Dublin Day Trip and other ramblings
New pictures added; just follow the link at the top of my livejournal page, and you can check them out.
Juan and I did a day trip to Dublin on Monday. We left early morning (around 4am), and the sun was already coming up (there is a crazy amount of sunlight over here during the summer). We departed from London Stanstead. We took Ryanair, which is basically like an airbus. It's first come, first served basis. Needless to say, you know that I was standing at the very front of that line both coming and returning from Dublin!
It was a very nice, hot sunny day in Dublin. The first place we HAD to go was to the Guinness Storehouse. Well, more like it was Juan's doing. It really was an interesting place, and I learned how to pour the 'perfect pint.' I even got a certificate. Juan of course drank most of my Guinness (I've not been a big drinker these days), and throughout the city, we'd stop at pubs and he'd have another.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe so Juan could get his shotglass, and we ate dinner there as well. There were a bunch of Italian kids who were there for a school trip. Juan wouldn't believe me that the one group of girls was only 15ish. Of course I proved that I was right and he was wrong. He still thinks Italian girls are 'hot.' Meh.
Um... there were crazy rabbit statues all over the place in Dublin. And I had no idea what the "Spire" was all about. It just looks like Dublin's skinny penis. "Look at us and our extremely phallac, pointless 'monument'."
We went through Christ Church Cathedral. It was beautiful, and very nicely kept. Juan pointed out that we were in Catholic Central, so I could imagine a lot more people were funding to keep that place up and running as opposed to say, Ely Cathedral. The floors were absolutely gorgeous in there, though. I took a picture to show the original flooring and what the Victorians copied at a later period.
I can't really think of what else to say about Dublin. It's definitely a day trip kind of city.
Today was "lovely," though.
I'm driving to work, trying to get on the A14, and traffic is backed up. Apparently there was this huge wreck on the A14. Well everyone is slowing down to a stop... well, almost everyone. There was a bus and a tractor trailer (lorry) behind me. The bus swings into the passing lane, and I look in my rearview mirror... to see the tractor trailer behind me get slammed by another one. The one that was hit, the whole back explodes/collapses, and the hitter had his whole passenger side ripped off. I tried to get as close to the guy in front of me (without hitting him, of course) so none of the flying debris would hit my car. But anyways, what a mess. It took me 3 hours to get to RAF Alconbury, it is flippin' hot out, and my car has no a/c... and come to find out, the commissary's a/c was on the fritz and it felt like you walked into a sauna in there. What a day.
But in other news, I will be switching jobs shortly. Either I will go back to the Post Office to work for the holiday shift (they are extending the months to go from September-March now), or I will take up a job at RAF Lakenheath's Bank of America. They are hiring both tellers and customer service there. It's part-time, the money is decent, and what really sold me was the fact that after you are with them for six months, they will pay for college classes and books as long as you maintain a "B" average. I'd take the job just for that! I'd love to get my Master's for free. Of course, the major has to be 'job related,' but that is basically anything business. Oh yeah, and it's air conditioned in that building, also. ;) Haha. Well, I just want to find something that takes me near Lakenheath, so when Juan is gone, I don't have to trek an additional half hour just to go check my mail.
Oh, and I'm thinking that I'm coming home for my birthday in October. It's becoming more of a definite. I'm thinking of just flying into Elmira, since the gas prices are high and I don't want people to drive all the way out to Newark to pick me up. It will be fun to go home, and drive on the other side of the road again! :-p Honestly I think it is easier to drive on the LEFT hand side, especially with round abouts. I do love me some roundabouts.
This has been a pretty big update, but then again, I only update this thing every few months or so. If anyone has the desire to 'hop across the pound,' let me know. You can come visit lil ole me (minus the Juan, since he will soon be deploying... sniffle) and we can hang out and act like hoodlums. And I will let my dogs jump and slobber all over you... now you can't tell me you don't find THAT appealing! ;)
P.S. Is it really hot at home? It's freaken steaming here. England is going through a drought; you can imagine a non-rainy England? Everything is brown. Yech.
Juan and I did a day trip to Dublin on Monday. We left early morning (around 4am), and the sun was already coming up (there is a crazy amount of sunlight over here during the summer). We departed from London Stanstead. We took Ryanair, which is basically like an airbus. It's first come, first served basis. Needless to say, you know that I was standing at the very front of that line both coming and returning from Dublin!
It was a very nice, hot sunny day in Dublin. The first place we HAD to go was to the Guinness Storehouse. Well, more like it was Juan's doing. It really was an interesting place, and I learned how to pour the 'perfect pint.' I even got a certificate. Juan of course drank most of my Guinness (I've not been a big drinker these days), and throughout the city, we'd stop at pubs and he'd have another.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe so Juan could get his shotglass, and we ate dinner there as well. There were a bunch of Italian kids who were there for a school trip. Juan wouldn't believe me that the one group of girls was only 15ish. Of course I proved that I was right and he was wrong. He still thinks Italian girls are 'hot.' Meh.
Um... there were crazy rabbit statues all over the place in Dublin. And I had no idea what the "Spire" was all about. It just looks like Dublin's skinny penis. "Look at us and our extremely phallac, pointless 'monument'."
We went through Christ Church Cathedral. It was beautiful, and very nicely kept. Juan pointed out that we were in Catholic Central, so I could imagine a lot more people were funding to keep that place up and running as opposed to say, Ely Cathedral. The floors were absolutely gorgeous in there, though. I took a picture to show the original flooring and what the Victorians copied at a later period.
I can't really think of what else to say about Dublin. It's definitely a day trip kind of city.
Today was "lovely," though.
I'm driving to work, trying to get on the A14, and traffic is backed up. Apparently there was this huge wreck on the A14. Well everyone is slowing down to a stop... well, almost everyone. There was a bus and a tractor trailer (lorry) behind me. The bus swings into the passing lane, and I look in my rearview mirror... to see the tractor trailer behind me get slammed by another one. The one that was hit, the whole back explodes/collapses, and the hitter had his whole passenger side ripped off. I tried to get as close to the guy in front of me (without hitting him, of course) so none of the flying debris would hit my car. But anyways, what a mess. It took me 3 hours to get to RAF Alconbury, it is flippin' hot out, and my car has no a/c... and come to find out, the commissary's a/c was on the fritz and it felt like you walked into a sauna in there. What a day.
But in other news, I will be switching jobs shortly. Either I will go back to the Post Office to work for the holiday shift (they are extending the months to go from September-March now), or I will take up a job at RAF Lakenheath's Bank of America. They are hiring both tellers and customer service there. It's part-time, the money is decent, and what really sold me was the fact that after you are with them for six months, they will pay for college classes and books as long as you maintain a "B" average. I'd take the job just for that! I'd love to get my Master's for free. Of course, the major has to be 'job related,' but that is basically anything business. Oh yeah, and it's air conditioned in that building, also. ;) Haha. Well, I just want to find something that takes me near Lakenheath, so when Juan is gone, I don't have to trek an additional half hour just to go check my mail.
Oh, and I'm thinking that I'm coming home for my birthday in October. It's becoming more of a definite. I'm thinking of just flying into Elmira, since the gas prices are high and I don't want people to drive all the way out to Newark to pick me up. It will be fun to go home, and drive on the other side of the road again! :-p Honestly I think it is easier to drive on the LEFT hand side, especially with round abouts. I do love me some roundabouts.
This has been a pretty big update, but then again, I only update this thing every few months or so. If anyone has the desire to 'hop across the pound,' let me know. You can come visit lil ole me (minus the Juan, since he will soon be deploying... sniffle) and we can hang out and act like hoodlums. And I will let my dogs jump and slobber all over you... now you can't tell me you don't find THAT appealing! ;)
P.S. Is it really hot at home? It's freaken steaming here. England is going through a drought; you can imagine a non-rainy England? Everything is brown. Yech.