London Calling!

Last weekend, I went to London to stay with my friend from high school, Megan! This was a first flight experience since being in Ireland which was exciting but the plane ride was only 55 minutes long. I ended up taking a bus to a stop where Meg met me and we walked to her house. She lived in this gorgeous area (she lives down the street from Stella McCartney) and lives with everyone in her program which is 30 people.

The first day, which was the day after St. Paddy’s Day, I was clearly very tired so we just hung out in her house and watched Gossip Girl in the lounge. We went out to dinner that night and used the Tube; the main transportation system throughout London and is surprisingly easy to use even for me who has no sense of direction. We had a nice cultural meal at T.G.I. Friday’s and headed over to a bar near her house to get a drink.

The next day was a big one. We got up semi-early and headed on the town to do touristy things. It was a gorgeous day so Megan decided going to St. Paul’s Cathedral would be a great bet. Megan is a history major and is taking History of London classes. I heard everything you needed to know about this place. The only thing I remember is that it was the only thing to be left standing in the Great London Fire..Is that right Meg? Anyway, we went to the top of it and were able to see the top of London. It was gorgeous. We took our own tour of the rest of the Cathedral using these touch iPod tour things. Technological advancements have even made it overseas! Oh and this was where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married =)

View from the top of St. Paul's

Meg and I at the top!

We headed over to the Millennium Bridge which was really cool looking and was in one of the Harry Potter movies which made it 20x’s more interesting to me. Then we went to the most crowded place in London (at least I thought it was), to Big Ben. You get a view of many things from this area so many tourists take a zillion pictures here, including myself. Meg also taught me something interesting she has learned after living in the big bad city for months. When asking someone else on the street to take a picture for you, you must ask someone who would not run away after giving them your camera. Search for people with children, or old people, or someone with a cigarette. Very valuable lesson.

Me and Ben.

We also took pictures in front of Westminster Abbey and went into the gift shop which consisted of any type of William and Kate paraphernalia you can think of. I snuck a picture of their dish towels and mugs…

William and Kate

Then we went to Buckingham Palace which unfortunately didn’t have the guards in front at that time. But it was really awesome knowing that the Queen was so close!

We walked over to a park and did a little photo shoot in a bunch of daffodils. Then Meg showed me the National Gallery and showed me one of the paintings that is in the Desperate Housewives credits in the beginning. Then we got fish and chips and headed home.

It was a long day, but no time to rest! We were going out with her friends for Mexican! After a delicious Mexican meal of quesadillas and margaritas we went out on the town. After a few busts, we went to this very fun club, where we cut the line btw, and had so much fun there. There was a live band who played cool covers and when they left, they played Irish music so I clearly had to dance for everyone in the place. We left at closing and went on the next bus home. His bus refused to move because it was too full and people would not get off. So we waited 30 minutes for the next one where everyone and their mother was. There we were mocked for being American so getting off was a huge relief. I did notice the difference in Irish and British attitudes for being American. Simply put, the Irish love us and the British hate us. The end.

The next day, Meg brought me to Hyde Park which was a gorgeous park down the street from her. She also took me to see Tower Bridge which was pretty cool.

Meg and I at Tower Bridge

We decided to call it a day and we left to go back to her house. I had a to leave her house at 2am to catch the bus that was going to take me to the airport so I stayed up watching the O.C. until then and headed off back to Cork!

I loved London sooo much! I was very grateful to have Megan with me to help me get around and tell me interesting facts about the city. I don’t know if I would be able to live there though. It was very crowded and you have to know your way around which I don’t know if I could ever get used to. But it was such a great weekend trip and I would like to go again sometime.

Norah, Laura, and Birthday!

VERY sorry about the delay in this post. I know everyone has been waiting on the edge of their seat to hear about my loving sister, Norah and amazing cousin, Laura’s visit to me!

Norah arrived into Dublin airport on February 25^th and I met her at the bus station that day. We walked around Dublin with our giant backpacks and talked for a few hours catching up. We mainly rested this first day because of her jetlag. The next day we saw a lot of things that I had already seen the last time I was in Dublin, but it was a gorgeous day so we walked around Dublin for a while. We also went to an archaeology museum which was surprisingly interesting to me. That night we went to a few pubs and met a lot of people, even someone from New Jersey! It was a fun time with the sis, but we were obviously anxiously awaiting Laura the next day.

We met Laura in front of her hotel and hung out for a while exchanging gifts (a.k.a me receiving gifts) that the family had sent over with her. I woke up sick that morning completely congested and stayed in Laura’s hotel room while they saw some museumsand more of Dublin. When they came back, we went out to dinner and had I got a hot whiskey to clear out my sinuses. Afterward, since I felt better, we bar hopped around Temple Bar and made friends with bartenders. It was a lot of fun and we slept comfortably in the king size bed together. The next morning, we got breakfast and I headed back to Cork to begin the dreadful 8 page paper I put off for 2 months.

After not sleeping for 3 days, I handed in my paper and met up with Norah and Laura at a pub in Cork! I was so excited to show them around my new home. After Norah made a delicious meal in my kitchen we went out for the night. They met all of my friends and had a lot of fun. The next day, I shipped them off to the Blarney Stone while I got ready for my birthday celebrations. I was going to be hosting a party in my apartment that night since my birthday was at midnight! I will spare all the relatives the details that made my 21^st birthday an epic one and just say it was just what a 21^st birthday should have been like…

The gorgeous cousins in my apartment.

The next morning/afternoon, we woke up and Norah left to go back up to Dublin because her flight was the next morning =(. For my actual birthday, we had a lot planned. My friend was hosting a pot luck and then we were off to a Munster Rugby game which was a decent walk from her apartment. It was sooo much fun! I kind of caught onto what was happening in the game but usually just cheered when everyone else did. It was a fun atmosphere and I definitely want to go to another one.

Laura left the next day and I got really sad =( Their visit made me miss home more than I had since I’ve been here. Especially since the West Orange St. Patrick’s Day Parade was the next week. But I am still loving my life here forrr sureeee! Stayed tuned for more posts veryyy soon =)