there. I love it.

Saturday night we met up with one of Becky’s friends, who was also going to run the next day, near the Eiffel Tower, for some Italian food. We were going to go up, but the wait was too long.

Sunday was actually freezing. Not just “oooh, it’s chilly out” cold, but COLD. My hands were numb for awhile once the race started. The organization for 27,000 people was not great at the beginning. Near the bag drop they had five toilets. At the Royal Parks Half marathon, they had about 25. We were able to use the restrooms and make it to the start with about 10 minutes to spare, but I know loads of people either gave up or started late.

The course was amazing. Running down towards the monument to the Bastille, with people cheering us on in French, was phenomenal. It was sunny, the Seine was sparkling, and I felt really good. The refreshments every 5 km were great – fresh orange slices (although the peels make for one hell of a race hazard), sugar cubes, bottles of water – and the backups at them were minimal. I was on pace to finish around 2:03 as I hit the 15km mark, but as my training this round wasn’t my best, I did lose some steam near the end.

However, after I passed the 20km mark, I sped up. I was excited – while I couldn’t still break 2:10 again, (which was my personally revised goal, after losing three weeks of training in January), I could get close. Everyone was speeding up, as we could see the finish line. So close!

And then we all stopped.

About 50m from the finish, with the clock ticking away, laughing at us, we stopped. You see, they did not organize the finish chute properly. Timing these days is all done by chips that people wear tied to their shoes (or with disposable chips that one need not return). After the race, volunteers cut them off and keep them, as they are just on loan to the racers. That takes some time, so these folks are, in a well-planned race, well out of the way of the finish line. Either off to the side in a completely different area, or far down the chute. Unfortunately, the fact that there were not enough volunteers coupled with them being WAY TOO CLOSE to the finish line, meant there was a huge back up. I felt really bad for the people, like Becky, who literally jumped over fences to run around the crowd, then jumped back in at the finish line to cross it but who didn’t get that feeling of running, full sprint, over the mat and knowing that you did it! I also felt for people who were set to PR and then just had to stop. My final official time was 2:19, but if I’d finished flat-out it would have been around 2:11. That’s so not cool.

Becky and I found each other afterwards and spent the evening moaning about the soreness (I think the cold did not help), raving about how cool the course was, and eating great food.

It was overall a really good experience, and one I’m glad I had, but definitely not something I will do again in Paris, as the organizers really let us down.

The next one is in Birmingham in July. Only 800 people, so I could definitely come in last. Should be fun!

And as a Post Script: This apology made its way to the website today (this is their English translation; I’m sure it flows much better in French):

We kindly ask you to accept our excuses for the inconvenience on the finish area
 

Dear runners,

On the 18th edition of the Paris Half-Marathon, due to important modifications of course owing to Tramway programs, we liked to change the start and finish areas.

On the start, we organized the zone by allowing more entrances on the left and the right, for more convenience.

On the finish area, we organized a complete change and unfortunately underestimated fluxes, considering the breath of the way.
The timing chip collection and the medal distribution could not be correctly made for many runners whose time of arrival is spread between 1h50 and 2h20. 
We are aware that this is of our whole responsibility and kindly ask you to accept our excuses for this inconvenience.

From today, we analysed this anomaly in term of organisation and we shall make fats decisions which are obvious to avoid that such situation reproduces in future.

Except this problem which certainly is not negligible, we hope that this 18th edition took place in good conditions and that you enjoy the event.

Yours faithfully.

The organisation committee.

Tuesday

16

February 2010

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Fifty Six Hours in Amsterdam

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On February 2 I decided that I needed to take a trip somewhere. I’d just gotten back from my visit to Birmingham with Kate and Richard (to see my first Blues match live – which was awesome) and wanted to keep with my plan to visit a different city outside of England each month while I’m here. I’ve been here four months, and have visited Barcelona, Dublin and Paris (December I went to the US, so I suppose that counts). Still on my list for sure? Edinburgh, Berlin and Amsterdam. I posted a request for ideas on Facebook, and Lesley-Anne said she’d join me if I went to Amsterdam. So on the 3rd we bought a package (round-trip tickets and two nights in a hotel) on Expedia for February 12-14. I don’t think I’ve ever planned an international trip so quickly.

