Wow...who knew that I would ever be doing this - but it was a lot easier and cheaper than going to the train station and getting 10 minutes for 1 Euro - then having the machine take my money but the mouse didn't work...Oh well - I will learn to test mouse first.
Anyhoo, let me go into a bit more detail of my travels...might as well get my money's worth (as I originally came here to purchase tickets to go from Cork to Dublin tomorrow).
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
I spent much of the day trying to get things in order - purchasing any last minute items or changing money over from Pounds to Euro - apparently they don't sell things in both. Anyway, I also helped Mel get the things she needed and to make sure she was packed properly. We left for the 2 something train on Saturday to London St. Pancras. We then headed to the tube to get to a station that would get us a train to Gatwick. When we arrived at Victoria station, we were told that our tickets we had already purchased were NOT valid there - as it didn't have the train company we needed coming from that station. To fix this predicament (and the beginning of our adventure) we had to purchase another ticket for another train to a different station (another £4) to then meet up with the train we did need. When we got there, by the time we realized the train we were looking for was on the other platform across from us (where we needed to go over a foot bridge) we missed it and had to wait for another. In the end, we did get there - but here came the other concern...would they except my ticket and my luggage (my backpack was slightly bigger than the dimensions acceptable by Ryanair). In the end, all was well and we got through.
Okay, so we were on the plane and I took a couple of pictures of us (Mel and I were sitting together, Krista and Ashley were sitting in front of us). Apparently, this was a no-no because the airline steward looked at me with a look that could kill and told me to put away the camera. After he finished his safety presentation, he came to me and requested to view my photos. I guess he thought I was taking pictures of him (as he must have only seen the flash go off) but come on...WHY would I take a picture of him on my holiday???
Okay so, we reached Dublin airport, with a bugle call as the plane landed (signifying another trip by Ryanair that landed earlier than was scheduled). Either way, we cracked up when we heard it. Next part of the journey was getting to our hostel.
We got to a cab, and saw that the driver's side was the same as ours back home. We were so excited that we would be able to drive here (thinking that they drove on the right side of the road). Imagine our confusion when we realized that the car was still driving on the left-hand side of the road...that, I think, scared me more than the idea of driving on the left in a right-hand side driver car. Anyhoo, we made it to the hostel in one piece, and made our way inside what looks like a school (oh, did I mention it was once a convent school? St. Joseph's was the name). We made our way to the room, only to realize that we didn't have a shower/bathroom in it and we thought that was what we had booked. In the end, it worked out well because in the morning, all four of us could head to different showers at the same time and not have to worry about having to wait for the other - maybe one other person who was in line...but not all four.
Sunday, October 25
We spent the majority of the day hopping on and off a tour bus (the hop-on-hop-off bus...good name, don't you think?). The weather was threatening as it rained on and off, so although it was a double-decker (with an open top) we spent the majority of the time in the covered bottom of the bus. We stopped off at places like Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Christ-Church Cathedral, St. Patrick's Church, and of course did the tour of Guinness and Jameson. As I already mentioned, I enjoyed my first pint of Guinness at the factory and actually didn't find it too bad - but it tasted different to what I've sipped from friends pints at home. Anyhoo, I think it helped that we had a good lunch ahead of time - thanks to a friend of Ashley - Christine (who lives in Dublin and has asked us to dinner Wednesday night). It was also at lunch that Mel swiped a Guinness glass from the bar.
That night, we were so tired from all our walking, that we decided to chill out in the TV room at the hostel. It was nice
Monday, October 26
We spent our morning, after our breakfast at the hostel, walking around town before we would have to leave for our train to Cork. It was nice to go out in the sunny morning (or at least, it seemed sunnier than normal) but we had to watch that we didn't go far. That being said, we saw some nice views of the River Liffey. We also got caught up in the marathon that was taking place (as it was a bank holiday in Ireland this Monday). It was also at this point that I thought it would be a good idea to get another SD card for my camera...mine was getting too full - and I swear I am in some of them.
We then went on the train to Cork (about a 3 hour train ride). From what I saw from the country side (when I wasn't napping) it was beautiful - and we laughed at the sheep we saw. When we got to the station, we had a 10 minute walk to our hostel (which is also a bar - which worried me a bit until I went into the room and realized you can't hear the music downstairs). We also have a shower/washroom in the room which is nice but has its disadvantages (as we had this morning when I wanted to go to the washroom but someone was in the shower).
We walked all of Cork as it was a beautiful day and took TONS of pictures (more than Dublin, I think). We enjoyed lunch at an Italian place across the street from our hostel which had AMAZING lasagna (even if they do serve it with chips...must be a UK thing). We had a pint in the evening at the bar, but I then went to rest while the girls went to some other pubs...sorry, one's enough for me.
Tuesday, October 27
We began our day, after the shower situation/line-up and then breakfast, going through the town and the tourist information centre before we went to the bus station. From the bus depot, we made our way to Blarney. Yes, I got to see Blarney castle, kissing the Blarney stone (which was a feet in and of itself, dangling upside down while an older gentleman helped me down to kiss it then come back up). Then, I started to move away from the girls. There were some issues I've been feeling the past couple of days, but seemed to really come to light today and found it was beginning to affect how much I enjoyed my holiday - so I figured it would be best to separate. Doing so allowed me to go for a hike around Rock Close (gardens around the castle) and it was great! We met up to make the bus back into town. It was there that we separated again - as I wanted to go to Cobh...an important port that saw the Titanic last before it sank and also has a great naval history. It was also in this maritime area that I got to see the most beautiful Cathedral thus far (even if my battery died on my camera). Still, it had a calming influence I much appreciated. After dinner in a Chinese restaurant (who knew), I made my way back to Cork. I was sitting in the TV room at the hostel when the girls eventually showed up (as Dancing with the Stars was on the TV). We then made our way to this cafe to book our train tickets at the low cost of £10 for tomorrow.
Now, we shall see how this evening plays out...wish me luck! (Oh wait, maybe I'll get the luck of the Irish!)
Enough already!! Where are the friggin leprechauns?!
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