Shooting Stars

Today, I had such a great day!  This whole week has had the most beautiful weather!  We even started working in the garden this week! I am much more productive on rainy days in terms of school work, because I think it was ground in me that if the sun is shining, I'm not allowed in doors!  After class today, we had lunch at Nadine's in the sunshine.  Then, we had some time to study and relax, we got our piano at the monastery, and then it was off to dinner at Gerry's.  Some had gone ahead and helped prepare the meal.  We had lamb, spinach salad with delicious tomatoes, pasta, spiced carrots, and cheese and bread (of course!) with a little red wine.  After our meal, we presented Gerry with a notebook of thank you notes from each of us to show our gratitude for investing so much in us.  He really did provide us with rich experiences, and we owe it to him for helping our adventures here in France.  Gerry also graced us with his piano playing and singing only to be followed up by the rest of the group displaying their individual talents. Gerry and Olga's son, Daniel is such a sweetie, and he even sang Frére Jacques for us which was one of the cutest things I'd ever heard!
If that weren't enough for a delightful evening, we topped it off by star gazing out on the teres back at the monastery.  I saw four shooting stars!  I was so inspired that I finished out the night watching October Skies.  It was such a lovely day!

London

London 3/20-22
We took a train from Edinburgh to London Kings Cross Station.  It was a lovely train ride with free wifi and acres upon acres of green grass and sheep to look at through the window.  It was such a good idea to get a train rather that a plane for this trip.  Once we arrived, we got a taxi to our hostel.  I was a little concerned when the driver stopped outside of a bar.  With no direction, we walked in and asked the manager how we could reach the landlord, and this began our adventures in London.  It was the shadiest exchange, but once we finally got our key for a room upstairs from the bar, we got settled in our tiny room (shared with 6 other girls) and headed out for the day.  We just walked around, getting a feel for where we were in town, and we “popped in” a bakery and got a light dinner.  After that, we hung out in the bar to use the wifi.  That night, we found out that we were neglected the fact that supplying our own toilet paper was required to our surprise.  The shower was just a hair short of fancy as well.  I think after 20 days of traveling , we were just a little tired and short tempered, but the toilet paper thing was a little strange.  All in all, we got a bed to sleep in, so I was happy.  One of the girls thought it would be okay to blow dry her hair at 2 in the morning, which made it a little interesting as well.  However, in the morning, we escaped for the day and let London prove herself to us to be more lovely than our hostel.  We just walked and walked and found delightful little shops and stores.  We walked so much this trip that my boots finally wore out enough to cause holes in the heels.  After a lunch of fish and chips, we took a rest in a nice grassy park.  I read some Jane Austin (I thought it was appropriate to read it as if I had a British accent) and Colleen took advantage of the time to work on her knitted traveling socks.  Afterwards, we came upon quite a find!  There was an area devoted to vintage shops and markets!  There is no better place for souvenirs than vintage shops!  After a long day of flanerie-ing, we stopped at a good restaurant, Giraffe, and had spicy carrot soup and hummus and pita.  We went to a grocery store to pick up some breakfast for the following day, and headed back to our semi-dreaded abode.  Our taxi left early in the morning on Thursday to take us to the bus station for our bus tour of the city!  Finally, we got to see what London is most famous for.  We rode on the top of the open air double decker (as touristy as we could get), and saw Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The London Tower, The London Bridge, took a tour cruise in the River Thames, and got to see some guards on horses near Buckingham Palace.  London redeemed herself, thankfully, but it was time to leave, and we were not opposed.  Off to the airport to fly back onto French lands (Paris), and we will arrive back in Ambialet before lunch tomorrow.

 

Big Ben

 

 London King's Cross Train station

 

 

Westminster Abbey

After all our travels to Avignon, Paris, Dublin, Ireland, Edinburgh, Scotland, and London, England, we are pooped, but very much thankful for no major problems and an exciting adventure.  I loved Paris, as it was exactly what it’s made out to be and better.  I adored Ireland in all its splendor, and the countryside was exactly what I’ve been craving all this time.  Scotland was absolutely amazing with its ability to surprise me, and London was exciting.  I have now traveled in every possible mode of transportation available:  plane, train, bus, boat, metro, and taxi (all except camel, of course).  With only a month left in southern France, I am anxious to soak it in and fully enjoy the rest of the time without rushing it.

-Cheers!

