Drink, drink, drink....
Some thoughts on my week through the land of 40 shades of green:
-- There is no such thing as queues outside of US. Shove, push and try to make your way to the boarding area as best as you can.
-- Alcohol oversees is waaaaaay stronger. You are no longer a college kid. You can not keep up with them. Bulmer's irish cider: tastes like perfume going down, feels like sewage the next day.
-- Family is awesome. This was a great weekend getting to know cousins who are younger and have had some of the same life experience as well as different perspectives on things.
-- My grandmother can still get it on. She saw more action and flirtation than I did. You go Gram! And the girl can dance!
-- Sleep. What sleep? Jet lag and so many things to do kind of put a crimp in that one. We closed the bars a few night in a row. Who knows when I will do that again? And walking down the street at 3 a.m. giggling with everyone as we try to stay upright and not trip... priceless.
-- Europe is freaking expensive. We stayed on a somewhat budget, but still... the dollar is so weak, it made me cry to part with the money. And the locals say they are struggling because of our weak dollar. They experienced a 25 percent increase in cost of living a couple years ago, and well wages never caught up.
-- Service in restaurants... non-existant. We weren't really in a hurry, but most of the time we had to chase down servers for water and the check. At least they don't expect tips.
-- When you can talk to the locals, wow, talk about interesting conversations! We had this really awesome bartender in Cork one night who talked our ear off. He was adorable but, not my type... I was still trying to guess what team he played for.
-- You never know who you will run into. While in Dublin on this amazing tour of the Kilmainham Goal (a jail used up until 1924 and is the sight where 16 where executed for their part in the 1916 rebellion against the government), I had a CMU experience. I was being grilled by the tour guide in front of the group about how many snakes where on the front of the building and i sort of blanked. A woman behind the tour guide holds up her hand to signal five. Later as we are all waiting for the bus, we find out she is from East Lansing and a Chippewa grad. Small, small world as she graduated with people way back in the day who would later become some of my college mentors.
So all in all, a pretty whirlwind week. Hope to post some pictures soon!
