Oh dear lord,
The last few days have been more than hilarious. These seem to be the wild hijinks that only we would get into. Our plan was from Inverness to take the overnight to London. We arrived in Inverness and guess what? The bus to London is full. It wasn't going to be full till Glasgow, so we decided to hop on and figure it out in Glasgow. Peeps, don't ever buy the National Express BritXPlorer pass, it is awful and not worth it. We saw Stirling on the way to Glasgow. Once we reached there, we saw another bus to London. Hannah goes up to ask the bus driver if he has room, ha, as if he would. We have a few hysterical moments while wondering what to do. Hannah was about to suck it up and ask her mom to research hotels in Glasgow.
Oh, yea of little faith in my stubborn-ness. I had an inspired plan. There was a Scottish CityLink bus that was going to Edinburgh. We were more familiar with that city anyhow and we could stay in Belford again. We get in and frantically search for Belford Hostel's phone number, which funnily enough, I had thrown away before we reached the Inverness bus. Hannah called her mom and casually asked for the number as a "confirmation," and of course then I find the number within a mass of printed papers,
We reach the hostel uninjured. The plan is to research the bus schedule tomorrow so we could go to the bus station on time. Ha, sound easy enough, right? The hostel only has two computers which cost a pound to use. That was fine, except both computers were out of order. The hilarity . . . Another hysterical laughing moments later, Hannah calls Terrence to check. It totally saved our lives. I think I'll let Hannah fill in the rest. I'm so tired.
I'll skip forward to now. I am in my dear sweet home of California. Sadly, I regret not buying a bottle of champagne because I totally could have gotten it past customs. It's okay, I got chocolate liquors past customs and I didn't even try to hide it. You know on backpacks the pocket on the outside for water bottles, I put it in there. It was too bad I didn't really like them very much, whatevs, my Dad did. Oh yeah, I'm on the level with my parents. My mom knows Hannah's mom didn't actually come and my dad knows I drink. Honesty rocks and guilt sucks.
Allie Out!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
The internet's not free???
"What?" You might exclaim, upon reading the title of this post. "You have to pay for internet?" Yes, my dear, disillusioned readers. I discovered this upon leaving our happy little London sanctuary. Every hostel we've been in since-with the exception of this, dear readers, but I'll come back to here- has required substantial tolls in order to enter the information highway.
Like that pun, didja?
So here I am, about a week after our last post, sitting in this little spot of wireless bliss. What have we been up to? you may next ask. Quite a bit, I would have to reply. Lets see. We've been to 5 cities, a couple of castles, and way too many buses. We started out last Sunday at Stirling, a little city about an hour outside of Edinburgh that is famous for a prolific amount of William Wallace statuary and pieces of historical importance. Unfortunately, as we'd spent about 8 hours that day on a bus, we did not get to enjoy much of what this city had to offer. We did have some pizza-hut worthy pizza and managed to find what amounted to a new york style family restaurant. It was a pretty place, though. I have some nice pictures. (PS: Ask me sometime about the Smelly Naked European guy)
Then it was off to Edinburgh! Our hostel in Edinburgh was AWESOME. Do you know why I felt the need to use gratuitous caps in that sentence? Because we slept in a church. That's right, four nights in a bloody church. I could see the arched, darkly wooden ceiling from my bed. Our room's walls were attached to pillars. For Christ's sake, there was a stained glass window next to my bed! So yeah, pretty cool.
Had some fun adventures in Edinburgh. Saw the castle, for one, which was really spectacular. The royal mile was also wonderful, full of touristy goodness. I bought a blanket, because it seemed to be the thing to do. We also saw a couple of good museums, including the museum of childhood, which was filled with creepy staring dolls. Allie scared the crap out of me in there. I swear to god, those fuckers moved! In addition to Chuckie-worthy levels of creep, we also stumbled upon the queen's palace in Edinburgh, in which she spends one week every summer. That was cool. As was the interesting high walks we found when wandering off the beaten path. Over all, Edinburgh was pretty damn awesome. If you're ever there definitely go to the National museum of Scotland, it was filled with prehistoric and ancient Scottish stuff like enigmatic Pict-symbols and armor and bones from warrior times. I, typically, liked all the gold and jewelry the chieftains wore to display their power. I love gold. If I lived a couple hundred years ago (and was a man) I would definitely have been one of those pillaging bastards you read about who sets houses on fire and destroys entire cultures in pursuit of gold. Good thing I live in the modern age. Being a woman? Also good.