Scotland

 

"Not all who wander are lost"

 

 

Sunday March 18^th:
Once we stepped foot on the plane, I was asleep for everything but takeoff and 10 minutes prior to landing.  We landed in Edinburgh, Scotland, and got a taxi to our hostel (The Hostel).  I was so surprised by the city, and it was not at all what I was expecting to see!  It was urbanized and hip.  I just assumed it was just going to be mountains with men in kilts, but it was a pleasant surprise.  After checking in, we walked around the city getting a feel for it, then we stopped at a café and got coffee and hung out a bit.  Again, we were welcomed to a city with the most appropriate soundtrack for our adventures!  We watched a street performer playing the bagpipes, and it was the perfect dose of reality!  We went back to the hostel to find that we had a new roomie, Anna, from Russia who was studying in London.  The three of us went out for Italian food (because it was close and cheap), and then we called it an early night due to my massive lack of proper sleep. 

Monday March 19^th:
Ten full hours later, we were ready to start our new day soaking in the likes of everything Scottish!  We stopped at a grocery store and packed a light lunch for the day.  We walked along Princes Street which was chalked full of stylish shops and stores including New Look, Urban Outfitters, Gap, etc.  The UO was the nicest one I’d ever seen, and I loved it!!  Scotland was so much more fashion oriented than I thought!  We walked to Calton Hill park, enjoying the elevation and the view.  We saw some mountains in the distance, and decided we would go there next.  We had our lunch on a hill in soft, comfy grass on Calton hill first, and then continued.  We reached Holyrood Park and headed up a dirt path for more exploring of the beautiful Scotland landscape!  “Onwards and Upwards” was the theme of the day. We traversed the mountains like champions, and we faced the insane wind.  I took hundreds of pictures, and every moment was outstanding!  We took videos of our selves frolicking through the fields at the top of the first mountain, and then we continued to its highest peak.  The winds were incredible here, and it could have catapulted anyone under 100 lbs. off the face of the landscape, I’m sure!  We ventured down, took some more pictures, laid in the grass, and headed back up another mountain with ruins and a cave.  At the bottom of this one was a pond, again, overflowing with swans and pigeons.  Holyrood Park was my absolute favorite part of the trip so far, and I was in love with Scotland!  We finished out the exploring by stopping by Edinburgh University and went to the Edinburgh Castle to see the view.  When we got back to the hostel after a long day, we were welcomed again by new roomies, Emily, Holly, and Ann from Brighton College!  Colleen and I went to dinner at a nice pub and we got our Scottish meal containing haggis and roasted vegetables: leeks and squash!  Haggis was delightful- except for the concept of what’s in it.  We went on another night stroll, and prepared to head out the next morning:(

Tuesday March 20^th:
We checked out of our hostel, went out for breakfast at a sweet little organic place called Urbanangel, and we splurged on a fantastic breakfast.  I had organic oatmeal w/ honey and tattie scones and an almond croissant.  We arrived at the train station and boarded for London.  I was really excited about the long ride across the country so that I could see the beautiful land at an accelerated rate!  There were so many acres of green grass and white, fluffy sheep!  Also, it provided me time to catch up on my blog since I hadn’t kept up with it since leaving for Paris!  With London left to go, I am very satisfied with all my travels, and I am falling in love with Europe even more because of it!

Spring Break: Ireland

 Ireland 3/13-3/17:

