Rambling Rovers

Following our normal travel pattern, we went out this morning to explore, then came back to the hotel to chill for a bit before heading back to town with a more definitive goal. We took the 16a from the hotel to downtown, picked up a 5 day bus pass (20 euro for unlimited bus rides? Heck yeah!). Our first stop was Chapters bookstore on Parnell street. I was shocked because even at 11 am very little was open. I picked up Urban Shaman, which was signed by the author, a new Torchwood novel, and a couple of moleskins so I could take notes on addresses and directions without carrying the big heavy notebook I'd brought. I also stopped at a Boots to pick up toiletries, since I have terrible luck finding things that I'm not allergic to in Italy. At least here, I can read the ingredients and find things that I would normally use at home. Boring, but it made me extremely happy.

Have I mentioned how many bookstores there are in Dublin? We passed at least seven just today, and are forcibly limiting ourselves to entering only one a day. Otherwise, we might not have money for things like food once we get back to Florence.

I picked up a few other little things too: a present for my mom, a bracelet, some Cadbury eggs (they take their creme eggs very seriously here!) and a wallet because the one I had, the big one, is just not so good for vacation.

back at the hotel, we chilled out for a bit, looked up movie times. I caught up on my blogs. Left a comment on C.E. Murphy's blog about buying the book and being in Dublin. Took a tap to try to quell a headache. And when I woke up--a email was in my inbox. From C.E. Murphy. At some point on Friday, we're going to meet and she's going to put a dedication into the book to go with the signature.

I'm still in shock, even now, hours later, after going to a movie (Leap Year, at the Savoy Cinema, which is officially the most awesome theater I've ever been in).

I'm going to go curl up with a book and eat a Cadbury egg, and hope the dream isn't gone when I wake up.

The Luck of the Irish

Landing in a foreign country is always very exciting, and also a little scary. This time, I felt an insane sense of relief--for the next six days, I don't have to attempt to speak a foreign language every time I open my mouth. Now, having been in Ireland for all of two hours, I can say that understanding the locals might be a bit more of a challenge.

We're staying at a Holiday Inn Express near the airport. It's more expensive than we normally go, dedicated hostel travelers that we are, but it's so worth it. At check in, the hostess confirmed that I wanted a smoking room, since that's what the package we bought was for. I said that we had asked for a non-smoking room, not that it really mattered much to us, and we were instantly upgraded. We have our own beds (we did in Italy, too, but because of space constraints they were butted up to each other and might has well have been a single king, rather than two twins). There's a tv (in English, a real treat), and outlets for American, UK, and Continental plugs--which is great, because between us we've only got three adapters (all different) for our plethora of electronics.

We're here, we're safe, we're happy, and now we're off to get dinner.

Bath and Shower

Bath was lovely. We went on two walks: The first was Bizzar Bath, which runs every night is a comedy tour of the strange and weird in Bath. Not historical, just funny. At one point our guide was talking about lay lines and nodes and how they affect Bath. Right in the middle of his explanation a man on a bicycle rode past, dressed as Death. We all stared at him (he had one of those "won-key" sounding horns, which he honked all the way down the road). Caught us all off guard. The only comment the guide could make was, "Obviously, he's looking for Stone Henge."

Speaking of which, we saw Stone Henge yesterday. It was lovely, but very blustery. Afterwards, we took our second walk, the Haunted Bath walk, which was very interesting. My favorite stories surrounded a dueling ground and a specific Holly tree that we visited, but I'll get into that another time, probably when I make my ghost hunting post once we're back in Italy.

Today we're back in London. Catching up on our last few sight seeing stops before we go back. Only a few more hours of relative freedom, then it's back to school. Not complaining. At least I won't have to share a shower with 14 other people.

Chill

Busy, busy days. We have seen so much stuff in the last few days. Buckingham Palace, Parliment, Westminster, the Tower Bridge, Picadilly, China Town. Alice swears that she saw Bill Nighy when we were in Picadilly, but I was facing the wrong direction and she didn't want to say anything. I guess he was about two feet behind me....yeah. Never going to forgive that one.

It looks like today we might be taking some time off. We went to see The Vampire's Assistant this morning. Not great, but it was a good way to kill two hours or so.

Last night was the L13 tour, which involved a riverboat cruise (kinda cold), a Jack the Ripper walk, and a bus tour. We got to see the building where Sweeny Todd had his barber shop (!!!) and the corner where Mrs. Lovette's used to be, among other things. Honestly, I had no idea he was a real person. I knew that there were stories (several) of murderous barbers, and I thought the movie was just based on one of them--not that he actually lived and it ws based on a specific person. The things you learn when taking macabre tours of foreign cities.


