Cork: 3 Days
What an inviting place, a warm and uninhibited culture far removed from the complex and involved hustle of the UK. God forbid you associate Ireland with the UK, it would be like comparing fever blister and full blown herpes.
When I arrived, I was welcomed by warm greetings, and picturesque views. As usual I was against taking a taxi, mainly to save money, but more so to experience a more personal view of Co Cork. The walk was painless, except for hauling my oversized luggage filled with gifts and treats for friends and family. Crossing over two bridges, I made my way to the Hotel Clarion, a huge hotel situated right by the water. It had a huge lobby, with a even larger seating section with a birds eye view of the upper floors, bars and restaurants. I checked in, and took my bags upstairs. Upon entering, the room was large and inviting. The bed was a king, (two twins pushed together, yuck) but comfortable just the same. The bathroom was sterile, and interesting! The shower had a partition which only covered half of the shower. To me this was awkward because I am a messy bather, and this would only keep half the water in, no matter, I would try it later. I unpacked and got situated, and went downstairs for a walk. I dawned my cap lit a smoke, and just started walking. I went across the river, and entered a museum, which on that day had a symposium on health and metaphysics. This was right up my alley. Tarot readers, holistic medicine, miracle cures, spine alignment, massage and many other forms of mumbo jumbo. It reminded me of a really big psychic eye bookshop, with a personal touch. I hung out there for an hour or so, and then with a stack of pamphlets in hand, I continued my walk. Heading toward city center, it was packed with every shop you could imagine, from apples at the farmers market to xylophones at their music shops. A true Mecca for the euro spend quick rich that walk the streets daily. After stopping by a great bagel shop for a unbelievable fat filled bite of deliciousness, I continued my tour. There was no shortage of politeness, people greeted me, asked me where I was from, admired my ink, asked for handouts, and just plain starred at me for whatever reason. I ended up walking a lot more, making a complete circle around the shopping district, ending back at my hotel for a quick nap. After a couple hours sleep, I grabbed a quick shower, and went back out for drinks and dinner. I made it to a cool little Asian restaurant called Panda Mama. It was a very big restaurant, with an authentic Asian motif. I had a couple of drinks, and a lovely "general chicken" dish, paid my check and made my way. I hit a couple of pubs, people are definitely more friendly here, with great beer and good conversation, all in all it was a great first day.
When I woke up the next morning,after a quick shower, and a brush, I headed down for continental breakfast. Everywhere in Ireland breakfast is the same, poached or scrambled eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, pudding discs, tomato's, and toast. (talking to a girl on the train I am on now said it was a traditional Irish breakfast, with no other explanation). Ok, after breakfast I headed out to see the sites, with no shortage of places to see, I hit the backroads and alleys, every church and monument I could find, and for about 4 hours of walking on a Sunday I was ready to sit down and rest a bit. Walking around I noticed nothing was open, nothing! So not knowing what day it was at the time ( I am on vacation, do I really need to know the day) I asked some people what was going on, yep you guessed it, Sunday mass, and everyone, even the street beggars were in attendance. Excluding myself, I made it to a church in a back alley, where I met a really cool parishioner who was accepting donations for the church. We talked for a good hour on religion, politics, morals, values, and responsibility. Is was definitely something I was missing, great banter with an intelligent person. I was starting to feel that "hey how ya do" was all I was ever going to say. After our talk we exchanged info, and I went on my way. I got back to the hotel at 4 ish, and rested till 7. I woke up and decided to make it a cheap night, and grab a quick bite and stay in, I wanted to see more things tomorrow, so that was my plan. I grabbed a baguette with chicken and slaw, damn, damn that was good. After about 2 more hours of walking I headed back to my hotel, and crashed.
The next morning I got up extra early, had my traditional breakfast, and headed to the bus station. I purchased my ticket to Middleton, and waited till my bus came in. It took about 30 minutes to reach Middleton, it was amazing! The town was small, the people were lovely, and it was close to being my favorite place except for Bath. I walked down a couple blocks to the Jameson distillery, and let me tell you, what a cool freaking place! The pictures will tell the tale. After walking around a bit more I found my bus pick up and headed back to Cork. Back at the room, I dropped off my shit, and hurried down stairs to go to this tool shop that carried my favorite pants called Snickers. I will say that anyone that does labor, building, outdoor, military, police, construction etc. would love these pants. I made it to Carey's shop, he was a cool guy, and he had my pants in stock. We chatted for a bit, and I guess he thought I was alright because he gave me a discount. I was completely stoked. I headed back to the hotel, and dropped my pants off, and went back out. It was a special day, because Cork had just won the Ireland championships. There were people everywhere, old and young alike. It was like a big concert, with everyone wearing some kind of red jersey, hat, waving flags and screaming for their home team. I hung outside for an hour or so, then I went back to Mama's for some more yummy grub. Waiting to be seated a youngster came in for food, sounds ok, then I realized his right hand was hurt, he was obviously drunk, but he was bleeding on the floor, kinda gross. What's worse, mama decided to mend his hand on the bar, that really was weird. Luckily my food had come out, and I bailed. After my quick bite, I hit a pub, and had a few more beers, and weeding my way through the crowd, I headed back to my hotel. On the way I had a great chat with a cop, we talked about Ireland, family, history, I learned a lot of fascinating stuff. Before I went back in I spoke to the motorcycle cops, they were cooler than shit, they all road tricked out rice bikes, and were fascinated with Vegas. What I found different from these cops and other cops I have seen, they took pictures with the crowd, and let the little kids sit on the bikes with them. This was great, to see people respecting and hanging out with the police instead of hating and talking shit about them. Ok back to the hotel, and I crashed out.
My last day in Cork, was uneventful, breakfast and now on the train to Dublin, more to follow.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Ireland so far... .
Interesting Facts:
Toilets flush from the front or the back, not the side, and the handles are on the opposite side as to America.
The reason why people drive on the other side of the road was to do everything opposite of the French.
There is only one road in London Proper that you can drive on the right side, and it's a driveway into a hotel.
Town homes in London as well as other metro areas are bigger than any mansion in Vegas, especially old ones. Example: Buckingham Palace is a town home, Windsor castle is the main house.
Being hung, drawn and quartered was for the old brits as football, UFC and Nascar are for us today.
There is two separate areas in London, one side is officially for the monarchy, and the other is run by businessmen. The queen has to ask permission to enter this area.
Never take a cab from the airport.
Towns are called villages here
Everyone in wales hates the British, or at least everyone I spoke to does.
It rains everyday here, lol.
The pigeon is officially (in my opinion) the national bird, they are everywhere, and freely fly through buildings.
The welsh drink a lot!
There are more unique cars and motorcycles, than I have ever seen, like the Mitsubishi Animal, or the cointreau v4, or the Dudd.
Most little shops in London and Wales, that I have been into are run by foreigners.
People are more friendly the farther you get away from the city, and closer you get to the villages.
Everyone rides motorcycles here, fast, and in the rain, Ireland should offer classes to Vegas bike riders.
You risk your life crossing the street.
There are far more interesting types of candy here than in the states.
People call converse cons not "chucks" (had an argument with a girl about that).
Everyone drinks a lot
The clubs are full of 18-19 year olds with raging hormones
The tv here is interesting, and the soaps they have on are quite interesting. (ya, don't say it, it woke me up when I was sleeping, and it was so outrageous, that it was funny)
The maids are all smoking hot in the hotel (Ireland)
People walk everywhere here, I haven't seen many fat people, mostly everyone is in shape. Hummm do the math, drink everyday, walk everywhere, stay in shape, good stuff.
Some movies still have a sign language interpreters, God that reminds me of the old 70's Laurence Welk and Love American Style, yep just dated myself.
