So, you see, I was up on the side of a hill for a week or so. Hills don't always have internet. And right now I'm drinking cider so I'll forget I'm leaving in the morning, which is impairing my typing a wee bit. So, uh, posting. There'll be some of that someday, depending on whether I can find internet cafes or get my computer fixed. I've been in Dublin, and Dublin is nice, and also in Donegal, which is so amazing and I'm not sure I'd be able to say so I guess it's just as well I have time to work on that. If you pop back every once in a while, that'd be cool. If you don't, well, you probably know me well enough to know that was going to happen.
Short version, in no particular order:
- I developed a love of cider
- I watched some Scrubs
- I got eaten by midges
- I found the most beautiful beach in the world
- I went to Mass
- I found prices for yer ma
Monday, June 2, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
(Originally written, uh, a week or so ago.)
I spent another day or two in Edinburgh - I don't quite remember when the last day I wrote anything was. I got myself to visit the University, although I didn't learn much save that campus is pretty grungy. I guess admissions isn't quite the art here that it is back home - every time I asked a question people would stare at me like they weren't quite sure what I was doing there at all. (Which certainly doesn't bode well for my getting a job ever. Only admissions offices ever hire me for anything.) Quite disheartening. I guess I'll apply anyway once things open up but...
Saturday I went walking - did not actually go up top Arthur's Seat, as at every turn the route going away from it looked more interesting. Saw it, though. Was gorsey. Went to the national museum something something Scotland whatever afters, and in theory learned something about Scotland. This is only somewhat true. Saw some poor decapitated kid's jawbones, though, and that's always good for a lark.
(Flashforward - I wish this bus would give some indication of whether or not it ever plans to go anywhere.)
Sunday I split for Fort William, or at least that was the theory. I'd heard the train was lovely, so when I found the ticket was only ten pounds more than the bus - not to mention easier to get - I went for it. Surely the train would be faster, right? Yeaaaaah. Turns out that on Sundays, there are still trains every half-hour to Glasgow, but there is only one to Fort Willy. And it doesn't leave 'til six. Since I was clever enough to get to Glasgow around half eleven in the morning, this left me with not much to do save worry, as I wasn't scheduled to get into An Gearasdan until half ten at night then and it was not clear if I'd be able to get into the hostel yadda yadda I am my father's daughter, paranoia and all. After an hour or so of searching, did find an internet cafe. Since a day pass costs less than two hours would've, I pretty much parked myself there the rest of the afternoon.
I did see some of Glasgow, though. It is much as you would expect. Everybody shaves their head and wears football colors all the time and would probably happily have beaten me up if I hadn't strategically been wearing gray. (Okay, they probably wouldn't have. But they did generally look like extras from a bar fight scene.) The bits I saw outside the people were a bit like London, really, only with more Greggs and discarded bottles of Irn-Bru littering the streets.
Anyway, I did get on the train and it was indeed beautiful. Water and mountains and villages you'd miss if you blinked had the train not stopped at every one of them. (A bit like upstate New York, actually, which I guess makes sense; they were probably close to eachother when Scotland was part of North America. Shut up, of course that makes sense, don't you go waving your actual geological facts at me now.) People would get on at one town and get off at the next; I imagine it's the easiest way to get around in some cases, especially as the Citylink takes a different route. And the rail screeches something fierce when it rounds a corner - except for once you get close to Fort William, where it starts to sound for all the world like a lone saxophonist warming up.
Nearly missed my stop, but thankfully everyone else was getting off there, too. (I had trouble believing it could be half ten already, and technically it was more like 10:15, because it was still so bright. Such is the norf, I suppose. [Is probably the nort' now, actually.]) Got to the hostel okay despite Google Maps being a compulsive liar.
(And that's enough for now. Fort William next time.)
I spent another day or two in Edinburgh - I don't quite remember when the last day I wrote anything was. I got myself to visit the University, although I didn't learn much save that campus is pretty grungy. I guess admissions isn't quite the art here that it is back home - every time I asked a question people would stare at me like they weren't quite sure what I was doing there at all. (Which certainly doesn't bode well for my getting a job ever. Only admissions offices ever hire me for anything.) Quite disheartening. I guess I'll apply anyway once things open up but...
