Day 11- Dublin

Today was a really nice day.  After waking up, I ate some paella that I bought from Tesco for 30 cents because it was about to its expiration date.  After eating, I did a load of laundry which was long overdue.  I managed to wash 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of capris, 3 shirts, pajama pants, and a pair of shorts.  While my laundry was going, the last 2 people in our group arrived from Richmond, VA.  Everyone but Zahrah and I went out to get a beer.  I stayed in and read my 2nd Hunger Games book while my clothes dried.  Finally, I managed to finish the book and I did NOT see that ending coming.  Once everyone returned, we went and did a tour of the Jameson Distillery with a free taste test at the end.  At the beginning of the tour the guide asked for volunteers and most of my group raised our hands, so we all got batons which allowed us an additional taste test at the end.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I liked the Jameson (Irish whiskey) and I also like Scotch whiskey (Johnnie Walker Black).  After the tour we headed back to the hostel to get changed for the pub crawl.  We were doing the pub crawl a) to have fun and also b) to try to get to know some people in our hostel, but unfortunately, only one other person from our hostel went on the tour.  It was still a great time though.  I hung with the 3 different leaders of the crawl and we went to 5 different pubs/ bars.  The last stop, ironically, was the Village Venue that we went to last night.  This time though, all of the floors were open so I was able to go to the top floor and dance.  It was really funny to see that they played only American music.  The Irish apparently love their old school hip hop.  After the pub crawl, we went to eat at Eddie Rockets which is basically the exact same thing as Johnnie Rockets, but in Ireland.  I got a deli dog (hot dog, sauerkrat, swiss cheese, deli sauce, and pickles).  It doesn't sound great- but it was delicious.  Once we ate we headed back to the hostel; I read a few pages of the 3rd Hunger Games book and passed out.

Day 10- In Transit

We slept in til around 10am this morning and then had to check out of our hostel.  We headed straight to the Edinburgh airport via taxi to catch our flight to Dublin, Ireland.  It was such a mess trying to make our suitcases be under the maximum 20kg.  Zahrah's bag was originally 26 and Sana's was 24.  Mine was 21, so I didn't have that much I had to do.  We all moved our heaviest items into our backpacks to make it work.  I don't know how I will make it on the next flight from Dublin to Geneva though because I bought something in Dublin... we shall see.  The flight was really easy- just 45 minutes.  As always, I started to try and finish the 2nd Hunger Games book, but I ended up falling asleep.  A few brief minutes later I woke up and we made our way via taxi to our next hostel.  This hostel is the nicest one I have stayed in so far.  There are 4 of us in a room and it is really nice because it is just my friends and I- no strangers.  We are able to leave our things out and not have to worry about locking them up at all.  There is a bathroom with shower in our room instead of a shared one.  There are also outlets everywhere. In the last hostel, there were only 2 outlets and one didn't work.  After getting settled we went out to have a beer at a local pub called The Village Venue.  I had a really good fruity cider.  We then got late night food and went to bed. 

Day 9- Edinburgh, Scotland

Today was awesome.   We slept in kind of late, then Ryan went to Tesco and decided to cook a feast.  I helped him 'butcher' the chicken after we boiled it.  The knives in the hostel were so dull though that
I ended up pulling it apart with my fingers.  We also had cabbage soup, fruit, and baquette bread. We turned the chicken and bread into chicken tikka sandwiches which were amazing. 
After eating and cleaning up our dishes, Sana and I tried to go see the Edinburgh Castle but it was about to close 30 minutes later so instead we went souvenir shopping.  An hour later we met up with Zahrah and Ryan at Primark, a cheapppp department start in the UK.  I ended up buying 2 really cute shirts w/ matching skirts as well as an umbrella and a belt.  I had been resitant to buying an umbrella because they were cheap quality and at least 10 pounds (16ish dollars).  However, Primark had an adorable decent one for 4 pounds so I got it. After shopping for what seemed like an eternity we went back to the restaurant that we tried to go to the first night we were in Edinburgh, Indaba.  It was actually really good. I had the seared tuna small plate and a small plate of Spanish cheese and jam.  I have recently discovered my love for cheese and jam (even without pita or naan or other breads).  After dinner the girls stayed in and Ryan and I went o Brew Dogs, the pub that they all went to last night while I was in a cold medicine induced coma.  I had a 10% alcohol beer "Imperial Pilsner". Ultimately, i had 2/3 if a pint total, so I felt fine, but it was pretty tasty.  The bartender even let me take 2 glasses with me- saving me 13 pounds! :)    After coming back to the room, Ryan and I shared the chicken legs that I bought/cooked the night before.  Then we packed and I skyped my mom.  Now, I'm about to try to finish reading Hunger Games II and fall asleep.  We leave for Dublin via plane tomorrow.