The biggest problem we have right now is that we've run out of things to read. I know, I know, we're on vacation, why would we be sitting around reading when there are places to go, people to see? Well neither of us is really up for dawn to dusk site seeing. I've done that before, and it isn't fun. Normally we go out a little in the morning, then come back sometime after lunch, chill for a an hour or two, then go back out again. We're usually back by 9, and then we just chill. It makes for a much more relaxing trip, since this is VACATION. Maybe there aren't any white sand beaches or nice boys bringing us drinks with umbellas in them with their shirts off, but we are still here to relax, and oh my god, it has been wonderful. I absolutely adore London, and I want to live here. After living in Columbus and London, Ohio, and Florence, it us such a change to be in a city that is so full of life. Those other cities are dying--Ohio because of the economy, and Florence through a combination of polution, economic woes, and the general age of the population (which I think is somewhere between 50 and 60. There's an average of 4 elderly people for every child born, and the birth rate is on the decline). That and the vast majority of Italians I've met have been rather rude and inconsiderate, while the Brits have been friendly, helpful, and all around pleasant.

I'm going to go kick back and finish up my last book. Maybe I'll go out later and seek out a new one...

Soup

There were three things that we desperately needed yesterday, and didn't manage to find until after I made that last post. The first was deoderant. Neither Alice nor I had one small enough to qualify for a carry on. We found a Boots (pharmacy)directy across from the mall, about a block from our hostel. It's a gorgeous mall with lots of interesting shops, and inside, wouldn't you know, there was a huge bookstore that was going out of business! I got a Torchwood novel for £5 (they're $10-12 in the States, and with the exchange rate it was only about $7-7.50), a new deck of tarot cards (one that I can actually read! This is so exciting!) and a present for a friend back home. Everything was only £20, and would have been about double that back in Ohio.

Just when we were about to despair, we happened across what we thought was a grocery store but is closer to a miniature Target and discovered our holy grail--£3.50 bath towels. Our last hostel provided us with daily linens free of charge, but this place charges £5 for a tiny, un-absorbant towel. (Later, I went back to this same store for shoes and socks. My boots are great for site seeing and traveling, but not after four days in a row. I was going to back a second pair, but there wasn't room. Alice and I have purchased a third bag, both to replace the one whose zippers all burst yesterday as we were about to get on the plane--not her fault, honestly. Cheap bag construction--and also so we could sew the openings closed and use the broken bag as a checked item for the stuff we're bringing home (mostly books, but there will be chocolate and snacks that we've missed from home and can't get in Italy as well).

All of this meant that we could get the third thing we really needed, which was a shower. We chilled out at the hostel for a while, then went for dinner, which was Burger King. Italian burgers are good in their own right, but they're different. And we both wanted chedder cheese.

Since we were now clean and refreshed, we went back to the mall to look around more slowly. We carefully avoided the book store, since it was very dangerous for the health of our bank accounts, and this was when I got the cute little ballet flats that I'm wearing right now.

I went to bead early, and didn't wake up until 4:30 when seven of our roommates came back from night clubbing. One of them at least was drunk enough not to care if he lowered his voice or not. I didn't get up again unil 8:30, and it feels wonderful to finally have slept more than two or three or five hours.

On deck for today is another stroll through Hyde Park, since we know roughly where to find Peter Pan now, followed by a site seeing bus. In Edinburgh, this was the cheapest, best way to see the city, and it's a reasonable bet that it's the same here. Often you can buy one ticket, get on and off at will through the day, and see more sites in one day than you would otherwise. We're going to get our obligatory touristy shots today since it's Sunday and a lot of things will be closed.

Well, my 50p internet has about run out. Now I just need to find an ATM. While this trip has been cheaper than I thought it would be, I still think we're going to be surviving off of bread and soup for the next few weeks to make it through the end of term. At least all of our supplies and things have been bought now. And I'm determined to make anything else we might need if I can.

Landing

Alice and I arrived safely last night...at 3:30 in the morning. Our flight was delayed by an hour (which was kind of funny, since I'd never flown with Ryan Air before, and their sign at the airport said "The On Time Airline" (Their literature, however, read "The Low Price Airline". I Thought that was a rather convenient save, on their part). We met two lovely girls in the airport, also studying in Florence and staying just on the other side of of the Kensington Gardens from us. We hung out in the airport, caught a bus together, and then tried to navigate our way to our hostels. Since we had to go different directions, however, they managed to catch a direct bus while Alice and I caught a cab (only about £13, which isn't bad since our last cab in London was £40).

It was an uncomfortable night because we basically just dumped our stuff and then climbed into bed. I laid on top of my blanket, just covered up with my sheets. I didn't have a pillow so I used my coat and my backpack.

