England

Hello,

So just got back on the boat from England! It was a splendid time going
to the place where Harry Potter originated. I have to say though I loved
Ireland more. More down to earth people. Top port Galway. People were
more personable it was less big city feeling and I'm more a small
town/smaller city girl. But I will need to come back to hit up a few
more sites as there was not enough time to get to do everything, which I
think is good in a way because then I will have to come back instead of
being like oh I saw it all don't need to go there again. I continually
in my head make plans of what to do after SAS; I can't stop myself from
thinking about going more places & seeing more things. I did hit up a
lot of important sights with some cool people though in England. I
literally the night before England decided to travel with Colleen,
Danielle, & Sarah. (some of the coolest people ever, putting this in
with the hope they see, but they really are cool).
Day 1:
The first day I woke up and we headed on an adventure to Stonehenge. We
got off the boat, walked down a long way through some industry stuff to
get out of the cruise terminal, then on to find an information center
that led us to figure out we needed to catch a bus to get to a place
where we could catch a bus to Stonehenge. (I know kinda complicated, but
it was overall fairly easy). We then walked to the bus station. Caught a
bus to Salisbury (cute little town) where we had lunch at a little
cafe/restaurant called Nuggs. Loved it! I had a cheese toastie (which in
America is equivalent to a grilled cheese) and a Twix milkshake which
was also delicious. Colleen had a Cadbury caramel shake and it was also
delicious from my sip of it. From there we took a tour on a double
Decker bus. We explored Stonehenge & got some pictures and souvenirs. I
got a shirt that says Stonehenge rocks (get it rocks as in actual rocks
or as it is really cool, sorry had to add this even though it is pretty
obvious) and a magnet. From this point on I decided I was going to
collect magnets in every country. I missed getting one in Ireland, but
will find a way to get one on-line or something when I get back home. We
then caught the bus back with a stop at Old Sarum, an old castle on a
hill with a trench built around it. It was cool to see that and how it
was built to wade off intruders. We then hiked back down and caught the
next bus back to Salisbury where we obviously took another bus back to
Southampton where we stayed the night on the ship. It is so great to
sleep in our own bed and get free food (Well more like food I already
paid for, but lets not get started on that discussion. What is important
is I didn't have to pay more).

Day 2
The next morning Colleen and I took the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts.
Okay we took a bus to Warner Brothers Studios where Harry Potter was
filmed and we took a tour, but for my sake I went to Hogwarts. On the
bus I met Ally (another even more HP fanatic than me) and her, Colleen,
& I shared the back seat of the bus and talked to Kai the tour liason
for SAS the whole time. It was a great bus ride discussing Harry Potter
and people on SAS. Along with all the stupid things some kids do on this
trip. Found out some good gossip and am trying to forget how much money
some people wasted on stupid things like getting wasted every night. I
am not against anyone drinking. I just feel people don't need to do it
every night and that you don't need to drink until intoxication. Well
after the 2 hour bus ride we arrived and from the outside it was just a
large studio like building, but on the inside "secrets were revealed". I
saw the Great Hall and numerous outfits worn by the actors in the films,
and I viewed different rooms and like 1,000+ props from the 8 movies. I
rode a broomstick & got my picture with the London Bridge in the
background. I walked down diagon alley and saw a replica 50 ft Hogwarts
castle, so yes I did go to Hogwarts! I have to say butterbeer was very
delicious. On the way back the bus dropped some of us off near a train
station and from there Colleen and I made our way via the tube (which is
a metro-train) to London after deciding not to go see Platform 9 and 3/4
at Kings Cross since we had to meet Danielle and Sarah. We navigated
(okay Colleen mostly navigated cause I am bad at directions) our way to
the Youth Hostel where we met Sarah & Danielle and preceded to eat at a
little cafe called Gregg's. I had a cheese toastie and amazing lemon
muffin. Over the next 2 days we preceded to eat there at least 5 times.
They just had amazing muffins and free WiFi! Which is a big deal. We
have become pros at finding WiFi in port. After we went to the London
Eye. Got a picture of us all sitting with our arms interlocked looking
at the Eye (We are taking a picture with this pose in every country).
Went & got tickets to see the best view of the city. It was a 30 minute
ride and then we headed back to the hostel. We all went downstairs with
our shower stuff because the light in the bathroom would shut off after
a few minutes and the main door to the bathroom didn't lock. The shower
door and also the toilet door did, but just to be safe we all went
together to block the door & keep the light on. Then it was off to bed.