The ride to Ireland was a little hard on our ears with the pressure, but it was quick.  We found out that there was one hour time difference as well.  We got to the airport in Dublin, went through customs, went to the luggage claim, and headed out to get a taxi to our hostel.  While waiting in line for a taxi, we started chatting with two guys from Switzerland: Estebon and Urs!  They were aiming for Dublin as well, so they joined our taxi and split the cost.  Since they didn’t have a place to stay for the night yet, they checked in at our hostel, too.  The night was still early, so the four of us went out for our first night in Dublin.  We went to a place with live music, and we had the pleasure of soaking in the Irish accents from all the people we met or chatted with: Among them was Russell and Alan.  We had so much fun just taking in the Irish life, and we also played Foosball while I drank my water:)  It was delightful just walking around the Liffey river, and then we called it a night and crashed in our hostel.  What a great night for our first day in Ireland! Everyone was so nice and fun!
Wednesday 14^th:  Colleen and I woke up at 7:30 am for no good reason.  We were both wide awake by then even with the little sleep we actually got.  So we got a jump start on making plans for the day.  It’s a good thing we did because as soon as we were done getting breakfast, we rushed to catch a bus to Kildare at 9:30 to go to the Japanese Gardens and Irish National Stud.  The bus driver was super friendly and everyone was so helpful!  Irish love their country, and they are never afraid to share about it!  The gardens were beautiful!  There were cute little signs pointing us toward the Hill of Ambition, or the Path of Learning.  There was a horse museum, and then we headed toward the barns.  In the foaling barns, we got to see a foal that was born 2 minutes prior.  There were more gardens, and this is where we met Paul and Juno.  Paul was a nice older Irish man who worked on the lands.  We chatted about many things , and he gave us good advice for traveling Ireland.  His yellow lab, Juno, was a sweet, cuddly thing.  He suggested the Brazen Head restaurant, and we actually ate there that night where we had Irish Guinness beef stew and mushrooms in a bread bowl.  Such good advice!  We saw the rest of the pastures and stallions and mares there and then we headed back after a short stop at the café on the grounds.  We got back to the hostel to find that our 16 bed room was full of French people (just when we thought we had gotten away from the language for a couple of days, haha).  It was interesting to sleep in a co-ed room with 14 others with only 2 showers (having only a thin curtain).  I got out of the shower to a guy shaving at the sink! Interesting experience, to say the least. 
Thurs. 15^th: We woke up super early again the next morning and caught the early bus toward Galway for our lovely bus tour through the southwest Ireland!  Our goal was the Cliffs of Moher.  It was such a lovely tour, and the countryside was exactly what I was hoping to see!  Narrow, winding, and rolling roads led us toward the cliffs.  I’m in love with the countryside, and I got my fill of acres and acres of sheep pastures and stone walls in vibrant green grasses.  We stopped along the way at a castle, a craft shop (where I picked up some real wool yarn), and a café.  Then, we got a delicious bowl of vegetable soup and continued on our way.  The weather was a little chilly and misty, but it set the tone for Ireland.  We finally arrived at Moher, and it was beautiful!  The water was white where it met the dark charcoal-colored shore, and the grass on the cliff-tops was so green.  The black cliffs cut through the mist and you could count the number of edges that jutted out.  It was breathtaking! 
Fri March 16^th:
After checking out, we trekked our way across town with our luggage to Sean O’Brien’s house.  I had looked into Couchsurfing.com, and we had contacted Sean since staying in Dublin on St. Patrick’s weekend was quite expensive.  We met him, and then left our luggage there while we walked around Dublin in the sprinkles.  We crossed the liffey and visited Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, had tea and dessert at a little café, and then continued walking until we were off the tourist’s map.  We saw many colorful doors, and we found a lovely swan invaded man-made pond.  We had to catch a bus to get us closer to town since we wondered so far!  Then, once on O’Connell street, we booked it back to Sean’s because he had told us he had made dinner.  He was a great cook!  We had a mixed meat and vegetable stew and garlic mashed potatoes with a little wine and tea to top it off.  The sleeping arrangements were a little silly, but I guess I should have expected it for a free place to stay for a night.  We had breakfast in the morning and took off, thanked him for hosting us, and lugged our luggage toward the parade. 
Sat. March 17^th:
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We stored our luggage and headed out for the  day.  There we definitely over half a million people watching the parade on O’Connell street! Craziness!  We headed to a bagel shop and people-watched as leprechauns and already-drunken people walked the streets.  We then, went to the Dublin National Museum to listen to a harp ensemble collection to add to the festivities.  We headed toward Temple Bar to listen to some music in the Meeting Square- which was another great place to people-watch.  We had dinner at a pizza shop and split a piece of cheese cake:) yum!  After a while, we had made plans to meet up again with our Swiss friends, and we had a complete blast! We met more Swiss, Australians, and Irish.  It was such a great St. Patrick’s Day!  I love meeting people and especially people with cool accents!  The city was pretty insane by this point, and I think I was one of the only sober ones!  Sadly, we had to leave to pick up our luggage.  We had such a blast with our new friends!  We headed through the hordes of people to catch a bus to the airport.  We missed the last bus, but we ran into two Germans headed there, and we split a taxi instead.  Therefore, we started off our Dublin experience splitting a taxi with two Swiss guys and ended it by splitting one with two German guys!  Once we got there, we found that many people shared the same ideas as we did, and there were masses of sleepers on every inch of the floor in the airport for those who were flying out the next morning.  There were people sleeping on the couches in Starbucks, in the playplace of McDonalds, on the floors, on the tables, you name it!  Our plane didn’t leave until 7:30 am, and I didn’t get a wink of sleep. 
I adored Ireland, and the southwest is exactly what you see when you think of Ireland!

Estebon (left), Urs (right)