We arrived at Schipol airport on time, and our baggage and passport control experience was completely uneventful. While all signs are in English, and we found the train easily, it was hard to figure out exactly what ticket we needed. But after some help we grabbed the train and were, 20 minutes later, in Amsterdam! We got on the tram and were soon at our hotel. Which. Was. AWESOME. Don’t believe me? It’s true. We had a room overlooking Vondelpark, and had crazy cushy beds. I had a cold (shocking, I know), but I still slept better there than I have in any hotel since probably the fancy place I stayed in Belfast in 2007.

After we settled in we set out to explore the city. It was freezing, but sunny, so we got to walking. We went to the Anne Frank House, and it was as sad and infuriating and surreal as you would expect. Oddly, there is a gift shop (I understand the desire to sell the book, but postcards and Amsterdam tchockies? That seemed unnecessary), and outside there was … an Oscar. The one Shelley Winters won for being in the film adaptation of the book. Those suckers are large.

(Obviously I took away more from the visit than the Oscar encounter, but I’m still not really able to put it into words.)

After that we did some more wandering. The streets are so beautiful there. It’s a bit tough to figure out when one is on the sidewalk and when one is in a bike lane, but by the very last day I think we had some idea. We found some mediocre Italian food for dinner, then called it a night, because it was freezing, we were both tired, and the hotel was SO nice.

Saturday, after watching the replay of the Olympics opening ceremony (during which we were very confused as to what all the sadness was for the Georgian team until later in the day when we got some Internet time) we set out for a little walking tour (thanks, Eyewitness Guide!). We went up to the Red Light district, and then wandered through the older area of the city, to the eastern canal ring area. We stopped in the flower market, and paused often to get snacks and warm up. We also discovered a fabulous chain, called Wok to Walk. Seriously. So good. I wish they had it in London. 

(But wait, they do! Oh Google. Love you.)

So, the Red Light District. During the day, it was depressing and oddly normal. I mean, loads of sex shops, but I’ve been to the Village, so that’s not so surprising. But the women standing in the windows during the day were … well, they were probably what you’d expect if someone told you to picture a “daytime hooker.” At night, the place was so different. Every window either had the shades drawn, or had some crazy skinny, overly-made-up young woman in a bikini standing in it. We only saw one man leaving after his transaction – he seemed a bit douchey, and had his iPhone earbuds in before he walked out the door. The industry is regulated, and I hear that some of the women are in unions. Such a different way of handling sex than in the States and the UK.

Sunday morning we were up fairly early to be out of the hotel and headed out to the Heineken Experience. I know, but whatever. I think that may be one of the only beers I actually like. The tour was great – you get one half-pint and two pint-ish beers, plus a fairly long and involved ‘experience’ learning about how beer is made, marketed, etc. It was very cool. Afterwards we were going to visit one of the many museums near our hotel, but they were pretty expensive, so we settled for some cafe time before setting out for the airport. We would have walked more, but it was still freezing and also snowing. Our trip back to the airport was just as easy as it was on the way in. They are effecient.

I really like Amsterdam. I’d like to go back in the spring, when it’s warmer and I can wander more. I do also want to see the different museums that weren’t in the budget this go round. 

Oh, and one more thing (and this may be the most important thing) – everyone there is my size! Seriously, it’s like a city made for people like me. I loved it. I didn’t have to duck on the tram, I could stand up straight and not feel like I had to slouch to have conversations with people. Being in New York for so many years got me used to being the tallest person in the room. But not in Amsterdam. The average male in the Netherlands is 6’1″, and the average female is 5’8″ (both a full four inches taller than the US averages). Loved it!

