Well, be prepared to read. I promised you my trip journal, and here it is. Should I say have fun?
Jan. 14 and 15—one very long day of travel
We went out singing to the bus at noon and soon were standing in line to check our bags in Omaha. The first flight was barely long enough for them to serve us drinks, but it was long enough for me to loose my jacket. Actually, I left it in the overhead compartment when Audrey and I moved back to sit by Adam. It turned out that Tara had grabbed it for me, so there really was no harm done. But poor Jesse left his passport in Omaha and got stuck in Chicago. Now that was a bad situation. There was nothing any of us could do for him, which may be part of why few of us could sleep on the overnight flight.
Arriving in Ireland was a dream come true. Sure, it was raining, but we were in Ireland! Dublin castle was amazing, but the name is somewhat misleading. After the original castle burned down they built a new structure much like our own white house. It’s still cool, but I wanted to see a real castle with stone turrets and things. I thought it was cool when our tour guide sang “Molly Malone” because I learned that song in fourth grade. I sang along with him and finished the song myself since he left off the last verse.
Seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College was definitely the highlight of my day. I first learned about it in Art History last spring, and I’ve wanted to see it ever since. I mean, the fact that it is an ancient book is cool enough, but it’s also the Gospel, an incredible work of art, and the “book that saved civilization.” Who wouldn’t be thrilled to see that? After that we wandered about, seeing several museums and a park. Some people just wanted to sleep, but I was far too excited for that.
We met our family tonight, and they seem like good people. Neil, who picked us up from the bus, is quite talkative and friendly. Amalda seemed surprised that we weren’t 12-year-old French girls, but we soon got that straightened out. The daughter Sharon is 19, starting at the university, and obsessed with the OC. (sounds like some people at USF) She still lives at home and gets rides to campus with her parents. They let me use their computer to send an email home, but their connection is even slower than dial-up at home. There are a few strange things about the house. We have to pull a string to turn on the hot water for showers, and the bathroom light switch is outside the door.
Monday, January 16—St. Patrick’s Cathedral
This morning was a bit rushed, as none of us had brought an alarm clock along. I used to think I walked fast, but not after walking to the bus with Mae and her mother this morning. Their legs are machines! We even passed a couple of locals along the way, and they walk these streets every day.
It finally struck me today that everything is backward here. I was expecting the traffic to be backward, so that didn’t really phase me, but some other things seem odd now. The toilet flush handle is on the right side instead of the left, and the light switches are upside down. You push the switch down to turn the light on, instead of the other way around. Another thing that is different is that our hostess fills our plates for us every night. If she didn’t, I might not have tried some of the good things we’ve had.
This morning was spent shopping and indulging in our various loves. We stopped at a several-story bookstore for me, though we didn’t have time to peruse all of it. I did buy a couple books by British authors in order to have the European cover art. Then we stopped in several music stores. Adam and Audrey picked up several guitar picks, and I found a book of sheet music for Celtic fiddle tunes.
St Patrick’s Cathedral was gorgeous, and the acoustics were great, but the concert we gave seemed to be lacking something. I think the fact that the audience didn’t applaud threw us off a little. And we weren’t used to the way the sound behaved in that sort of a building. I, for one, was a bit intimidated by the grandeur of the cathedral, but it was still incredible to hear our voices reverberating in there.
The afternoon was spent shopping and wandering, and I finally started splurging on souvenirs. Then I called home from a pay phone and left a message on the answering machine. I wish I could see my mom’s face when she hears it! Oh yeah, and Jesse joined us today! He was actually having fun in Chicago while we all worried about him. We’ve been counting redheads all day and only spotted seven. You’d think there would be more here in Ireland.
Tuesday, January 17—Bray
So this morning went a lot more smoothly than yesterday. Apparently Mae and her mother have been having trouble sleeping here (probably due to jet lag), but I’ve slept like a rock these past two nights.
Redhead spotting was replaced by watching for white horses today. Our guide told us about the legend that a girl who saw seven white horses in one day would be married with twins by the end of the year. I ended up spotting only six, but since I don’t want children while I’m in school, I think that’s alright.