Saturday I went walking - did not actually go up top Arthur's Seat, as at every turn the route going away from it looked more interesting. Saw it, though. Was gorsey. Went to the national museum something something Scotland whatever afters, and in theory learned something about Scotland. This is only somewhat true. Saw some poor decapitated kid's jawbones, though, and that's always good for a lark.
(Flashforward - I wish this bus would give some indication of whether or not it ever plans to go anywhere.)
Sunday I split for Fort William, or at least that was the theory. I'd heard the train was lovely, so when I found the ticket was only ten pounds more than the bus - not to mention easier to get - I went for it. Surely the train would be faster, right? Yeaaaaah. Turns out that on Sundays, there are still trains every half-hour to Glasgow, but there is only one to Fort Willy. And it doesn't leave 'til six. Since I was clever enough to get to Glasgow around half eleven in the morning, this left me with not much to do save worry, as I wasn't scheduled to get into An Gearasdan until half ten at night then and it was not clear if I'd be able to get into the hostel yadda yadda I am my father's daughter, paranoia and all. After an hour or so of searching, did find an internet cafe. Since a day pass costs less than two hours would've, I pretty much parked myself there the rest of the afternoon.
I did see some of Glasgow, though. It is much as you would expect. Everybody shaves their head and wears football colors all the time and would probably happily have beaten me up if I hadn't strategically been wearing gray. (Okay, they probably wouldn't have. But they did generally look like extras from a bar fight scene.) The bits I saw outside the people were a bit like London, really, only with more Greggs and discarded bottles of Irn-Bru littering the streets.
Anyway, I did get on the train and it was indeed beautiful. Water and mountains and villages you'd miss if you blinked had the train not stopped at every one of them. (A bit like upstate New York, actually, which I guess makes sense; they were probably close to eachother when Scotland was part of North America. Shut up, of course that makes sense, don't you go waving your actual geological facts at me now.) People would get on at one town and get off at the next; I imagine it's the easiest way to get around in some cases, especially as the Citylink takes a different route. And the rail screeches something fierce when it rounds a corner - except for once you get close to Fort William, where it starts to sound for all the world like a lone saxophonist warming up.
Nearly missed my stop, but thankfully everyone else was getting off there, too. (I had trouble believing it could be half ten already, and technically it was more like 10:15, because it was still so bright. Such is the norf, I suppose. [Is probably the nort' now, actually.]) Got to the hostel okay despite Google Maps being a compulsive liar.
(And that's enough for now. Fort William next time.)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Okay, so, long story short, I'm in Dublin with many, many handwritten pages of journal. And since I'm currently keeping Liam's laptop away from him, I'll try to start entering them (and hopefully breaking them down into remotely readable chunks). There are some pictures, though! Which, uh, I should probably go caption and edit, once I remember what all these things are.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Okay, yeah, I've been pretty fail at writing in this.
This journeying abroad thing has become some weird balance of mundane and paralyzing, with the end result that there really isn't anything much to talk about. But yeah, day ... where are we, nine? Ten? I don't really know. Second day of Edinburgh.
Cities seem to make me shy, even shyer than usual, which is why I'm headed to Fort William soon. Edinburgh was a little less gorgeous once I got some sleep and came down off the Irn-Bru (I'm still going to have to take some of that with me, though; caffeinated stuff usually makes me feel like shit, but that was pretty fun), but it's still a fascinating place. Being on the Royal Mile can be pretty lame, as being surrounded by tourists being touristy makes me feel vaguely guilty by association. Don't get me started on the Americans in the hostel. And two-thirds of the shops are just selling the same lame souvenirs. (Although, God help me, it is very hard not to buy a cashmere scarf. I would never use a cashmere scarf in Cali. I do not care. It is so soft. So soft.)