Monday

18

January 2010

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London and Paris – What a Way to Celebrate

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On Thursday I turned 30. The fun actually started Wednesday night – I was out at a pub with some friends from my residence hall, and at midnight they sang happy birthday to me. Very sweet.

On Thursday proper a small group of us got together at the National Dining Rooms at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square for afternoon tea. It was relaxed and fun, and a nice way to mix my friends together – old friend, friends from my program, friends from outside my program at school. I had class that night, and had to pack for my trip, so I decided that the fun should continue this coming weekend with dancing in London.

EARLY Friday morning I hopped on the Eurostar (mine was cancelled but I caught an earlier one) to Paris. Vanessa met me at the station and we ventured into the cold and foggy city. Which was PERFECT, because our first stop was Pere Lachaise. We stopped by the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and my favorite, Edith Piaf. There’s a cat who lives near her grave. That seems kind of awesome.

Our next stop (after a cozy lunch) was the Catacombs. They are as creepy as you would think, as evidenced by the photo below.

We made our way to the Eiffel Tower, but the top was closed so we kept on walking, up to the Champs Elysees. Keltia, with whom we were staying, arrived home around 6 so we made our way to the apartment. The place was adorable. Just perfectly Parisian. In the middle of everything. We had apero while waiting for Thomas, Keltia’s boyfriend, to get home. Then there was more drinking, and (to my surprise) gift giving to me. I’d never met Keltia or Thomas before; they’re just that thoughtful. I now have a gorgeous black and white photo calendar of Paris on my wall.

We went to dinner Friday night at Le Tavern, which is a regular place for them. We were there for probably three hours, trying food, drinking lots of different things, and telling stories. I tried boeuf bourguignon (yum), escargot (yum, surprisingly), this drink that is some beer, some liquor and something else (also yum). The manager also brought over some crazy Bailey’s drink to start, and a chocolate cake to end. So yummy!

On Saturday Vanessa and I had a nice rest before setting out into the rain. Lots of walking again, but we ended with a classic river cruise that started at dusk and ended in the dark, so I got to see the famous and romantic lights of Paris. We had apero again, this time with Keltia’s brother as well. I tried Ricard (hmm), Piru (yeowza) and real Czech Absinth (holy crap). I also tried foie gras, and – sadly – really kind of liked it. Then off to a local pub, followed by dinner at a couscous restaurant. It was crazy – they just kept bringing out loads of food.

Sunday Vanessa, Keltia and I walked for a few hours all around. The sun finally came out to play, and it was a bit warmer, so we strolled down through Les Halles, Ile Cite, Ste Germaine and the Louvre. 

I can’t imagine a more memorable way to celebrate this birthday. I had such an amazing time, saw some wonderful things, and got to experience the beautiful city with people who speak the language and know the area, which it made it all the more special.

Tuesday

22

December 2009

1

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But baby it’s cold outside

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I seem to have dodged many a weather bullet this past week. I got out of London in time to miss the snow (and accompanying travel delays). I somehow managed to be in NYC when the weather was great, sandwiched between two snowstorms. Seattle was wet and windy but nothing out of the ordinary. And now I’ve made it back to my parents’ home, so even if I get stuck here past my return date, it won’t be such a big deal, as I have another two+ weeks after Christmas to get back to London for school.

My visit to Brooklyn was sweet but of course too short. Herman and Kathleen kindly opened their home (and super-comfy double-decker air mattress) to me. After 14.5 hours of travel door to door, I spent the first few hours back in the States getting things in order – finding a US SIM card for my cell so I could communicate with people, stocking up on the antiperspirant they don’t sell in London – before dinner at Chilis and Chocolate, a favorite Oaxacan / mole restaurant. Tuesday (after waking up for the day at 3:45am) I stopped by the office to have lunch with friends and coffee with my former boss, before some final prep for the cookie party. Herman spent the weekend baking so we could carry on the holiday cookie party tradition, which also served as a great way for me to get to see nearly all of my NYC friends. I was exhausted (a six-hour time difference is tough), but I started to feel a bit like how I imagine the grandmother feels at a big family gathering. Content to just sit in the corner and watch everyone interacting and laughing, not needing to chat. Just feeling good being around all the people. 

