Bailey's is Bliss

I realize I've been a bit lax on the update front, but thats because I've been quite busy discovering the finer things in Oxford (like Moo Moo milkshakes) and flying sketchy Euro airlines. Please accept my sincerest apologies.

I LOVE IRELAND.

This past weekend was incredible. Absolutely stunning. The 5 of us started our 4 day weekend by pilgrimage-ing to Worcester on Thursday, with our one backpack carry on in tow. Worcester is a charming town with matching red brick buildings and greenery (kind of like Baylor on a larger and more British scale) and the main walkway is very lovely. There was a man selling large bubbles that floated up to the sky. Why this is important, I don't really know, but it seemed to fit a city with my namesake. Anyways, I was slightly obnoxious (though in my defense I warned my friends ahead of time and they agreed) and took pictures next to every sign that said Worcester that I could find. I spent some time in the Royal Worcester factory shops (after getting mildly lost- a 'detour around my fine city') and learned how to travel with only a backpack and pieces of china bubble wrapped around my clothes. I told the ladies at Royal Worcester that my last name was Worcester and that I was on a mini pilgrimage and that I was buying Holly Ribbons for my parents and I thought I was so cool, though they didn't share the same enthusiasm. Apparently lots of Americans with the name Worcester show up with the same story...bummer.

After a sufficient afternoon in the land of my namesake (which, by the way, is the only British town I've run across to sell Bueno bars- +1 for Worcester) we headed to Bristol, where we were staying the night in a youth (?) hostel. We enjoyed a lovely meal next to the river in Bristol and took fun pictures with statues. Bristol is quite lovely. The one not lovely part about Bristol was the creepy (not youth) lady staying in the (not youth) hostel room with us. She had her underwear hanging up (hopefully to dry) and when we walked in at 11 that night, we at first couldn't tell if she was male or female. She snorred odly and I was a bit freaked out and the room was so hot, I'm pretty sure I slept maybe 45 minutes that night. When our alarm went off at 5 am, I was quite relieved. We then headed to the airport and boarded the sketchiest airline I've ever ridden- RyanAir. The entire line is bright blue and yellow and the seats are dirt cheap. They don't even put pockets on the backs of the seats and the safety card is posted on the seat in front of you. They fly under the radar, and as our amazing cab driver in Ireland told us, when the radar tower broke last week and no airline flew, RyanAir still managed to get everyone to their destination on time. They play a loud trumpet noise post-landing to inform everyone that indeed, they are safe and on time at their new destination. Ohhhh RyanAir.

We made it to Dublin and wandered around the city for some time. I love the Irish; they are so laid back and relaxed and really friendly. They are the Texans of Europe. Dublin, though a bustling city like so many in Europe, also has a very easy going feel to it. It is not pretentious like Paris and doesn't try too hard to be beautiful (again, like Paris) nor does it evoke busy gray like London. We discovered Bailey's Irish cream and Irish coffee, and sat in a pub listening to U2 and drinking irish coffee and ciders. ahhh, the Irish life. The second day we were there we rode the DART (which is all green- happy happy Irish people) to a small fishing port town about 20 minutes outside Dublin called Hawth (Hoe-fth). The town itself was miraculous and the best port town and harbor I've ever seen. We took a ferry to the Eye of Ireland, which is an island located a short ferry ride off the coast. On the island we explored and climbed to the top of the giant rock hills. From the very top the wind was whistling past me, I could see ocean on all sides and beautiful sail boats embedded against the water, the seagulls squacked overhead, and the island itself was green and filled with beautiful Irish countryside. The moment I shared on top of the Eye of Ireland was quite possibly the most pleasant, most invigorating moment of my life. I laid down and closed my eyes on the rocks and just listened to the nature sounds around me. Ladybugs crawled on my legs and the sun beat down just right, and I decided that Hawth, Ireland is one of my top 3 favorite places in the world. (Don't ask me what the other 2 are- it just seemed too concrete to call Hawth my absolute favorite, seeing as how I'm only 20 and have a lot of the world to still see).

The rest of Ireland was magical- we spent a bit more time in Dublin, went to a writer's museum, and drank more Irish coffee. There is such a great vibe in Ireland. Really, with such gorgeous surroundings, it is a wonder someone could NOT be inspired creatively by living there. Its no wonder the Irish churmed out quite possibly the best poets and writers of the 19th and 20th centuries (Yeats, Wilde, Shaw, Swift, among others) We returned to Oxford mid-day Sunday, all slightly relunctant to leave our new love- Ireland.