Glendalough is pretty much the most beautiful place I have ever been. I think I could be content living in this county for the rest of my life. This particular spot makes me think of the Black Hills. This is how the Hills could look if it was wet out west. Of course, we don’t have ruined monasteries dotting our hillsides. That’s the thing about Europe—there’s so much history here. Yet it’s still so full of life. I loved walking past sheep grazing between the ruins. Hopefully my mom will want to paint the sheep; I took lots of pictures of them for her.
Bray was a fun little city too. We walked along the Irish Sea and took pictures of the city lights reflecting on the water. And then the concert! Tonight was the best we’ve ever sung. I could definitely feel the Spirit moving in that little church. And the ladies barbershop group was so much fun! I almost wonder if a standing ovation is something new to them—they didn’t seem to know how to react.
We wanted to go to a pub tonight to really get the Irish experience before we left the country, but the first place had jacked the prices, so we tried to find another one. The problem was, we took directions from Matt Whipps. I will never again trust him for anything. We wandered around for two hours, getting completely lost and finding our own street purely through God’s providence. When we got back, we discovered that our host parents had gone out looking for us (after Mae’s mother had told them where we had intended to go), but they were just glad we got back alright.
Tomorrow we need to be up early—that should be fun.
Wednesday, January 18—Ferry to Holyhead, bus to Cardiff
Well, we made it to the bus on time, so the bus made it to the ferry on time. But the circus group was late, so our departure was delayed about an hour. We stood on deck to watch the departure, then we went below, where most people fell asleep. So I started collecting pictures of people asleep. I’m sure I’ll have quite a few by the time this is all over.
Driving through the Welsh countryside was amazing. I thought nothing could be beautiful after Ireland, but northern Wales has the most amazing mountains. After that everyone fell asleep, so the ride was fairly quiet.
Our host family seems nice. The house is full of animals and little girls. There are two girls (the oldest, Sian, is eight, Elin is six), one hamster, two birds, three cats, one dog, and many tropical fish. At first the girls seemed scared to meet us, but then Sian and a cat came into our room to play. We ended up drawing pictures together until her mother sent her to bed.
Thursday, January 19—Cardiff
I woke up this morning with a cat on my feet. That was a new experience, and I rather liked it. This morning was rather hectic. Bother girls were getting ready for school while Shannon and I had breakfast. The ex-husband came over to drive us to the bus this morning—he seems to be a nice fellow.
I wish we’d had more time at the Museum of Welsh Life. Our tour guide didn’t finish talking to us until it was time for us to get back on the coach.
Cardiff Castle was amazing! I love the intricate interiors—I bought postcards of the rooms we saw since we couldn’t take any pictures. The old keep was even better. This was what I had always thought of when I heard the word “castle”—an old stone tower on a hill with a moat. I ended up staying on the roof so long that I lost my friends. So I spend the rest of our time shopping with Renee, and I bought a sweet new hat.
I’ve been trying all day to pronounce the “ll” the way our guide taught us, but I guess I’ll never know if I say it like a proper Welshman.
Tonight’s concert was amazing! The Welsh men have such incredible voices that don’t seem to have faded at all through aging. I love how they have such a history of singing. When they sing, it’s like hearing echoes of all the Welsh songs of the past. The music was so great, I didn’t even mind how disorganized the whole night was.
Friday, January 20—Windsor Castle
There were cats again this morning. One of them tried three times to climb into my suitcase. I guess he really wanted to come to London. The bus ride was very long. Most people slept, and then Seth started taping stupid interviews again. It was actually quite fun to watch.
Windsor castle was pretty cool, though I’d have to say that Cardiff Castle was definitely better. I loved the church and the swords outside the dollhouse exhibit, though the highlight of our tour was Tim dropping his camera over the wall. We took pictures in one of the famous red telephone booths after the tour.
It took a very long time to check in to our hotel rooms, though it was worth the wait. The room has a sofa, which is nice, and the bed is quite comfortable. But the toilet is weird. It always takes more than one push on the lever to make it flush. Weird.
We saw the tube tonight but decided not to ride it. We wandered about aimlessly for a while until Adam took charge and found a place for us to eat. Yes, we ate at Burger King, but the girl behind the counter was hard enough to understand that it was still a cultural experience. Besides, there is plenty of time left for sampling authentic cuisine. Adventurous lot that we are, we ended up playing Scrabble at the hotel instead of going out. Since we’re all tired and/or sick, it seemed like the best option.