Ok Back to the trip:
Dublin Ireland: Days 6
All praise, finally I get to Ireland yes, the land of my ancestors, the place where my grandmother would tell me tales, the place where I genetically get my disposition to be an alcoholic, yes, I am here! Let's digress a bit. Back to Holyhead, and the boat ride. Let me tell you all, that was a ride to remember. Starting at the station, I was feeling very chatty, so, in Kerry fashion, I talked to everyone. I met people from northern Ireland, Canada, and Australia. Well I made it on with a lovely couple from Australia, but funny enough they were born in Belfast, and had moved to Australia 30 years ago. Walking thorough the gate, it was the same as going through the airport terminal in Vegas, very thorough. Checking my luggage, we took the outside walk toward the boat, in the rain, and wind, and well you get the picture. This boat was massive, it had double levels for cars, busses, etc, and a huge lounge area, seating probably 200. I made my way over to my new friends from Australia, and they offered me a seat with them. We started talking about Vegas, hotels, etc. He told me that he had a fondness for native Americans, being a fountain of knowledge on the subject we chatted away. Once we were underway, everything was great, I had a coffee, Bambi was playing and I was at peace. Well that sorta changed, not for me, but for everyone else. The wind had picked up something fierce, the boat was listing back and forth, and since it was a cat, (I learned how catamarans work from Sir Dave Souza, and how poor they are in bad seas). Well anyway, the boat, was rocking, people were turning blue, green and yellow, old people were loosing their balance and falling into other people that were seated. Well you all know me, and well I needed a smoke, and yes as there happened to be a smoking area, guess where, yep, topside. Well I made my way up the stairs, and popped out on deck, what a wild ride, water shooting everywhere, wind, rain, and lots of excitement on the Irish sea. I was a glutton for punishment, so I smoked 2, hung out with the other brave people trying to keep their balance, and finally got back in and sat down. I chatted a bit more with my new friends, and some other people as well, closed my eyes and took a nap for a bit.
We reached port after the two hour ride, and now I am back to my story! (on the train to Cork now, damn this is the most unstable train I have ever been on). Exiting the station I hailed a cab, and was on my way to my hotel. Reaching my destination, I went In the hotel, getting there a couple days early, mainly because I was supposed to spend time in Manchester, I ask if they had a room available for me, she of course said no, that I would have to be sent to another hotel, they had a backup available. She Called the Herbert hotel, and made my reservation. She pulled out a map, and showed me where it was at, so I decided that it was such a nice day, that I would walk. Hummm bright idea, NOT. After walking a couple of miles, I reached my destination, what a beautiful hotel, I would say 4 stars at least. I dragged my happy ass in and plopped up at registration, smiled and said, do you have a reservation for Kerry W, he looked, and looked, and looked, and looked, and said, nope. I retorted, how is that possible, you should have one, the hotel made one for me, and I explained it all in detail. He then said, maybe you are staying at the Mount Herbert hotel, scuse me, with my right testicle dropping an inch from sheer anger I said WTF, and where is the Fuckin Mount Herbert Hotel. He told me it was around the park, just on the other side of town by the new stadium. Well Fuck this I am not walking another two miles, so I hailed a cab, and after telling him my story, he laughed, said fuk it, in true Irish splendor, and dropped me off.
The hotel was nice, but by that time it was around 5 and I was tired, (on the train now, still, and just a thought WTF do people like to cough on trains without covering their mouth, dammit) so after checking in, come to find out the elevator was broken, and I had to truck my shit up four flights of stairs... . Yes Ireland the land of wonder, or in my case the land of wonder-lost.
Well I am in the room all safe, bag opened, and after taking a shower, I wanted to hit a pub for my first Guinness. I walked down about a mile or so, and found a great pub, well, it was sorta the only pub on the street, so I dove in. It was great, old Irish style pub, wood, and more wood, and the bartender looked like Coach from Cheers, even dressed the same, what a trip. The other bartender, helped me, if I remember correctly, it was Paul. I had my first Guinness, and was edging for some traditional Irish grub. He told me they were out of shepherds pie, so the boiled bacon was the next best thing. After having another smoke in the back with some cool cats who liked Vegas (everyone likes Vegas) I came back in a say a plate that would feed 5, dear God, are you kidding. He laughed, and said enjoy. For all of you that don't know boiled bacon is like pork chops and is really freaking good. It had carrots two types of potatoes and parsnips. It was wonderful. Paul told me that wasn't all, that desert was coming and another pint as well. Grinning I resided to the restroom to throw up and make more room, lol just kidding, I did however go out and have another smoke. I went back in, ate the pie, drank the Guinness, paid the tab, and bailed. It was getting late, and I wanted to get up early and start seeing shit, so I called it a night.
The next morning after a lovely continental breakfast, I went out to catch the bus to go see the sights. Mine was the first stop, and he had to go four other places to pick up people. It amazes me how some people get a license. After some artful driving, and digging the my nails out of my palms (jk) we reached the first stop, town center. This tour was a hop on hop off tour, where you can stay and see everything at each destination, and then catch the next bus to the next stop. I saw almost everything:
St. Patricks Cathedral
The prison
St. Mary's Cathedral
About 50 statues and monuments
Guinness storehouse
And more... .
You will see the pics when I post them all.
I really don't want to bore you with everything I did, and I am leaving somethings out, but, they are just tourist things, and they are pretty much the same for every place I went.
Ok back to the story, I was at the last stop, and it was pretty close to 5:30, the end of the bus run, so they dumped us off back at city center, and told us to find our way back, dicks! Well, after that, I bought the most expensive cheeseburger from burger king, which in American money was over 5 dollars. Folks, it wasn't a whopper, or a double cheeseburger, but a simple bread, cheese, and meat burger. Fuckin hell! I was pissed. Well after asking people for directions, I made it to the rail station, and took the train to my stop. I walked a bit, made it back to my room, and rested. When I got up, it was around 9, and I went out for a smoke. There was all this commotion about a Rastafarian singer coming in with his band, was a big deal I guess. The celeb, came up to me, and noticed my ink and my eyes. We chatted a bit, he asked for help with his bags, and we became friends. After that I went into town for some take out, went back to the room, ate, and crashed.
The next morning I checked out, and began the long walk to the new hotel. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and the air was freaking great, and I felt alive. I made it to the new hotel, unpacked, and headed out again.
The first night I didn't do much, just a quick bite, and stayed in mostly, rested and watched some movies on my iPad.
The next morning was more site seeing, and eating.
That night I got all dressed up, and went out for a night on the town, I had 3 more days here so, I wanted to take it slow. I went to this pub first, was really cool, had Midleton Rare half price, so I drank a couple with a couple of Guinness. The bartender and I chatted a bit, he told me where to go and where not to, I thanked him, paid, and bailed. I made it to an Italian Restaurant, seating about 30, very small, but really good. My waitress was nice, she was amazed by Vegas, and wanted to hear all about it, the 3 girls behind me were equally interested. We all yawed for a bit, and exchanged info, and we said our goodbyes. By that time, another beer down, I made my way back to the hotel and crashed.
The next morning was boring as all get up, just walked around and checked out the shops, and storefronts, and meet people. Saw plenty of cool places, but did 't talk to many people.
Ok folks here it comes the meat and potatoes of the night I was taken, lol, so here it goes. I got dressed up again, and went back to the same pub I did the night before this night was starting off great. I found an open seat next to a couple of locals. I started chatting, about Ireland and Vegas, and we all became friends. We drank more beer, smoked, and drank more beer. We decided to take a cab to city center, and drink more. We got to this two story pub, really cool, we all hung out, drank more beer, and we went to go smoke. We met this girl Laura and her friend, really cool chicks, Ronin, who was married, me and the girls talked for a long time, was really interesting. Laura and I debated on calling chucks chucks or cons, that was a battle to say the least, it ended with a tie. Ronin had to go golf in the morning but I think he had to leave because the misses kept texting, so I was left with the girls, we talked for another hour, and then they had to leave as well. By this time, I had a Sammy on 4 cups of tequila from Fats kinda buzz, and was smack dab in the middle of it all. Hummmm where to? Copperface Jacks, the local equivalent to a Vegas club, or so I thought. It was a blend of 16 candles and a night at the roxbury, it was a freaking kids playground. I was surrounded by kids everywhere, 18, somethings with raging hormones, and girls halfway naked, (that part was ok). Outside I talked to a couple people, drank a bit, and went back inside. Picture this, 300 young ins in the middle, and older guys on the outside watching, well I was standing on the outside, I said fuck this, so I bailed. I got a bit hungry and I hadn't eaten yet, so I hit this pizza place. I ordered a slice and this taco thing, and ate. Bad part: I took a bite of the taco thing, and the steam literally burnt my cheek, and I mean I really burnt it, fuckin hurt. Well I was full, drunk, and and ready to go home, when I met some canadians, they wanted to go to this strip club, and I thought, what the hell, we jumped in a cab and made it over.