Day 8- Edinburgh, Scotland

Well today was an awesome day.  Sana, Ryan, and I went hiking up Arthur's seat.  The man at the lobby in the hostel said that it would only take like an hour to get from the hostel to the top of Arthur's seat, but it was way more than that.  From being sick, my muscles were so fatigued that at first I didn't think I was going to make it to the top.  We kept trekking though and sure enough I made it to the top!! The views were absolutely amazing and there was a nice breeze.  We got some awesome pictures of each other and I even got some with me doing my signature yoga poses.  After hiking up and down for 3 hours, we sat a top one of the hills and ate.  Sana had french bread and cheese which was delicious and I ate my leftover falafel shawarma wrap cold; surprisingly, it was even more tasty that way.  After eating we headed back down the mountain.  We ended up going some random way that led us down a very narrow path with prickly, yet beautiful yellow flowering bushes.  Ultimately, we made it back to the bottom and headed back to the hostel to meet up with Zahrah who had slept in. We then walked to Tesco to get lunch/dinner.  I made cauliflower w/ cheese and some chicken wings.  Before my food had finished cooking though, Sana and Zahrah gave me a bowl of their potato and leek soup which they had added a bunch of Siracha to.  I couldn't taste it much because I was sick, but the spice helped to clear out my nose. It also helped to fill me up.  So I saved the chicken legs for tomorrow's lunch.  I did force myself to eat the cauliflower as I figured some veggies were necessary.  I'm trying to do better about my diet while I'm here.  I had been eating soooo badly, but am fixing it NOW.  No more hot chocolate constantly and mash and frites and chips.  (mashed potatoes, chips, and french fries).  I took some medicine yesterday around noon and again right before dinner.  After dinner I came upstairs to read some of my Hunger Games book and ended up passing out. Zahrah, Ryan, and Sana went to a microbrewery while I rested.  They seemed to have really enjoyed it, but I don't feel I missed much since I'm not a beer fan anyway and I needed the rest.  Around 12:30 they came in and I awoke feeling quite a bit better.  I forced down 2 yogurt bars, read a little more, and went back to sleep. 

Day 7 - Edinburgh, Scotland

Today was a decent day, but I feel like we really didn't do much.  I got up before the others and took my shower and went downstairs to use the internet.  Around 3pm everyone was ready and we headed to Camera Obscura.  It was sort of a place for kids but it was pretty cool.  It was a lot of allusions and camera tricks, etc.  The last part was a tube you walked through w/ a spinning vortex.  I thought that I was going to fall over, but ultimately it was ok.  There was an awesome view from the top of the building and I got a lot of great pictures.  The streets here are so pretty.  Ryan said the entire town is a World Heritage site so it has been really well preserved. 

After that we had lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant that was really good.  I got a falafel shawarma wrap and naan.  Then we had double apple shisha for 10 pounds - half the price it was in London.  It was freezing outside while we were doing the shisha, but they gave us blankets which was pretty cute. 

On the way back to the hostel we stopped and got snacks from Tesco and now are just sitting in the downstairs lounge at the hostel.  I'm drinking hot chocolate trying to feel better- though it's not really helping.  We'll be hitting the hay pretty soon.  Big day tomorrow...

