Well, I did promise to keep these posts short, but since I've been in the British Isles for the past week, this post will almost certainly be the longest to date. Consider this post a substitution of length for frequency. I promise it will be really, really exciting. I'll even write in an intermission to make it easier on you.
ACT 1: Dublin
Jon and I caught a train to Munich on Friday night (this would be 26. February, if you're counting), and then a flight to London Stansted. We had an overnight layover, during which I had probably the most uncomfortable night of sleep of my life. Stansted is my least favorite airport in the world so far. It's ugly, uncomfortable, and poorly lit. The terminal is really just one giant hangar-like structure with various labyrinthine walls creating a maze that runs through it. I'd pay extra to skip it if I had to do it again.
We arrived in Dublin on Saturday morning and met up with Ashley Elias, our hostess for the weekend. We then took a well-deserved nap before heading out to take a walking tour of the city. Dublin is a nice town. It's a bit sleepy and the architecture is generally unremarkable, but it's also just a very comfortable place to be. There are statues of famous Irish men and women all over the city, as well as various street performers in the more popular areas. There was a group performing "The Wild Rover" right downtown as we walked past. I didn't tip them because they were obviously pandering.
Chillaxin' with Oscar Wilde
Shameless
We went to the Guiness storehouse later that afternoon. I learned all about how Guiness is brewed, and then after our self-guided tour we were taught how to pour the perfect pint of Guiness. If you don't know how to do it, you should really find out. It was delicious. That evening we all went out to a REAL Irish pub, where I had my first hot whiskey, a delicious drink that I would also definitely recommend.
On Sunday we took a trip to Howth, a fishing village and northern suburb of Dublin. There were sea lions there. We had some excellent fish and chips for lunch, after which we took a long hike around the rocky peninsula. The weather was great and the scenery was epic.
Like I said, epic
We eventually did make it out to that lighthouse in the distance, but it turned out to be private property. Showoffs.
That night we stayed in and watched the US-Canada Olympic hockey final. At least we made them work for it.
On Monday Jon and I met up with a friend of his named Maura who goes to college in Dublin. She took us on a tour of Trinity College and its environs, where we saw the Book of Kells and St. Patrick's Cathedral (which is Protestant...grr), among other city landmarks. We got lunch at McDonalds to facilitate our plan to eat McDonalds in every country we visit. Irish McDonalds is not nearly as good as Austrian McDonalds. The food generally tasted exactly the same as it does in America, but it was nearly twice as expensive. Dublin is a ridiculously expensive city and the McDonalds was no exception. I have no idea how the people who live there can afford their collective drinking habit.
That afternoon we went to the (former) Jameson Distillery. Now it's just a museum/tourist trap, but it was still very interesting, and I was chosen to participate in a special whiskey tasting, which definitely made it worth it. I was given samples of Jameson, Johnnie Walker Black Label, and Jack Daniels, and I found it hard to pick a favorite. They're all good, just very different. After the tasting I got another Jameson on the rocks, also for free (well, included in the admission price I'm sure). I now have a cheesy certificate that says that I am a qualified whiskey taster. Boom.
Weighing the options
On Tuesday afternoon we went to the Dublin airport to catch our flight to London. The Dublin airport is really very nice, and is probably one of my favorites so far. We had one last Guiness in the airport bar before we left. It's so much better in Ireland.
In conclusion, Dublin was a very nice trip. It's actually quite similar to America, more so than London and a lot more so than Innsbruck. For example, the buses are always late in Dublin and people aren't above peeing in the street. And they generally speak English better than the English do. I felt right at home.
And now, time for a short break!
~ 10 MINUTE INTERMISSION ~
ACT 2 - London
We arrived in London on Tuesday evening and met up with Jonathan MacDurmon and Lizzie Schwegman. I went out with Lizzie to an pub called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which was rebuilt in 1667. I had an English ale. It was almost exactly what I expected. Bitter, watery, and warm.
