(no subject)
i thought id take a quick second to write a quick entry because FUCK! im in IRELAND!!
my vacation has been totally enjoyable and so so so much fun. scott, joanna, and i left on the 7th from madison, drove to chicago with joanna's parents, did some shopping at nordstrom's, ate lunch, and then headed off to o'hare where we waited in line foreevvvverrrrrr. sat around until our flight started boarding and pretty much suffered through a tiring 8 hour flight. the food wasnt great, but the people were nice, and they showed some good movies and funny sitcoms, which made the time go faster.
we finally got into dublin at 9 am (3 am wisconsin time uughh) and andrew and his lovely mother picked us up from the airport. we proceeded to go walking around deleary, down by the marina, and then we took the train to killiney. we hiked up a huge hill, stopped at bono's house (which is absolutely gorgeous), and then hiked around some old castle ruins next to the sea. after walking almost 6 miles, we headed back to andrew's for a nap and a shower. then we were off to andrew's favorite pub in deleary where we met up with more of his friends. the turnout was fantastic--almost 20 of us were crowded around one giant table, being loud and rowdy. we finally got ourselves kicked out of the pub at 2 am. it was quite lovely being able to order my own drinks legally. ;)
yesterday we toured the guinness storehouse. its like a tourist museum in this awesome building they just renovated in 2000 that shows the brewing process, the history of guinness, old advertisements, memorabilia and stuff of that sort. when you get up to the 7th floor you redeem this little ticket they give you in the gravity bar, where they give you a free pint of guinness. the gravity bar was breathtaking--its up far above the city, so you can see in every direction for miles and miles. there was a loud, crude, but HOT rugby team there drinking it up after they had just won a game and it was so fun chatting with them. we went out again to trinity college which is smack in the middle of dublin to meet more of andrew's friends. we had a few drinks in a nearby pub that was 5 stories high, with 2 bars on each level, then we were off to doyle's, another huge pub in dublin. we sat in a back corner near the dance floor and started drinking. all i know is i spent a shitload of money on drinks, but it was well worth it. andrew's friends were absolute darlings and danced until 3 or 4 am with me. we took the bus home, collapsed into bed.
today we ventured out to dublin yet again because there is an incredible amount of things to see, and its impossible to see everything in just one day. we took a bus tour of the city, which was great. we stopped and saw some picasso and monet paintings (i almost cried because they were so beautiful) in the national gallery of ireland, walked around temple bar (cobblestone alleys lined with cute little shops), saw 3 different fights with drunk people (and mind you, it was only 5 pm), ate at this awesome pub, and then returned back here. we're leaving for london tomorrow morning at 6 am for two days, then we're off to shannon, ireland on tuesday to visit andrew's parents' house on the west coast.
i cannot even do justice to how beautiful the city and the entire country is. everyone here is very friendly and loads of fun. there are so many interesting places to go see that i feel a bit overwhelmed. the history here is amazing and i dont think ill be able to make myself leave.
i think ive written enough now and i need to be off to bed because i have to get up very early tomorrow. ill write more soon....
my vacation has been totally enjoyable and so so so much fun. scott, joanna, and i left on the 7th from madison, drove to chicago with joanna's parents, did some shopping at nordstrom's, ate lunch, and then headed off to o'hare where we waited in line foreevvvverrrrrr. sat around until our flight started boarding and pretty much suffered through a tiring 8 hour flight. the food wasnt great, but the people were nice, and they showed some good movies and funny sitcoms, which made the time go faster.
we finally got into dublin at 9 am (3 am wisconsin time uughh) and andrew and his lovely mother picked us up from the airport. we proceeded to go walking around deleary, down by the marina, and then we took the train to killiney. we hiked up a huge hill, stopped at bono's house (which is absolutely gorgeous), and then hiked around some old castle ruins next to the sea. after walking almost 6 miles, we headed back to andrew's for a nap and a shower. then we were off to andrew's favorite pub in deleary where we met up with more of his friends. the turnout was fantastic--almost 20 of us were crowded around one giant table, being loud and rowdy. we finally got ourselves kicked out of the pub at 2 am. it was quite lovely being able to order my own drinks legally. ;)
yesterday we toured the guinness storehouse. its like a tourist museum in this awesome building they just renovated in 2000 that shows the brewing process, the history of guinness, old advertisements, memorabilia and stuff of that sort. when you get up to the 7th floor you redeem this little ticket they give you in the gravity bar, where they give you a free pint of guinness. the gravity bar was breathtaking--its up far above the city, so you can see in every direction for miles and miles. there was a loud, crude, but HOT rugby team there drinking it up after they had just won a game and it was so fun chatting with them. we went out again to trinity college which is smack in the middle of dublin to meet more of andrew's friends. we had a few drinks in a nearby pub that was 5 stories high, with 2 bars on each level, then we were off to doyle's, another huge pub in dublin. we sat in a back corner near the dance floor and started drinking. all i know is i spent a shitload of money on drinks, but it was well worth it. andrew's friends were absolute darlings and danced until 3 or 4 am with me. we took the bus home, collapsed into bed.
today we ventured out to dublin yet again because there is an incredible amount of things to see, and its impossible to see everything in just one day. we took a bus tour of the city, which was great. we stopped and saw some picasso and monet paintings (i almost cried because they were so beautiful) in the national gallery of ireland, walked around temple bar (cobblestone alleys lined with cute little shops), saw 3 different fights with drunk people (and mind you, it was only 5 pm), ate at this awesome pub, and then returned back here. we're leaving for london tomorrow morning at 6 am for two days, then we're off to shannon, ireland on tuesday to visit andrew's parents' house on the west coast.
i cannot even do justice to how beautiful the city and the entire country is. everyone here is very friendly and loads of fun. there are so many interesting places to go see that i feel a bit overwhelmed. the history here is amazing and i dont think ill be able to make myself leave.
i think ive written enough now and i need to be off to bed because i have to get up very early tomorrow. ill write more soon....