Journey / Destination : Sixth Post

It is clear to me now that I am terrible at updating this blog. Would it be a good excuse to say "I was in Dublin?" Because I actually was. Last weekend was my first trip out of England since I arrived here in early September. My LDA friends and I woke up at 3:30AM Saturday morning (Friday night?) to take a bus to a bus to the airport where we hopped on a 90 minute Ryanair flight to Dublin. (We even boarded the plane outside on the tarmac!) By 10:30AM we were in Dublin City Centre, LITERALLY backpacking through Europe.

We passed by Christ Church Cathedral, many other churches whose names I can't recall, and of course, we took the Jameson Distillery tour. Although it is no longer an actual working distillery, we got to take a look at how Ireland's famous triple distilled whiskey is made.

After we got our whiskey treats, we took a boat ride along the River Liffey. It was the absolute best way to see the city, and we were able to rest our legs. Then, we headed over to our hotel (which was a bit of a walk) and absolutely passed out.

Boat tour on the River Liffey

Next, after our power naps, we headed back over to the Temple Bar area where I had Irish stew and the best beer of my life. The next morning we had a ridiculously awesome buffet breakfast at our swanky hotel. Then we had tea at "Queen of Tarts" and walked around the Temple Bar area a bit more (it's amazing how insanely different a space can be in the daytime). We were waiting for one of our friends who had gone to see his sister, but he had curiously missed the meeting time/place that we had previously agreed upon. Deciding he had just lost track of time, we went ahead and took a cab to our ferry with Dublin's most adorable cab driver. Even after we paid the fare, he kept talking to us about the culture of Ireland, Gaelic, politics, and family. Sometimes people are sincerely generous.

Turns out our friend missed the ferry completely, and had to change around all of his train tickets as a result. He is a champ and a seasoned traveler, so he didn't panic quite as much as I did about the whole ordeal. So then, after 1 ferry and 2 trains, we finally made it back to London. Coming back on the Tube, it was the first time I regarded the city as a type of "home base" that seemed familiar and comfortable.

Classes are really starting to ramp up--now seems to be the "swim or drown" period that truly tests each person on an individual basis. Additionally, by now it is essential that our group succeed in acting as a unit rather than a hodge podge of loose ends. There is strength in support, and it is amazing what can happen in the safety of a group. This premise is demonstrated particularly in my Shakespeare class; I am continually awed by the dedication and commitment I am witnessing. I have no less than 3 epiphanies per session about life and/or acting. (That's a lot of "Oprah Ah-Ha" moments for a 2 hour class). In my other acting class, I am slowly but surely becoming a peacock--more about that in the next blog entry.

Other adventures over the past 3 weeks include: