Paris Day-1

So this weekend, February 11-15, was our first long weekend at school. On Wednesday we had our first dread British Studies exam. Two hours of relentless essay writing. I think I did pretty well, but we shall see when I get the test back. It was 3 essays covering about 1500 years of history and 31 monarchs. Yay! Anyway, after that all went down I packed my bags and headed to Paris for Valentine's Day weekend.

Wednesday night my friend Dani and I took a train to the East Midlands Airport, which is near Nottingham which is about 45 minutes west of Grantham. We got to the airport around 10pm  and as our flight was not until 9:30am the next morning we found a place to sleep and crashed for the night. Fortunately we were able to sleep on these benches in a little 24 hour cafe in the restaurant, otherwise it would have been the floor. This is the second time I have slept in an airport for a trip and I can tell you it won't be the last. For both of my next two trips I will be sleeping in the airport at some point. If you ever need any advice on how to catch some Zs while traveling give me a shout and I'll tell you all about it. Dani and I were honestly the only two people in the airport until about 2am when other people started showing up. I didn't get much sleep, but atleast I was able to shut my eyes. The other two girls joining us had opted to just get a taxi ride in the morning before the flight. I would have done that, but I am a frugal traveler and was not willing to pay the 35 pound taxi ride. Yikes! Anyway, the other two girls showed up around 7 and we got checked in and hung out in the airport until it was time to board the plane. Surprisingly everything went smoothly and about 55 minutes later we touched down at the Paris Beauvais airport which is about an hour and ten minutes outside of central Paris.

We got on a shuttle to take us into Paris and once we arrived there we tried to get metro (their version of the subway/ underground/ L) passes. Right here I want to tell you that anyone who tells you that going to Paris is no problem because everyone speaks English, is a liar. Everyone does not speak English. Hardly anyone speaks English and even if they know English they refuse to speak it to you. So don't be fooled. We had a hard time getting our passes but once we got them we scooted off to our hotel which was located North of central Paris near-ish Montemarte, if you know where that is. Another thing to mention here before I get too far in... somehow, I have no idea how, but somehow the people here can tell you are English/ American without you even opening your mouth. I don't know how they do it, but people could tell we were and it wasn't like we were doing the dorky touristy thing where we are constantly pulling out our maps. No, they just knew somehow. Also, the French have no concept of personal space. The personal bubble that most Americans have is completely ignored here. I might as well have been sitting on someone's lap on the metro and they probably would have been okay with it. 

Anyway, we got to our hotel alright, but even the people at our hotel did not speak great English. I'm not at all complaining, but I was a little surprised at how infrequently it is spoken. It is not like Paris is a little village that is untouched by English speakers; no, Paris is a huge metropolis that has a large tourist draw and most of those tourists speak English. It was just strange. I'll have a whole post, if I have time, devoted to how my entire perspective on language and foreign language and native language has changed. For now I will just say that this was the first trip where my outlook on life and human interaction was really challenged... in a good way.

So we settled into our hotel and went out and got some food at a restaurant where they spoke pretty much no English. Two out of the three girls I was with had some background in the French language, but that was really no help. So ordering food at this restaurant was really pretty scary. The people there were really nice, but trying to find common words and phrases to communicate with was really difficult. I kept wanting to revert back to Spanish but that would have been no help. So we got our food and then we went to the grocery store to buy groceries for the weekend. Food is incredibly expensive in Paris and so we decided that unless we all wanted to break the bank we would be eating jelly sandwiches the rest of the weekend. After we got our groceries and such we planned out the rest of our day and around 4:30 decided to go down to the Eiffel tower.

When we got down to the Eiffel tower it was around sunset and when we came up from the metro stop and turned around there it was. From far away it was smaller than I expected, but as we walked towards it I slowly realized the grandeur and scope of it. The underside of the architecture is nothing spectacular and in some ways I really wonder why this is such an iconic building/ monument, but I was still awestruck by it. The sun shinning on it was pretty spectacular and when we walked around to the other side of it we saw the sun sinking below the horizon framing the Eiffel tower and it was truly breathtaking. We wanted to see it all lit up so we decided to walk around the neighborhood there until it was dark enough. It was a really nice quaint little neighborhood with no-one really speaking English, but hey we didn't really need to talk to anyone. There were Patisseries EVERYWHERE and that alone made me very happy. There were also Chocolatiers everywhere which made me think of Chocolat the film. Anyway we walked around that neighborhood with it's charming cafes and little fruit stands and finally found ourselves back at the Eiffel tower all lit up. It was indescribably beautiful. We walked around underneath it for awhile until we got too cold and then we started the long trek back to our metro stop. We hopped back on the metro and were back at our hotel in no time. We had a lovely dinner of peanut butter sandwiches and went to bed early that night. 

Please check out my shutterfly for pictures.