I have to say that I prefer the Smart hostel in Edinburgh. This place nickle and dimes you for just about everything. You have to buy a towel (the other place provided us with fresh every morning); The rooms aren't as neat and all of the public areas are bright red with black trim, which, while interesting, makes it kind of hard to relax. On the bright side, the beds themselves are comfortable. Now if only the bathrooms were large enough to actually move in. I will say though, that when I told the girl at the front desk that I didn't have a pillow, she gave me the pillow and a half hour of free internet to make up for it.

On brighter news, Alice and I walked through Kensington Gardens this morning, after brunch of eggs with toast and mushrooms and milk tea at a local cafe. It was so nice to see trees and grass and more animals than just pigeons after being stuck in stone cold Florence. As the age of the Florentines increases, and their birthrate continues to fall, you really get the impression that the city is dying. Being in London is like getting a breath of fresh air. There are kids and dogs and birds and squirrels, and I love it. The leaves are changing and everything is beautiful.

After the gardens we went down to the V&A--The Victoria and Albert Museum. Since we got in so late, we didn't go through much, just bits and pieces of the first floor. But it is probably one of my favorite museums now. They have so many textiles, and I scoured their bookstores for books to help with my thesis (the topic of which has yet to be decided, other than the fact that it will involve textiles). If I'd bought every one I wanted, I would have spent close to £300, so I settled for a single text that examines garments from all points of history from all over the world, since I'm pretty sure that I'll being working with garments of some kind.

We figured out the underground for the ride back. It was a little bit of a hassle in the station since it was so crowded and busy, but it was a quick ride. I think we're going to take a break here at the hostel before heading out again. There's plenty to see, and we are in no hurry.

Take Off

I forgot to mention the other day that we tried that Chinese place, Peking Restaurant. The day I wrote the entry, they were actually closed. We think they close at 5pm, if not earlier, which is strange. So I walked all the way down to another take away place for some food that was kind of...Meh. It wasn't terrible, like the last place I got Chinese from in Italy, but I probably won't go there again unless I'm desperate. They also didn't have a very big selection of food.

Peking, however, is fantastic, especially their steamed dumplings, OH MY GOD. They were amazing. And it's a good sign when you see a Japanese tour group leaving as you're walking in, and hear them saying things like "That was really good." It's a mandatory stop for almost all of the Asian tour groups that visit Florence.

Alice and I leave tonight for London. I've got a list of things to do as long as my arm, but if I can wrangle some help it shouldn't be a problem. I've marked down museums that I want to see, a possible university to visit, and a new age shop. The only other thing I need is an electronics store, so that I can buy a fairly cheap digital recorder for ghost hunting, since I didn't bring mine and the mic I ordered for my ipod hasn't come in yet. Very frustrating. I'll be sure to post case files here once we get back.

If you like paranormal fiction, you might want to check out Bitten By Books' Best Author of 2009 Contest, which is in the final stage of voting right now. Personally, I'm rooting for Tanya Huff, so go on over and give your favorite author some support.

Loose Ends

I'm trying to get everything done today. Took my last exam this morning, which is a huge relief, so now I'm trying to do research for my thesis. Went back and reserved a book from the local library back home and put in a vacation hold so that it will be waiting for me in December (only a month and a half until I go home? Really?)

I've only got one more class, and it's a practical (no exam!) so no worries there. Then I need to finish packing. I've also got to hunt down some 3 oz plastic containers to take on the plane. I saw some every day at the grocery store, but of course now that I need them I can't find them anywhere. Even better, there's a train strike scheduled for tomorrow, so we may or may not have an easy ride to Pisa, which is only an hour away by rail.

But we leave tomorrow! I'm so excited. I just can't wait to see London. The last time I went, I slept for sixteen hours and only managed to leave our shitty hotel room for a burger from the BK down the block (yeah, I know. I got four thousand miles for a Burger King. And it was so expensive...)

Alice and I are making a list of all of the museums we want to go to, since most of them are free and we are on a very limited budget.

I'm not going to take my laptop with me, since I don't want to have to carry it everywhere and I'm kind of scared to leave it in the hostel. I'll take lots of pictures, and I'll try to update from the hostel computers. I'm so looking forward to this!

Resigned

Yesterday was a bit of an anticlimax. We went back to Lafayette park, picked up "Worth it?" and then Mrs. Alice's Mom took Alice shopping (I was there too, but it wasn't my kind of store (It wasn't Alice's either, for that matter) and I've already spent too much money on this trip, so I hung back in the shoe area with a notebook). We went to lunch at Panera (I highly recommend the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, which is saying something since I don't normally like Panera except for their bagels).

