I'm at a Payphone

Hey, guys! This past weekend was a very exciting one! Louise and I went to London and it was amazing. I loved every second of it and wouldn't change a thing about all that we got to see and do. The only thing I had a small issue with was the cost! It was very expensive, especially compared to US dollars. For every $10, you barely get 6 sterling. I became poorer the second I stepped into the United Kingdom! Nonetheless, it was still easily one of the best experiences I've had this summer.

We started the trip out very late Friday evening/early Saturday morning. Since Louise had to work Friday, we took a late flight that didn’t get to London until nearly one in the morning. Needless to say, we were very tired when we arrived at our hostel! We had lots of time to waste at the airport beforehand though, as you can see below. :)

Aren't our different passports cute side by side? We liked the contrast!

Also, Louise told me something hilarious that I just have to share. In casual conversation, she was telling me about a colleague who was out sick. He apparently just had a small virus, but Louise referred to it as “the man flu.” She breezed right over the term, continuing on with her story, but I stopped her to ask what that was. She laughed, and remarked that she was surprised I’d never heard the term. Apparently, that’s what they say in Ireland about guys when they get sick. This is how she explained it: “Oh yeah, ya know when a man gets sick and it’s just a typical hay fever but they act like they’re on the verge of death? Yeah, that’s the man flu.” I thought it was totally amusing and adorable. Sorry fellas, but it’s true.

Anyway, our airport was about an hour outside of London’s city center, so we prearranged for bus tickets to take us there. When we arrived just after two in the morning, we didn’t want to bother with trying to walk to our hostel especially because we didn’t know its exact location. I hailed us a taxi, and the driver promptly pulled over. Proceeding as what I thought was the usual, I reached for the back door and tried to open it. No such luck. I looked back at Louise, who shrugged, and I pulled on the handle again. Nothing! It wouldn’t budge. I saw the driver look over his shoulder at me, and I began yanking on the door again thinking that maybe he would notice he accidentally left it locked. That’s when Louise walked to the passenger window, and asked if we could have a lift. Very obviously annoyed, he spat, “Depends. You need to tell me where you’re going first.” So….within ten minutes of being in London, we learned an important lesson: you must inform the taxi driver where you’d like to go before you’re let inside the vehicle. If only someone would have explained this to me before I stood on a curbside yanking the door handle as hard as I could for a solid twenty seconds. London: 1. Alyssa: 0.

We eventually got to our hostel and had a look around. It seemed pretty decent and safe enough. To be honest, at three in the morning and tired from a full day of work, all we wanted was a bed. As we were checking in, the male receptionist heard my accent and immediately recognized me as an American. First thing out of his mouth? “You know Chuck Norris? THAT’S AMERICA!!!” I just kind of half laughed, hoping he would give us our keys and let us go sleep in peace. Yet, he continued in a really over-enthused tone: “You know Pauly D? THAT’S AMERICA!!!” I laughed again, seriously hoping this guy would just give it a rest. Ha. Nope! “You know David Hasslehof? THAT’S AMERICA!!!” Finally though, he gave us our room cards and as I walked away I said, “I hope you know you chose the worst representatives possible for America. Goodnight.” That was probably harsh. Sorry, man. I was tired.

After getting some good rest, Louise and I got up around 10. We had big plans for the day! We were to see two shows on The West End, a matinee and an evening performance. We knew we were seeing Wicked, but the second show depended on prices and availability. We had decided to buy our tickets on the day, and if you know me you know that it put me on edge not having everything pre-planned and pre-purchased. It worked out though, as it always does, and we got amazing deals! We ended up choosing The Phantom of the Opera for our second show. We paid less than 25 pounds for each performance, and our seats were amazing. I was in such awe watching the productions because I’d never seen a live show before. Now, I can’t wait to go back! :)

Afterwards, we found a little restaurant that served familiar food so we decided to give it a try. They definitely get an A+ on presentation!

Other random highlight: we successfully found a payphone. It’s such a London must! 

Cue Adam Levine.

