Like I said, I don't know what's changed. Because now I absolutely love it. I have barely thought about home or FL or anything. And when I do, I don't wish I was back there. I wish I could stay here. Maybe it's me that's changed. The thing that's surprising me most is that I am less attatched to anyone or anything than I have ever been. With all that's happened, I would have thought I would be more attatched. Since I tend to do that when I lose someone or several someones and my world starts to fall apart. I freak out. Get scared. People are all that would get me through. But lately, I have not been myself. It was strange at first. As change usually does, it freaked me out. But not now. As I've said, I'm having a wonderful time. Not missing home at all. Not freaking out about the future. Not relying on anyone. Being completely different than I have been in my life. Maybe not to anyone else but myself. But maybe after a while, people will see it too. I don't care if they do or not. All I know is that I am different. And that for once, I feel good about it. Not scared, not trying to avoid the changes in my life. But living life. Taking risks. Feeling happy. Raising the bar. Shooting for my dreams no matter how ridiculous they may be. Finally being me...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
I love this place....
I don't know what it is about this trip that has been different from all the rest. Every time I come to Ireland, it feels like I never left, but I miss home and everyone back in FL so much. So much that I every time I have come, I don't feel that this is my home anymore. Which really bothered me. I couldn't figure out why I hated it so much. Why everything about Bray is absolutely perfect, yet I always prefer stinking Florida(which is not me at all). Bray really is everything I love. The weather is perfect. I love living in a small town. Being able to walk everywhere. Beautiful scenery. You can meet and be with some great people. But there's also plenty of places you can be alone. The food is always great. The culture is me. I love everything about it. Which is why I wondered how I hated being here somedays.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Paris!
Been a long day. Had a bit of free time at the hotel so I thought I'd post real quick.
So this what the past two days have been:
Arrived at Paris somtime mid-afternoon. As we rode to the hotel through the narrow, crowded one-way street, I was reminded of how every city(no matter how glamourous it may seem) always has good and bad neigborhoods(we passed some of these on the way to the hotel). The hotel, by the way, is a real small place in the middle of the city. It's pretty far from all the tourist attractions so it's more like being in the real Paris. It's nice though. It's a bit more adventurous than just staying in one of the big ol' hotel chains. Nice view from the balcony too :)
Since we had been tired from many hours of travel, we didn't do too much that night. We went and traveled the area around our hotel, just to get an idea of what's nearby. Some good resturaunts. Lots of nice little bakeries. Then we went to see the Arc De Triumph. I'll spare you all the historic facts about it and just say that it is absolutely incredible! Gorgeous. We couldn't go up top because they were honoring the unknown soldiers buried there so they roped off the area. Might be going again tomorrow. Got some great pictures though :)
The second day(after a quick brekfast), we went to the Eiffel Tower. Weather was wonderful so we hung around there and took some great pics too. Didn't go up top either because waiting in line just to get to the first floor of it was going to take half the day. And then you had to wait another few hours to get the elevator up top. So we decided we could just admired it without climbing up. After that, we went 0n a little boat tour and passed pretty much all the big monuments and such. Eiffel Tower, the Lourve, Mueseum D'Orsay, the other Statue of Liberty, the Oblisque, Notre Dame, and some old government buildings and such. Then, we had a quick lunch and went back to the hotel for about 20 mins before heading back to see the Lourve.
The Lourve, of course, was incredible. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. They pointed it out on our boat tour, but I did not know it extended as far as it did. It would take a person days to look through the whole museum. Possibly longer if you looked at every painting, statue and artifact. So since we didn't have much time, we just went and saw the more famous paintings and sculptures. One thing I found quite humorous was the size of the Mona Lisa. It is in this big room with another fairly well-known painting by Paolo Caliari- The Wedding Feast at Cana. This painting is huge. Takes up a whole wall(I'll have to find out how long it took him to paint it). The Mona Lisa, however, is tiny(especially in comparison to Caliari's painting). It is on a wall by itself but it is so small compared to most in the room. You would think it was this huge majectic painting. Apparently not.Anywho, the rest of the mueseum was incredible too. I wish the rest of my family was as interested as I was so we could have stayed longer. Once we see the Mona Lisa and the La Venus de Milo they were ready to leave.
After the Lourve, we went back to the hotel for a bit to relax and drop off some little souveniors we had purchased along the way. Then we went back out to town for a bit of shopping. I only bought a pair of sandals, however, because most of the stores in the area were all designer stores and it was hard to get help since not many people over here speak english.
