Last Thursday Kathryn, Allie, Erin and I headed out for Dublin, Ireland.
The following were our highs and lows:
Low: RyanAir - It's a budget airline. Poor Allie got charged the equivalent of $100. We were all angry for her.
High: Getting to Dublin safely.
Low: Wandering around Dublin on our first night trying to find somewhere cheap to eat. (Whoever told me that London is the most expensive city in the world... you lied. I don't think you've been to Dublin.)
High: Finding a 1950s American diner to eat at. (Thank you, Dublin, for the best American meal I have had outside the States. Cheeseburgers, fries and an oreo shake = I love Dublin.)
High: Eating at a 1950s American diner in Dublin and looking around at all the red-heads that were in the place. Welcome to Ireland!
Low (but not that low): My first hostel experience. Better than what I thought, but my mom would have had a heart attack if she saw how messy our 12 female room was...
High: A three-hour walking tour of Dublin with a lively tour guide. (He even played on his Irish whistle for us.) We saw the Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Temple Bar... a lot of statues in honor of a lot of really important historical events that I don't remember...
High: The weather was warmer than in London - and no rain. Yes!
Low: GUINNESS BEER! SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK! We went through the Guinness Storehouse, and it was very interesting. We made it to the Tasting Lab, and they gave us a small sample to try. Absolutely disgusting. After this traumatizing event, we made it all the way to the Gravity Bar. We had an awesome view overlooking all of Dublin. Erin and I turned in our tickets to get a complimentary pint of Guinness. (I only did this because I knew my brother Jeremy would think I was boring if I didn't.) Kathryn and Allie got complimentary Diet Cokes. I took one sip, took a picture and then I was done with my pint. Thankfully, we had mentos on hand to ease the harsh aftertaste.
High: History. It's amazing how much there is to learn in such a short amount of time! Three days to learn 12,000 years of history is difficult.
Low: Waking up in the middle of the night because you are sharing a room with 11 other girls from around the world... and they are not quiet.
High: Howth. We woke up on Saturday and took a train to this small village just north of Dublin. Howth is on a small peninsula, and we had a great view of the sea! It was REAL fresh air! (Who knew I would get so excited about that?) We walked out to the lighthouse, and asked a stranger if she could take a picture of the four of us. It turned out that she was from Connecticut and had a son graduate from the journalism school at Iowa State. I have said this over and over... but wowzas! What a small world. We stayed in Howth for most of the afternoon, and it was so much fun to sit on the rocks, dangle our feet and eat jelly sandwiches while looking out on the sea.
High: Valentine's Day. This is an invitation to ice cream at Haagen Dazs. 3 scoops? Yes, please.
Low: The cost of 3 scoops of Haagen Dazs ice cream. (I think I like DQ blizzards better anyways.)
High: Walking around the Temple Bar area - it was full of couples and all the ladies had flowers. (How cute.) There was live music everywhere, and it was a very fun environment to be in on our last night in Dublin.
Low: RyanAir, and the flight back to London.
At the end of the weekend, we were all exhausted, but we learned a lot on our first weekend trip out of London. The lows were never that low, and the highs? They were great. The Irish are such nice people, and Dublin was definitely more relaxed than London. (People were actually wearing sweat pants... Amen to that.)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Pictures from the BAFTAs
 |
| Kate Winslet on the right |
 |
| Daniel Craig and Erin |
 |
| Ron Howard |
 |
| Red Carpet |
 |
| Angelina Jolie |
Never Again
Earlier last week Kathryn, Jill, Erin, Allie and I decided we wanted to be on the red carpet at the BAFTA awards (British Oscars, for the most part). We found out that free wristbands are given away to a selected number of people at 8 am on the morning of the event. We decided to wake up at 3:15 am Sunday to make sure we got a front row view to the stars.
We packed lunches, bundled up and headed out the door at 4 am. At this point, the mood was light-hearted and filled with excitement. We took a bus and headed for the Royal Opera House in Convent Garden. Once we arrived, there was no one in sight except for the workers setting up the red carpet. We thought maybe we looked like desparate fanatics showing up so early, but no worries... the workers pointed us in the direction of the queue already full of people waiting - some camping out all night.
We walked through this dark alley and took our place in line... and we couldn't see a thing. We were creeped out already.
We were telling ourselves just to make it to 7 am because that is when the nearest Starbucks opened... The first hour I had my ipod and was singing while everyone tried to guess what song it was. This was my "Oh, isn't this so fun??" mood.