We came back to the apartment. I don't know how, but Alice and her mom got into a blow-up fight about her future. It mirrored exactly a discussion I had with my mom a few weeks ago, only there was less shouting and more bawling when we did it. Basically, it goes like this:

Mom: "Why aren't you doing anything with your life?"
Daughter: "I'm trying, but there are no jobs out there."
Mom: "You're a college grad, you should have a job."
Daughter: "No one is hiring entry level positions, and I'm not qualified for anything."
Mom: "So just pick something and apply. You can't afford to be picky in this economy."
Daughter: "I know, but most of those jobs won't pay enough for me to live on. I have to make X amount, and they only pay half that!"
Mom: "So decide what you want and work towards it! Just find a way to support yourself in the mean time!"

At which point it spirals horribly downward when the mother realizes that after four years of art school, neither of us feels qualified for an art job, would rather introduce our skulls to a nice brick wall than work in art, and other than eventually getting published, neither of us has any idea what we want to do with our lives anymore. We're caught in an endless cycle: To get a good job, we have to leave Ohio. In order to leave Ohio, we need a good job--I have $500 in my bank account, and my current job isn't going to give me enough to live on. Basically, I'd need a $1000-2000 signing bonus, and who is going to give me that?

After fifteen minutes of shouting, I left. I went for a nice long walk, got a Baskin Robbins shake, and came back slowly to find Alice and her mom beading together at the kitchen counter like nothing had happened. Because that's the great thing about moms: one minute you're at each other's throat, and the next you're baking cookies (and for the record, these arguments usually start because Alice and I both get pissed off and pig headed in the same way our dad's do, so technically, it's their fault. And that is my (late) mother's day gift to everyone out there: it's all the guy's fault).

In the evening, we went back to the Torpedo Factory, which was having a sidewalk sale/open studio night. It was interesting. Alice wanted to show me the fiber artists, since if you are Fine Artist doing fiber at CCAD you're automatically not as good as the painters and belong in Fashion, and the Fashion people look down on you because you aren't "couture" enough (even though most of them wouldn't know couture if it bit them in the ass). A lot of them were really interesting, but I don't want to touch a gallery with a ten foot pole right now. The little shows like Code Pink are fine, but I've had enough of the art world. I need some time off.

We ended the night by watching movies on FX. Action, blood and gore: the perfect ending for the day. No plans for today, since Alice has crossed the University of Virginia off her list, and they still haven't replied to my email.

Apologies; I'm getting back into that bad mood I didn't want to broadcast.

Round Three

No, I didn't go back to Barns and Noble (though don't think the thought didn't cross my mind).

After a group nap (greatly needed on all sides), we drove out to Old Town Alexandria and went to dinner at a little burger place called Five Brothers. They are a chain store, and I know they have a location in Akron, so if there's one in your area you should definitely check it out. They have really good food, and for being in the DC area, they're pretty cheap. Even though it's a chain store, you walk in and immediately feel like it's one of the mom-and-pop '50's dinners.

From there, we walked through the Old Town. All of the buildings were built in the 1700s, so I took several pictures of the historical sites. I guess there's a church there where George Washington went, but we didn't walk past it. Instead, our first stop was a bead shop called the Potomac Bead Company. If you are into jewelry making at all, then check out their website. They have really good prices on Swavarski crystals (like 12 4mm rounds for under $2). I haven't checked out their online shop thoroughly yet, but the girl at the counter did warn me that not everything in the store is available online yet, so if you happen to be in the area I would highly recommend going in person.

After that we looked in a little Art and Craft shop (I think that's the name; I forgot to grab a card). They had some really interesting stuff in there, and I nearly took half of it home for my mom--it was a little out of my price range, though (even if I hadn't just spent $70 on books)(hey, that was research material. I was perfectly justified), and then went down to the Torpedo factory. It's not a factory anymore, but rather an indoor space with lots of little shops that is open at each end (I did take pictures). Sadly, the place we where heading for was closed for a special event, but we plan to go back later this week, and I took lots of pictures of the river since the Factory is right on the water.

Then, it was Holy Land part deux: A Ben and Jerry's store. I didn't even know they had stores, I always just bought the pints at Walmart. I had a strawberry kiwi sorbet cone, and it was really good (wanted to try a flavor they don't have a Walmart). The tables have little cartoons on them with the history of the company, and it's really interesting--like the whole concept started with a $5 correspondence course on how to make icecream.

The best part of last night? We finally got our air mattresses blown up, so I don't have to be cramped on the loveseat anymore. Not that I can complain, since Alice has been sleeping on the rug (and the concrete floor). Still, it was a big improvement. Now if only I can get a blanket that is about six inches longer, we'll be in good shape.