So, we went to London . . . Part IB

Still Thursday, November 5

After buying the tickets, we headed back to the hostel to freshen up before our show. We had dinner at a really fun Mexican place that was recommended to us by one of the receptionists in our hostel. It was a great atmosphere and they had us all wearing sombreros by the end of the meal. After dinner, it was off to the theatre - the London theatre! Wicked was incredible. I had seen it twice before, but London made it special. All of the dialogue was in the British dialect, which was cool. It made me remember just how much I love that show! After Wicked, we headed back to our hostel ready for sleep after a long and wonderful first day in London!

Picture 1 - Sombreros and Mexican food!

Picture 2 - Outside of the Apollo Victoria where Wicked was playing.

Picture 3 - Pretending to be Galinda.

Picture 4 - Doing our best to be Wicked.

Picture 5 - All of us after an amazing show in front of the stage.

"So if you care to find me

Look to the western sky!

As someone told me lately:

'Everyone deserves the chance to fly!'

And if I'm flying solo

At least I'm flying free

To those who ground me

Take a message back from me

Tell them how I am

Defying gravity

I'm flying high

Defying gravity

And soon I'll match them in renown

And Nobody in all of Oz

No Wizard that there is or was

Is ever gonna bring me down!"

- Elphaba, Wicked

So, we went to London . . . Part IA

Thursday, November 5

An exciting day indeed. The five of us (Jenna, Lindsay, Sharlett, Suzi, and I) woke up nice and early so that we could catch a 5:30AM (its funny, but waking up early to catch a plane to travel Europe - no big deal; waking up for a 9AM class - not so easy) taxi to the Cork airport and then board our 7:30AM flight to Heathrow airport. We were all rather pumped - I even made a London playlist on my iPod for the plane ride there. Seriously. Arriving nice and early (9AM) gave us a full Thursday in London. First, we took a taxi (we loved how they looked) to our Hostel in Victoria, which wasn't too bad. It definitely made things cozy, with the six of us (Jenna's sister met her in London for the weekend) sharing a room - three bunks in all and one sink. After checking into the hostel, our first order of business was getting tickets to the theatre. For those of you unaware, London's Westend falls second only to New York when it comes to the theatre. We walked about an hour to a ticket hub that had been recommended to us. After some difficulty, finding good seats, we got lucky with none other than six seats on the 12th row to see WICKED!

Picture 1 - Can you tell that it was 7AM in the morning?

Picture 2 - Really excited about the London Underground!

Picture 3 - Picture with red phone booth - necessary.

Picture 4 - The gang with a blowup British guard outside Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum - please notice Suzi did not make it.

Picture 5 - With the Guard and his horse.

Remember Remember Poem

"Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot . . ."

A poem referring to Guy Fawkes' attempt at treason on November 5th, 1605.

Halloween in Limerick

For Halloween weekend, as part of our IFSA-Butler program, all of the Cork IFSA students spent the weekend in Limerick. We took a bus to Limerick on Saturday morning. Early that evening, we went to a Munster rugby match, which was so much fun! Munster won the game, which we were all very excited about. After the game, we went back to our hotel and all changed into our costumes (I was an Indian - see photos) before heading out to a club that IFSA had gotten us free admission to. The Irish are very inventive when it comes to Halloween and some of the costumes we saw were rather outrageous. Overall, it was a really fun weekend and we especially enjoyed getting to step things up and stay at a nice hotel for the weekend!

Picture 1 - In front of the Munster Stadium before the match - their color is red!

Picture 2 - Getting dressed and into character in the hotel before going out.

Picture 3 - Jenna and I with 'John and Edward' from the X Factor - very creative!

Picture 4 - Enjoying the Indian life!

"It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up at me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner." - Dr. Jonas Salk

Bank Holiday (Day 3 Part II)

Our third full day, Monday, October 26th, also happened to be a Bank Holiday in Ireland. It is the title for this post because, little did we know, but this was a BIG DEAL to everyone we spoke with. Anytime we asked for directions or a place to stay, the local would usually begin their statement with "Well, ya know, it being the Bank Holiday and all . . . ". Because it was the Bank Holiday, I had no classes on Monday and was free to enjoy and extra day with the folks. After visiting the Cliffs of Moher in the morning, we spent our afternoon driving to Cashel, where we spent our third night. On the way to Cashel, we enjoyed stopping to see castles along the road and Dad was especially excited to see the Burren Rock (see photos). Our day ended at our final B&B in Cashel, located in South Tipperary, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner in the basement of our hotel.

Picture 1 - Stopping for a picture with a small castle near the road.

Picture 2 - Lunch at The Roadside Tavern. We were happy it was open, what with the Bank Holiday and everything.

Picture 3 - Signage. No confusion here.

Picture 4 - Dad on the Burren Rock.

Picture 5 - Night three in Cashel - Bailey's Hotel.

"Life's a dance

We all have to do

What does the music require?

People all moving together

Close as the flames in a fire

Feel the beat

Music and rhyme

While there is time

We all go round and round

Partners are lost and found

Looking for one more chance

All I know is

We're all in the dance"

- La Même Histoire, Feist

Cliffs of Moher . . . One More Time (Day 3 Part I)

Today, Monday October 26th, in the morning we visited the Cliffs of Moher. For me, although it was the second time, I enjoyed the experience just as much. They really are one of Ireland's prettiest landmarks and anyone who visits the country should be sure to visit them.

Picture 1 - Mom and dad enjoying the cliffs

Picture 2 - *Winner* of Best Picture of the Weekend, possibly of all of 2009 (it is certainly in the running). Dad risking his life at the cliffs.

Picture 3 - mom and me at the other side of the cliffs

Picture 4 - Mom and dad in front of the castle and lookout at the cliffs

Picture 5 - Dad taking in the view.

Please Note: This is a recreation of an earlier photo. Please see October 5th post, Picture 5 to appreciate.

"There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy." - Mark Twain

Ring of Dingle

Sunday, October 25. Today, we woke up and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at our B&B - Castlewood House. After breakfast, we set out to drive the ring of Dingle. It is a gorgeous (approx. one hour) drive along the coast. It was one of my favorite things we did over the weekend. Every few hundred feet, the road allows for you to stop the car and snap photos. After completing the drive, we stopped off in Dingle for a bite to eat, before getting back in the car and heading to our next destination for the evening, Lehinch.

Picture 1 - Mom and dad with Helen, one of the owners of our B&B, Castlewood House

Picture 2 - hanging out with a Dingle local

Picture 3 - A typical scene for the day - dad taking the picture of me snapping photos of the local wildlife, while mom avoids the winds and rain in our tiny car.

Picture 4 - Mom and dad after dinner in Lehinch at our hotel, the Vaughan Lodge - great place (they get X Factor, among other things)!

"The earth laughs in flowers." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 1 with Parents - Dingle Town

Saturday morning, October 24. I met up with my parents at their hotel and then we hit the road, GPS Navigator in tow, thank goodness! Along the way we stopped in a small town for some Irish grub, almost always consisting of vegetable soup and brown bread - its famous over here, but don't let that fool you - stick to white bread if you can. Later in the afternoon, we arrived in the beautiful coastal town of Dingle. We spent the afternoon and early evening wandering the town and its local shops. We stopped for dinner at a delicious seafood restaurant (again, blanking on the name - apologies) which claims to be the oldest restaurant in the town. Then again, a handful of places claim to be, so who knows? After dinner we returned to our cosy B&B to watch the X Factor (my favorite television show over here), which it turns out our TV did pickup.

Picture 1 - Stopping for lunch on the way to Dingle at "Kerry's Vintage Inn"

Picture 2 - Dad and me stopping for a picture at the coast on the way into town (note: mom did not leave the car to snap this photo)

Picture 3 - Dad pretending to be Irish . . .

Picture 4 - . . . which, as it turns out, might not be too hard, considering Newman is an Irish name. Here dad is posing in front of the Douglas Newman Good realtor company.

"I think we're here for each other." - Carol Burnett