The club was in the basement of this old building, I walked in and everyone immediately stared at me, no surprise, didn't bother me, I ordered another drink and sat down. I was approached by some girls, just like home, I said, just got here, and I was hanging out for a bit. The main part of the club was small, there was room for about 20, and the stage was the size of a typical home shower, what a joke. I started talking to a Romanian girl, kinda cool, we went out to have a smoke, and chat. And then went back in, here it is. She pointed out the menu: I was perplexed,
€25 One song
€50 Two Songs
€75 Three Songs
€100 Five Songs
€500 One Hour
I was shocked, those prices were higher than the VIP rooms in the nicest clubs in Vegas, I laughed in her face. I said not a chance, not happening, I was going to leave. Well needless to say she talked to me a bit more and talked me into the two song thing, well, that happened, and I left, not much more to say than I was a drunk sucker. I exited the club, helped a couple drunk chicks off the ground, and got in a cab and went back to the hotel.
The next day, I was hung over, and I went out twice for some food and water, and pretty much stayed in bed most of the day.
This morning I woke up, got packed and made it to the train station with about 20 minutes to spare and I am now on the train to Cork.
More to follow:... .
Toilets flush from the front or the back, not the side, and the handles are on the opposite side as to America.
The reason why people drive on the other side of the road was to do everything opposite of the French.
There is only one road in London Proper that you can drive on the right side, and it's a driveway into a hotel.
Town homes in London as well as other metro areas are bigger than any mansion in Vegas, especially old ones. Example: Buckingham Palace is a town home, Windsor castle is the main house.
Being hung, drawn and quartered was for the old brits as football, UFC and Nascar are for us today.
There is two separate areas in London, one side is officially for the monarchy, and the other is run by businessmen. The queen has to ask permission to enter this area.
Never take a cab from the airport.
Towns are called villages here
Everyone in wales hates the British, or at least everyone I spoke to does.
It rains everyday here, lol.
The pigeon is officially (in my opinion) the national bird, they are everywhere, and freely fly through buildings.
The welsh drink a lot!
There are more unique cars and motorcycles, than I have ever seen, like the Mitsubishi Animal, or the cointreau v4, or the Dudd.
Most little shops in London and Wales, that I have been into are run by foreigners.
People are more friendly the farther you get away from the city, and closer you get to the villages.
Everyone rides motorcycles here, fast, and in the rain, Ireland should offer classes to Vegas bike riders.
You risk your life crossing the street.
There are far more interesting types of candy here than in the states.
People call converse cons not "chucks" (had an argument with a girl about that).
Everyone drinks a lot
The clubs are full of 18-19 year olds with raging hormones
The tv here is interesting, and the soaps they have on are quite interesting. (ya, don't say it, it woke me up when I was sleeping, and it was so outrageous, that it was funny)
The maids are all smoking hot in the hotel (Ireland)
People walk everywhere here, I haven't seen many fat people, mostly everyone is in shape. Hummm do the math, drink everyday, walk everywhere, stay in shape, good stuff.
Some movies still have a sign language interpreters, God that reminds me of the old 70's Laurence Welk and Love American Style, yep just dated myself.
Ok Back to the trip:
Dublin Ireland: Days 6
All praise, finally I get to Ireland yes, the land of my ancestors, the place where my grandmother would tell me tales, the place where I genetically get my disposition to be an alcoholic, yes, I am here! Let's digress a bit. Back to Holyhead, and the boat ride. Let me tell you all, that was a ride to remember. Starting at the station, I was feeling very chatty, so, in Kerry fashion, I talked to everyone. I met people from northern Ireland, Canada, and Australia. Well I made it on with a lovely couple from Australia, but funny enough they were born in Belfast, and had moved to Australia 30 years ago. Walking thorough the gate, it was the same as going through the airport terminal in Vegas, very thorough. Checking my luggage, we took the outside walk toward the boat, in the rain, and wind, and well you get the picture. This boat was massive, it had double levels for cars, busses, etc, and a huge lounge area, seating probably 200. I made my way over to my new friends from Australia, and they offered me a seat with them. We started talking about Vegas, hotels, etc. He told me that he had a fondness for native Americans, being a fountain of knowledge on the subject we chatted away. Once we were underway, everything was great, I had a coffee, Bambi was playing and I was at peace. Well that sorta changed, not for me, but for everyone else. The wind had picked up something fierce, the boat was listing back and forth, and since it was a cat, (I learned how catamarans work from Sir Dave Souza, and how poor they are in bad seas). Well anyway, the boat, was rocking, people were turning blue, green and yellow, old people were loosing their balance and falling into other people that were seated. Well you all know me, and well I needed a smoke, and yes as there happened to be a smoking area, guess where, yep, topside. Well I made my way up the stairs, and popped out on deck, what a wild ride, water shooting everywhere, wind, rain, and lots of excitement on the Irish sea. I was a glutton for punishment, so I smoked 2, hung out with the other brave people trying to keep their balance, and finally got back in and sat down. I chatted a bit more with my new friends, and some other people as well, closed my eyes and took a nap for a bit.
We reached port after the two hour ride, and now I am back to my story! (on the train to Cork now, damn this is the most unstable train I have ever been on). Exiting the station I hailed a cab, and was on my way to my hotel. Reaching my destination, I went In the hotel, getting there a couple days early, mainly because I was supposed to spend time in Manchester, I ask if they had a room available for me, she of course said no, that I would have to be sent to another hotel, they had a backup available. She Called the Herbert hotel, and made my reservation. She pulled out a map, and showed me where it was at, so I decided that it was such a nice day, that I would walk. Hummm bright idea, NOT. After walking a couple of miles, I reached my destination, what a beautiful hotel, I would say 4 stars at least. I dragged my happy ass in and plopped up at registration, smiled and said, do you have a reservation for Kerry W, he looked, and looked, and looked, and looked, and said, nope. I retorted, how is that possible, you should have one, the hotel made one for me, and I explained it all in detail. He then said, maybe you are staying at the Mount Herbert hotel, scuse me, with my right testicle dropping an inch from sheer anger I said WTF, and where is the Fuckin Mount Herbert Hotel. He told me it was around the park, just on the other side of town by the new stadium. Well Fuck this I am not walking another two miles, so I hailed a cab, and after telling him my story, he laughed, said fuk it, in true Irish splendor, and dropped me off.
The hotel was nice, but by that time it was around 5 and I was tired, (on the train now, still, and just a thought WTF do people like to cough on trains without covering their mouth, dammit) so after checking in, come to find out the elevator was broken, and I had to truck my shit up four flights of stairs... . Yes Ireland the land of wonder, or in my case the land of wonder-lost.