Day 6- In transit

Today we are leaving London to head to Edinburgh, Scotland. I ended up sleeping in Zahrah's lounge again and we woke up really late. I headed back to my hostel... just to learn that the Central line of the Tube was closed.  After going around and around for 2 hours, I finally made it to my hostel.  I changed my clothes, checked out, and ran out the door.  I met up with them at the London Eustin station to wait for our train. Once on the train, we got to share a 4-person table.  We drank orange juice and vodka and ate pringles and talked.  Eventually we all fell asleep at different points.  About mid-way there we had to switch trains, which was nice as it gave us a chance to wake up a little and stretch our legs.  I had intended to finish the 2nd Hunger Games books while on the train, but kept falling asleep instead.  Once we arrived in Scotland it was a heck of a trek to the hostel.  We had to manually carry all of our luggage about a mile uphill.  We made it of course, checked in, changed, and headed to dinner.  It was Ryan's birthday so we wanted to take him to dinner whereever he wanted.  After walking a mile in the pouring rain (with no umbrella, just a rain jacket) we arrived at the restaurant; it was closed.  We began walking back toward the hostel planning to eat somewhere on the way back.  With the pouring rain and the lack of a map because it had gotten soaked we ended up on the wrong road. Instead of seeing bar after bar after bar, we saw nothingness.  Ultimately, we were headed the right way, were just one block over so we got it straight. We holed up in a local pub and Zahrah and I (who were the soaked ones) went down to the "toilet" to use the hand dryers.  We took some layers off and dried them the best we could, but they were still damp.  We had a few drinks for Ryan's birthday, but I only had one- I have a killer soar throat.  After a few drinks we stopped off for food and headed back to the hostel to go to bed.

It seems my body is attacking me for this trip.  I have a soar throat, stopped up nose, breakout on my chest,  and a fever blister.  The good news is....  I poked a hole in my toenail the other day and now it doesn't hurt anymore. :)  So my muscles are all set... fever blister is getting there... just need to shake this cold.  Last night certainly didn't help. 

London- Day 3

Today was the first day that I didn’t have to go anywhere when I woke up and boy it felt good.  The plan was for Sana and Ryan to come over to my hostel once they got up and moving.  I woke up around 9am, chatted with some people in my room, headed down and ate some cocoa krispies, and then got back in bed to read.  I ended up falling back asleep for who knows how long, at least a few hours.  I woke up and got dressed and on my way back from the bathroom, I walked right into Ryan and Sana.  We walked across the street to the British Museum which is apparently the oldest museum in the world.  It was really cool.  We went to several different sections including: Japan, China, Ancient Egypt, Mexico, North American Indian, and Easter Island.  We also saw several selected works from Picasso as well as the Rosetta Stone.  It felt a little surreal to see mummies and the Rosetta Stone.  My camera started dying after taking pictures of 20 different Buddha sculptures and Sana’s started to die as well.  We decided to go back tomorrow to see the Islamic World exhibits and I will bring my better camera.  We went across the street after that to an “Italian” restaurant and had burgers and poor service for 5 pounds per person.  We then went and met up with Zahrah outside of her school building which is only 3 blocks from my hostel. We went with them to Pizza Hut which is so different than back home.  Here the sauce and the cheeses taste differently. 

After Pizza Hut we went to the St. Paul area to look for some shoes for Sana.  We didn't really have much luck so we went back to the hostel. 

----   Will complete later...

Day 2- London

I slept in til noonish today, which felt great.   I really needed to catch up on sleep.  I headed over to Zahrah’s dorm and met up with Ryan and Sana.  We walked around for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what to eat that wouldn’t be too terribly expensive.  We thought of Subway, but it was 5 pounds for just a 6” sub and drink.  Then we tried to go find chinese but everything was closed for the Queen’s Jubilee.  Ultimately, we ended up at a place called Giraffe with has a varied menu.  I got an interesting sushi-type salad- brown rice, raw broccoli, raw salmon, and rice noodles with wasabi-lime dressing (12 pounds).  It was actually pretty good.  Then Sana and Ryan Movenpick (Swiss Ice cream).  They let me try some of theirs and it was actually really good. I think tomorrow I may get some chocolate for myself.  I have been craving chocolate since I got here, I don’t know if it is because I am on vacation or because of this rainy dreary weather.  Ryan brought some chocolate and mint ice cream back for Zahrah.  All morning we had been talking about going somewhere to get Sana a bath towel and me some tights, so we decided to walk to TK Maxx.  TK Maxx is the same exact thing as TJ Maxx in the states.. but with a K; this cracks me up.  TK Maxx didn’t have much of a selection for tights so we also went to a department store across the street ___ and I found some awesome tights.  I got 3 pair for 5 pounds (grey, purple, black).  Apparently all the rage over here is to wear black or jean shorts with tights underneath.  So, now I am in style.  On the way back to Zahrah’s we stopped at Tesco and got a soda then headed back to Zahrah’s dorm.   Shortly thereafter we headed out to Tayyab’s, the most amazing Indian food I’ve had.  The man that I met on the flight on the way here recommended it to us.  We had to wait for quite a while but it was so worth it.  I got chicken tikka, chicken tandoori, and a veggie samosa.  I also added on a naan at the last minute.  I kept making little tiny naan/chicken sandwiches.  We stopped on the way there and bought a box of wine to share between Sana, Ryan, and I so we saved a lot of money on the dinner bill.  After stuffing my face for 10 pounds we headed back to Nido, Zahrah’s dorm.  On the way up to her room, we passed 2 of her friends in the lobby who were headed to the Tesco down the street.  I branched off and grabbed some ice cream which was delicious.  After eating that in the lounge while watching the Illusionist I ended up passing out on the chair.  Next thing I knew, it was midnight and time for me to leave to catch the last train on the Tube.  I made it home and tried intended to read the 2^nd Hunger Games book, but my Nook was in my suitcase which isn’t really accessible once everyone is asleep because I would make too much noise trying to get it out.  So I went to bed. 

Day 1, Continued

Ryan came and got me from my hostel and we headed to Zahrah's apartment.  I sat with Ryan while he had coffee and a lemon custard tart and we caught up on life.  Then we all went to Poppie's and had fish n' chips.  I had never had it before but it was really good.  Then we went to a local pub to get a drink... boy what a mistake it was to choose that place.  The 2 girls behind the bar were so rude to Sana and I- I can only assume that it was because we were American.  After being snubbed one too many times, we all left.  Ultimately, we ended up back at Zahrah's apartment building where we found that they were having a Queen's Jubilee party.  The highlight of the party... free cider and sandwiches of all sorts.  I had never had alcoholic cider before either, but it was delicious and ice cold.  Ryan, Sana, and I made mannnyy trips going back and forth from the lobby to the party to get more food/drinks.  We couldn't all go in because I was unable to be checked in by Zahrah due to there being too many of us.  Zahrah did not partake in the party because she has a paper that is due Friday that she was working on.  We met a whole bunch of people from all over the world and exchanged phone numbers with a few of them.  Several hours, and many liters of cider later, we all left, along w/ Zahrah and some of her friends.  We went to St. Peters Park to watch the televising of the Queen's Jubilee concert.  We didn't know who most of the artists were, but we sang and danced (and drank) anyway.  After leaving that concert we headed to my hostel so that I could get checked in.  I learned that my room has 5 sets of bunk beds in it.  The only one left was a top bunk, which I was happy about.  I changed my shoes, put my bag away, and off we went.  We went down to Soho to El Cantara, a restaurant with a shisha (hookah) terrace.  Sana and I split 2 appetizers- hummus and the 'table de queso'.  The queso app was delicious- 3 different strong cheese w/ crusty bread and some kind of apricot tasting jam.  Then we had some hookah and I had hot chocolate for dessert.  I find that while I am here I want hot chocolate every 10 minutes, but I will have to limit myself or I will gain all of my weight back.  After we were done at dinner the friends put me on my right bus and I headed off.... only to miss my stop and end up on the bus for 20 extra minutes - ending at a station several miles from my hostel.  I ran up to a local pub and asked for help.  The man advised me that I was in the right place and needed to go back and wait for the same exact bus that had let me off when it "terminated" at that station.  As it turns out, my original bus driver had simply stopped to take a smoke break; 20 mins later I was on my way back in the right decision. I finally arrived at my stop, and after asking 2 people how to get to my hostel, I made it there safely.  I unlocked my room to find that everyone was already in bed asleep- I felt so bad and very surprised.  So I climbed in as quietly as I could and passedddd out.

