SECOND DAY IN DUBLIN

SO I got lost significantly less times during my second day in Dublin. I needed a hat to keep my ears warm, so I went to Penneys, and found out it was like the Irish equivalent to our Kohl's. Cheap clothing, but also probably cheap quality. I didn't get anything. So then I went to Easons, which is like a Barnes and Noble, and it was so exciting seeing the different covers for a lot of my favorite books! Look at the Harry Potter covers:

And this was just one set of Harry Potter covers. I came across another completely different looking set in another store. Anyway, I got an Irish SIM card, in case I'm stranded on the side of the road, or in case I just wanted internet while strolling around Dublin. Because there were a total of like TWO places in Dublin that had wifi. My B&B didn't even have wifi except for in one tiny corner of a hallway. DUMB.

For lunch, I went to Lemon Crepe & Coffee Co. and got this delicious crepe. It's the first proper crepe I'd ever had. It was more mushy/gooey than I had imagined. I thought they were kind of crispy on the outside... but I got a dark chocolate strawberry banana crepe with a cappuccino. IT WAS HUGE AND BEAUTIFUL:

Next, I went to St. Anne's Church. I went there 1) because Bram Stoker got married there, and 2) because it was actually FREE. I had a nice chat with the pastor/pope/reverend guy, and he let me even go upstairs even though it was blocked off. It was a beautiful church. There was also a bust of Bram Stoker there, which was terribly creepy. He seemed as though he was looking into my soul. But the rest of the church was really nice.

After the church, I went to St. Stephen's Green, which is pretty much just a big park. And one big make-out session. So much PDA. It was actually kind of gross. But the park was nice to just sit in, even though I couldn't find a bench that wasn't facing a couple making out in the grass. So I sat in a bench facing two couples making out in the grass. It was fabulous. HERE'S A PICTURE OF ME WITH A TREE:

After this, I went home and went to bed early. I'm such a party animal.

<3 Christine

ARRIVAL IN IRELAND

HEY GUYS.

Sorry I haven't updated my blog! The bed and breakfast I stayed in for the first two nights only had wifi in a tiny sitting area with no outlet for my laptop, so it was pretty impossible to do anything. I also only found two coffee shops with free wifi in my whole two days of Dublining.

ANYWAY, well I suppose you can guess that I made it to Ireland without dying on the plane. I didn't even have a panic attack, which is GREAT. The flight from BHM to ATL was very bumpy and jerky and stressful. But the flight to Dublin was quite smooth. It was actually a pretty boring flight. I couldn't sleep either, so I just leaned against the aisle and just watched movies for 7 hours. But I got to Dublin at like 7:00 in the morning, and took a taxi to my B&B and woke the owner up. Oops. But apparently she slept in by accident anyway, so it's all good. Yay. She fed me breakfast, even though I hadn't slept there the night before, which was very nice. The place was very cute:

 

Places I went on the first day in Dublin:

• Trinity College. I didn't see the Book of Kells. I just sat in the courtyard and ate a sandwich and watched students and tourists scurry around.
•  Christ Church Cathedral. It was a lovely building, but I didn't go in here either. I read that the gift shop is bigger than the cathedral. Pity.
• Dublin Castle. I just walked around the castle grounds for a few minutes. 
• Coach House / Dubhlinn Gardens. This place I stumbled across by accident, but it was my favorite area probably that I saw all day--maybe even both days I was in Dublin. It's crazy how quiet it got almost instantly as I walked into this area. No car noises, very few tourists. This was the only place I felt comfortable taking my camera out and taking pictures. Especially pictures of myself. I wonder if this fabulous place was even in my guide book:

 

As you can tell, I don't like to pay money to see things that I can generally see for free (churches, old buildings, libraries). Especially if I have to be surrounded by tourists and cheesy Irish-themed knick knacks. Poor Dublin has tourist shops at least two per block. I did really like the sheep salt and pepper shakers, though... Anyway, I got lost a ridiculous amount of times this first day in Dublin. It was tiring. I finally found a coffee shop that had wifi, so I decided to stay there until dinnertime. Two nice Irish guys and a Brazilian guy(lol?) talked to me until the place closed at 6 (apparently coffee shops rarely stay open past 6 or 7 in Ireland?). Then, I went to the Irish House Party, which was pretty much a three-course meal with a live Irish music show afterwards. I met a mom and daughter (26 year old) from Canada who had just arrived that morning as well. They were very nice, and offered to let me stay with them if I ever wanted to go to Winnipeg, Canada. They even said stuff like, "Ya know?' It was great. 

Also, it was cold. A lot colder than I anticipated. But at least I like the cold.

<3 Christine

CARRY-ON

ONE WEEK FROM NOW I WILL BE ON THE PLANE TO THE EMERALD ISLE.

It still doesn't feel real that I'm soon going to be spending five weeks exploring four beautiful countries. The ONE thing that makes this all feel real is that I've started to pack my carry-on bag. I don't know why, but for any trip, I get so excited while packing my travel bag. I guess it's just exciting seeing the first tangible things that I'm going to do on my trip. Like, LOOK I'M GOING TO DO THIS SUDOKU AND READ THIS BOOK AND LISTEN TO THIS MUSIC ON THE PLANE OH I'M SO EXCITED. (Even though in reality, it's going to be more like, "Okay I'm going to take this sleeping pill and then do this sudok--" zzzzz...) But it's finally starting to turn into a reality. WE WE WE SO EXCITED.

By the way, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my trip! More and more people who have traveled to Ireland have been telling me such good things about it. Like how safe they felt while there, and how friendly and welcoming the people are, and how much they miss it and loved the time that they were there. It's nice to hear comforting things for a change. It makes me more and more excited!