Well I am in the room all safe, bag opened, and after taking a shower, I wanted to hit a pub for my first Guinness. I walked down about a mile or so, and found a great pub, well, it was sorta the only pub on the street, so I dove in. It was great, old Irish style pub, wood, and more wood, and the bartender looked like Coach from Cheers, even dressed the same, what a trip. The other bartender, helped me, if I remember correctly, it was Paul. I had my first Guinness, and was edging for some traditional Irish grub. He told me they were out of shepherds pie, so the boiled bacon was the next best thing. After having another smoke in the back with some cool cats who liked Vegas (everyone likes Vegas) I came back in a say a plate that would feed 5, dear God, are you kidding. He laughed, and said enjoy. For all of you that don't know boiled bacon is like pork chops and is really freaking good. It had carrots two types of potatoes and parsnips. It was wonderful. Paul told me that wasn't all, that desert was coming and another pint as well. Grinning I resided to the restroom to throw up and make more room, lol just kidding, I did however go out and have another smoke. I went back in, ate the pie, drank the Guinness, paid the tab, and bailed. It was getting late, and I wanted to get up early and start seeing shit, so I called it a night.
The next morning after a lovely continental breakfast, I went out to catch the bus to go see the sights. Mine was the first stop, and he had to go four other places to pick up people. It amazes me how some people get a license. After some artful driving, and digging the my nails out of my palms (jk) we reached the first stop, town center. This tour was a hop on hop off tour, where you can stay and see everything at each destination, and then catch the next bus to the next stop. I saw almost everything:
St. Patricks Cathedral
The prison
St. Mary's Cathedral
About 50 statues and monuments
Guinness storehouse
And more... .
You will see the pics when I post them all.
I really don't want to bore you with everything I did, and I am leaving somethings out, but, they are just tourist things, and they are pretty much the same for every place I went.
Ok back to the story, I was at the last stop, and it was pretty close to 5:30, the end of the bus run, so they dumped us off back at city center, and told us to find our way back, dicks! Well, after that, I bought the most expensive cheeseburger from burger king, which in American money was over 5 dollars. Folks, it wasn't a whopper, or a double cheeseburger, but a simple bread, cheese, and meat burger. Fuckin hell! I was pissed. Well after asking people for directions, I made it to the rail station, and took the train to my stop. I walked a bit, made it back to my room, and rested. When I got up, it was around 9, and I went out for a smoke. There was all this commotion about a Rastafarian singer coming in with his band, was a big deal I guess. The celeb, came up to me, and noticed my ink and my eyes. We chatted a bit, he asked for help with his bags, and we became friends. After that I went into town for some take out, went back to the room, ate, and crashed.
The next morning I checked out, and began the long walk to the new hotel. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and the air was freaking great, and I felt alive. I made it to the new hotel, unpacked, and headed out again.
The first night I didn't do much, just a quick bite, and stayed in mostly, rested and watched some movies on my iPad.
The next morning was more site seeing, and eating.
That night I got all dressed up, and went out for a night on the town, I had 3 more days here so, I wanted to take it slow. I went to this pub first, was really cool, had Midleton Rare half price, so I drank a couple with a couple of Guinness. The bartender and I chatted a bit, he told me where to go and where not to, I thanked him, paid, and bailed. I made it to an Italian Restaurant, seating about 30, very small, but really good. My waitress was nice, she was amazed by Vegas, and wanted to hear all about it, the 3 girls behind me were equally interested. We all yawed for a bit, and exchanged info, and we said our goodbyes. By that time, another beer down, I made my way back to the hotel and crashed.
The next morning was boring as all get up, just walked around and checked out the shops, and storefronts, and meet people. Saw plenty of cool places, but did 't talk to many people.
Ok folks here it comes the meat and potatoes of the night I was taken, lol, so here it goes. I got dressed up again, and went back to the same pub I did the night before this night was starting off great. I found an open seat next to a couple of locals. I started chatting, about Ireland and Vegas, and we all became friends. We drank more beer, smoked, and drank more beer. We decided to take a cab to city center, and drink more. We got to this two story pub, really cool, we all hung out, drank more beer, and we went to go smoke. We met this girl Laura and her friend, really cool chicks, Ronin, who was married, me and the girls talked for a long time, was really interesting. Laura and I debated on calling chucks chucks or cons, that was a battle to say the least, it ended with a tie. Ronin had to go golf in the morning but I think he had to leave because the misses kept texting, so I was left with the girls, we talked for another hour, and then they had to leave as well. By this time, I had a Sammy on 4 cups of tequila from Fats kinda buzz, and was smack dab in the middle of it all. Hummmm where to? Copperface Jacks, the local equivalent to a Vegas club, or so I thought. It was a blend of 16 candles and a night at the roxbury, it was a freaking kids playground. I was surrounded by kids everywhere, 18, somethings with raging hormones, and girls halfway naked, (that part was ok). Outside I talked to a couple people, drank a bit, and went back inside. Picture this, 300 young ins in the middle, and older guys on the outside watching, well I was standing on the outside, I said fuck this, so I bailed. I got a bit hungry and I hadn't eaten yet, so I hit this pizza place. I ordered a slice and this taco thing, and ate. Bad part: I took a bite of the taco thing, and the steam literally burnt my cheek, and I mean I really burnt it, fuckin hurt. Well I was full, drunk, and and ready to go home, when I met some canadians, they wanted to go to this strip club, and I thought, what the hell, we jumped in a cab and made it over.
The club was in the basement of this old building, I walked in and everyone immediately stared at me, no surprise, didn't bother me, I ordered another drink and sat down. I was approached by some girls, just like home, I said, just got here, and I was hanging out for a bit. The main part of the club was small, there was room for about 20, and the stage was the size of a typical home shower, what a joke. I started talking to a Romanian girl, kinda cool, we went out to have a smoke, and chat. And then went back in, here it is. She pointed out the menu: I was perplexed,
€25 One song
€50 Two Songs
€75 Three Songs
€100 Five Songs
€500 One Hour
I was shocked, those prices were higher than the VIP rooms in the nicest clubs in Vegas, I laughed in her face. I said not a chance, not happening, I was going to leave. Well needless to say she talked to me a bit more and talked me into the two song thing, well, that happened, and I left, not much more to say than I was a drunk sucker. I exited the club, helped a couple drunk chicks off the ground, and got in a cab and went back to the hotel.
The next day, I was hung over, and I went out twice for some food and water, and pretty much stayed in bed most of the day.
This morning I woke up, got packed and made it to the train station with about 20 minutes to spare and I am now on the train to Cork.
More to follow:... .
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Ok Pukes here you go!
September 10-12
Well to start with the last 3 days spent in London, were amazing and tiring to say the least. It was full of seeing interesting things, and meeting interesting people.
Day 2
I woke up that morning and was all set to go and see the sights. The night before I picked up the Sandman free walking tour guide, and made it a point to figure out my destinations. The first tour was set up to see the royal side of London, and I was very excited. I will be the first person to say navigating the tube stations in London is just like navigating through the busiest stations in New York, with hundreds of people pushing and pulling their way in, needless to say I stood out like a sore thumb. Asking directions I made my way to the platform, and exited the station. I found myself in the middle of this immense park aka Hyde Park, it was right next to the Wellington Arch, parallel to Buckingham palace. I sat down by the statue of Wellington, and waited. A guy from Korea sat down next to me, he spoke very bad English, but I worked out he was on the same tour as me. Little by little more people showed up, until there were over a hundred. I met people from Florida, Colorado, Germany, Sweden, Australia, new Zealand, and many others. I mainly hung out with the people from Colorado and a dude from Florida.