Overall, it was a great day.  Got a lot of exercise walking and spent some time outside.  I got to the point that I was really tired though, even started falling asleep at the hookah spot.  The biggest issue yesterday was my calves/feet.  I've now developed a blister on the bottom of my left heel, and my calves are just wrecked from the 5k Saturday.  I keep trying to rub them, but it does not seem to help.  Eurotrip shall go on though!  :P

Day 1

My flight left from Dulles International in Northern Virginia at 6pm, and I arrived in London at 7am their time (2am my time).   I was fortunate enough to have a window seat and an empty seat next to me.  When planning for my trip I completely intended to sleep the entire 7 hour flight, especially since I was arriving here in the early morning with a full day/night ahead of me.  However, shortly after take off I turned on my Nook to begin reading the first Hunger Games novel... to my surprise... 6 hours later we I finished the book and we were about 45 minutes from landing.  I must have been more excited/anxious than I realized, because typically I am asleep before the flight even takes off- especially if I start reading.   The dinner they served on the flight was actually quite good.  I had the choice of beef or chicken; I chose the chicken.  It was Chinese style- rice, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and chicken in some sort of gravy type sauce.  There was also a small side salad w/ Asian sesame dressing, a honey wheat roll, and a chocolate granola bar for dessert.  I had a cup of white tea shortly thereafter, which may have contributed to my restlessness.  I have never had white tea before, only green tea and sweet tea; I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed it.  Midway through the flight the man at the aisle seat of my row got up to use the "lavatory" so I happily got up and did the same.  I also used that time to stretch my legs.  I ran a 5k with my mom 2 days ago and my calves are KILLING ME.  The long period of sitting still coupled with the pressure of the altitude change did not help.  So I did a few yoga poses, used the bathroom and settled back down with my Nook. The man on the end and I exchanged a few words and then he proceeded to put on his headphones.  At one point, I found him looking on the floor for something but it was so dark there was no way he could see.  So I lent him my book light- being a nerd pays off sometimes  :P  Later in the flight it was evident that he was trying to sleep.  Most of the plane was dark, but I had my LED book light on and I began to wonder if it was inhibiting him from falling asleep, so I handed him my eye mask.  He was so appreciative and I was happy to see that a few short minutes later he was soundly asleep.  When the pilot came on the intercom to say good morning and advise that we would be landing soon, we struck up a thorough conversation about London. He hails from the city but had been in the states for work.  By the end of our talk I had learned of several interesting places to go see and great/cheap places to eat.  He also emailed me about 8 different emails with links and great information.  As we exitted the plane he told me that he also needed to take a train to get to his home so he would help me by my Oyster card and ensure I headed toward the right train.  Now that I've gone through it, I'm certain I would have done just fine, but it was really nice to have someone's help and just a companion to walk through the massive desserted airport with.  We parted ways at the Tube.  I have since emailed him thanking him and will email him again once I have actually visited a few of the places he recommended. 

While on the Tube I met 2 men from Australia who were beginning their 3 month backpacking trip in London. It was some great conversation and it helped to pass the time on my long ride.  I soon arrived at my stop. I exitted the Tube to find signs leading me straight to the museum which is right next to my hostel.  So I made it there no problem and was able to drop off my luggage even though check-in isn't until 2pm.  I went downstairs and had some cocoa krispies and chatted with a couple visiting from Ohio. 

I now sit at Cafe Nero using their free wi-fi.  I am waiting to hear from Zahrah, or for a shop to open where I can buy a phone so I can call her.  :)  We shall see what the day has in store.

As far as the weather... it is really cold.  I have on jeans, sperrys, a shirt, a hoodie, and a thin rain jacket.. and as I type.. I can feel my fingers getting a little numb.  Hopefully my body will acclimate to the temperature difference.  If not, I will be buying gloves and scarves! lol.