After an hour of 'pure bliss' in a creepy, dark alley with strangers (and lying on concrete, having my bookbag as a pillow and using my raincoat as a blanket), Allie, Kathryn and I decided it was time to walk around. We walked to Starbucks, and found out that it didn't open until 8am... Urrrggghhh!
At this point, at 5:30 in the morning, it was chilly, so three of us took the bus back to Vandon, put on more layers, and came back to the line to find Erin and Jill holding on to each other shivering frantically in the cold. Great. (Don't worry, they went to McDonald's to warm up.)
It was during the hours of 7:30-9:30 that I went into Crab-mode. And I didn't even care. When you can't feel your feet anymore, I think it's okay to be a little bit of a crabby pants. (The whole time I kept thinking, "I don't even like Brad and Angelina this much...")
We FINALLY got our wristbands at 9:30. Thankfully we found out that they were numbered, so we could leave, come back and still have our spots in line.
After long naps, we headed back to the opera house, and they let us onto the red carpet at 3 pm. Everyone was pushing and shoving. We were throwing elbows back because we agreed that there would be no Miss Nice Iowa Girl on the red carpet. We were going to hold our ground.
We stood in the front row by the red carpet for about two hours, and eventually the stars started showing up!
It was nuts to be that up close, and I have to admit, it was worth it to wait all day in the freezing cold.
And as soon as I saw Ron Howard, I turned into a crazed, screaming fan.
I am more embarrassed to say that I freaked out even more when Brad and Angelina arrived. (Seriously, I would consider it a low point in my life.) "I love Brad and Angelina!!! You are my favorite!!! Team Brad!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" And then from there it was just a continuous "BRAD! BRAD! BRAD!"
(Highlight: When Angelina came up to us, Allie yells at her, "Can I just... take a picture of you??!?!!" And I think I saw Angelina give her a look that said, "Hm, weird.")
Here is a list of the stars we saw - some came over to talk to us... others we saw from just feet away!
Ron Howard
Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)
Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
Meryl Streep
Shia LaBeouf
Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie
Amy Adams
Sharon Stone
Danny Boyle
Daniel Craig
Emma Watson
Kate Winslet
Goldie Hawn
Penolope Cruz
It was definitely fun screaming their names and getting their attention for some photos and autographs, but up close... they are just regular people like everyone else. (Except that they are really skinny, have perfect skin and wear expensive dresses.)
So it was an adventure, from waking up early and traveling around London, waiting in the queue with people smoking (who knows what) in your face and being under the bright lights of the red carpet...I had a great time.
But I would never do it again.
We packed lunches, bundled up and headed out the door at 4 am. At this point, the mood was light-hearted and filled with excitement. We took a bus and headed for the Royal Opera House in Convent Garden. Once we arrived, there was no one in sight except for the workers setting up the red carpet. We thought maybe we looked like desparate fanatics showing up so early, but no worries... the workers pointed us in the direction of the queue already full of people waiting - some camping out all night.
We walked through this dark alley and took our place in line... and we couldn't see a thing. We were creeped out already.
We were telling ourselves just to make it to 7 am because that is when the nearest Starbucks opened... The first hour I had my ipod and was singing while everyone tried to guess what song it was. This was my "Oh, isn't this so fun??" mood.
After an hour of 'pure bliss' in a creepy, dark alley with strangers (and lying on concrete, having my bookbag as a pillow and using my raincoat as a blanket), Allie, Kathryn and I decided it was time to walk around. We walked to Starbucks, and found out that it didn't open until 8am... Urrrggghhh!
At this point, at 5:30 in the morning, it was chilly, so three of us took the bus back to Vandon, put on more layers, and came back to the line to find Erin and Jill holding on to each other shivering frantically in the cold. Great. (Don't worry, they went to McDonald's to warm up.)
It was during the hours of 7:30-9:30 that I went into Crab-mode. And I didn't even care. When you can't feel your feet anymore, I think it's okay to be a little bit of a crabby pants. (The whole time I kept thinking, "I don't even like Brad and Angelina this much...")
We FINALLY got our wristbands at 9:30. Thankfully we found out that they were numbered, so we could leave, come back and still have our spots in line.
After long naps, we headed back to the opera house, and they let us onto the red carpet at 3 pm. Everyone was pushing and shoving. We were throwing elbows back because we agreed that there would be no Miss Nice Iowa Girl on the red carpet. We were going to hold our ground.
We stood in the front row by the red carpet for about two hours, and eventually the stars started showing up!
It was nuts to be that up close, and I have to admit, it was worth it to wait all day in the freezing cold.
And as soon as I saw Ron Howard, I turned into a crazed, screaming fan.