Saturday, January 21—Tower of London
The continental breakfast brought to our room this morning was wonderful—hot chocolate and croissants. We toured quite a bit of the city this morning. I had a great time at the Tower of London—it’s just the sort of thing I like, with all the old towers and weapons and armor.
This afternoon we went to see about getting tickets for tonight’s Phantom of the Opera, and ended up finding a matinee about to start. Our view was slightly obstructed, but the show was amazing nonetheless. It was so different seeing it live and in the theatre it was meant for. The greatest thrill for me was hearing the score performed by a live orchestra. It must be such a thrill to play that famous music every night. I’ve played in pit orchestras before, so I know how electrifying it can be. Playing for a show like Phantom would be pretty much the coolest thing ever.
We went to the George for dinner and I tried fish and chips. The fish was actually really good, though it kind of weirded me out that they left the tail on.
I finally got to call my mom tonight. I’ve been so busy I hadn’t realized how much I miss home.
Sunday, January 22—Cambridge
Wow. This morning was far too early. Though I must say that the sunrise over misty English countryside is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Today’s service was probably the coldest concert I’ve ever had. The church was nice, but I could hardly concentrate on what was going on. It was cool to hear, afterward, that a German diplomat had attended the service and appreciated the Messe.
I enjoyed touring King’s Chapel, though the rest of the tour was too cold. Several of us ended up sitting in a teashop for quite a while before the evensong. The evensong at Clare College was just incredible. I can hardly believe how amazing the organist and the singers were. That’s their tradition, their history. And the dinner afterward was great, though our rendition of the “Thank You” song hardly did it justice. I’m starting to get sick of that song.
Coming back I started talking to Melissa’s sister Marie. We really hit it off and kept the conversation going all the way to the hotel discussing English literature and Sci-Fi TV, specifically our recent addictions to the show Firefly. It’s always fun to encounter a kindred spirit.
Monday, January 23—Canterbury
Today was another early morning and long bus ride. I started losing my voice this morning. I have no idea how, but I made it through the concert—I sang every note. Of course, as soon as we finished I could barely even speak.
Canterbury Cathedral is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Gothic architecture, Christian heritage, literary significance—what else could a place need? And it was meant for music. When we sang and our voices echoed up by the ceiling, the building felt alive. And it felt like we were part of its history now, carrying on the tradition of Christian worship through song. This was definitely one of my favorite stops of the trip.
This afternoon we finally went on the underground. Audrey decided we should find Abbey Road and re-create the famous Beatles picture, so we did. Jesse, Adam, Audrey and I crossed that road at least a dozen times trying to get a good shot. Of course, at rush hour the number of cars made it awkward, but we managed one fairly decent shot.
Our farewell dinner was certainly interesting. Adam was allergic to everything they gave us, and I thought half of it was weird. Honestly, what sort of place serves salad as the main course? Of course, the desert was wonderful and too big for me to finish, so I had a great time.
Packing took longer than it should have—I kept allowing myself to be distracted by people. It seems so weird to think we’ll all be going home tomorrow. It feels like we’ve spent hardly any time here at all. And yet I feel so at home here, that I can hardly believe my real home is somewhere across the ocean. Someday I’ll be coming back to Ireland, and on that trip I’ll spend at least two weeks in the countryside and smaller towns and villages. Maybe on that trip I’ll pick up the accent well enough to keep it.
Tuesday, January 24—flying home
Well, this is it—we’re in the air again. I was sad to get on the plane this morning, though glad everything went smoothly. The flight to Chicago took longer than our flight to Dublin last week. But the plane was a lot nicer and I had an aisle seat, so I didn’t mind too much. I got to watch Dreamer, a movie I’ve been wanting to see. It was a rush getting to our connecting flight on time, though going through customs was a lot simpler than I had anticipated. They just asked us what the boxes were and let us go.
We’re about halfway to Omaha now. I finally got a window seat and it’s all I can do to finish these journals instead of just staring out the window. I love flying, especially when I can see how different the earth looks from above.
I called my mom briefly from the airport to say I was back in the county. I can’t wait to get home tonight and tell everyone all about this trip.
And now you've hear all about it. Well, there are a few more stories you'd get in person, but this was a good taste.
Quote of the trip:
"Kim, if that wasn't you, I'd have to shoot you." - Audrey