Wednesday I dragged my (slightly lighter, thanks to the distribution of some holiday gifts) suitcases back to JFK, and spent 12 hours door to door getting from Brooklyn to Bothell, Washington. I rented a car (and managed to spend the whole trip driving on the correct side of the road) and headed up to meet Reagan and Lon, who treated me out to a lovely Italian dinner. Seriously, the theme of the week has been Food I’ve Been Missing. Thursday Reagan and I wandered the shops, finishing up some holiday shopping before I met up with Jeremy for a late lunch (more Mexican – woo!). I got to Jamie and Mike’s to see Jesse, who was not in good form. Poor girl was not a happy child, and after about six hours of on and off crying, melting down, and just general sadness (accompanying the mad cookie-baking and candy-making that Jamie and I were engaged in to prep for her Sunday party) we all piled into two cars to head to the ER at 11 that night. All is well – baby was fine when I left this morning – and that definitely kicked me right onto Pacific time. Friday was filled with more baking, party prep, and just good, relaxing time with Jamie, Mike and Jesse. Saturday I ventured over to West Seattle for time with Renee and Kevan, and dinner with Megan and Mike (who are engaged – congratulations!). Finally, Sunday was Jamie’s party. I hadn’t been to one of her Christmas parties since college, and it was so much fun. I got to see some college friends, and even meet the new girlfriend of another friend (who, I can safely say seems super nice, which means I can continue to honestly say that I really like all of my friends’ partners!).

This morning I had considerably less travel time – just six hour door to door – getting from Seattle to Danville. It’s so good to see my sister, and be with my parents. And it’s even better because, waiting on my bed when I walked in my old room was …

A SLANKET

That item is amazing. It’s seven feet long. It’s fleece. There’s a little hand pouch on the front and a foot pouch on the bottom. Both my sister and I fell asleep in our respective slankets by 9:30pm.

To those of you travelling, or who have friends and family travelling, I hope the weather and the transport cooperate and get all to their destinations safely. In case I don’t get a chance to post before then – MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Tuesday

1

December 2009

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Thanksgiving in Ireland

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Friday afternoon I took the train out to Stansted to catch a flight up to Ireland to spend the weekend with Vanessa. I’ve visited her there a couple of times over the past few years; we met in middle school, lost touch for a few years during high school / college, and reconnected via facebook in the mid-aughts. She is hilarious, and one of those friends where time can pass but it doesn’t feel like it.

She met me in Dublin and we hit a pub for a quick pint, then grabbed some excellent Mexican food (seriously!) before settling in at a bar called Shebeen Chic. We spent a few hours there, getting caught up and trying to hold down a table while waiting to meet up with some of her friends. I was also reminded of how excellent the Johnny Cash covers album is. Really good. 

She lives in a great little seaside town, and shares a huge, lovely flat with her boyfriend Gus. I had my own room to stay in – no couch for me. I do love having grown-up friends.

Saturday was literally freezing. It was SO cold. But we decided to venture out into the fog to explore Malahide, the larger seaside town next door. They have a great downtown, very adorable. I kept describing everything as cute and adorable. I don’t mean it condescendingly; everything just looks like it’s out of a book or a movie. 

We eventually went up to Howth and the Summit Inn pub for some soup and a little Irish Rugby. After some grocery shopping for the evening, we headed back to her place to begin preparing Thanksgiving number two. Vanessa did a great job preparing a chicken, stuffing, and pie, her friend Shawna made amazing potatoes (it’s true; the Irish know their potatoes), and I was responsible for the mulled wine. Four of us enjoyed dinner with some rose prosecco, and later were joined by a few others for more dessert (including the cupcakes pictured below) and a little X Factor.