We visited all the usual monuments, Buckingham Palace, Wellington arch, westminster Abby, Trafalgar square, house of Parliament, the prime minister's pad, lots statues, gardens, more statues and still more gardens... . it was incredible! We finished up the tour with the tour guide using me as an example of being hung drawn and quartered, I was the life of the show, especially since I handed out my testicles to the group, and raised my voice as if I just had them removed. After we finished, the guy from florida, (God I am bad with names, Dave was always the one who could remember names) well anyway we decided to go see MI6, the London Secret Service, where a couple of the James Bond films were made. When we got there it was starting to look overcast, and the couple from Colorado, had tagged along, so the thinkable happened, it rained! And yes, I forgot my cover for my Ipad, and had no jacket. We split up, Florida with me the couple bailed in their North Face Gear. We made it to a sandwich shop, near Westminster Abby, and hung there until it stopped. I got some plastic wrap from the server and wrapped my iPad, I was ready to go back out in the rain. So guess what happened, it stopped raining, stupid me! After deciding not to wait to go into Westminster Abby, because the tour was in 2 hours, we walked back to buckingham palace, took more pics, and walked through the park where they keep the pelicans, in which a funny story was told to me, hummmm. Yes , the pelicans live down the way from buckingham palace, they were once part of a zoo that one of the earlier kings had started, well when that changed later, the pelicans were all that was left. They didn't have many fish in the pond, and they wondered how they survived, well come to find out, the pelicans will lie on the ground, play dead, until a pigeon came by and they lap it up and swallow it whole, cool story, ya I guess you have to be there. Anyway, Florida and I split up, he went to some famous bone yard, and I got on the tube and went to Madame Tussauds wax museum. After changing trains twice, I made it there, and let me say it wasn't cheap. It was just like I remembered, except a lot of new celebrities. I took a few pics, and had a couple taken as well, nothing to memorable, but it did bring back good memories of being a kid on that ride they have inside. Anyway, I was floored, I hopped the tube again, and made it back to the hotel, dropped my shit off, grabbed a bite to eat, and crashed.
Day 3
Well I woke up and made my way downstairs, for the shitty continental breakfast, I even found a ling black hair in my jam. Anyway, I wanted to see the museums, and also go on the old English History tour, so my day was really full. Hopping the tube, I made it to the Museum of Natural History, the walk had to be a mile underground, so it was really hot and muggy. Once I surfaced, I made it I side the museum. It wasn't very packed, but still enough people and kids to get in my way, on my tour. I am not going to bore you with the things I saw, and there were some really cool things, I will however tell you about the meal I ate. I thought I would have a proper breakfast, so quiche was in order, well dear friends, I will tell you this was the worst meal I have had in London, dear lord! Cold quiche, with some kind of potato and dill, was horrid. I forced myself to eat 3 or 4 bites, and holding back the vomit, I told the porter that it sucked, that it should be served warm, he looked at me funny (which I expected) and I left. I made my way down to the tube again, walked another mile or so, and ended up at the science museum. I am not going to bore you here, you can see the pics online. It was far more interesting to go there then the other museum, but both were amazing and so big, it could take a month to see it all, I did them both in 4 hours. Back down the tube, to Covent Garden station, and was ready for my tour. I was about 1 1/2 hours early, so I made it to another restaurant, french of course, had a hankering for it. I ordered escargot, and baguette with meat, it was lovely. The only bad experience was the iced tea. I guess the English nor the grinch, oops I mean French do iced tea. Mine tasted like nail polish remover, with fifteen wedges of lemon, folks I just started getting feeling back in my tongue now. Well after that, I headed to one of the main shopping areas, kinda like a swop meet in Vegas, but cooler, with better products and better food. Yes I know all you do here is eat, drink, walk, drink, drink walk, screw and fall down. Well I haven't screwed and fallen down yet, but the others come in a bit. The tour guides showed up, and we all got together and talked about where we were going. Our guide was Patrick, a 20 something Irishman, with a serious case of ticks. He was extremely knowledgable, and was cool. We hit St. Paul's, the Knights Templar church which I would like to share an amazing story: back in the day when the Templars were brought around, mainly for protecting rich dignitaries, and their money, well anyhow, they decided that they would build Templar churches all around, and have people put their money in these churches, and they would give slips to the depositors. Well kids this is how banking started, so every time you go and make a deposit, you can thank the knights Templar. Well after seeing tons of other things, again the pics will tell the tale, we ended up at the Tower of London, which was freaking amazing!
I do hope you know I was drinking in between each of these places, just FYI, hence the forgetting of names, and some details that I am leaving out do to a foggy mind.
After pooping on the tube, (ha ha) I made it back in just under an hour, which by rail is long, imagine how far I walked, are you imagining it, no really are you? Ok well I got back and decided I wanted a hamburger for dinner, so I went to this hamburger joint, and ordered a crazy avocado, and Stilton cheese burger, and rings. It was the size of a small continent, and I was shocked that it could be that big. Funny aside folks, every single person in that restaurant ate their burger with a fork and knife, just like me, I really felt civilization at that moment began there, lol, it was a treat to see it happen, you all should try it sometime! Well after another pint I headed back to my room, and drooled myself to sleep.
Day 4
Well this day stands out, almost as the one I just had, but that will be another blog, but I will post the pics tonight, yes I have fallen behind, and I am a bit buzzed right now, but what better way to talk about a trip, then when you are buzzed. Short and sweet, traveling with other tourists is a blast, I guess that is why people stay in hostels, so they have something in common with other folk. Yes I went against the grain and stayed in hotels, and yes it was harder meeting people, but I like my privacy, nuff said (Stan Lee)! I got up early in the day to catch the bus to Victoria Coach Station (God I am so full right now, indian food in Wales) and again I was a fish out of the pond, sucking for air. I ended up finding my bus, (interesting note, ask yourself how many people have been in a bus station with pigeons flying around inside, better yet, nesting in the columns, just a question). Anyway, we got on the bus, and I won't bore you with the details, but I met some great people, a great girl from Canada, a couple from Australia, who called me son, a guy named Paul (ya I remembered) who sat next to me, and the guide and bus driver, we all got along. We went to Windsor Castle, Stone Henge, and Bath, all were amazing. I took this trip to see Stone Henge, I have climbed the pyramids in Egypt, I have climbed the pyramids with Dave in Central America, and Stone Henge was a huge thing for me. Windsor was great, and Bath was truly amazing. I want to live there, the people were snooty, like Vegas, but the land, trees, architecture, all of it stood out for me, I loved it. Very Very Very expensive to live here, so I better come up with something to make some money, lol. Ok skipping ahead, tour over, got back to the hotel, and wanted fish and chips, ok! Pub across the street! I walked in and sat down, and I was met by a super hot girl from Corsica, Lucy (ya I remembered) we talked a bit, I ordered my food, beer and shots of Jameson. I went out for a smoke, and started talking to a couple, one from France and the dude from South Africa, we hit it off perfectly. After a few rounds, we kept smoking, and I met a dude from Canada, a base player, he has played Vegas, and worked with a lot of famous people, we hit it off as well. We finished drinking, and went to this 18 something club, let me say it reminded me of clubs 3 or 4 years ago, but no problem, we didn't stay long. We went out for a smoke and South Africa had to run an errand, hummmm, and Mr. Canada just bailed, he was smashed. I was left alone, trying to explain to a 50 something that it was ok to go into the club, to let go the young shit and have fun. I went home drooling, and crashed out, fabulous night.
Day 4
Not a lot going on today friends, other than it's a Sunday, and I am tired. I woke up early, went down had that shitty breakfast again, packed all my shit, and tried to catch a car for hire to take me to Euston Rail station, no cabs for me, greedy bastards! I changed some money again, and found a driver from Africa, who incidentally should be driving for NASCAR.
Is it me or does everyone drive crazy here, Souza can tell you I drive crazy, but compared to this crazy stuntman, I was white-knuckling it! I made it to the station, and hopped a train to Manchester. When I got off the train I hand 4 Minutes to get to my connecting train in Chester... . Aside, I am on the train, and I can see the Irish sea, mother Fucker is it beautiful! I feel alive right now!!!! Ok back to the story, I met a couple on the train to Chester, they were from Spain, and were obviously in love, holding hands kissing and such. He was a IT guy moving to Chester to learn English and she was in retail visiting him, can ya say long distance relationship and it's time to get some, I know I can. Well by this time, my bladder was full, and I hadn't had a smoke for 3+ hours, so I was jouncing something fierce. We pulled up in Chester, with urine running down my leg, I said goodbye to my Spanish friends, and made my way, yep you figured it out, not the bathroom, but out front to have a smoke, ya I know I have screwed priorities. After the smokes I pissed, and made it to the toilet. The train loaded and we are on are way to Hollyhead... . more to come.