((Though really, how does one tell if one is a girl or a woman yet? (boys, you may replace that with "boy" and "man"). In Judaism it's thirteen, the age of the bar/bat mitzvah. Load of crap. According to our laws, it's 18, though some might argue that its only at 21, because that's when you receive the right to drink. Some would say its the first time you have sex, again, a load of crap. Too many stupid 12 year olds running around pregnant for that to happen. So far, none of these universal standards I've heard really hold any water with me. I'm going to go ahead and say it's probably subjective, that some become men at 15 and others never do. (girls, see above parentheticals).))
Speaking of Edinburgh: Allie and I are chillin' in our room, gellin' like the felon's we are. The scene is late evening, not yet time for sleep but edging closer. It is also important to add that at this point we are by ourselves in the room. Then! The door opens. In comes this middle aged guy with a bald spot and flat feet. So what does he do? Of course he tries to get into the top bunk in the bed next to ours. However, as he is old and there are no ladders on his bed, this proves to be rather difficult. He then proceeds to hold on to my bed (top bunk), shaking both our bunks and creating a lot of noise, in his attempt to get up to his. This takes about 10 minutes of obnoxious shaking. Added to that, how incredibly awkward! I'm trying to be all cool, because hey, this is part of the adventure. And it makes a fun story. But still, being two fragile young innocent girls (*snicker*) in a room with just a middle aged man (a weirdo, at that!) makes one a little nervous. Luckily the walls were only head high, so there really was no danger. Awkward as hell, though, especially the next morning, when the fucker woke us up with more shaking as he could not get out of his bed. Finally I had to get up and help him. It was not that difficult. Come on, man! Pull yourself together! So that was Belford. Did I mention it was also very cheap? and about a mile or two away from anything. I liked it a lot.
So after that? Glasgow. Glasgow is boring. Don't go there.
Then Inverness! Only spent the night, didn't see much of the city, but we DID go to Loch Ness and Urquhart castle. Can I just say wow? It was like a paranormal pilgrimage. Didn't see Nessie, sadly, but the lake was fantastic and now I can say that yes, I HAVE been to Loch Ness. The castle was cool, too, though a little hard to navigate with my gigantor backpacking backpack. Especially the narrow castle stairs. Really, though, the loch was breathtaking. It's so big that you can hardly imagine it's a lake. The mountains ring it, and halfway through the day the sun came out, making a bluer sky than I've ever seen. Also, the food in the cafe was really good, if a little pricey.
Then on to our last destination so far, where I am sitting right now: the Isle of Skye. Kyleakin, to be exact. I could imagine no place on earth more perfect. The bus ride up here was filled with the stark beauty of the highlands, and each bend of the road took my breath away. The hills- hard to believe that they are not mountains. They're covered in scrub and brush and rock, and after awhile the sheep fade away and you're just left with the mountains. And the lochs, of course, winding their way in the valleys between. There was snow crowning many of them, even this late in the year. Then we got here and I was so glad that Allie had stubbornly insisted we come up here.
This place is-wow. Just incredible. We're surrounded by "hills" and the ocean is right at our feet. I can see it from the hostel. We're staying in a little trailer behind the hostel, and it is just perfect. I can hear the wind and the water at night, and it is so incredibly peaceful! The hostel is absolutely perfect, too. It's incredibly homey and beautifully and cleverly decorated, with paper lanterns and fun little posters and pictures decorating the walls. Did I mention the free hot chocolate, tea, and coffee? And there's a cat. The owner is this tiny sprite looking woman who seems to have boundless energy and is so incredibly friendly. I'm very happy here. This morning I took a long walk out along the water and behind the houses. I found the path to the castle ruins, which stand like a sentinel against the landscape. It was quiet and peaceful, the only noises coming from the fisherman's radio across the water and the crying of the seagulls. Oh, and the lap of the water against the rocky shore. That was nice. Overall this place is tiny but absolutely perfect. We'll do some hiking today. We bought picnic materials! And did I mention there is a pub next door, with live music? Yes there is. And when I say next door, I mean literally. This place is tiny, with only a few B&B's and two or three restaurant cafes. Perfectly peaceful.