Cork- Day 2

Doolin 
Me and the Cliffs
Fog rolling in over the cliffs.
Cliffs of Moher.
Cliffs of Moher

So on day 2 we woke up before the crack of dawn and walked across town to catch the coach for our Paddy Wagon tour of the Cliffs of Moher. We pulled out just after 8am and headed north towards Limerick. In Limerick we stopped for a toilet break and to pick up some more people. All told there were 21 people on this tour so it was a nice small group. Our drivers were Kevin and PJ and they were both wonderful. Kevin was a younger guy and PJ or Peter as some called him, was an elderly Irish chap with a flare for telling stories. After picking up some people who had come over from Dublin we head up towards the cliffs. It really isn't that far, the whole journey without stops would have been about 3 hours. So it's  about the distance from St. Louis to Evansville... except going to the Cliffs of Moher once is better than any journey I will ever make to Evansville.  As we drove along we got to see a fair bit of the Irish countryside which really is as green as everyone says it is. Rolling hills of green as far as the eye can see with little farm houses and tiny villages nestled amongst the hills. All during the ride to the cliffs it was raining so that was a little unfortunate.

Before we knew it we were on the coast looking out at the Atlantic ocean in one direction and looking back  at the Irish hills in the other direction. It was stunning. Momentarily we arrived at the cliffs and they gave us a good hour and a half to walk around the cliff edge. When we arrived at the cliffs the rain began to taper off and eventually stopped. At this point I am going to attempt to describe what it was like, but no words in the English language, or any other language for that matter, can really do justice to this natural wonder. We walked up the cliff edge, or as close as they would let us get and  as my pictures show above it was just vertical cliff sides. Everything was green, even the water. The water was such a beautiful aqua colour. We walked around the cliffs for a long time and took lots of pictures and it was really overwhelming. It felt like I was standing on the edge of the world. It was such a liberating feeling. You should try it some time. To our amazement the rain stopped and the clouds cleared some and the sun peaked out. Also, lots of fog rolled in across the cliffs... and to put it simply... The world is beautiful and life is so good right now. 

Ultimately we had to leave, but I've promised myself that I will come back. We drove down the road a little bit and stopped for lunch in a village called Doolin. My group had packed lunches so we sat outside the pub in the sun and ate our sandwiches. When we finished there was still some time before we had to be back on the coach so we walked around the village. Again for those of you who have seen Waking Ned Divine it was just as I always imagined it to be. I have also decided that when I retire I will either come back and live in Doolin or find another small Irish village and live there quite contently with my dog  and my cat. It will be wonderful. So we got back on the bus and set off down the road a little more until we came to a place known as the Burren. The Burren is as another cliff edge, but unlike the Cliffs of Moher that are covered with green grass the burren is an extremely rocky cliff edge. There is a rock field before you can even get to the cliff edge. Because these cliffs are significantly shorter we were allowed to walk out as far as we wanted. Don't have heart palpitations now, but I walked all the way to the edge and looked down over the ocean. If you want to be reminded how small you are in the grand scheme of things just come here. It was so beautiful and it really reminded me that everything was once one, because our driver was talking about how these rocks and boulders ended up here due to the floating glaciers during the Ice Age. There's history for you. 

Finally we had to get on the bus and the took us back to Limerick via the scenic route and then back to Cork. When we got back we were all exhausted, but I think for the majority of the people there it was the best day of their lives for the past 2 years. It was the most beautiful place on earth I have seen to this day. That night we went back to our favorite put An Spaílpin Fánac and heard some more Irish music. This time I had a Beamish, not a Guinness and it was good, but not as smooth. In Cork it is said that Beamish and Murphys are the true Irish Stouts and that Guinness is for the northerners and those from abroad who don't know better. So I was fair and sampled both. I'm still not a big beer fan, but I was able to appreciate it. So no worries I'm not a drunkard yet. 

We went home that night all delighted about the last 24 hours events. We had to get up the next morning and leave for the airport so our journey kind of ends here, but it was the best trip I have ever taken. I was surrounded by friends that I hold dear, good food, good beer, and beautiful surroundings. What more can a person ask for. Parting was such sweet sorrow, but I know I will be back so that makes it a little easier. Ireland is a Claddagh in and of itself. It is Loyalty, Love and Friendship and I've never been so proud to be Irish and to wear that reminder on my finger everyday of my life. 

"Come fill to me the parting glass, goodnight and joy be to you all."

Cork- Day 1

This is all of us at the pub Friday night.
Long live Ireland!
My delicious Irish Coffee.
Looking down into the courtyard at Blarney.
Blarney Castle.

So on Thursday we left for our trip to Cork Ireland. My best friend Dani and I had to stay at the manor a little later because we both have meet-a-family families and Thursday was the formal dinner. After the dinner my family drove me to the train station and Dani and I got on a train to London Stansted Airport. 2 and 1/2 hours and 1 train change later we arrived at London Stansted airport. It was pretty empty there because it was 11:30pm and the only other people there were those who were spending the night. The other 7 kids going to Cork had already been there for a couple hours and after we met up we found a corner and all went to sleep on the floor. Not everyone slept. Dani and my friend Austin stayed up for most of the night watching over us and our stuff, but eventually Austin fell asleep and Dani and I stayed up. Our flight was at 6:20 so the rest of the kids work up around 4:20 to check in. We all checked in and went through some pretty dodgy security checkpoint. We were flying with RyanAir and they are really strict about carry on luggage. You are only allowed one piece so if you have a purse your purse has to be inside your other bag. And there's a weight limit of 20 lbs I think. So I went through security just fine, but some of the other kids got pulled aside and had their bags searched or got frisked. I really can't imagine how they thought a bunch of Anglo- American kids were going to cause trouble or anything, but apparently they did. Once we got released from the watchful eyes of the security officials we set off for our gate which was sooo far away. 