I am more embarrassed to say that I freaked out even more when Brad and Angelina arrived. (Seriously, I would consider it a low point in my life.) "I love Brad and Angelina!!! You are my favorite!!! Team Brad!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" And then from there it was just a continuous "BRAD! BRAD! BRAD!"
(Highlight: When Angelina came up to us, Allie yells at her, "Can I just... take a picture of you??!?!!" And I think I saw Angelina give her a look that said, "Hm, weird.")
Here is a list of the stars we saw - some came over to talk to us... others we saw from just feet away!
Ron Howard
Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)
Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
Meryl Streep
Shia LaBeouf
Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie
Amy Adams
Sharon Stone
Danny Boyle
Daniel Craig
Emma Watson
Kate Winslet
Goldie Hawn
Penolope Cruz
It was definitely fun screaming their names and getting their attention for some photos and autographs, but up close... they are just regular people like everyone else. (Except that they are really skinny, have perfect skin and wear expensive dresses.)
So it was an adventure, from waking up early and traveling around London, waiting in the queue with people smoking (who knows what) in your face and being under the bright lights of the red carpet...I had a great time.
But I would never do it again.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Time Just Flies By!
Yesterday I had my advertising class all morning, and then we walked past Hyde Park to go to Harrod's. I was somewhat creeped out by this place. There were restaurants (I want to go back to the Chocolate Bar) and anything else you could imagine. (There were writing pens that sold for thousands and thousands of pounds... What the heck? Why not just use the free ones you get from businesses?)
After Herrod's a group of us went out to eat at a nice pizza restaurant across from Hyde Park. It was very nice, and I even had an egg smack dab in the middle of my pizza. (I was a litlte weirded out by it, but I went with it.)
After that... Karaoke! I went out long enough just to sing one duet, and even got a couple compliments on my singing. (BAHAHAHAHA)
This morning we woke up and headed for Westminster Pier to catch a boat headed to Greenwich. I (of course) ran into problems when we left Vandon and realized I had forgotten my Oyster card... The whole group rode the Tube to the river, but Kathryn and I sprinted down the streets of London to catch up with the group. Nothing like a little morning workout...
We couldn't have picked a worse day to go to Greenwich. The boat ride was fun, but it was chilly and raining. When we got to Greenwich we went to the Royal Observatory, and I was in two hemispheres at once! We also hit up the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House, both historically interesting.
A highlight of the trip came in the form of food (go figure). We ate at a delicious Mexican restaurant, and my oh my! How I had missed nachos!
I definitely plan to go back to Greenwich on a warmer day, and take in all the sights while I can still feel all of my toes. It was very cute there, and a nice little break from the city. (And yes, I will go have more nachos at the Mexican restaurant.)
Each week goes by faster than the last one! This doesn't surprise me though... my dad has taught me from an early age that life just flies by.
"You're in third grade already, Jenon. Can you believe it? Before you know it you will be graduating high school and then off to college."
This is just an example of what Dave would say to me many mornings before I caught the bus to school. (At one point in my life, I thought I would be five years-old forever. I promised myself I would never grow up because I never wanted to do "grown up things". My biggest fear as a youngin': Trying to buy a plane ticket.)
This talk has continued through the years, and my dad still reminds me how short life really is. I can't think of a better lesson to learn. I know my time in London is limited, and it's a great reminder to make the most of every day.
And because of it, I am definitely not taking any time in London for granted.
After Herrod's a group of us went out to eat at a nice pizza restaurant across from Hyde Park. It was very nice, and I even had an egg smack dab in the middle of my pizza. (I was a litlte weirded out by it, but I went with it.)
After that... Karaoke! I went out long enough just to sing one duet, and even got a couple compliments on my singing. (BAHAHAHAHA)
This morning we woke up and headed for Westminster Pier to catch a boat headed to Greenwich. I (of course) ran into problems when we left Vandon and realized I had forgotten my Oyster card... The whole group rode the Tube to the river, but Kathryn and I sprinted down the streets of London to catch up with the group. Nothing like a little morning workout...
We couldn't have picked a worse day to go to Greenwich. The boat ride was fun, but it was chilly and raining. When we got to Greenwich we went to the Royal Observatory, and I was in two hemispheres at once! We also hit up the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House, both historically interesting.
A highlight of the trip came in the form of food (go figure). We ate at a delicious Mexican restaurant, and my oh my! How I had missed nachos!
I definitely plan to go back to Greenwich on a warmer day, and take in all the sights while I can still feel all of my toes. It was very cute there, and a nice little break from the city. (And yes, I will go have more nachos at the Mexican restaurant.)