The next morning, we were none too pleased to find out that breakfast is only served in our hostel from 7-9. Louise and I joked that they probably kept those hours to save revenue knowing students would never wake up that early! :) Despite the painful wake up call, I still made it because we had to check out by 10 o’clock anyway. After we left, we set out for The London Eye to get the best view of the city possible! It was worth every single penny (or every single pents? I don't know...I can't keep up with all this currency), and we even upgraded to the champagne experience. Our guide kept us laughing the whole time—even making fun of Louise and asking if she was old enough to join us with a drink. I suppose she doesn’t look to be 24, but that’s a good thing, right? ;)

After the ferris wheel, we set out to find Buckingham Palace. It was enormous and very posh! One thing that I’ll admit I was a little disappointed about was that the famous guards were inside the gates! You couldn’t even get close to them. I wanted to take some selfies beside them, or try to make them smile or watch them all simultaneously turn to face another direction. Not this time, but that’s okay! I still got to snap some photos and see a famous site.

By that point, we really needed lunch so we set out to find somewhere cheap and easy. Guys, guess what we stumbled upon.

Hello, beautiful.

Yep, that’s right. Chipotle. Cue the heaven choir.

We had just enough time before our flight to do a little shopping, so we headed over to a famous store called Primark. We actually have the same store in Dublin, although it’s called Penneys. I didn’t want to buy anything that I could get in Ireland, so I went with a bunch of tacky London gear of course! I got the cutest rain jacket with double decker buses and the famous guards all over it, even though Louise joked that I should heed caution wearing that around Dublin for fear I’ll get booed or something. Whatever. I’m such a tourist.

Other random things to note:

-Early on in the weekend when we were trying to figure out the tube system, we would ask people what stop would be best to access the theatres. They kept saying what we thought was “Jury Street.” Seriously, at least four people said that to us, so we thought that must definitely be the stop we were looking for. To our confusion, though, there were no J’s on the tube map and it went in alphabetical order. We didn’t understand why we couldn’t find it, until finally someone enunciated the stop to us. It was actually “Drury Street” that we were looking for the whole time. Whoops. Suffice it to say, Louise and I had a good laugh about that. London: 2. Alyssa: 0.
-The tubes are very far  underground, so you have to take escalators to get back above ground once you've arrived at your destination. Louise and I just lackadaisically hopped on and blocked the whole aisle as we waited to ascend to street level. After a few seconds, a very impatient man pushed past us and gave us a scowl on the way by. We wondered why he was in such a bad mood/hurry, but we didn't think twice of it. Then, a few seconds later, a similar thing happened! A woman in a very flustered voice said EXCUSE ME as she made her way to the left side past us on the escalator. That's when we realized that you're supposed to stand to the right, pass to the left. SOR-RYYYYYY GUYS, WE DIDN'T KNOW! That's it, London, you win.
-I actually liked Ryan Air. I thought the classical music playing on board was a really nice touch, and all of the attendants were pleasant enough. I feel bad for them for having such a negative reputation! On the other hand though, both flights were delayed by an hour, so I suppose I can see where people might be annoyed by that. In Ryan Air’s defense, they came over the loud speaker both times and apologized! They’ve got a loyal customer in me, at least.

To put it simply: this weekend was unforgettable and I left a little piece of my heart in London. It was lovely, the accents were brilliant and the performances were so amazing. I can’t wait to go back some day! Thanks for reading, yall!

Xox,

Alyssa

Imelda May/Imeldamazing

Good morning! Hope you’re all well! :) I’ll catch ya up to speed on what’s been goin on in Dublin!

This week was so fun! On Monday evening after work, Louise invited me into town with her. Her mom was there and she wanted to introduce us. I joked that it was probably a good thing that I meet her since her daughter and I are going out of the country this weekend! Haha, luckily London isn’t too far away though. :) Anyway, we all got some ice cream together and got to chat for a while. It was so nice just sitting, talking, and people watching with them. Also, Louise and her mom look alike and talk alike so it was fun for me getting to see the resemblance!

After ice cream, I took the Luas back to my apartment. I expected it to be a quiet evening in, but as I was about to get into the elevator (or the lift, as they call it here), Meghan came out! This was the conversation:

Meghan: “Oh my gosh, hey!”

Me: “Hey girl! Funny seeing you here.”

Meghan: “What are you doing right now?”

Me: “Just going upstairs to chill. What’s up?”