Day 3

Gonna try to make this short and sweet. Decided to all go with Colleen
to the Paralympics. Ended up with Danielle scalping one and Sarah and I
getting them free from the guards. Met Eugene when we were in the Excel
Center. Watched sitting volleyball, wheelchair fencing, and wheelchair
table tennis. It was an amazing experience. My favorite event was
volleyball because of the crowd. There were little school kids chanting
"GB, GB, GB". I loved the chants and playing finish that song between
matches. Of course 1 Direction came on and we sang our hearts out. "What
makes you beautiful" has become a theme song especially in England for
us. After we left there around 4 o'clock we walked as close to Olympic
Stadium/Park as we could, then tried to find Abbey Road. Found the wrong
Abbey Road (There is more than 1, confusing). Ended up talking in
British accents for a few hours and stopping at King's Cross to get a
picture at platform 9 & 3/4. Sarah asked a worker still in her British
accent "Excuse me, can you direct me to Platform 9 & 3/4". and we found
it! And we also managed to somehow find the actual Abbey Road that the
Beatles walked on and get a picture without getting hit by a car, there
was a few close calls though (can't remember for sure how we ended up
finding it, it was like 5 countries ago, oh ya I now measure time by
countries not days, weeks, or months and since I'm currently writing
this while in Spain it is hard to recall every little detail). Ya we did
some souvenir shopping and got more muffins at Gregg's then went back to
bed at the hostel.

Day 4 (Last Day) (Last Day is generally pretty boring)

Went and saw Buckingham Palace and caught a bus back to Southampton.

Sorry this is so late. Time has been going by so fast. I've been gone
for over a month already! Ahhh! It needs to slow down. There has been
little time between countries to write. Hope everyone back home is well.
And if anyone wants to e-mail me here they can.

Amy

Ireland

So I spent 4 days and 3 nights in Ireland. I arrived on August 31st
and departed back on the ship on September 3rd. It was an eventful &
unplanned trip. I had no plans going into Ireland except planning to go
with some girls I met named Cindy & Earlene (Met at hotel) & some people
they knew. Luckily one girl had booked a hostel and the hostel had extra
room for our group. The hostel was called the Woodquay Hostel. It was
basic, but the people there were nice.

We decided to go on a tour of the Cliffs of Moher. On the way there
were lots of cows and sheep, which are Ireland's main agriculture. The
tour guide described how agriculture is a big part of Ireland's economy.
I listened to the taxi driver describe the areas we passed. We passed
lots of castles. I find castles so interesting because I just think how
amazing they are today, they must have been so much more ahead of the
time when they were made. I enjoy thinking of the people that used to
live their and what they used to look like (I know I'm weird). We also
passed the Burren which is hills covered with limestone. It was
magnificently beautiful. Along the way we stopped in a little town and
checked out a souvenir shop & were allowed time to eat. At the souvenir
shop I got a bottle opener cap most likely for my dad and 4 little
chocolate & caramel candy treats. So delicious. Then it was back on our
way to the Cliffs. Once we arrived there. The tour guide allowed us like
1 to 1.5 hrs. We first started the uphill climb to get up to the cliffs.
The view was worth the walk. It was magnificent to look down at the
water from so far up above. The tour guide said this place is in debate
for the 8th natural wonder of the world!!!! Wow! I was with Cindy, Anna,
Vanessa, Shelby, & Natalie as we climbed up to the top and ventured on
the path. You could go as close as you like to the edge since their was
no boundaries, but I stayed a good couple feet away cause I wasn't
chancing the edges falling. I got lots of pictures I will have to show
people if they care to see. I know everyone is like I want to see
pictures, but once they realize I took at least 200 photos in the first
country alone I know they will think otherwise. I am planning to make a
powerpoint and show to friends & family if I feel like it after this
whole experience is over. So back to the cliffs after trucking up and
around the many outlets of the cliffs with Vanessa, we decided to make
our way back to the main start point and head to the castle on the other
side. We headed up all the stairs and made it there and went up to the
top of the tiny castle if you can call it that. It wasn't magnificent
like the cliffs, but I enjoyed the chance to say i made it to both sides
and back to the bus on time after sprinting back downhill. The bus also
stopped on the way back for a photo op on some of the limestone rocks
with a beautiful view. I loved this area so much I was hopping from rock
to rock. Then back on the bus for the rest of the trip.