Well to start with the last 3 days spent in London, were amazing and tiring to say the least. It was full of seeing interesting things, and meeting interesting people.
Day 2
I woke up that morning and was all set to go and see the sights. The night before I picked up the Sandman free walking tour guide, and made it a point to figure out my destinations. The first tour was set up to see the royal side of London, and I was very excited. I will be the first person to say navigating the tube stations in London is just like navigating through the busiest stations in New York, with hundreds of people pushing and pulling their way in, needless to say I stood out like a sore thumb. Asking directions I made my way to the platform, and exited the station. I found myself in the middle of this immense park aka Hyde Park, it was right next to the Wellington Arch, parallel to Buckingham palace. I sat down by the statue of Wellington, and waited. A guy from Korea sat down next to me, he spoke very bad English, but I worked out he was on the same tour as me. Little by little more people showed up, until there were over a hundred. I met people from Florida, Colorado, Germany, Sweden, Australia, new Zealand, and many others. I mainly hung out with the people from Colorado and a dude from Florida.
We visited all the usual monuments, Buckingham Palace, Wellington arch, westminster Abby, Trafalgar square, house of Parliament, the prime minister's pad, lots statues, gardens, more statues and still more gardens... . it was incredible! We finished up the tour with the tour guide using me as an example of being hung drawn and quartered, I was the life of the show, especially since I handed out my testicles to the group, and raised my voice as if I just had them removed. After we finished, the guy from florida, (God I am bad with names, Dave was always the one who could remember names) well anyway we decided to go see MI6, the London Secret Service, where a couple of the James Bond films were made. When we got there it was starting to look overcast, and the couple from Colorado, had tagged along, so the thinkable happened, it rained! And yes, I forgot my cover for my Ipad, and had no jacket. We split up, Florida with me the couple bailed in their North Face Gear. We made it to a sandwich shop, near Westminster Abby, and hung there until it stopped. I got some plastic wrap from the server and wrapped my iPad, I was ready to go back out in the rain. So guess what happened, it stopped raining, stupid me! After deciding not to wait to go into Westminster Abby, because the tour was in 2 hours, we walked back to buckingham palace, took more pics, and walked through the park where they keep the pelicans, in which a funny story was told to me, hummmm. Yes , the pelicans live down the way from buckingham palace, they were once part of a zoo that one of the earlier kings had started, well when that changed later, the pelicans were all that was left. They didn't have many fish in the pond, and they wondered how they survived, well come to find out, the pelicans will lie on the ground, play dead, until a pigeon came by and they lap it up and swallow it whole, cool story, ya I guess you have to be there. Anyway, Florida and I split up, he went to some famous bone yard, and I got on the tube and went to Madame Tussauds wax museum. After changing trains twice, I made it there, and let me say it wasn't cheap. It was just like I remembered, except a lot of new celebrities. I took a few pics, and had a couple taken as well, nothing to memorable, but it did bring back good memories of being a kid on that ride they have inside. Anyway, I was floored, I hopped the tube again, and made it back to the hotel, dropped my shit off, grabbed a bite to eat, and crashed.
Day 3
Well I woke up and made my way downstairs, for the shitty continental breakfast, I even found a ling black hair in my jam. Anyway, I wanted to see the museums, and also go on the old English History tour, so my day was really full. Hopping the tube, I made it to the Museum of Natural History, the walk had to be a mile underground, so it was really hot and muggy. Once I surfaced, I made it I side the museum. It wasn't very packed, but still enough people and kids to get in my way, on my tour. I am not going to bore you with the things I saw, and there were some really cool things, I will however tell you about the meal I ate. I thought I would have a proper breakfast, so quiche was in order, well dear friends, I will tell you this was the worst meal I have had in London, dear lord! Cold quiche, with some kind of potato and dill, was horrid. I forced myself to eat 3 or 4 bites, and holding back the vomit, I told the porter that it sucked, that it should be served warm, he looked at me funny (which I expected) and I left. I made my way down to the tube again, walked another mile or so, and ended up at the science museum. I am not going to bore you here, you can see the pics online. It was far more interesting to go there then the other museum, but both were amazing and so big, it could take a month to see it all, I did them both in 4 hours. Back down the tube, to Covent Garden station, and was ready for my tour. I was about 1 1/2 hours early, so I made it to another restaurant, french of course, had a hankering for it. I ordered escargot, and baguette with meat, it was lovely. The only bad experience was the iced tea. I guess the English nor the grinch, oops I mean French do iced tea. Mine tasted like nail polish remover, with fifteen wedges of lemon, folks I just started getting feeling back in my tongue now. Well after that, I headed to one of the main shopping areas, kinda like a swop meet in Vegas, but cooler, with better products and better food. Yes I know all you do here is eat, drink, walk, drink, drink walk, screw and fall down. Well I haven't screwed and fallen down yet, but the others come in a bit. The tour guides showed up, and we all got together and talked about where we were going. Our guide was Patrick, a 20 something Irishman, with a serious case of ticks. He was extremely knowledgable, and was cool. We hit St. Paul's, the Knights Templar church which I would like to share an amazing story: back in the day when the Templars were brought around, mainly for protecting rich dignitaries, and their money, well anyhow, they decided that they would build Templar churches all around, and have people put their money in these churches, and they would give slips to the depositors. Well kids this is how banking started, so every time you go and make a deposit, you can thank the knights Templar. Well after seeing tons of other things, again the pics will tell the tale, we ended up at the Tower of London, which was freaking amazing!
I do hope you know I was drinking in between each of these places, just FYI, hence the forgetting of names, and some details that I am leaving out do to a foggy mind.
After pooping on the tube, (ha ha) I made it back in just under an hour, which by rail is long, imagine how far I walked, are you imagining it, no really are you? Ok well I got back and decided I wanted a hamburger for dinner, so I went to this hamburger joint, and ordered a crazy avocado, and Stilton cheese burger, and rings. It was the size of a small continent, and I was shocked that it could be that big. Funny aside folks, every single person in that restaurant ate their burger with a fork and knife, just like me, I really felt civilization at that moment began there, lol, it was a treat to see it happen, you all should try it sometime! Well after another pint I headed back to my room, and drooled myself to sleep.
Day 4
Well this day stands out, almost as the one I just had, but that will be another blog, but I will post the pics tonight, yes I have fallen behind, and I am a bit buzzed right now, but what better way to talk about a trip, then when you are buzzed. Short and sweet, traveling with other tourists is a blast, I guess that is why people stay in hostels, so they have something in common with other folk. Yes I went against the grain and stayed in hotels, and yes it was harder meeting people, but I like my privacy, nuff said (Stan Lee)! I got up early in the day to catch the bus to Victoria Coach Station (God I am so full right now, indian food in Wales) and again I was a fish out of the pond, sucking for air. I ended up finding my bus, (interesting note, ask yourself how many people have been in a bus station with pigeons flying around inside, better yet, nesting in the columns, just a question). Anyway, we got on the bus, and I won't bore you with the details, but I met some great people, a great girl from Canada, a couple from Australia, who called me son, a guy named Paul (ya I remembered) who sat next to me, and the guide and bus driver, we all got along. We went to Windsor Castle, Stone Henge, and Bath, all were amazing. I took this trip to see Stone Henge, I have climbed the pyramids in Egypt, I have climbed the pyramids with Dave in Central America, and Stone Henge was a huge thing for me. Windsor was great, and Bath was truly amazing. I want to live there, the people were snooty, like Vegas, but the land, trees, architecture, all of it stood out for me, I loved it. Very Very Very expensive to live here, so I better come up with something to make some money, lol. Ok skipping ahead, tour over, got back to the hotel, and wanted fish and chips, ok! Pub across the street! I walked in and sat down, and I was met by a super hot girl from Corsica, Lucy (ya I remembered) we talked a bit, I ordered my food, beer and shots of Jameson. I went out for a smoke, and started talking to a couple, one from France and the dude from South Africa, we hit it off perfectly. After a few rounds, we kept smoking, and I met a dude from Canada, a base player, he has played Vegas, and worked with a lot of famous people, we hit it off as well. We finished drinking, and went to this 18 something club, let me say it reminded me of clubs 3 or 4 years ago, but no problem, we didn't stay long. We went out for a smoke and South Africa had to run an errand, hummmm, and Mr. Canada just bailed, he was smashed. I was left alone, trying to explain to a 50 something that it was ok to go into the club, to let go the young shit and have fun. I went home drooling, and crashed out, fabulous night.