Meghan: “Wanna go out to dinner with me and my parents?”

Me: “Duh!”

Her parents were celebrating an anniversary in Ireland at the time and ended up getting to make a stop in Dublin. It worked out really well, because they got to explore a popular city but also see their daughter while they were here! So, I ran upstairs, put my stuff down, and headed back out to town with Meghan! It was a fun and spontaneous evening. Again, I got to meet Meghan’s mom and dad and see just how alike they all are. I think it’s so cute getting to see parent and child side by side! :)

They took Meghan and I to a cute little burger place in Temple Bar, which is a very central road in Dublin. Admittedly, it’s known to be a touristy location, but sometimes I have to remind myself that that’s just what we are! We might as well embrace it! The meal was delicious and the company was even better. It was definitely a fun night of conversation and laughs. I so enjoyed being an adopted family member for the evening, although it made me miss mine even more! (Three weeks from tomorrow, mom, dad, Sara and Kate!)

After dinner, it was still freakishly light outside so we decided to seek out some Irish music. We went to this place called Gogarty. When you initially walk in, they’re playing popular hip hop songs and wouldn’t at all appear to be a traditional Irish music scene. However, if you walk to the back of the place and ascend the stairs, you’re transformed to another atmosphere entirely! As we all entered the second floor, we were pleasantly surprised to see and hear an Irish man playing the guitar and singing. We all got a drink and took a seat.

We ended up staying there for most of the evening, and I wouldn’t trade a second of it! The place was rich with talent. A man that spoke to us said he had been working there for well over twenty years and you could see the pride radiating from him. I’m still smiling thinking about the whole thing.

After the singers, there was river dancing! I was a bit skeptical at first, but after watching for only a minute, I was in awe! The dancers’ legs looked like jello as they so swiftly moved around the stage. It was interesting and captured every soul’s attention in the room!

Overall, it was a really great day! The company was lovely all around—and it was quite funny that I got to meet two different parents in a single afternoon. If my Monday were an episode of Friends, it would be called The One with the Parents.

Anyway, moving on.. Wednesday was a crazy day at work! Because of weird circumstances, I ended up being the only one in the office to answer calls and take inquires and such. It was a little nerve-wracking, but such good experience! I was happy to have been able to handle things, and by the end of the day the whole building hadn’t caught fire! That has to be a good sign, right? I did find myself struggling with one thing, though. I haven’t had any trouble with accents or understanding the people here until I started talking to them on the phone! It becomes ten times more difficult to understand a strong accent over the telephone lines. One particularly cringe worthy moment was when I had to ask a client three times what his name was, and then finally get him to spell it. He responded: M-A-T-T-H-E-W-S. Ugh. Of course it would have been that embarrassingly easy of a name. He probably thought I was crazy for needing to know how to spell Matthews. At least I can laugh at myself.

Later that evening, Louise invited me to a concert! She said she had an extra ticket and offered it to me. It was particularly exciting because the singer is Irish. Her name is Imelda May, and she rocked! I’m really happy to say that I’m now a fan of an Irish artist! Pretty cool stuff. Plus, it was only my second concert ever, which made it all the more fun! :)

Yesterday, The Fault in Our Stars finally came out in Dublin! There’s a theatre conveniently located within ten minutes walking distance, so Meghan, her friend and I all went to go see the show. We were none too pleased when we found out that release dates of movies are delayed here—so you can imagine our excitement when the day finally came! TFIOS is Meghan’s favorite book, and I’ve read it a few times as well. When we got in the theatre though, we were only one of two parties there. It was somewhat hilarious for us that no one in Dublin seemed to care about the movie’s release, whereas in the United States I’m sure there were midnight viewings and sold out theatres for the whole first day. Interesting stuff.