RyanAir works like Southwest in that there is a mad rush to get inline to get on the plane. People are crazy!!!! We all got separated in the process of getting in line. RyanAir is also different in that you walk out to the airport and walk up the little staircase. It was FREEZING! They also don't de-ice their planes so the wing that I was sitting over was still covered in ice when we took off. Sketch!!! The flight to Cork is only just over an hour. Before we knew it we were bumping along the runway in Cork trying to slow down. It was the roughest landing I have ever experienced. We finally got to our gate and walked down the gang-plank. We found each other again and all went through immigration together... which means I've got another stamp in my passport. Wooo!!!!! 

Our taxi wasn't supposed to arrive for another hour or so so we got some breakfast, I had a scone, and set about changing our money into Euros. When our taxi arrived we all piled into two cars and puttered off towards Cork. Oh, I think I should mention now that when we arrived in Cork it was raining; a disgusting cold yucky rain. It did not stop when we left the airport... or ever when we arrived at our hostel. Anyway, our taxi driver for the ride was very friendly and wanted to know where we were all from and what we were doing in Cork and what we wanted to see while we were here... etc. He told us where he thought we should go. On our drive through the city he pointed out sites and such to us. Cork is not known for anything special in terms of architecture. It's just your average Irish city. It was still pouring when we arrived at our hostel and even though we had made plans to go out to Blarney once we arrived we decided to take a nap until 11:30. We all woke up around 11:30 and asked our awesome hostess Tracy how to get to the bus station where we would catch a bus out to Blarney.

In the rain we headed into the City Centre which is on an island and went to the bus station. We had just missed a bus and so we had a good hour before the next one would run. So we decided to go find some lunch. We stopped in a pub called Mulligans... at least I think it was called Mulligans. I had chicken soup with Irish soda bread and a cup of hot tea. Some of the other kids got Murphys which is the local brew. After lunch we headed to the bus station where we got on a bus to go to Blarney. It was still pouring when we arrived in Blarney. Due to the weather there was no body there so we walked right through and up to the castle. The castle was pretty cool, but I'm not really sure it was worth the 8 euros we had to pay. Meh. Atleast I can say I went there and kissed the Blarney stone. I wish I could tell you the significance or the history, but they didn't really explain it to us, so if you are really interested just Google. 

We were all soaked to the bone by the time we left Blarney castle and so we headed to a pub in Blarney for an early dinner. It was little and cozy and full of locals because its the off season in Ireland. We sat down next to a roaring fireplace and took off our coats and shoes to try and dry off and warm up. As is traditional if you are in Ireland I had shepherd's pie and Irish coffee. When I went up to the bar to order my Irish coffee the bar tender scoffed at me a little bit. I guess he thought that I didn't know what was in Irish coffee, which I did. It's coffee and Whiskey. Duh! Anyway, I just smiled and took my Irish coffee and enjoyed my Shepherd's pie. After dinner we went out and did a little shopping in Blarney and my splurge was to get a celtic knot ring, which is gorgeous if I say so myself. 

After that we headed back into Cork on the bus and rested before the rest of our night. A few people decided to stay because they were just too cold and wet. We left to go out around 9 and we were going to go to this pub down the street from our hostel that was supposed to have Irish music at 9 on Fridays, but when we got there we realized that something was not right. There were no musicians and we felt like we had just walked into a private locals only pub. We left that one pretty quickly and walked until we found another pub. This one didn't have any music, but by that point some people were desperate for a drink so we sat down. Well this pub didn't have desserts or food so we nixed it and left this one. We walked all over town until we finally found the pub that I will remember forever and return to again and again when I go back to Ireland. An Spailpín Fánac... it's Gaelic... don't know what it means. Anyway, this place was amazing. It was everything that an Irish pub should be. It was pretty big and we found a little nook in one of the larger rooms off to the side. We all ordered drinks and sat down and hoped that the music would start. To appease my Irish ancestors I had a half pint of Guinness. It was so delicious. It was so smooth and dark. mmmmhmm. I also tried, but did not purchase, a Beamish and a Beamish Red. The Beamish is another Irish Stout and the Beamish Red is an Ale. 

At some point in time, I'm not really sure when, but at some point in time Irish music began. It turned out that the four guys playing were sitting right outside our nook. It was so wonderful. For those of you that have seen Waking Ned Divine it was just like the part in that film near the end where the entire town is in the pub drinking and dancing. There was no dancing here, but the atmosphere was the same. It was glorious! Finally we called it a night and made the long, long walk back to our hostel. We all went right to sleep because we knew we would have to be up super early the next morning, so...

Goodnight and joy be to you all.