A Wonderful Wayfaring: 2013

What? Two months since my last blog? Heh...heh... I told you I wasn't good at this journaling thing, but even I didn't listen to myself. I thought I'd do a weekly post, maybe every two weeks to update the world on my life in Dublin. Sadly, my inner procrastinator took over and, voila! It's been nearly two months. October is almost over, and my semester is half-way done.

So why now? I just got back from the MOST EPIC OF TRIPS to London, England. Like, seriously, the most epic ever. I had such an amazing time that I have to tell the whole world.

I traveled on my own, stayed in a hostel for the first time, and managed to only get lost on the tube and on the streets of London two or three times. I took a slight break from technology as my iPhone decided to stop working (though it's back on track now), my iPod has the worst ability to connect to even the best WiFi, and I didn't bring my laptop. Thus, I was relying on maps without GPS tracking and my own terrible sense of direction. Thankfully, people in London are much nicer than anyone ever gives them credit for, and I managed to not die when getting slammed by the doors of the Central Line train.

The trains-both over and underground-managed to take me to so many amazing places:

Day 1: St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London

My first stop on my tour of London was St. Paul's Cathedral, which kind of looks like Congress from far away, but is way cooler and has way nicer people inside. I talked to a lovely tour guide with a red sash for about 15 minutes about the history of the Cathedral and how exciting it was to be in London for the first time.

I spent a whopping FOUR HOURS at the Tower of London, though I probably could have spent more if my back didn't feel like it was about to break in half. As a medievalist, I basically could not stop smiling, even at the torture devices. I looked crazed, but I felt awesome.

Traitor's Gate

TOWER BRIDGE!

So...this is where all the armor is, and where Richard III supposedly killed the princes.

Yeomen are officially my favorite people ever, now. They are distinguished service members that had to be in the military for at least 25 years and they live with their families in the Tower of London and work as tour guides. They wear fancy outfits and are super hilarious.

He's super proud of his uniform. Seriously!

Day 2: The Palace of Westminster (a.k.a. Parliament and Big Ben), Westminster Abbey, World War memorials, Horse Guards Parade, Buckingham Palace (of Adventures), and the West End: Phantom of the Opera

I did A LOT on Day 2, but it really wasn't as much as it seems, because all of these things (except for the West End) are within 5-10 minute walks from each other. I started off bright and early at Parliament, which I was promptly informed should not be called as such, but the Palace of Westminster. When I walked into the surviving medieval hall where William Wallace and Sir Thomas More both would not surrender to the crown, I got some serious chills. Unfortunately, no pictures allowed (except of the medieval hall) so you get to see those (and these if you choose to click the link).

The Medieval Hall. It was so epic!!

Some lovely Puerto Ricans who I met standing in line took this for me!
(Also, that is not Big Ben. The Bell is Big Ben.)

I did double duty at Westminster Abbey as I visited the church itself, and then went to Evensong. The church is incredible. So much history, just in the names of those who are recognizable, let alone in the ones that we do not recognize, but often have bigger tombs. Seeing the place where the monarchs I read about in history books chose to have themselves interred was amazing. Considering how crazy it was, it was surprisingly peaceful. But Evensong was the highlight of my visit to the Abbey. Though the boys chorus did not sing, the Lay Men's Chorus that did was incredible. They managed to make a 30 verse psalm chant incredibly nuanced and interesting (which does not happen often). Only outside pictures, again, because it wouldn't be so special otherwise!

Walking down the Mall to see the Horse Guards Parade and Buckingham Palace was awesome, but the highlight of the walk down the Mall, for me, was seeing the memorials to those who participated in World Wars I and II. As the granddaughter of two American soldiers who fought in WWII, it was amazing to see not only the famous monument to the soldiers, but the monument to the women who were nurses, "Rosie Riveters", and those who simply had to wait for news on the horrors that occurred.

To brighter topics: I got to see the Phantom of the Opera. In the West End. With the original Monsieur Reyes. There are no words to describe how amazing it was. I cried as soon as the first chord of the Overture sounded. The whole audience was totally enraptured. I couldn't have had a better evening.

Day 3: The British Museum, 221B Baker Street, and meeting up with London Program friends :)

The British Museum was amazing. Though I was disappointed with the fact that one of the two medieval rooms was closed, the statues from the Parthenon, the Assyrian versions of the Pillars of the Argonath, and everything Egypt ever made definitely made up for it. It was also super cool to see the pottery that talked about the Trojan War since I've been translating passages from Ovid's Metamorphoses and Virgil's Aeneid on that very subject (nerd moment!). Also, just sitting outside the museum eating lunch in the twenty minutes of sunshine the day held was just perfect.

After the British Musem, I made my way to the home of Sherlock Holmes: 221B Baker Street. The period costumes, the wax-work story telling, and the fact that you can actually pick things up made this a very well-spent £8.

The best part of Day 3, though, was meeting up with my friends Meg and Matt, playing a train game, watching my first episode of Downtown Abbey, and generally having a wonderful time catching up with wonderful people.

Day 4: The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and an epic fail of a tube ride to Gatwick.

My last day in London was slightly marred by a terrible storm which prevented me from taking the trains to King's Cross Station as I had planned. However, the National Maritime Museum (which was FREE) was super fun. I got to see Nelson's original uniform from the Battle of Trafalgar and talk to more adorable docents about how awesome museums are.

Due to lovely train closures and delays, it took me almost 3 hours to get to the airport and cost me as much as a cab ride. But I met some lovely people on the plane who took my mind off the screaming child sitting across the aisle.

Now, back in Dublin, I am so grateful for the wonderful weekend that I had, for great friends, and for clean sheets. Good night.

Adventuresome is one way to describe how crazy the past two weeks have been travelling around Spain and Italy with my dad. He and I have been at odds more than once, but we had a wonderful time seeing the sights and hanging out with awesome people that we’ve met along the way. Here are some of the highlights:

Australians are awesome.
Someone from Manchester can support Liverpool.
Tapas bar owners in the south of Spain are wonderful.
Spain has the best hotel pillows. EVER.
Traveling to a different city every day sucks when you aren’t going on the same tour bus every day.
Taxi drivers are much nicer when you’re traveling with lots of luggage and an older gentleman.
Rome is my favorite. Of anything. Ever.
Talking to the people who are sitting next to you in restaurants leads to the best conversations and recommendations for everything.
Having someone who really speaks a language with you is incredibly helpful.
Walking up the steps to the top of the cupola of the Vatican is ridiculously exhausting, but the views are more than worth it. And we even took the lift halfway.
Bring less luggage.
Don’t freak out so much (I did a lot of this, and it really never helped. Being calm would have been much more enjoyable).
Ants in your suitcase are not a fun thing to wake up to at 5:45 in the morning.