I was paired with a really outstanding woman named Gillian. She knows every song ever written (google 'Fist City' by Loretta Lynn, because she knew it) and is the picture of pure joy when she clasps her hands at the side of her head, gets a huge grin on her face and lets out this shriek of happiness. The group was one of my favorites: we went to Glendalogh which is a lake in the Wicklow Mountains for a day trip, went shopping trip and I got to experience what a champ of a shopper Gillian is--she knows what she wants and is not afraid to pay the money to get it!--and went out for supper on the last night. Unfortunately Gillian had an upset stomach when we were out for dinner so Erin, her and I went back to the house to clean up and rest. Gillian was just a really funny woman. She had great dance moves, even while sitting in her chair, and her winks really would win any one over.
Glendalogh:
Gillian:
Lennart had had taken the first season of 'Damages' at the library so after the group left, the marathon session of watching most of the episodes began. It was a really relaxing night and then on Saturday I packed for Wales and we watched the last couple episodes of the show.
So now for the trip: It was really good. It boosted my confidence for my solo travelling time after I'm done at CASA. I had a lot of fun and met some really great people which, I've realized, is essential to maintain sanity while travelling alone. I slept at the John Lennon Airport in Liverpool in my first night and had a bit of a sketchy encounter with some guy in beige camo pants that decided to sleep in the same little nook that I found. At 4 in the morning, he woke me up and asked if I wanted a beer. I was asleep, had ear plugs in, and had my hat covering my face, so you would think he would get the hint. But no, apparently not.
I took a bus into the city centre and walked around to get myself orientated. I visited the Liverpool Cathedral and attended the service that morning where I was 1 of 6 others in attendence, plus the priest.
I basically spent the entire day walking around and seeing the sights. I went to the International Slavery Museum which was nice and saw a couple other Cathedrals. In the afternoon and I was pretty bored of just walking around so I went to see a movie and it basically began a time of just waiting for my train to leave Liverpool at 11:45pm. So I walked into a Burger King (to use their free wifi)and started chatting with a Irish guy who had gone to school and was now working in Liverpool. We went to a pub just down the road to listen to some really horrible karokee, but it was nice to interact with another human being. His friends joined us for a pint and then I had to go back to the train station to catch my train to Betws-y-coed.
In front of the Liverpool Docks:
After spending a few hours in a freezing train station in Chester, I finally arrived in this really sleepy town of Betws-y-coed at 6:30 in the morning and walked around until the hostel opened. The town was in a valley surrounded by mountains. It was a really scenic place that was quiet and really relaxing. I had not gotten very much sleep at all over the past couple nights and so as soon as I got settled, my head hit the pillow and I was out for a couple hours. I got up and went on a hike up the a lake farther up in the mountains. I returned to the hostel and had some supper and basically had a shower, read part of my book and went to bed ridiculously early.
The following morning, I got on my train for Holyhead and then basically got right onto the ferry to come back to Dublin. There were so many (mostly American) tourists coming over for St. Patrick's Day so I got to chatting with a few of them, over the course of my travels that morning.
It was nice to get back to the house and upon arriving home, I met 2 of the new volunteers, Ovidui from Romania (pronounced Oh-vee-doo) and Lucy from the States. Both seem like they will be a lot of fun.
We all headed into the city centre to watch the St. Patricks Day Parade the next morning, only to be disappointed. The crowds were unbelieveable and streets were packed beyond belief. Back at the house we played games and had a few drinks that evening which was a lot more subdued than the madness that would have been Dublin.
Erin, one of the American volunteers who has been here for a year and a half will be leaving on Saturday and so some members and people from the office came over to the house for a bit of a goodbye party that on Thursday afternoon. It was a really nice afternoon, and a great way for Ovidui and Lucy to be introduced to CASA. Last night we went out to Gibneys for a drink and listend to some sub-par music, but I think Erin really enjoyed herself. It is going to be very wierd when she is gone because she has kind of been a staple person in this house for a long time.
This was a very news-y post. Sorry for rattling off the itinerary of these past couple of weeks. Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day! Love you and miss you all!
Kate
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