Each week goes by faster than the last one! This doesn't surprise me though... my dad has taught me from an early age that life just flies by.
"You're in third grade already, Jenon. Can you believe it? Before you know it you will be graduating high school and then off to college."
This is just an example of what Dave would say to me many mornings before I caught the bus to school. (At one point in my life, I thought I would be five years-old forever. I promised myself I would never grow up because I never wanted to do "grown up things". My biggest fear as a youngin': Trying to buy a plane ticket.)
This talk has continued through the years, and my dad still reminds me how short life really is. I can't think of a better lesson to learn. I know my time in London is limited, and it's a great reminder to make the most of every day.
And because of it, I am definitely not taking any time in London for granted.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Snow, York and Skipton Photos
 |
| Snow! It feels just like home... only warmer! |
 |
| St. James Park |
 |
| Kathryn and I at St. James Park with Buckingham Palace in the background |
 |
| On the wall in York |
 |
| Skipton |
 |
| Street leading to York Minster |
 |
| York |
Walking Through Slush
Monday
Over Sunday night and into Monday, London got around five inches of snow. The bus routes were all shut down, and there were major delays and suspensions on the Tube. It was crazy!
Our morning classes were canceled, so we decided to watch Bridget Jones's Diary. After that, we braved the weather (it was actually fairly warm) and the snow (more like slush). We went and found a large store called Primark - very crowded with cheap clothes and lots of people.
We headed back, and I had a relaxing snow day in London reading, journaling and catching up on e-mails.
Tuesday
Today I didn't have to go in to work (because of the snow), so Kathryn and I went for a nice walk through St. James Park to Trafalgar Square. There we went to the National Gallery to see an impressive display of paintings.
We thought it would be a great idea to get the audio guide, and we used it for the first three paintings. Then we decided it would take us two entire days if we listened to a nice British lady giving us all the historic and artistic details about each painting.
The building itself is impressive, but I had never experienced art like this before (I know nothing about art, but I know this is outstanding). I enjoyed it a great deal, and it was free - what a deal!
Next we continued on our walk to the British Museum. Also VERY impressive (and free). There was so much to see including the Rosetta Stone, sculptures from the Parthenon and some good old-fashioned mummies. You could easily spend an entire day exploring the place, and it was a great history lesson of every part of the world.
The best part about the day: Kathryn and I walked outside, enjoyed the slush and the sun... and... ? We never got lost. (Victory!)
Over Sunday night and into Monday, London got around five inches of snow. The bus routes were all shut down, and there were major delays and suspensions on the Tube. It was crazy!
Our morning classes were canceled, so we decided to watch Bridget Jones's Diary. After that, we braved the weather (it was actually fairly warm) and the snow (more like slush). We went and found a large store called Primark - very crowded with cheap clothes and lots of people.
We headed back, and I had a relaxing snow day in London reading, journaling and catching up on e-mails.
Tuesday
Today I didn't have to go in to work (because of the snow), so Kathryn and I went for a nice walk through St. James Park to Trafalgar Square. There we went to the National Gallery to see an impressive display of paintings.
We thought it would be a great idea to get the audio guide, and we used it for the first three paintings. Then we decided it would take us two entire days if we listened to a nice British lady giving us all the historic and artistic details about each painting.
The building itself is impressive, but I had never experienced art like this before (I know nothing about art, but I know this is outstanding). I enjoyed it a great deal, and it was free - what a deal!
Next we continued on our walk to the British Museum. Also VERY impressive (and free). There was so much to see including the Rosetta Stone, sculptures from the Parthenon and some good old-fashioned mummies. You could easily spend an entire day exploring the place, and it was a great history lesson of every part of the world.
The best part about the day: Kathryn and I walked outside, enjoyed the slush and the sun... and... ? We never got lost. (Victory!)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
A York Weekend
Here is a synopsis of my York experiences...
Friday
We arrived in York, and after taking an hour guided bus tour, we were off to explore! We walked through a lot of cute shops in the town centre. Allie gravitates to the jewelry shops (to look at diamond rings), and Erin heads straight for the clothing stores. I make Kathryn and Jill follow me to the bakeries or chocolate shops.
We made our way to York Minster, the Anglican Church Cathedral, where we attended Evensong. The boys choir sang, and it was amazing! They were almost as good as the Faith Lutheran choir back home. ;)
After our ears were pleasantly entertained and our bodies were freezing from the cold air inside the church, we ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant with a colorful older man as our server. Highlight of the dinner: My calzone was twice the size of my head.