Today, I’m headed off to London! I’m super excited to see all it has in store. Some of the main things we’re doing are The London Eye and seeing shows at The West End. Tune in next week for a blog post about it all! Oh and by the way, as I was looking up things to do on Trip Adviser, I decided to look up Destin, Florida for kicks. I wanted to see how the recommendations actually compare since I am very familiar with the area and the fun things to do. Guess what was on it. Just guess.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The ​midbay bridge. WHAT A JOKE. Lolololol. It really made me chuckle, seeing as the locals avoid that bridge at all costs (get it? ba da ch) since it is the only toll in the area. In fact, lots of people are bitter about it because the toll was made to pay for the bridge’s building costs, but everyone knows that the construction has long since been paid off. So, anyway, next time you cross that expensive old bridge, laugh to yourself knowing that people from out of town are intentionally paying to drive it. Stupid tourists. ;)

Thanks for reading! Cheers! :)

Xox,

Alyssa

Sight Seeing and Soul Cleansing

Good evening for me, good afternoon for you! It’s just after 7 here, but outside it looks about like the time you guys are on—2! I really don’t think I’ll ever adjust to these long days of sunlight. It’s something I appreciate, but even after a month of living here, I’m thrown off by it daily!

Now that we are officially past the halfway point, I’m especially concerned with not taking anything for granted. So, one day this week it was gorgeous outside when I got off work and I decided to walk home as opposed to taking the Luas. I didn’t need a jacket, the breeze was blowing, and I got to walk next to the river for an hour. It was sixty minutes well spent. I won’t have the opportunity to enjoy this scenery forever and I’m all too cognizant of that!

When Friday came, the girls and I packed our bags and headed off to Galway! We’d heard mixed reviews, but there seemed to be one consensus: the beach was gorgeous. So, we took a chance and hopped on a nonstop bus there for the weekend. We ended up going with City Link, which has wifi onboard and is the most direct route. Twenty euro paid for a round trip, which pleased me because it was about a 2.5 hour journey. I’m loving public transport!

It was a really busy morning to say the least! Our bus from Dublin to Galway left at 6:45 am and arrived a little after 9. Then, at 10, we jumped on a tour bus to be shown Connemara. The weather wasn’t the most cooperative, as it was raining on and off all day, but it didn’t get us down. The scenery would have been gorgeous despite any outdoor condition! Our tour guide joked that there are three kinds of weather there:

1.) It has rained.

2.) It is going to rain.

3.) It is raining.

I’d say that’s an accurate assessment, but the rain can stay or come again another day for all I care. You’ll be hard pressed to bother me here. J

One of the main attractions of Connemara is Kylemore Abbey. It was this amazing castle that was once a house if you can believe it. I took a picture of the exhibit’s sign which you can read below, but basically a man named Mitchell built it out of love for his wife Margaret. Needless to say, every woman there was swooning because it really is an adorable story! She once told him she loved that part of the country so he went back years later and had this ridiculous mansion built for her. Sigh. The girls and I had a good time while we were walking through the grounds pointing to specific details while shouting, “THIS is true love!” “No, THIS is true love!” It was a fun afternoon.

Along the way, we stopped at a little pub for a tea/coffee break. I’m always charmed by these hole in the wall places as they each say so much about the town and culture. Down to minute details such as the chairs, the open fireplace, and even the sugar packets, I really enjoyed our break there.

After a long day of travelling along the countryside, we finally arrived back in Galway. We made our way to the hostel, which was called Kinlay. We had such a pleasant experience there! Inside the hostel was a common room with a tv, a kitchen for resident use, a pool table, a cafeteria style dining room, and computers with free printing. The whole thing really just reminded me of a college dorm and I loved it. Everyone we saw staying there seemed to be about our ages and they were really friendly/open about their stories. Most were students, just like us, so it was easy to make friends and relate! I left my mark there in the guest sign in book. J

That night, we decided to go out on the town and explore a bit. We ended up meeting a group of—surprise, surprise—Americans. It struck me as funny, though, that when you meet someone else from the states it is like an instant bond! There’s an imbedded patriotism, and a mutual understanding of what an awesome experience it is to be abroad. Also, deep down, you both are learning to understand just what about America you miss, love, disapprove of, and want to change. Consider my horizons broadened.

The next day, Saturday, we surprisingly did not have a plan of any sort. We meant to research options, but it just never really happened. We all slept in pretty late, got some lunch, and realized that half of the day was already over! In the main plaza, we happened to wander into a souvenir shop, where we heard some people talking about a weekend farmer’s market that was taking place a few streets down! It was such luck that we heard about it because we definitely wouldn’t have known otherwise. So, we made our way through the city centre and stumbled through the adorable local market.