I'll let you all know how things go along, now that we have unlimited internet access. A very long post, dear ones, but as most of you readers exist only in my head, I think that's okay.
Peace out.
-H
Like that pun, didja?
So here I am, about a week after our last post, sitting in this little spot of wireless bliss. What have we been up to? you may next ask. Quite a bit, I would have to reply. Lets see. We've been to 5 cities, a couple of castles, and way too many buses. We started out last Sunday at Stirling, a little city about an hour outside of Edinburgh that is famous for a prolific amount of William Wallace statuary and pieces of historical importance. Unfortunately, as we'd spent about 8 hours that day on a bus, we did not get to enjoy much of what this city had to offer. We did have some pizza-hut worthy pizza and managed to find what amounted to a new york style family restaurant. It was a pretty place, though. I have some nice pictures. (PS: Ask me sometime about the Smelly Naked European guy)
Then it was off to Edinburgh! Our hostel in Edinburgh was AWESOME. Do you know why I felt the need to use gratuitous caps in that sentence? Because we slept in a church. That's right, four nights in a bloody church. I could see the arched, darkly wooden ceiling from my bed. Our room's walls were attached to pillars. For Christ's sake, there was a stained glass window next to my bed! So yeah, pretty cool.
Had some fun adventures in Edinburgh. Saw the castle, for one, which was really spectacular. The royal mile was also wonderful, full of touristy goodness. I bought a blanket, because it seemed to be the thing to do. We also saw a couple of good museums, including the museum of childhood, which was filled with creepy staring dolls. Allie scared the crap out of me in there. I swear to god, those fuckers moved! In addition to Chuckie-worthy levels of creep, we also stumbled upon the queen's palace in Edinburgh, in which she spends one week every summer. That was cool. As was the interesting high walks we found when wandering off the beaten path. Over all, Edinburgh was pretty damn awesome. If you're ever there definitely go to the National museum of Scotland, it was filled with prehistoric and ancient Scottish stuff like enigmatic Pict-symbols and armor and bones from warrior times. I, typically, liked all the gold and jewelry the chieftains wore to display their power. I love gold. If I lived a couple hundred years ago (and was a man) I would definitely have been one of those pillaging bastards you read about who sets houses on fire and destroys entire cultures in pursuit of gold. Good thing I live in the modern age. Being a woman? Also good.
((Though really, how does one tell if one is a girl or a woman yet? (boys, you may replace that with "boy" and "man"). In Judaism it's thirteen, the age of the bar/bat mitzvah. Load of crap. According to our laws, it's 18, though some might argue that its only at 21, because that's when you receive the right to drink. Some would say its the first time you have sex, again, a load of crap. Too many stupid 12 year olds running around pregnant for that to happen. So far, none of these universal standards I've heard really hold any water with me. I'm going to go ahead and say it's probably subjective, that some become men at 15 and others never do. (girls, see above parentheticals).))
Speaking of Edinburgh: Allie and I are chillin' in our room, gellin' like the felon's we are. The scene is late evening, not yet time for sleep but edging closer. It is also important to add that at this point we are by ourselves in the room. Then! The door opens. In comes this middle aged guy with a bald spot and flat feet. So what does he do? Of course he tries to get into the top bunk in the bed next to ours. However, as he is old and there are no ladders on his bed, this proves to be rather difficult. He then proceeds to hold on to my bed (top bunk), shaking both our bunks and creating a lot of noise, in his attempt to get up to his. This takes about 10 minutes of obnoxious shaking. Added to that, how incredibly awkward! I'm trying to be all cool, because hey, this is part of the adventure. And it makes a fun story. But still, being two fragile young innocent girls (*snicker*) in a room with just a middle aged man (a weirdo, at that!) makes one a little nervous. Luckily the walls were only head high, so there really was no danger. Awkward as hell, though, especially the next morning, when the fucker woke us up with more shaking as he could not get out of his bed. Finally I had to get up and help him. It was not that difficult. Come on, man! Pull yourself together! So that was Belford. Did I mention it was also very cheap? and about a mile or two away from anything. I liked it a lot.
So after that? Glasgow. Glasgow is boring. Don't go there.
