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Published: August 7th 2007
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Back in 2000 when I left school we had, like every other school in Oz, a Formal. That grand evening when you and your class mates dress to the nines and try to act like adults. My partner for that evening was Sarah. She was a close friend of mine at school and as it turned out we lost contact after that and I never saw her again. That is until I get a random email one day late last year from her. We began to chat and it turns out she is getting married to an Irish bloke and now living with him in Dublin, Ireland. It was quite a coincidence as I was living in England and so of course planned a quick trip over the to see her. Other things came up and I didn't get a chance so I decided to just do it after I left Berlin.
I thought leaving Olney was hard but leaving Berlin was a lot harder for a few reasons. In Olney there was a group of people I would miss but they would pretty much always be there as is the case in Olney. Besides, Olney is a nice little
Oops!
Not a good day for a white wedding village but I haven't missed living there since. Berlin was totally the opposite. The city is now officially my favourite in the world and every time I see a picture of Berlin or shots of it on the TV, I think back to what a great time it was down there. I really did have the time of my life and I miss living there everyday. The other thing I missed were the people, even if I went back, it wouldn't be the same because not many of my friends would be there as we came from all over the world. So knowing that the experience I had there would be totally unique has made it hard to move on. My last day wore on and slowly I said farewell to all my friends knowing I probably wouldn't see most of them again. The last person I said goodbye to was Carla, a Brazilian girl who I became close to and that was the worst goodbye of all. I was quite depressed about getting on that plane and leaving but I guess what makes these experiences so great is they are brief. If I had been living there for a
year or two it might not have seemed so special.
The plane began to land in Dublin and despite the drizzle weaving its way across the window, I started to cheer up a little. We were about to touch down when the plane accelerated and gained altitude again. Once we leveled out, the Pilot came on the speaker and informed us that we couldn't land because there was another plane on the runway. Not the thing you really want to hear. We circle the city and come in for another approach, this time very wobbly and it was one of the worst landings I've had. Ryanair really does suck and I feel less safe on that airline than any other. For this reason I'm going to avoid flying with them in the future.
When I mentioned the idea of going to Ireland to Rohan decided to come along as he has always wanted to go there so he booked us a hostel for the weekend and we met up that night. I couldn't meet up with Sarah because she had a party to go to out of town so that would wait until the next day. While I
The black stuff
Ahhhhhhhh, that's better was waiting to meet up with Rohan, I braved the Dublin drizzle and walked around the Temple Bar, the main central area in Dublin that is famed for its nightlife transcending into debauchery. All the walking was making me thirsty so I entered a pub and couldn't help but to have a pint of the black stuff. I've always like Guinness and I've heard that it tastes better in Ireland. My lips smacked in anticipation as my pint settled on the bar. I handed the man a lot of money and received little change. The first sip and the prolonged "ahh" confirmed it, Guinness really DOES taste better in Ireland.
The next day I met up with Sarah, who I hadn't seen in 7 years. It was quite good to catch up on old times and see my old friend again. We headed for the Guinness factory and did the tourist thing. It was a good thing to see but the best part was the free pint at the end. Most of our time in Dublin involved going out. The both nights we went out were big ones and we usually stumbled home late. Temple Bar is the place
Guinness Brewery
Me and Rohan there to be and we went into all sorts of places but one thing is sure, the Irish love to drink. This is evident in all the traditional Irish songs being played by musicians all through Temple Bar, they are mostly about drinking. It's quite funny.
After Rohan had gone back to London, Sarah and I jumped the Big Red Bus tour and did the other tourist thing. It was a good way to check out the city and see some things I missed. Even Sarah discovered a few new things too. To keep up with the German I had been learning I listened to the commentary in German although it was hard to keep up so I would periodically put it back to English.
I jumped another Ryanair flight back to London and after catching up with Tracey and her parents for a couple of days, I headed south to my new home, Brighton.
I added a few more pictures to my last Berlin blog so you can check them out by pressing 'Previous Journal'
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johnnybones
John Bones
That bus driver might have had a few too many Guinesses him/herself!!! That picture will be on those FWDs into people's inboxes for many years to come, what a classic!