The booths ranged from hand stitched leather bags, woolen socks, vintage clothing, wooden boxes and trinkets, freshly grown vegetables and freshly squeezed orange juice, homemade donuts, seafood straight from the harbor, and antipasto stations. It captured our attention for a few hours as we just wandered through taking it all in. I’m proud of the day's spoils—a gift for Kate, Melissa, my grandmom, and myself of course. ;) I couldn't leave empty handed, so I purchased these neat little headbands. I spoke to the stand owner for quite a while, and he told me he taught himself to make all of his gadgets because he was struggling to afford food. I felt happy buying his products knowing that the money would go to a good place.

At the market, Meghan met a girl our age named Kate, who was from New York. She was travelling around by herself, which I thought was brave! She ended up hanging out with us for the day, and again I was reminded how neat it is to connect with random strangers and how being abroad affords you that opportunity. I also think that when I get back to America, this trip will make a difference in how I approach people. That is, I think I will be more comfortable talking to strangers and striking up conversation. I am so interested in hearing different people’s stories as everyone in this world has a tale to tell.

After we finished with the farmer’s market, we strolled through the streets and appreciated the buzz that the weekend brought to the city. Live music constantly lined the streets, and the whole city was brimming with talent. One woman could tap dance to Celtic music like nobody’s business, and another group of children could probably play the harp in their sleep.

Just past the city is this place where the water flows out to the harbor. There’s a bridge and a curb where everyone hangs their feet off the side and takes in the sunshine. We did as the locals did, and enjoyed some homemade garlic pesto and bread that we purchased from the farmer’s market! Even though I’m well aware that you’re not supposed to feed birds when there are lots of people around, I couldn’t help myself! These two precious swans came swimming up to us, and I had a huge loaf of bread in my lap! What was I supposed to do?

Unfortunately, a swarm of seagulls spotted what I was doing and tried to swoop in on the party so I had to stop. It was fun while it lasted, even though I looked like that idiotic tourist breaking the first rule of beach etiquette. To the people of Galway at the bridge: I’m sorry.

The harbor was adorable!

We continued to wander down the shore, and eventually came to this absolutely enchanting rock beach. It was basically deserted, and it was such a relaxing and calming atmosphere for us. We all strolled around in silence, taking it all in and seriously loving the breeze. All were contented with her own thoughts, and sometimes those moments can be just what the doctor ordered. The sound of the shore was what my soul needed, and I couldn’t remember a time where I’d been that happy.

There was even this quaint little pier that led to a lighthouse. We walked all the way to the end, marveling at how one side of the water was perfectly calm and contrasted with the angry waters on the other side. Nature is weird, but cool.

Our stomachs are what led us back into town. I’m pretty sure if we wouldn’t have been hungry for dinner, we never would have left that gorgeous seaside. Following the same pattern of the day, we really had no plan on a specific dinner place. We just walked along the shops until somewhere caught our eye. We ended up at a place called The Front Door and it was delicious! Everyone left happy and full, which is definitely the sign of a successful restaurant find.

As you can imagine, we were pretty worn out after dinner so we decided to call it a night. We hit the hay around midnight which is actually early for us, all things considered! It was such an utterly fun day of blending in, people watching, and having totally unstructured itineraries. I appreciate planning, but I also appreciate blind adventure.

Today, we checked out of the hostel and hopped back on our bus home to Dublin. It struck me as funny that when we were walking back into the apartment, I felt relieved as you sometimes do when arriving home after a long day. Humans always adapt, and I identify this little apartment as my home base now. You can’t argue—there’s nothing like your own bed!

Overall, Galway was an enchanting and lively place. I miss it already. I’ll remember it as a town where everyone is singing and dancing, laughing and sharing. Where the sky bleeds into the ocean, where there are rocks instead of sand, and yet another amazing city in Ireland. I’m almost convinced that there are no disappointing cities in this entire country.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Stay tuned for my trip to London next weekend!

Xox,

Alyssa 

P.S. Happy Father's Day, Daddy! I'm so sorry I'm not there to spend it with you, but know that you're in my thoughts and I miss you to death! Love you!