On Wednesday morning the two Jons and I went to the Royal Air Force Museum, which featured a number of, well, planes. They were cool planes, but there wasn't much there by way of exhibition or explanation, so I was a bit lost while the two Jons (both of whom are in ROTC and know a lot more about military history than I do) were in the zone and would pause every now and then to fill me in. I definitely learned a lot.
We met Lizzie at the ND Centre (note both the spelling and the fact that ND outbid the French government for the building) in Trafalgar Square for lunch, after which we took a walking tour of all of the typical touristy things to see in London.
Trafalgar Square
We rode the lionAt Buckingham Palace we had a lovely conversation with a very friendly old Royalist near the gate. He was very happy that the queen was in residence and told us grand tales about her reign and shared his excitement about her upcoming Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Lizzie and me at Buckingham Palace. Note the flag, meaning that the queen is in residence
Phone Booth + Big Ben
On our tour we found the Sherlock Holmes pub, and so of course we had to go inside and grab a beer, which was OK at best. The atmosphere in the place was decidedly touristy, so consider yourself forewarned. I felt kind of stupid for having fallen for it, which is the opposite of how I had hoped to feel after going inside the Sherlock Holmes pub.
We ate pub food for dinner (some sort of meat pie with potatoes and an ale) and then went to see Avenue Q, which was absolutely hysterical and the most fun I've ever had at a musical. It was only 20 pounds too (using the student standby option), so I really can't rave about it enough. If nothing else, it reminded me of the importance of the Internet. I may be updating my blog now, but what you think I do.....AFTER???
Me and Lizzie after the show.
On Thursday morning Lizzie took us to the British Museum, followed by Ben's Cookies and Indian food for lunch. The British Museum is especially cool because it has all sorts of stuff from all over the world that the Brits just went ahead and took while they ruled the entire world and then never gave back. The reason that we made it to all of these places in just one morning is because we walked at a SUPER FAST LIGHTNING BLITZ pace.
Do YOU know the Muffin Man?
Lizzie left for the Mediterranean that afternoon, and so the Jons and I went to the Imperial War Museum, which, for lack of a more appropriate descriptor, was FREAKING AWESOME and the best museum I've ever been to. It had all sorts of cool stuff from WWI and WWII and great historical information too.
Lawrence of Arabia's rifle
Whoa
On Friday we went to Greenwich and saw the National Maritime Museum (also awesome), the former British Naval Academy, and the Prime Meridian. The weather was, once again, perfect.
Am I in the east or in the west?????
Later that afternoon we went to both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. I tried to take pictures but got yelled at for doing so. By the end of the day, I was pretty museumed out.
On Saturday, the Jons and I went to a Premiere League English football game. We saw West Ham United play Bolton in Upton Park. It was definitely the highlight of the week. The game wasn't actually very good. The Irons were sluggish and just couldn't capitalize on anything, which made it
feel a lot like a Notre Dame football game, especially since West Ham lost the game 1-2. I've decided that I can identify with West Ham because the club resembles Notre Dame football in two ways:
1. They used to be great and now they're not so good anymore
2. Both organizations have had movies made about them starring an actor who also played a Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (ND: Rudy with Sean Astin, West Ham: Green Street Hooligans with Elijah Wood).
We didn't actually see any hooligans, but that's probably because the Metropolitan Police were there in such force that I couldn't turn around without bumping into one of them. It was an amazing experience overall, especially when we all got to sing the club song, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles":
+
So I was once again reminded of Notre Dame football as singing the song brought back memories of singing Tiny Bubbles with the trumpet section during Friday marchouts.
Our Seats
After the Game
So we were in London for four days, and it didn't rain once. Score.
After another night in an airport (Gatwick this time, which is superior to Stansted in almost every conceivable way), I find myself back at home in a German-speaking country. It was very nice to speak English for a week, but Innsbruck is starting to feel more and more like home.
A very special thank you to Ashley, Lizzie, and Jon MacDurmon for showing us such a great time!
Congrats! You made it through! Reward yourself with a Cadberry Creme Egg. They're to die for.
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