Sunday was a lazy day before I headed back to London.

I am so happy I got a chance to go back to Ireland again. I imagine I’ll visit Vanessa there again before I leave London, and it’s exciting to realize it’s so close. I don’t know if I could take the weather there, as much as I love cozy and rainy, but in November, it’s just perfect.

Thursday

19

November 2009

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Barcelona (Part II)

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Sunday was just as beautiful as Saturday. We spent much of the day outside, although with much less walking than the previous day. After a very quick breakfast (hot chocolate again, of course), we made our way to La Catedral. Sunday services were going on, but they still let us tourists wander around (quietly) in it. After that dose of religion it was off to bow before a different idol – chocolate (or xocolata in Catalan). We went to the Museo Xocolata, where our ticket was a dark chocolate bar, and we learned about the history of chocolate production. Oddly there was also an exhibit on the solar system, but that was completely in Spanish with no images of chocolate, so I have no idea how it related.

After a quick metro ride (seriously, their system is so efficient and well marked) we made it to Park Guell. It’s smaller than I imagined, but still awesome. A friend described the City as looking a bit like Candy Land, and she’s right. It’s like a child’s imagination almost, and the buildings and fences and ceilings in the park were no different. There were loads of people up there, and we were rewarded for our hike up to the park with a stunning view of Barcelona, as well as some fun music played by local artists.

We headed back down the hill and all the way to the Mediterranean to visit the aquarium. It’s alleged to be the best in the Mediterranean. That may be true. They do have an excellent shark exhibit. However – not worth the price of admission in my opinion. After a couple of hours on the marina we headed back into La Ribera (I believe) and went in search of a few bars that Lonely Planet told us were good and open on Sundays. We unfortunately were not able to confirm their quality, as ALL were closed. No wonder it’s a Lonely Planet … (I suggest a different guide of you choose to visit Barcelona – Allegra had the brief one, I had the full length one, and while both were recently updated, both had a lot of errors).

Anyway, we managed to find some other really excellent places, including a cute cafe (where we had chocolate and churros), a great off the beaten path pottery and crafts store, and more. The street we spent the most time in was Carrer de Argentina, so if you find yourself in Barcelona, I suggest just wandering down it. It feels less tourist-y than other places in the city centre. It also has Santa Maria del Mar, another gorgeous cathedral. There was someone playing beautiful organ music, and almost none of the artificial lights were on (it was twilight by the time we visited), and it was both spooky and awesome. We popped into La Fianna, an adorable bar / restaurant for some cava before our final meal of tapas, then called it a night.

Monday we almost made it to the airport without incident; however, the rumors about pickpockets and Barcelona are, we can unfortunately confirm, quite true. But we both made it to our planes and back to our respective countries.

Although, funny story: I was almost not let back into the UK. When I came here originally back in September, I flew through Ireland. I got a stamp from them, but when I came to Heathrow I wasn’t sent through customs, as the UK/Ireland have a special relationship. So my visa was never activated, apparently. When I was speaking with the Border Agent at Gatwick, she asked to see my documents. I literally said “what documents – my visa’s in there.” She didn’t even look up, but asked for them again. I said they were at home – that I’d come here already in September, through Ireland. She was never rude, and I can’t tell if she was annoyed with me, but she asked again, and I told her I didn’t know what to say – I didn’t carry the letter from the school with me, and it was in my residence hall. She got up and looked at some laminated sheet of paper, then came back and asked what school I was at, then asked for my student ID (which I had on me, thank goodness), activated my visa and sent me on my way. Yikes. I’m sure it would have all worked out, but that’s a problem I certainly hadn’t thought I’d encounter. Note to future UK students from the US – don’t arrive via Ireland!