Then Inverness! Only spent the night, didn't see much of the city, but we DID go to Loch Ness and Urquhart castle. Can I just say wow? It was like a paranormal pilgrimage. Didn't see Nessie, sadly, but the lake was fantastic and now I can say that yes, I HAVE been to Loch Ness. The castle was cool, too, though a little hard to navigate with my gigantor backpacking backpack. Especially the narrow castle stairs. Really, though, the loch was breathtaking. It's so big that you can hardly imagine it's a lake. The mountains ring it, and halfway through the day the sun came out, making a bluer sky than I've ever seen. Also, the food in the cafe was really good, if a little pricey.
Then on to our last destination so far, where I am sitting right now: the Isle of Skye. Kyleakin, to be exact. I could imagine no place on earth more perfect. The bus ride up here was filled with the stark beauty of the highlands, and each bend of the road took my breath away. The hills- hard to believe that they are not mountains. They're covered in scrub and brush and rock, and after awhile the sheep fade away and you're just left with the mountains. And the lochs, of course, winding their way in the valleys between. There was snow crowning many of them, even this late in the year. Then we got here and I was so glad that Allie had stubbornly insisted we come up here.
This place is-wow. Just incredible. We're surrounded by "hills" and the ocean is right at our feet. I can see it from the hostel. We're staying in a little trailer behind the hostel, and it is just perfect. I can hear the wind and the water at night, and it is so incredibly peaceful! The hostel is absolutely perfect, too. It's incredibly homey and beautifully and cleverly decorated, with paper lanterns and fun little posters and pictures decorating the walls. Did I mention the free hot chocolate, tea, and coffee? And there's a cat. The owner is this tiny sprite looking woman who seems to have boundless energy and is so incredibly friendly. I'm very happy here. This morning I took a long walk out along the water and behind the houses. I found the path to the castle ruins, which stand like a sentinel against the landscape. It was quiet and peaceful, the only noises coming from the fisherman's radio across the water and the crying of the seagulls. Oh, and the lap of the water against the rocky shore. That was nice. Overall this place is tiny but absolutely perfect. We'll do some hiking today. We bought picnic materials! And did I mention there is a pub next door, with live music? Yes there is. And when I say next door, I mean literally. This place is tiny, with only a few B&B's and two or three restaurant cafes. Perfectly peaceful.
I'll let you all know how things go along, now that we have unlimited internet access. A very long post, dear ones, but as most of you readers exist only in my head, I think that's okay.
Peace out.
-H
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hey!
Hello All!
It's Thursday and today we went for a day trip to Cambridge. I got my brother a hat that has the British flag on it. It was funny, the Cambridge tour guide mentioned the rivalry with Oxford, but the Oxford one did not mention it at all, almost as if it was beneath them, ha! Tomorrow we shall go to Harrods, class, lunch with class, and then shopping for both family souvenirs and things for me. I'm actually not sure whether I'll have enough room.
On Saturday, we head off to Edinburgh and we have yet to actually organize that. I think we're figuring out accommodations tonight.
See ya,
Allie
It's Thursday and today we went for a day trip to Cambridge. I got my brother a hat that has the British flag on it. It was funny, the Cambridge tour guide mentioned the rivalry with Oxford, but the Oxford one did not mention it at all, almost as if it was beneath them, ha! Tomorrow we shall go to Harrods, class, lunch with class, and then shopping for both family souvenirs and things for me. I'm actually not sure whether I'll have enough room.
On Saturday, we head off to Edinburgh and we have yet to actually organize that. I think we're figuring out accommodations tonight.
See ya,
Allie
Monday, May 25, 2009
5/26/09
Allie here,
It's too late for me to come up with a clever title for the post. It's around midnight and we are back in London, after a four hour bus ride. The bus smelled and I fear for the 8 hours we shall be in for on the way to London. I really did like Wales and Hannah spelled ciao wrong, aha! Caerphilly Caastle was awesome, it was just too bad that Castle Coch was undergoing renovations. The castle that was in Cardiff was super expensive and too modern, so we didn't go there. During the day before we left, I think Sunday, we went to St. Fagan's Castle and Museum. It wasn't so much of a castle as it had ruins, but I would not consider it a true castle. Before that, we went to Cardiff Bay and that was just gorgeous. Hannah got overcharge for a "luxury" flavor ice-cream, hilarious . . . I think it was chocolate chip too.