Mainly what I did this day was bum around. Wandered around Princes St. and the gardens thereof. Ate a lot of pasties, too. I think I could happily live the rest of my life on pasties. Failed to buy comics (curse you, Monday bank holiday!), but saw an exhibit at the National Library about them. Highlight: the video of Grant Morrison rambling sarcastically, played on infinite loop. If you have to pick a Scot to talk about comics, he is definitely the right choice. In fact, if you have to pick someone to talk about anything, I would pick Grant Morrison, honestly. Also went to the National Galleries because they were there. Not the kind of thing I do normally, but I did see some interesting things, by which I mean John Duncan.
Chips for dinner (with probable chipper-made ketchup - much better than the chips, honestly), decided to forgo the hostel pub crawl. Stayed up late all the same. As you do.
This journeying abroad thing has become some weird balance of mundane and paralyzing, with the end result that there really isn't anything much to talk about. But yeah, day ... where are we, nine? Ten? I don't really know. Second day of Edinburgh.
Cities seem to make me shy, even shyer than usual, which is why I'm headed to Fort William soon. Edinburgh was a little less gorgeous once I got some sleep and came down off the Irn-Bru (I'm still going to have to take some of that with me, though; caffeinated stuff usually makes me feel like shit, but that was pretty fun), but it's still a fascinating place. Being on the Royal Mile can be pretty lame, as being surrounded by tourists being touristy makes me feel vaguely guilty by association. Don't get me started on the Americans in the hostel. And two-thirds of the shops are just selling the same lame souvenirs. (Although, God help me, it is very hard not to buy a cashmere scarf. I would never use a cashmere scarf in Cali. I do not care. It is so soft. So soft.)
Mainly what I did this day was bum around. Wandered around Princes St. and the gardens thereof. Ate a lot of pasties, too. I think I could happily live the rest of my life on pasties. Failed to buy comics (curse you, Monday bank holiday!), but saw an exhibit at the National Library about them. Highlight: the video of Grant Morrison rambling sarcastically, played on infinite loop. If you have to pick a Scot to talk about comics, he is definitely the right choice. In fact, if you have to pick someone to talk about anything, I would pick Grant Morrison, honestly. Also went to the National Galleries because they were there. Not the kind of thing I do normally, but I did see some interesting things, by which I mean John Duncan.
Chips for dinner (with probable chipper-made ketchup - much better than the chips, honestly), decided to forgo the hostel pub crawl. Stayed up late all the same. As you do.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Once upon a time, I had a boyfriend who told me he'd decided he was going to marry me the day he first saw me. (No, no, come back, this is all in service of an analogy. No worries.)
I, of course, thought he was full of crap. And, from the past tense of that sentence and the fact that I am yet unwed, I feel that time has borne me out on this one. But I think I know what he meant now, because yesterday I saw Edinburgh for the first time.
She is a beautiful city, dear readers. All at once young and vibrant, yet old and wise. She is multilayered and unmappable, but will always get you home eventually - and will show you new wonders every step of the way. (Plus the sun never sets on her, so it's okay if it takes a little while.) She will play games with you if you are in a car, but if you set your feet on her cobbles she will let you see her secrets.
(Okay, okay, I've only been wandering around the old town, I'm sure the new town is lame like all other cities, but holy crap, I don't care. The rest of the city could be Rockford and it would still be the most beautiful city I've ever been to.)
Anyway. New pictures. They don't really describe it, but it's a start.
I, of course, thought he was full of crap. And, from the past tense of that sentence and the fact that I am yet unwed, I feel that time has borne me out on this one. But I think I know what he meant now, because yesterday I saw Edinburgh for the first time.
She is a beautiful city, dear readers. All at once young and vibrant, yet old and wise. She is multilayered and unmappable, but will always get you home eventually - and will show you new wonders every step of the way. (Plus the sun never sets on her, so it's okay if it takes a little while.) She will play games with you if you are in a car, but if you set your feet on her cobbles she will let you see her secrets.
(Okay, okay, I've only been wandering around the old town, I'm sure the new town is lame like all other cities, but holy crap, I don't care. The rest of the city could be Rockford and it would still be the most beautiful city I've ever been to.)
Anyway. New pictures. They don't really describe it, but it's a start.
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