Busy week

I have been really busy for the past week since I returned from Dublin. I have a huge project that is due during the two weeks that Colin and I are going to be roaming around Italy and Athens, so I need to get it done before we leave. That is pretty much all I have been working on for the past week...writing a case study. I'm almost finished with the actual case study. Tonight I am going to try to finish writing the exhibits. After that I have to do my huge analytical write-up of the problem. FUN!

So...England and Ireland were so much fun! I could live there. English people are normal. Irish people are a little crazy sometimes but that's ok.

I started out with some problems on my way to the airport. Good thing I left early because there was another strike. I swear...when do French people actually work? Of course they couldn't announce the strike the night before when I bought my metro ticket. The sign announcing the strike also told me that there would be a train for each direction every hour. Ummm...liars! I got to my connecting station before the train was supposed to leave there. I waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. For over 20 minutes. All of the trains that came by were going to the train station, not to either of the airports. So, as I was frustrated and waiting for the other metro to take me back a few stations so I could take the bus, a girl came up to me and asked me what was going on. I explained that there was a strike and I was going back to take the bus to the airport. Poor thing only had 45 minutes to make her flight because she had been waiting at the metro station for so long.

I don't understand...if there is a strike on a main metro line, why are there not signs or announcements at the other metro stations? The only station I saw a notice at was the one by my uncle's house because that is another main line.

After the metro panic I finally made it to the airport. I have to say, for being a terminal for charter flights, terminal 3 in Charles de Gaulle airport is very nice. There are a few restaraunts and some duty free stores.

The flight to London was really nice...only 30 minutes. I sat next to this Chinese French guy who asked if I had ever been to London before. I said yes but it had been about 10 years earlier so I wasn't familiar with London at all. He then proceeded to show me all sorts of Chinese webpages that he translated in to French for me and then asked where he could find the sites. I kept saying ummm....let's look at the map or I don't know London so I'm not sure, but that didn't stop him from asking. I think he was just really excited about his trip.

Alli met me at the airport and then she took me to Cambridge. It was a really cute little town. Of course Alli was doing some shopping for her mom and her sister getting ready for her trip home this weekend. We walked around for a bit then had lunch.

After that we went back to her house and relaxed for awhile. Alli's house is really small but it is very cute. She lives in a small town (with 2 pubs!). Paul came home, built a fire and then we watched cricket and football (the real one, not American football) on tv.

The next day the three of us went to Windsor. Again, cute little touristy town. We also went in to Eton and saw where the school is. It was weird but it looked like the guys even had to wear their uniforms (kinda looked like tuxes with tails) on the weekends. And I fell in love! I decided cream tea is one of my favorite things and I'm going to start eating that for breakfast. Cream tea is tea with 2 scones, clotted cream and jam. I love clotted cream!

Which, btw Mom, if you go to the craft fair in Pleasonton before I get home, can you buy me some clotted cream from the scone people? Thank you!

I was so happy when the Luton airport had cream tea at one of their kiosks. Guess what I'm going to eat during my layover in Luton...cream tea! It's the little things in life that make me happy. :)

Anyway, that night was Bonfire Night in England so we went to Paul's parent's house where they were having a BBQ. Bonfire Night celebrates the ,an that tried to blow up Parliament but didn't succeed. After the BBQ we set off some fireworks. I'm jealous because they can have fireworks that shoot off in the air. :(

After that we went to watch big fireworks and the bonfire where the effigy of the guy who tried to blow up Parliament was burned. Very cool. I think that in the US we should celebrate the 4th of July by burning someone!

The next day Alli and I went to the farmer's market and then just relaxed for the rest of the day because she and I were leaving for Dublin the next day.

Dublin was very cool. Our hotel was perfect. Dublin is very small and compact so most things are within walking distance of each other. Our hotel was right across the street from Christ Church Cathedral. I tried to take a picture out of the window but for some reason it kept coming out foggy...it was a clear night, too. Strange. The first day we walked around to the big shopping area and saw some cute things in shops. Honestly though, the street looked like a normal high street in England. We walked around the Temple Bar area for awhile because it is supposed to be the big late-night entertainment area but it wasn't so interesting. We ate dinner in a pub and then walked back to our hotel to bed.

The second day we took an open top tour of the city just to point out all of the sites and to get our bearings. We had decided to take the tour one time all the way around and then go back to look at the individual sites but as soon as our tour guide pointed out an hotel bar which had free Irish music and dancing every night, we jumped off the bus to reserve our table! After walking arounf for a few hours (after which I swear I saw Stephen Walsh in a store!) we got back on the bus and made our way to the Guiness tour. We ran through the tour very quickly (but made sure to sign the visitor's wall) and made it to the Sky Bar to drink our free pint. That was very cool because we could see the entire city!

After that we tippily got back on the bus and rode it around to see a few more things. We got off the bus and saw a few more things to kill time before our dinner show. That was very cool. It was an Irish band and after about 45 minutes some Irish dancers came out and danced for awhile. Expensive dinner but I think it was worth it to see that. I mean, shouldn't you see these things when you are in Ireland?

The last day we saw the Book of Kells and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Too soon though it was time to head to the airport.

After seeing the pictures and reports of the riots in Paris on tv (which I hadn't even heard about while I was in Paris) I was afraid that my flight was going to be cancelled or even the bus in to the city or the metro. I had heard about a midnight curfew and knew that I would be arriving much later than that so I was worried. I tried to call the airline in the morning but they weren't open yet so I figured I would just play it by ear.

When I got to the airport in the afternoon I found someone and asked if the planes were still scheduled to fly. She looked at me like I had just spoken to her in alien tongue and was like why? Ummm...because of the riots and curfew in Paris. She laughed at me and told me the only way the planes weren't flying was if the airport was on fire. A simple yes or no would have been sufficient.

So yeah, when I got back to Paris there was no indication of any rioting. People were out walking the streets, buses and metro lines were running, and I felt very safe walking around at 1am. Good end to a good trip.

Now all I have to do is wait another week and a half for Colin to get here before we leave for Rome!

Pictures to follow later when I get home from work...where I have done nothing all day...again.