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Published: August 2nd 2006
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Well I've come to a final conclusion...
I suck at this traveling thing. Yesterday morning I couldn't get my ass out of bed my hand instinctfully kept hitting the snooze button and before I knew it I had 3 hours before my plane left. Frantically I ran around the house throwing the last of what I needed for my trip praying to the organization gods that I had everything I needed and called a cab. I thought I had plently of time. THOUGHT being the operative word.
Waiting.. waiting... waiting.. waiting.. just as I thought I should call them again the cab showed up. Once at the train station I'm positive I missed the train because the waiting game started all over again.... by this point I'm staring at the clock thinking.. I don't think I'm going to make it.. I knew I needed at least 30 mins before the flights. Alas the train arrives and it seemed like forever and a day before it arrived at the airport station. Literally jogging down the walkways I arrived at counter panting and sputtered out "Ryanair"
"I'm so sorry, we had to close it 5 mins ago, you literally just missed it."
Speechless I walked away from the counter and turned to see Coley running, he had been looking around the airport for the Ryanair but I had beat him.. I didn't even want to speak.
CUE TEARS
I'm not meant to go anywhere!! I suck at this.. I wanna go home.. screw Ireland SCREW London screw this whole damn place.
*cue tears*
That lasted about 10 mins than I paid the missed flight fee and had to waste another 5 hours at the airport.
Let it be known BURGER KING is freaking expensive here!! Two combos later it was 20 bucks Canadian!!! They don't get it here.. it's FAST FOOD it's supposed to be cheap filler food.
Anyways finally I get into the waiting lounge and am running around trying to find my gate out when the screen starts blinking...
*FLIGHT DELAY 1 HOUR 20 MINS*
*Eyes welling up for second time in one day*
I toughed it out, got on the plane.. VERY short trip over. Still thinking to myself that I was not meant to come here but after we landed and literally I KID you not my foot hit
Guinness
One of the many gates on the way into the complex.
Feeling like a super tourist.. mwaw haw haw. that ladder on the way down the plane Sinad O'Connor came onto my MP3 player and I could smell the country side it was beautiful.. and I thought.. "Hmm ok.. that makes it better"
Seeing Laurene after 10 years was awesome, she looks as cute as the day she left and her humour has only aged like wine. We had a blast and great talk before retiring late last night.
This morning we got up and ventured out into Dublin. It's super helpful since she's been here for about 4 months now and knows the city quite well. Grabbed a bite to eat and headed onto the Luas (train that goes through city streets) and got off to find the Guinness Factory.
Now.. this ended up being a mild hike. We could SEE the building but there was this ENOURMOUS wall inbetween us and that beer factory. After walking about half way down this thing it opened up into what looked like a construction zone area where a guy sat in a booth staring out at the sky in one of those neon shirts. Two steps towards the booth to ask for directions, seriously I'm like 20
feet away and not a word had left my mouth but I'm sure he could see me eyeing up the factory in the background he's bellowing out directions at me.
Many many many.. did I mention many?? Blocks later we finally arrived at the gates.. oh not wait.. it was the next one.. oh wait.. it was the next one..
I think Guiness owns about 30 square blocks of land here.. maybe more. It was walking into a small village. Buildings and signs pointing to different things, a bunch of gates here and there.. horses trotting down the streets within the Guinness complex.. it was unreal. One could perhaps call it the G-empire.
Once inside the store house as they called it we went for the tour. The building it's self is 8 floors high and you start at the bottom and it all begins with how you make beer. They had like the biggest sandbox like thing of barley, very tempted to go and roll around in it but you can pick it up.. MY first hand full I could a Cheerio.. weird.
As you travel through each floor it goes through everything from advertising
Interesting factoid
This beer definatly has alot of passion, dedication and value behind it's name. to the history of guinness to the man behind this liquid legend. We watched a video of the old days of a man making a cast from scratch. They used no measuring techniques until the last step. This craft is incredible and is almost lost now.
Interesting fact, Guinness actually had and designed and made their own fleet of boats for the beer, they even had a train ..the guinness train to transport beer!! anyways you keep going up and up and up and up.. I couldn't believe how much time we were able to waste in this place.. until we got to the top level.. hundreds of feet above the city to the gravity bar where they give you a free pint of guinness.
This place is definatly worth a visit.
After more mooching around city center we grabbed some groceries and are getting ready to introduce me to a irish pub.
Tomorrow we've booked a tour to Newgrange and Knowth which will lead us through the hill of Tara.
Sarah over and out.
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Zoee
non-member comment
PSH!
Oh you dont suck at travelling.. We all have our bad moments and being late for planes, busses, trains.. it is very stressful! I remember when i had to take the greyhound from PA to TX, there were times when i thought i was gonna miss my bus and be stuck at the busstop for hours with weirdos staring at me. So trust me.. you are doing well and you are so brave to do all this on your own!!! Say hi to Laurene, she is the one who was in our science class yes??? XOXO