During the trip I enjoyed listening to the tour guide discuss
points of interest and answer some questions the 2 guys sitting in front
of me were asking. I found out a little more about the Irish history and
saw the most beautiful sight I have seen. The tour was definitely worth
the 15 Euros we paid.

Then we went back to Galway to the hostel and relaxed for a bit and
went out later that night to a few pubs. Saw some traditional Irish
dancing and had a sip of Bohmers, which the locals seem to prefer over
the large national chain Guiness (which has its main factory in Dublin).
The second day after much discussion a few girls and I decided to
stay in Galway because there were no places to stay in Dublin because of
the Notre Dame/Army football game going on. We (Shelby, Lauren, Amanda,
Anna, & I) booked the hostel for that night and went out exploring
Galway. We stopped to eat at an Irish restaurant. We walked through a
little farmer's market and I got a delicious cinnamon sugar doughnut and
also bought 2 name necklaces (One for me & one for a friend). We also
stopped at a market and i bought myself a little cheese pizza. We
checked out some shops in the area, but it was starting to rain so we
went back to the hostel early around 5. Shelby & I went with a worker
from the hostel to go to a store to buy Cadda (spelling) rings. Idk,
they were made in Galway and are used to show if someone is in a
relationship or not. If the heart is facing out it means your heart is
available, if it is facing in that means it is taken. It was 18 euro and
definitely the cheapest price you will see for this type of ring. I have
been wearing it everyday since, getting my moneys worth.

The next morning at 645 we got on a bus to Dublin. I slept most of
the way. When we got there Anna, Shelby, & I decided to head back to the
ship to shower. We then grabbed some lunch, It was GRILLED CHEESE! It
was the happiest day of my life! Literally it was! Then headed off with
Ashley, Amanda, Cindy, & Vanessa to do our own walking tour of Dublin.
We saw 2 different parks, Dublin Castle, and at this point today when
I'm writing this I can't even remember what else, but it was a lot. When
I check the picture out that will help me remember. This is why I can't
put off blogging for so long.

The next day once Cindy was up us two headed out to basically the
other side of Dublin. We saw the Guiness factory from outside. It was
huge & smelt like a mix of alcohol & gas. We walked through a beautiful
park/garden and walked a while without shoes in the soft grass. We saw
an Irish famine statue and made it to an old famous jail (name is
slipping mind, thank god i took a ton of pictures). The jail was used to
house many political rebels and other ordinary people whose only crimes
may have been stealing bread since they were starving. The prisoners
were put in a cell and given small meals. When we entered the large
portion of the jail I realized I actually learned something in my
Communications class last semester about history. I was able to pick out
that this jail was built like a panopticon before the tour guide
mentioned it. I wrote a 7 pg paper on panopticons so I feel pretty proud
about picking that out. A panopticon is a way in which a prison is built
so as the prisoners can always be watched but they may or may not be
watched. I found the history behind the jail interesting. A lot of
people were murdered there publically and privately with some being some
very high rebel political leaders. After the tour Cindy & I & another
SASer we ran into took a cab back to the port (Thank God I didn't want
to walk another 45 mins back especially since we needed to be back on
the ship to sail of to our next port).

What I learned: Irish LOVE beer! Ireland is not part of Great
Britain, say that and you will get killed. The Irish realize their past
history and political problems now & a few years ago and are working to
make improvements. They are trying to regain trust in their political
leaders and make their way out of debt. Just from all my classes on ship
especially intro to comparitive politics and global studies I knew a lot
about the country before going into it. I am happy that I was able to
have a sense of Irish politics and the people before entering the
country. Tip: Always be prepared to enter a new country. Don't enter
blindly, know the country's leaders and a little background.

Sorry this was so long I'm trying to catch up on my blogging. Hope
everyone is well, next blog: England!

Amy