After St. Fagan's, we dropped off someone at the bus stop, and then went back to the bay. Let me tell you, from Cardiff to Cardiff Bay, that is one heck of a walk. If you ever go, you should be less cheap and just take the bus/train. There looked like there was some sort of fair being set up, but it started Monday and we were too lazy to walk back on Monday. Sunday night was so funny. Hannah and I talked to a drunk gay guy at Burger King. He kept saying "Homos aren't served in Burger King" and "They hate me" in a cute British in a cute British accent. Then, I think Welsh businessmen hit on us, weird.
And now that I have access to a computer, I shall be more regular in postings.
Allie Out!
It's too late for me to come up with a clever title for the post. It's around midnight and we are back in London, after a four hour bus ride. The bus smelled and I fear for the 8 hours we shall be in for on the way to London. I really did like Wales and Hannah spelled ciao wrong, aha! Caerphilly Caastle was awesome, it was just too bad that Castle Coch was undergoing renovations. The castle that was in Cardiff was super expensive and too modern, so we didn't go there. During the day before we left, I think Sunday, we went to St. Fagan's Castle and Museum. It wasn't so much of a castle as it had ruins, but I would not consider it a true castle. Before that, we went to Cardiff Bay and that was just gorgeous. Hannah got overcharge for a "luxury" flavor ice-cream, hilarious . . . I think it was chocolate chip too.
After St. Fagan's, we dropped off someone at the bus stop, and then went back to the bay. Let me tell you, from Cardiff to Cardiff Bay, that is one heck of a walk. If you ever go, you should be less cheap and just take the bus/train. There looked like there was some sort of fair being set up, but it started Monday and we were too lazy to walk back on Monday. Sunday night was so funny. Hannah and I talked to a drunk gay guy at Burger King. He kept saying "Homos aren't served in Burger King" and "They hate me" in a cute British in a cute British accent. Then, I think Welsh businessmen hit on us, weird.
And now that I have access to a computer, I shall be more regular in postings.
Allie Out!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I forgot what day it was
It's 8 am and I just forgot what day it was. Luckily the nice British man sitting on the couch next to the computer was kind enough to remind me. Sunday. Last day before we go back to London. Of course, we don't leave tomorrow until late, so I suppose you could count that as another day. Yesterday was an amazing day in wonderful Wales (catch that alliteration?). We visited Caerphilly Castle. A 100% real, fantastic, stone, moat surrounded castle. Allie and I picnicked on the stone surrounding wall overlooking the moat and the acres of land stretching away. There were hills and tiny little village houses and lots of dogs gallivanting. Best of all? People were fishing in the moat. Can you imagine? Living so closely and casually by a freakin' castle that you just go over and fish in a moat? I can't. Then again, I live in America, and we've gotten rid of most of our history that goes back more than about 400 years. No castles for us, but perhaps its better that way. Who knows.
We also checked out the National History museum. There was this haunting exhibit about the Romans invading Wales. Druids apparently tried psychological warfare and dressed up like hags and witches to scare the Romans off. Didn't work. Surprise. But it was cool to see. An artist had made a sort of video and the art work was stunning, especially when combined with the hauntingly rough music. You know that primeval feeling you get when you enter a forest? There's fog and animal calls. The air is cold and damp, and you don't know where you are. Are those shadows moving? Was that a rustle in the trees? Can you feel the heavy beat of the woods? Imagine that in music that wasn't quite music. No wonder I got so disoriented in that place.
Then to cap it all off, a great night at the pub! I got my Guinness but then we also got a lovely treat of free pear cider! Not just a taste, either, but a full half pint. The music for the night was great, too. It was this old guy with arm tattoos, a pot belly, and a long white beard. He was hysterical. These two guys were drunk off their asses, too, but not so much that they couldn't do jigs and funny dances. He even played an Irish drinking song that I could sing along to! My favorite, though, was "There's no one as Irish as Barack Obama!" Now, to get the full effect of that song you have to say our president's name with an Irish accent. There you go, you've got it now. We sang along to tons of songs and when he asked if anyone was from America, I of course shouted YEAH! and started to wave my hands like a loon. He said he liked old Jersey better than my beloved state, though. Mildly offensive, but all in good fun! I'm telling you, this guy was great. All in all an excellent night. Free booze, good entertainment; sounds like heaven.
