IRELAND

I've been in Europe for five days and it's been full of lots of travel, walking (my feet are so swollen I can barely get any shoes on) no sleep (3 all nighters), adventures, beer, and many great memories. Soo I'll try and give you a rundown over the past couple days and give you stories and touristy pictures that I took.

I got to London on Wednesday afternoon and was so proud of myself for navigating the tube all the way to Julie's place luggage and all. So when I got here I took a quick little power nap and then I went exploring to get some food and "top up" my phone. Julie works till 5 so when she got back we walked around and went with some of her friends to a local pub for a much needed beer and food. Julie and I were both exhausted so we took it easy and just hung out with everyone here at her place.

Then it was off to Ireland!!!!

Julie, her friends from her program Kim, Mac and I hopped on a plane at 6am Thursday so we had the whole day to explore. We spent the morning walking around the streets of Dublin going through shops, libraries, museums, cathedrals and sight seeing. We then stopped for a Guinness and sandwiches at a Temple Bar pub where we watched the World Cup and chatted with a local Irish man who was full of great stories. Then we went and checked into our hostel for a much needed nap. (The hostel wasn't bad considering. It was right on the river and we got breakfast and had our own bathroom and room for a night). We then got ready and went out to this place called Fitzsimons (a 5 story bar/club/lounge which we loved so much we went back every night) to grab some beer and watch the World Cup. We watched the France v. Mexico game up on the terrace and for a little background ... the Irish hate the French because they beat Ireland to go the Cup when Henre scored a goal with his hand... so it was a great place to watch the game. The Irish were very excited the French lost and after the game there were people celebrating and partying in the street. After the game we got some food at a place called Abracadabra (which the locals call Abraca-stab-ra - a hole in the wall place we would visit several times this trip) for a cababs (kind of like pita) which was pretty good considering. Then it was back to Fitzsimons' nightclub where we danced and partied all night.

The next morning the rest of the group had come and it was off to the Guinness Brewery for a tour. Here we learned all about the Irish treasured beer in a 7 floor tour where we learned about the ingredients (barley, hops, yeast, and water), brewing process, and drank Guinness of course. The end of the tour was capped off by a pint of Guinness (which they give you with a four leaf clover :)) enjoyed with 360 degree panoramic views of Dublin. After the tour we walked to Fitzsimons to get some food and beer for the USA game (still don't know how we didn't win)! After the game we walked to see Trinity College which was beautiful - crazy people can go to school somewhere like that. Then we went back to the hostel - got ready and bought some beer and watched the England v. Algeria. Then we went and tried out a few other bars and then back to Fitzsimons!

Saturday was another early morning... we had to catch a 7am bus (the Paddywagon) to go to the west coast of Ireland to see the Cliffs of Moher. It was one long and hot (the air conditioner didn't work for the first part of the drive) ass bus ride!! Luckily our driver, Shawnie, was an absolute gem so I forgive him for making me car sick (and puking on the bus). hah. I wish I could remember all of the one liners he said (we are pretty sure he drank a pint at every stop - which could be why he was such a horrible driver) but he was outrageous. Once we got to the west coast we made little stops at castles and cliffs to take pictures. It was absolutely beautiful over there!!! We didn't get back till around 9 so needless to say we were tired but of course we had to rally. We got some food and went back out - and stayed out all night - and then took a cab at 4am to the airport.

Overall the trip was a great success. All of Julie's friends are great, fun and HILARIOUS! The Irish people are soo "coooool" as Shawnie would say - way more fun than the British. Everyone is so much more chill and friendly over there.

London is great so far. Aside from the smelly (I am convinced no one in Europe has ever heard of deodorant) and hot "tube" (underground/subway) I am really liking the city. I have a couple of days to explore before my program starts so I'll keep you all posted and put up pictures.

Here are some pictures from Ireland....