That is another thing that has certainly been interesting. It's always an adventure traveling to new places. I love it. But this is the first time I have been to a country where hardly anyone speaks english. Most of the people around the big tourist attractions know enough english to talk to you and help you out. But as I said before, our hotel is not by any tourist attractions. So when we want to grab something to eat or shop around a bit, it is very difficult to communicate. But since arriving, we have learned a few basic things that usually help us when ordering food or other simple things. For example, I am very familiar with how to say please, thank you, excuse me, how much and "one coffee":)
Beyond that I know very little. It's easy ordering off a menu because you can usually just point it out or read them the name. But when someone asks you a question or if you're trying to get help trying something on at the store or getting directions from someone, it becomes difficult. But we're learning a bit everyday. Hopefully one day I will be able to come back. After I brush up on some of my french of course :)
Day 3: First on the list was The "Musee D'Orsay". Not as big or as nice as the Lourve, but still beautiful. Many different paintings, the more well-known being those of Monet, Van Gogh etc. Had a quick lunch there. Then went off to the Notre Dame cathedral.It is, of course, beautiful. They sure don't build structures like those anymore. Absoltely stunning. We didn't stay in long since they were having mass and we couldn't walk around too much. So we decided to get in line to climb to the top. Sean and Grandma were not keen on going up to the top since there was no elevator and 422 steps to climb to the top. And looking up at it, I was'nt looking forward to walking up either. But I knew it would be well worth it. The whole way up the stairs spiral and become narrower the closer you get to the top. And if you wanted to see the bells you went up another set of stairs. So it was technically more than 422. It was a difficult climb(especially considering the amount of stuff you've already done on the trip. But just as I thought, it was well worth it. The view was amazing and it's always very satisfying when you can say you made it all the way to the top.
After a quick breather, we went back to the Eiffel Tower so we could go to the top. The lines were a bit shorter, so we decided it would be worth the wait. The view from there was breathtaking. Reminded me of the view of NYC from the Top of the Rock when I visited NY last April. So glad for elevators though. Don't know if I'd have made it even to the first level after two busy days.
One thing I will say is that words and pictures would not do any of these places any justice. Pictures are the next best thing to actually experiencing it for yourself. Looking up at the Arc De Triumph, seeing the whole city on top the Eiffel Tower, admiring the amazing architecture of churches like Notre Dame and Sacre Couer, seeing such famous paintings as the Mona Lisa as well as many other incredible works of art. The whole trip was amazing and I would love to go back one day. Of course, it would be for a few more days so I can really get to see everything and spend more time at some sights. Two and a half days wasn't nearly enough.
Now: Off to Ireland. My birthplace. Where the food is great and everyone speaks english. Really looking forward to this. Will post more as I get the chance. Thanks for reading :)\
P.S. Pictures are on the Facebook. Will try and put some on here soon.
So this what the past two days have been:
Arrived at Paris somtime mid-afternoon. As we rode to the hotel through the narrow, crowded one-way street, I was reminded of how every city(no matter how glamourous it may seem) always has good and bad neigborhoods(we passed some of these on the way to the hotel). The hotel, by the way, is a real small place in the middle of the city. It's pretty far from all the tourist attractions so it's more like being in the real Paris. It's nice though. It's a bit more adventurous than just staying in one of the big ol' hotel chains. Nice view from the balcony too :)
Since we had been tired from many hours of travel, we didn't do too much that night. We went and traveled the area around our hotel, just to get an idea of what's nearby. Some good resturaunts. Lots of nice little bakeries. Then we went to see the Arc De Triumph. I'll spare you all the historic facts about it and just say that it is absolutely incredible! Gorgeous. We couldn't go up top because they were honoring the unknown soldiers buried there so they roped off the area. Might be going again tomorrow. Got some great pictures though :)
The second day(after a quick brekfast), we went to the Eiffel Tower. Weather was wonderful so we hung around there and took some great pics too. Didn't go up top either because waiting in line just to get to the first floor of it was going to take half the day. And then you had to wait another few hours to get the elevator up top. So we decided we could just admired it without climbing up. After that, we went 0n a little boat tour and passed pretty much all the big monuments and such. Eiffel Tower, the Lourve, Mueseum D'Orsay, the other Statue of Liberty, the Oblisque, Notre Dame, and some old government buildings and such. Then, we had a quick lunch and went back to the hotel for about 20 mins before heading back to see the Lourve.
The Lourve, of course, was incredible. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. They pointed it out on our boat tour, but I did not know it extended as far as it did. It would take a person days to look through the whole museum. Possibly longer if you looked at every painting, statue and artifact. So since we didn't have much time, we just went and saw the more famous paintings and sculptures. One thing I found quite humorous was the size of the Mona Lisa. It is in this big room with another fairly well-known painting by Paolo Caliari- The Wedding Feast at Cana. This painting is huge. Takes up a whole wall(I'll have to find out how long it took him to paint it). The Mona Lisa, however, is tiny(especially in comparison to Caliari's painting). It is on a wall by itself but it is so small compared to most in the room. You would think it was this huge majectic painting. Apparently not.Anywho, the rest of the mueseum was incredible too. I wish the rest of my family was as interested as I was so we could have stayed longer. Once we see the Mona Lisa and the La Venus de Milo they were ready to leave.