Alright. I've been monopolizing this computer for too long now. Peace out, homes. May your lives be long and your cups overfloweth with plenty.
-H
PS: Allie where are you? Have you disappeared? Need I send out the virtual search party? I'll do it, you know I will. Sheesh.
We also checked out the National History museum. There was this haunting exhibit about the Romans invading Wales. Druids apparently tried psychological warfare and dressed up like hags and witches to scare the Romans off. Didn't work. Surprise. But it was cool to see. An artist had made a sort of video and the art work was stunning, especially when combined with the hauntingly rough music. You know that primeval feeling you get when you enter a forest? There's fog and animal calls. The air is cold and damp, and you don't know where you are. Are those shadows moving? Was that a rustle in the trees? Can you feel the heavy beat of the woods? Imagine that in music that wasn't quite music. No wonder I got so disoriented in that place.
Then to cap it all off, a great night at the pub! I got my Guinness but then we also got a lovely treat of free pear cider! Not just a taste, either, but a full half pint. The music for the night was great, too. It was this old guy with arm tattoos, a pot belly, and a long white beard. He was hysterical. These two guys were drunk off their asses, too, but not so much that they couldn't do jigs and funny dances. He even played an Irish drinking song that I could sing along to! My favorite, though, was "There's no one as Irish as Barack Obama!" Now, to get the full effect of that song you have to say our president's name with an Irish accent. There you go, you've got it now. We sang along to tons of songs and when he asked if anyone was from America, I of course shouted YEAH! and started to wave my hands like a loon. He said he liked old Jersey better than my beloved state, though. Mildly offensive, but all in good fun! I'm telling you, this guy was great. All in all an excellent night. Free booze, good entertainment; sounds like heaven.
Alright. I've been monopolizing this computer for too long now. Peace out, homes. May your lives be long and your cups overfloweth with plenty.
-H
PS: Allie where are you? Have you disappeared? Need I send out the virtual search party? I'll do it, you know I will. Sheesh.
Friday, May 22, 2009
7 AM and I am feelin' fine
Hey, all. So right now it's a bit past 7. I'm sitting in a little hostel in Cardiff, Wales. The sun is shining and the seagulls are calling and I am feeling fine. Sometimes you just can't believe how lucky you are. This is one of those times.
So, to report on hostel life: Let me start out in a very AA style. Hi, my name is Hannah, and I am a hostel virgin. There. I've said it. There is no judging in this safe space! *ahem* so this hostel looks like a piece of shit from the outside. My first thought in seeing it? Fuck. Graffiti on the building outside, shitty looking parking lot, row of government produced housing projects, trash, etc. Of course, under that there was a charming quaintness. The inside, however, is just lovely. There's a pool table and everything seems very clean, and our room is kind of charming, actually, even though the beds squeak when you just think about them and I walked into a bit of a flood in the bathroom down the hall. The painting is cheery, though, and the sun shines in and provides a wonderful light. Breakfast is free, and so is tea and coffee. I'm actually having the time of my life.
And Cardiff has much to do with that. I freaking love this place. It has all the old-world charm I was looking for- For christ's sake, it's got a castle in the middle of it!- yet enough modern stuff to make it a bit industrial. Its an interesting contrast. The grounds around the castle are something else. You walk into them and its like you've entered a fairy tale. Narnia is just behind that tree. Fairies ought to come build a mound any moment. There's a stone circle and the most beautiful, lazy river, and the green has a certain magical quality to it that sort of feeds you. I feel better and more whole than I have in a while. Just wait until we go and see the castles today! Caerphilly and Coch, I believe, are on the agenda.
Best of all? Fun pub life. Last night we popped into O'neils for a pint and some live music. The musician was very cute. Especially his derriere. Sorry, male readers, just had to share.
Hey, those last two sentences rhymed!