At night we went to the local Pantomine at the Royal York Theatre. It was a different theatrical experience. The audience was very involved, and the plot was very random. There was also a lot of current issues and British jokes that went over our heads at times, but it was definitely an entertaining cultural experience.
Saturday
We got back on our bus and headed an hour and a half to see the Yorkshire Dales. Dale is the Scandanavian word for valley. We saw beautiful rolling hills with lots of sheep in fields.
We went to the small town of Skipton for a couple hours. They had a cute castle, (I feel weird describing a castle as "cute") and a market to browse through as well. We went through many shops, and I had my first mocha (I don't know why I have waited so long to have one of these) at a quiet coffee shop.
After exploring a small town (it was refreshing to be in a small town!), we got back on the bus for York. Once we were back, we walked along a wall that encloses most of the city. (I wish I could remember all the history of the wall, but there was history overload this weekend...)
We went through the Castle Museum, and then I had my first fish and chips experience at a local pub. I can't wait to have fish and chips again - very deep fat fried and delicious.
Last night we went on a Ghost Walk of York. We found out that York is the most haunted city in the world. Our guide also told us that our bed and breakfasts were also probably haunted. (No old man should ever be allowed to tell a gullible 21 year-old girl from the States that she is sleeping in a ghost's playground...)
We experienced a lot in our short time at York and Skipton, including a full English breakfast. Here are some tips for dealing with this morning food:
Skip the bread pudding. It looks like a chocolate candy bar, but this is very deceiving. It's cow blood.
Be prepared to have your arteries clogged for days after consuming the fried bread. (I didn't know it was possible to deep fat fry a piece of bread.)
The bacon looks like a gross piece of ham. Some parts can be tasty if you cut around it.
Nonetheless, I recommend eating it (the mushrooms and tomatoes weren't bad... and the greasy egg could have been worse), and I am sure I will do it again sometime.
Oh, it's only the beginning of many more cultural experiences to come!
Friday
We arrived in York, and after taking an hour guided bus tour, we were off to explore! We walked through a lot of cute shops in the town centre. Allie gravitates to the jewelry shops (to look at diamond rings), and Erin heads straight for the clothing stores. I make Kathryn and Jill follow me to the bakeries or chocolate shops.
We made our way to York Minster, the Anglican Church Cathedral, where we attended Evensong. The boys choir sang, and it was amazing! They were almost as good as the Faith Lutheran choir back home. ;)
After our ears were pleasantly entertained and our bodies were freezing from the cold air inside the church, we ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant with a colorful older man as our server. Highlight of the dinner: My calzone was twice the size of my head.
At night we went to the local Pantomine at the Royal York Theatre. It was a different theatrical experience. The audience was very involved, and the plot was very random. There was also a lot of current issues and British jokes that went over our heads at times, but it was definitely an entertaining cultural experience.
Saturday
We got back on our bus and headed an hour and a half to see the Yorkshire Dales. Dale is the Scandanavian word for valley. We saw beautiful rolling hills with lots of sheep in fields.
We went to the small town of Skipton for a couple hours. They had a cute castle, (I feel weird describing a castle as "cute") and a market to browse through as well. We went through many shops, and I had my first mocha (I don't know why I have waited so long to have one of these) at a quiet coffee shop.
After exploring a small town (it was refreshing to be in a small town!), we got back on the bus for York. Once we were back, we walked along a wall that encloses most of the city. (I wish I could remember all the history of the wall, but there was history overload this weekend...)
We went through the Castle Museum, and then I had my first fish and chips experience at a local pub. I can't wait to have fish and chips again - very deep fat fried and delicious.
Last night we went on a Ghost Walk of York. We found out that York is the most haunted city in the world. Our guide also told us that our bed and breakfasts were also probably haunted. (No old man should ever be allowed to tell a gullible 21 year-old girl from the States that she is sleeping in a ghost's playground...)
We experienced a lot in our short time at York and Skipton, including a full English breakfast. Here are some tips for dealing with this morning food:
Skip the bread pudding. It looks like a chocolate candy bar, but this is very deceiving. It's cow blood.
Be prepared to have your arteries clogged for days after consuming the fried bread. (I didn't know it was possible to deep fat fry a piece of bread.)
The bacon looks like a gross piece of ham. Some parts can be tasty if you cut around it.
Nonetheless, I recommend eating it (the mushrooms and tomatoes weren't bad... and the greasy egg could have been worse), and I am sure I will do it again sometime.
Oh, it's only the beginning of many more cultural experiences to come!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)