Day 4
Not a lot going on today friends, other than it's a Sunday, and I am tired. I woke up early, went down had that shitty breakfast again, packed all my shit, and tried to catch a car for hire to take me to Euston Rail station, no cabs for me, greedy bastards! I changed some money again, and found a driver from Africa, who incidentally should be driving for NASCAR.
Is it me or does everyone drive crazy here, Souza can tell you I drive crazy, but compared to this crazy stuntman, I was white-knuckling it! I made it to the station, and hopped a train to Manchester. When I got off the train I hand 4 Minutes to get to my connecting train in Chester... . Aside, I am on the train, and I can see the Irish sea, mother Fucker is it beautiful! I feel alive right now!!!! Ok back to the story, I met a couple on the train to Chester, they were from Spain, and were obviously in love, holding hands kissing and such. He was a IT guy moving to Chester to learn English and she was in retail visiting him, can ya say long distance relationship and it's time to get some, I know I can. Well by this time, my bladder was full, and I hadn't had a smoke for 3+ hours, so I was jouncing something fierce. We pulled up in Chester, with urine running down my leg, I said goodbye to my Spanish friends, and made my way, yep you figured it out, not the bathroom, but out front to have a smoke, ya I know I have screwed priorities. After the smokes I pissed, and made it to the toilet. The train loaded and we are on are way to Hollyhead... . more to come.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
September 8 London Proper
Upon entering My Place Hotel I was surprised to see that it was more reminiscent of Motel 6 on the strip than a 4 seasons, what do you expect though, it's a package deal, and I needed to save money. The room was nice, bed was firm with lots of pillows. The bathroom was cramped, and the toilet and sink controls were on the opposite side as opposed to the ones in America. There is a refrigerator, safe and tv, but the tv wasn't working very well, every channel had static, but I didn't come here to watch TV. After I unpacked a bit, I decided to go for a walk, feeling jet lagged I was only going to take a short one. First the necessities! I stopped by the corner market to get some water for later tonight. It was a small store, kinda like a 7 eleven meets a fresh and easy. Down the way was the tube station, I picked up a Oyster card (London Transportation) to navigate through the city, but I have a feeling I will be mainly walking. I then decided that I didn't to rely strictly on wifi, so I picked up a track phone and a sim card. It was rather In-expensive, and the minutes were 4p compared to $1.50-$3.00 American on the iPhone. Heading back to the room, I realized that people are not that friendly here, I was say "good afternoon" or " hello" and people just kept walking, not even a smile when I smiled at them, go figure, fuck it. After dropping off my shit, I came back down to have a smoke. Out front of the hotel, I ran into this old lady named Dorthey. She was awesome, she was 87 years old, had a beard and stash thicker than mine, and a serious case of osteo... . She asked me for a smoke, so I gave her the rest of my pack, she went on to tell me how nice Americans are, and how rude the English are. She had lived down the street for over 20 years, and believed the world was ending soon. She was just plain awesome! She talked to me for a half an hour, telling me about when she was young, about the war, her kids (who haven't see her in 15 years), grandkids, her parents, God she talked about everything! Dorothy went on her way, and I went on a longer walk. The weather wasn't to good, so I only walked about 2 miles and decided to turn around. As I was about half way back, it started pouring rain, moving with traffic, I made it to the closest pub I could find, to get out of the rain, but mainly for a Guinness. The pub was cool, about 5 people in there, and no servers. The bartender was no where to be found, so I copped a squat and browsed the menu. I was hungry, and there was a shit load of good food, but I wanted to sample food all around, so I just decided on an app. I went up to the bar, ordered a Guinness and fish cakes from the bartender, and struck up some conversation. The bartender asked me where I was from what I did for work, the usual stuff, I answered, he was mildly disinterested and thanked me, and walked to the other end of the bar, and I went back to my table. The rain subsided, and I started walking back to the hotel. I figured, well where would be a great place to meet people and strike up conversation, "Starbucks", right? Nope! I got there sat down with my pad and pen, my latte, and looked around, smiled and said hello to people, but nope no conversation, WTF!!! Whatever, I enjoyed my latte, and started walking around more. As I was walking I saw lots of cool places, of which I will post the pics later. I ran into Dorothy again, this time she told me she wished she was younger, that I was a looker! I smiled and bid her farewell, and went back to the room. I was tired and wanted to pass out, had a big day tomorrow so I crashed.
Just woke up it's 4 am, wanted to update, have a smoke, then back to bed, night all, more tomorrow.
Upon entering My Place Hotel I was surprised to see that it was more reminiscent of Motel 6 on the strip than a 4 seasons, what do you expect though, it's a package deal, and I needed to save money. The room was nice, bed was firm with lots of pillows. The bathroom was cramped, and the toilet and sink controls were on the opposite side as opposed to the ones in America. There is a refrigerator, safe and tv, but the tv wasn't working very well, every channel had static, but I didn't come here to watch TV. After I unpacked a bit, I decided to go for a walk, feeling jet lagged I was only going to take a short one. First the necessities! I stopped by the corner market to get some water for later tonight. It was a small store, kinda like a 7 eleven meets a fresh and easy. Down the way was the tube station, I picked up a Oyster card (London Transportation) to navigate through the city, but I have a feeling I will be mainly walking. I then decided that I didn't to rely strictly on wifi, so I picked up a track phone and a sim card. It was rather In-expensive, and the minutes were 4p compared to $1.50-$3.00 American on the iPhone. Heading back to the room, I realized that people are not that friendly here, I was say "good afternoon" or " hello" and people just kept walking, not even a smile when I smiled at them, go figure, fuck it. After dropping off my shit, I came back down to have a smoke. Out front of the hotel, I ran into this old lady named Dorthey. She was awesome, she was 87 years old, had a beard and stash thicker than mine, and a serious case of osteo... . She asked me for a smoke, so I gave her the rest of my pack, she went on to tell me how nice Americans are, and how rude the English are. She had lived down the street for over 20 years, and believed the world was ending soon. She was just plain awesome! She talked to me for a half an hour, telling me about when she was young, about the war, her kids (who haven't see her in 15 years), grandkids, her parents, God she talked about everything! Dorothy went on her way, and I went on a longer walk. The weather wasn't to good, so I only walked about 2 miles and decided to turn around. As I was about half way back, it started pouring rain, moving with traffic, I made it to the closest pub I could find, to get out of the rain, but mainly for a Guinness. The pub was cool, about 5 people in there, and no servers. The bartender was no where to be found, so I copped a squat and browsed the menu. I was hungry, and there was a shit load of good food, but I wanted to sample food all around, so I just decided on an app. I went up to the bar, ordered a Guinness and fish cakes from the bartender, and struck up some conversation. The bartender asked me where I was from what I did for work, the usual stuff, I answered, he was mildly disinterested and thanked me, and walked to the other end of the bar, and I went back to my table. The rain subsided, and I started walking back to the hotel. I figured, well where would be a great place to meet people and strike up conversation, "Starbucks", right? Nope! I got there sat down with my pad and pen, my latte, and looked around, smiled and said hello to people, but nope no conversation, WTF!!! Whatever, I enjoyed my latte, and started walking around more. As I was walking I saw lots of cool places, of which I will post the pics later. I ran into Dorothy again, this time she told me she wished she was younger, that I was a looker! I smiled and bid her farewell, and went back to the room. I was tired and wanted to pass out, had a big day tomorrow so I crashed.