The Guinness was good (duh) and so was Allie's pear cider. Had a lovely time. This Scottish ex-air force guy somehow wound up talking to us. He actually defended George W for his decision to go into war! I was shocked to hear that from a foreigner (not sure how I feel about W myself. Honestly, probably don't know enough to make up my mind). He had seen some horrible things in war. But he was also very charming and funny, especially when we told him we were going up to Edinburgh in a week's time. Turns out that's where he's from! Then when he left Allie and I got a kiss on the cheek. All in all, it was a great night. God bless the pub. Did I mention the cute musician also played Johnny Cash and had a voice that could wake the dead? Yeah, he was good.
What adventures await us today? Who knows. I am looking forward and up.
Life is good.
-H
PS: Allie, get your ass back on here! We are due for one of your posts, yo.
So, to report on hostel life: Let me start out in a very AA style. Hi, my name is Hannah, and I am a hostel virgin. There. I've said it. There is no judging in this safe space! *ahem* so this hostel looks like a piece of shit from the outside. My first thought in seeing it? Fuck. Graffiti on the building outside, shitty looking parking lot, row of government produced housing projects, trash, etc. Of course, under that there was a charming quaintness. The inside, however, is just lovely. There's a pool table and everything seems very clean, and our room is kind of charming, actually, even though the beds squeak when you just think about them and I walked into a bit of a flood in the bathroom down the hall. The painting is cheery, though, and the sun shines in and provides a wonderful light. Breakfast is free, and so is tea and coffee. I'm actually having the time of my life.
And Cardiff has much to do with that. I freaking love this place. It has all the old-world charm I was looking for- For christ's sake, it's got a castle in the middle of it!- yet enough modern stuff to make it a bit industrial. Its an interesting contrast. The grounds around the castle are something else. You walk into them and its like you've entered a fairy tale. Narnia is just behind that tree. Fairies ought to come build a mound any moment. There's a stone circle and the most beautiful, lazy river, and the green has a certain magical quality to it that sort of feeds you. I feel better and more whole than I have in a while. Just wait until we go and see the castles today! Caerphilly and Coch, I believe, are on the agenda.
Best of all? Fun pub life. Last night we popped into O'neils for a pint and some live music. The musician was very cute. Especially his derriere. Sorry, male readers, just had to share.
Hey, those last two sentences rhymed!
The Guinness was good (duh) and so was Allie's pear cider. Had a lovely time. This Scottish ex-air force guy somehow wound up talking to us. He actually defended George W for his decision to go into war! I was shocked to hear that from a foreigner (not sure how I feel about W myself. Honestly, probably don't know enough to make up my mind). He had seen some horrible things in war. But he was also very charming and funny, especially when we told him we were going up to Edinburgh in a week's time. Turns out that's where he's from! Then when he left Allie and I got a kiss on the cheek. All in all, it was a great night. God bless the pub. Did I mention the cute musician also played Johnny Cash and had a voice that could wake the dead? Yeah, he was good.
What adventures await us today? Who knows. I am looking forward and up.
Life is good.
-H
PS: Allie, get your ass back on here! We are due for one of your posts, yo.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Food
K hi again. So real quick, I feel the need to make you jealous over what I ate for dinner last night. Because it was good. Angels singing the Hallelujah chorus good. Five-alarm fireman calender good. We skipped out on the concert we had originally been planning to go to (sold out, probably? Or are we just incredibly lazy? You decide.) and went out to dinner with Ter's mom. And Auntie Pat, of course. I really like that woman. It was a tiny little French restaurant tucked away behind the main streets where you'd never think to go. It was too noisy but the ambience was nice and they wait staff was all, surprise! French. Real, open candles, too. I'm surprised we didn't set anything on fire, honestly. Anyways. We get there and we order and then proceed to wait about an hour for the food. Its okay, though, because they have in the meantime plied us with the most delectable crusty bread that you could imagine. Then the food comes. I've ordered the veal and feel a twinge upon my concious for that, but once I taste it, holy Jesus God. I'm biting into it and I think "boy I'm sorry you were killed as a baby in inhumane conditions but DAMN how tasty." Then my brain stops functioning as I enter an ecstasy of taste which basically kills all conversation at the table. When I emerge from the fog we're all sitting around with in a happy stupor. I didn't remember what day it was or what time, there was only the mmmmmmmm. I wonder if that's how opium addicts feel?
Something to research for later. Chao, bellas.
H
Something to research for later. Chao, bellas.
H
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