Now I just need to figure out how to perform an extendable charm on my suitcase so I can fit all my souvenirs in it for the flight home. ALL THE SOUVENIRS

<3 Christine

RAPID APPROACHMENT

THINGS ARE COMING INTO PLACE.

My passport has arrived, my plug adapter has arrived, I purchased fabulously comfortable hiking boots, and just plain fabulous purple wellies. I also got a snug little raincoat and some SUPER comfy wool socks. I have my phone situation almost sorted out, and I have my car rental booked. I bought a new camera, so my pictures can be as megapixely as possible, and I've been working to find things to distract my anxiety while I'm on the plane. But I'm actually getting more excited than nervous as the date for my departure rapidly approaches! I've also gotten in contact with a friend in Scotland, as well as a friend or two in England that will be able to show me around. My boss' wife knows some missionaries in Ireland that might be able to give me a place to stay as well, so things are going smoothly.

I can't wait to immerse myself in the culture of this lovely place. I can't wait to meet each new group of owners at each bed and breakfast that I'm staying in. I can't wait to become 30 minutes late to check in because some cute, fluffy sheepsies are in the road. I also heard that there are some native ponies that like to wander around?! AH! I'm getting very excited. I have been planning day by day, even though I know (and hope) that some random Irish occurrence will alter my plans. Maybe instead of visiting three cathedrals and two castles like I planned, I'll instead have a nice chat for hours with some friendly Irish folk. BTW my goal is to have a spot-on Irish accent by the time I get back. And Scottish. My English accent is already PERFECT. LOLZ

Thanks to those of you who have been so supportive! Keep praying! :]

<3 Christine

Discouragement

So my dad just came in my room and pretty much said that I should cancel my trip because he doesn't think I can do it or handle it because of my anxiety. If you're here to discourage me or try to stop me, then just keep your opinion to yourself, unless you have a valid reason to give me, like everyone in Ireland likes to eat tourists or something. This isn't your trip. Just because you wouldn't go to a foreign country by yourself because you would be too scared or anxious, doesn't mean that I will be. The ONLY thing giving me anxiety over this trip is the plane flight. So I will definitely be anxious for about 14 hours out of a five-week trip. I can handle that. I might still get nervous (not anxious) about different aspects of the trip, but I thrive on doing things by myself, and I am ready for this challenge. This is the time of my life to do this, and I may never have an opportunity to do this again. I have no one to be accountable to, and I have nothing else to spend my money on at the moment. Now is the time to do it.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm not aware of the dangers of a female going by herself to a foreign country. Yes, I'm aware. But I'm not going to walk around downtown Dublin looking like a scared little puppy or with expensive cameras dangling from every limb or with money sticking out of my back pocket or prancing around an alley dressed like a whore. Because yeah, I wouldn't blame someone for coming and stealing me away. I'm not an idiot. I am aware. Especially having anxiety, I am always extremely aware of my surroundings, and if something ever doesn't feel right, then I'm out of there.

If you have something negative to say about my trip, I suggest you pray about it instead of immediately just throwing it in my face. If it is still bothering you after you seriously pray about it, then bring it to my attention. That's what I am going to say from now on whenever an old lady at church tells me how crazy I am for going by myself. "Well how about you take the time to pray about it, if you're really that interested in my safety."

I am a very strong-willed, independent person. So I know that I can often be blinded by my own hardheadedness. So if you really feel that something is pushing you to tell me to cancel this trip or to not go to a certain city, then please tell me, so I can pray about it. But I am not going to cancel my trip, just because YOU don't have the guts to do it on your own.

/rant

What I really need is encouragement and prayer. I am getting a little stressed trying to get everything put together in time, and trying to make sure I have places to stay. And every time someone discourages me, it just slows down my progress.

<3 Christine

IRELAND 2012

So from October 7 to November 12 of 2012, I will be traveling between Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. The original plan for this trip was for me to go to Ireland for a few weeks. Then it turned into going to Scotland for a week as well. Then it turned into my dad flying up for a week to visit England with me. Then I decided to add a week at the beginning, because some things I wanted to do required me to be there earlier.

So the trip is as follows:

• Two weeks in Ireland/N.Ireland
• Two weeks in Scotland
• One week in England

Since the original destination for this trip was Ireland, I’ve pretty much been calling it IRELAND 2012. And that’s what I will continue to call it.

I’m SO excited to travel around these beautiful countries, and I can’t wait to share it all with you guys. I’m going to update this as much as I can before and during the trip, so watch for my posts. :]

<3 Christine

FAQ

Q: Are you going ALL BY YOURSELF???!?!!?!!11!?!
A: YES. I understand the risks of being a female in a strange land. But this is something I need to do by myself. The point of it is for me to do this on my own. As I like to say: I’m an independent womannn.

Q: OMG WHY DID YOU START PLANNING WITH THIS SHORT NOTICE?!!?!?!!1!!
A: I only started planning this about a month ago. I work well under a bit of pressure.

Q: Do you have a passport??!
A: My passport will come in late September, as well as a plug adapter I’ve ordered. I’ve also gotten an international driving permit, travel insurance, plane tickets and my first two nights in the bed and breakfast in Dublin reserved.

Q: Why are you going on this trip?
A: There are several answers to this question, but I need to figure out a lot of things in my life. I need to conquer my anxiety. I need to figure out what sort of career I want to have. I need to travel the world before I’m tied down to a family or a job. I need to get away from Alabama. This is going to be a big step for me and will help me grow and mature.

Q: Are you going to make YouTube videos while you’re there?
A: I’m going to try to make a bunch of videos! My goal is to record everything and update YouTube all the time. I’ll also update this with pictures, thoughts, itineraries, etc.

Q: What can I do to help?!!
A: Pray for my safety and my stress level as I’m planning and getting everything together. Just pray in general for me. If you’d like. :]