After the Lourve, we went back to the hotel for a bit to relax and drop off some little souveniors we had purchased along the way. Then we went back out to town for a bit of shopping. I only bought a pair of sandals, however, because most of the stores in the area were all designer stores and it was hard to get help since not many people over here speak english.
That is another thing that has certainly been interesting. It's always an adventure traveling to new places. I love it. But this is the first time I have been to a country where hardly anyone speaks english. Most of the people around the big tourist attractions know enough english to talk to you and help you out. But as I said before, our hotel is not by any tourist attractions. So when we want to grab something to eat or shop around a bit, it is very difficult to communicate. But since arriving, we have learned a few basic things that usually help us when ordering food or other simple things. For example, I am very familiar with how to say please, thank you, excuse me, how much and "one coffee":)
Beyond that I know very little. It's easy ordering off a menu because you can usually just point it out or read them the name. But when someone asks you a question or if you're trying to get help trying something on at the store or getting directions from someone, it becomes difficult. But we're learning a bit everyday. Hopefully one day I will be able to come back. After I brush up on some of my french of course :)
Day 3: First on the list was The "Musee D'Orsay". Not as big or as nice as the Lourve, but still beautiful. Many different paintings, the more well-known being those of Monet, Van Gogh etc. Had a quick lunch there. Then went off to the Notre Dame cathedral.It is, of course, beautiful. They sure don't build structures like those anymore. Absoltely stunning. We didn't stay in long since they were having mass and we couldn't walk around too much. So we decided to get in line to climb to the top. Sean and Grandma were not keen on going up to the top since there was no elevator and 422 steps to climb to the top. And looking up at it, I was'nt looking forward to walking up either. But I knew it would be well worth it. The whole way up the stairs spiral and become narrower the closer you get to the top. And if you wanted to see the bells you went up another set of stairs. So it was technically more than 422. It was a difficult climb(especially considering the amount of stuff you've already done on the trip. But just as I thought, it was well worth it. The view was amazing and it's always very satisfying when you can say you made it all the way to the top.
After a quick breather, we went back to the Eiffel Tower so we could go to the top. The lines were a bit shorter, so we decided it would be worth the wait. The view from there was breathtaking. Reminded me of the view of NYC from the Top of the Rock when I visited NY last April. So glad for elevators though. Don't know if I'd have made it even to the first level after two busy days.
One thing I will say is that words and pictures would not do any of these places any justice. Pictures are the next best thing to actually experiencing it for yourself. Looking up at the Arc De Triumph, seeing the whole city on top the Eiffel Tower, admiring the amazing architecture of churches like Notre Dame and Sacre Couer, seeing such famous paintings as the Mona Lisa as well as many other incredible works of art. The whole trip was amazing and I would love to go back one day. Of course, it would be for a few more days so I can really get to see everything and spend more time at some sights. Two and a half days wasn't nearly enough.
Now: Off to Ireland. My birthplace. Where the food is great and everyone speaks english. Really looking forward to this. Will post more as I get the chance. Thanks for reading :)\
P.S. Pictures are on the Facebook. Will try and put some on here soon.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Today's the big day....
Just a quick post while I'm in the middle of some last minute packing. Hopefully I won't forget something really important >.<
I don't know if the hotel in Paris has internet or not, so here's whats going on. We fly out of Orlando tonight at around 6pm. It takes about 8 hours to get to Dublin, and there is a 5 hour time difference(Ireland is 5 hours ahead of Florida). So by the time we land in Dublin, it will be approx. 7-8am friday morning(Ireland time) which will be 2-3am FL time. Then we have a 3 hour layover in Dublin before we actually fly out to Paris. Not sure how long the flight to Paris. I imagine it will only be a few short hours. So we probably won't be in Paris until Friday night. And who knows if we'll even try to do anything big that night. Most likely not.
Then Monday, we fly back to Dublin. Should arrive back at the flat sometime monday night(Approx 7-8pm).
That is my travel schedule. Not looking forward to such a long journey and the jet-lag that will surely follow, but hey. It's worth it.
Will probably be online once we land in Dublin since we have a few hours to kill at the airport. That's all for now!
Aly =)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
One week left....
Well, my flight leaves in 7 days and 3 hours.
First, we fly to Ireland, then to Paris(after a 4 hour layover in Dublin Airport)
I(naturally) have not started packing at all. That will most likely happen the night before or even more likely the morning of.
Nothing much to say other than I'm looking forward to the trip. Looking forward to spending time with family and friends over there. Will have my laptop on the trip so I will update along the way.
Goodbye for now.
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