Just woke up it's 4 am, wanted to update, have a smoke, then back to bed, night all, more tomorrow.
September 7, First Leg of Flight abroad:
It goes without saying that at first glance the beginning of a new adventure can be filled with excitement and anticipation, fortunately for me this is not my first rodeo. Leaving the house this morning I was pensive, knowing that it would be a daunting endeavor, with the end result being a super vacation. Pulling up to McCarren international airport I was surprised to see that it was relatively empty, except for the ambulance that was out front of the Delta gate it was easy. Entering the terminal, I was greeted by a line that spidered off into 4 directions, looking like a fish out of water I entered the first line I thought would get me in and out quickly. After 5 or so minutes of distress I was greeted by a attendant that just so happens to be from London. We talked for a few minutes, she got me my boarding pass, and I was finished. I had the novel idea to ask her for advice, I told her my friend Dave was currently in Rome, and I asked her what would be the cheapest way to get to London to Rome. She told me a local secret about an airline called Ryan Air, and began to further explain that their flights were extremely cheap, like $10 to fly from London to Dublin, shocked and amazed, I thanked her and proceeded to the gate. After sucking down two smokes, like they were my last ones I could ever have, I took the escalator up to the D gate, towards security check. After taking off my shoes, and removing everything from my pockets, I seemed to keep failing the walk through metal detector. I was directed toward a separate area, where I was frisked rather closely, glad I shaved my beard, who knows what might have happened. After all was said and done, I walked over to my gate, and sat down. I found it amazing the different types of people sitting around me, families, singles, lesbians and a couple of seriously hot chicks. Not to bore you with details, but after waiting about 1 hour or so I entered the plane and began my adventure.
September 7 Atlanta:
After landing in Atlanta, I was just about ready to break down the door of the plane, and rush everyone out of the way, yes I was suffering from a nicotine rush! We all deplaned, and I immediately stopped by and ask where the smoking lounge was. With directions in hand the gates opened up, and I sucked down a couple to quell the urge. I looked at my watch to see that I only had 20 minutes to board the plane, I thought I had enough time, but low and behold the gate was at the other end of the terminal. With just a few minutes to spare, I made it to the plane. Upon entering the plane, I was having horrible thoughts of who I might have to sit next to for the next 8 hours. Walking down I found my seat, and sitting next to me was a 19 year old kid, so at least I wouldn't be bothered by a stuffy old person, or a crazy Englishman. The kid was cool, he was 19 5'10" and was a MMA fighter who travelled around fighting in other countries. He is planning to go to BUDS training (Seal) and make a career in the Navy. To be honest it was refreshing to have someone so cool to talk to. After watching, Kickass, and Date Night, I tried to go to sleep, well that didn't happen, and I was extremely uncomfortable. The sun tore me up, and I could see Ireland out the window, I was stoked. We touched down and deplaned without any hassle. Well now the fun begins, walking to passports, the line was 300+ deep, and it looked bad. People were being pissy, and the kid and I made our way through. Nearing the entrance, a gentleman decided to tail us, and cut in front of everyone. He started talking to the kid, and I just shook my head, told the kid to stop talking to him, I gave the guy a dirty look, and moved with the line. Once through, I made my way to baggage claim, got my bags, and started for the exit. Everyone in front of me went through fine, but ya, you guessed it, I was stopped, (had to be the tats). After a barrage of questions, the officer let me go, (go figure). Having no idea how far the hotel was, I decided to take a cab, once inside I asked how much would it be, he said around 70 pounds, I about shit myself, in fact I think I left a stain on the seats. As you all know me, I had to ask why. The driver went on to tell me that they have to go to school to drive a cab for 3 years, then after being tested on every single street in London (they have to know them all by heart) they can buy, and run their own cab. 70 pounds later I made it to "My Place Hotel" and here I lay.
It goes without saying that at first glance the beginning of a new adventure can be filled with excitement and anticipation, fortunately for me this is not my first rodeo. Leaving the house this morning I was pensive, knowing that it would be a daunting endeavor, with the end result being a super vacation. Pulling up to McCarren international airport I was surprised to see that it was relatively empty, except for the ambulance that was out front of the Delta gate it was easy. Entering the terminal, I was greeted by a line that spidered off into 4 directions, looking like a fish out of water I entered the first line I thought would get me in and out quickly. After 5 or so minutes of distress I was greeted by a attendant that just so happens to be from London. We talked for a few minutes, she got me my boarding pass, and I was finished. I had the novel idea to ask her for advice, I told her my friend Dave was currently in Rome, and I asked her what would be the cheapest way to get to London to Rome. She told me a local secret about an airline called Ryan Air, and began to further explain that their flights were extremely cheap, like $10 to fly from London to Dublin, shocked and amazed, I thanked her and proceeded to the gate. After sucking down two smokes, like they were my last ones I could ever have, I took the escalator up to the D gate, towards security check. After taking off my shoes, and removing everything from my pockets, I seemed to keep failing the walk through metal detector. I was directed toward a separate area, where I was frisked rather closely, glad I shaved my beard, who knows what might have happened. After all was said and done, I walked over to my gate, and sat down. I found it amazing the different types of people sitting around me, families, singles, lesbians and a couple of seriously hot chicks. Not to bore you with details, but after waiting about 1 hour or so I entered the plane and began my adventure.
September 7 Atlanta:
After landing in Atlanta, I was just about ready to break down the door of the plane, and rush everyone out of the way, yes I was suffering from a nicotine rush! We all deplaned, and I immediately stopped by and ask where the smoking lounge was. With directions in hand the gates opened up, and I sucked down a couple to quell the urge. I looked at my watch to see that I only had 20 minutes to board the plane, I thought I had enough time, but low and behold the gate was at the other end of the terminal. With just a few minutes to spare, I made it to the plane. Upon entering the plane, I was having horrible thoughts of who I might have to sit next to for the next 8 hours. Walking down I found my seat, and sitting next to me was a 19 year old kid, so at least I wouldn't be bothered by a stuffy old person, or a crazy Englishman. The kid was cool, he was 19 5'10" and was a MMA fighter who travelled around fighting in other countries. He is planning to go to BUDS training (Seal) and make a career in the Navy. To be honest it was refreshing to have someone so cool to talk to. After watching, Kickass, and Date Night, I tried to go to sleep, well that didn't happen, and I was extremely uncomfortable. The sun tore me up, and I could see Ireland out the window, I was stoked. We touched down and deplaned without any hassle. Well now the fun begins, walking to passports, the line was 300+ deep, and it looked bad. People were being pissy, and the kid and I made our way through. Nearing the entrance, a gentleman decided to tail us, and cut in front of everyone. He started talking to the kid, and I just shook my head, told the kid to stop talking to him, I gave the guy a dirty look, and moved with the line. Once through, I made my way to baggage claim, got my bags, and started for the exit. Everyone in front of me went through fine, but ya, you guessed it, I was stopped, (had to be the tats). After a barrage of questions, the officer let me go, (go figure). Having no idea how far the hotel was, I decided to take a cab, once inside I asked how much would it be, he said around 70 pounds, I about shit myself, in fact I think I left a stain on the seats. As you all know me, I had to ask why. The driver went on to tell me that they have to go to school to drive a cab for 3 years, then after being tested on every single street in London (they have to know them all by heart) they can buy, and run their own cab. 70 pounds later I made it to "My Place Hotel" and here I lay.
Friday, August 27, 2010
8/27/10
12 more days to go, still getting all my things together for my trip! I can't say I am not excited, but I will say it is starting to build up. I dread the long flight in coach, I don't want to think about that now. I will be back later to post something new... .
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