London and St. Patrick's Day

Hi everyone! The last two weeks have been a whirlwind. So far, we've had 5 visitors: Anne, Colleen, Tyler, Dustin, and Stacy. I worked 9-6:30 everyday last week, so I didn't get to do all the fun day trips, but Erin will tell you all about those. They packed a ton of stuff in- Ashford Castle, the Aran Islands, Connemara. I think (hope) they all enjoyed the trip.

In other travel news, London has shot to the top of my favorite cities list. Stacy and I spent last weekend there and had a blast. We flew in late Thursday night and made our way to Smart Russell hostel. You'd be smart not to stay there. Our room slept 26 people in two rows of bunk beds, stacked three high. We didn't get much sleep with people coming and going all night. Luckily, London was cool enough that we forgot how tired we were.

Before we left Galway, I had contacted the Dean of Georgetown Law School's Center for Transnational Studies asking for a tour of their London campus. Dean Foster wrote back and offered to give me a tour himself, so that was our first stop on Friday morning. He was a really nice guy and the law school was great. Seventy five students from law schools all over the world (30 from Georgetown) study there every semester. They live in London and have access to King's College library and facilities. 

After that, we walked along the River Thames, drank some tea, saw the changing of the guards, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and various other attractions. The British aren't known for their cuisine, so we opted for an Italian dinner. We had a few drinks at a pub called Brewmaster's, and then headed back to the chaos of our hostel.

The next morning, we had to switch hostels since Smart Russell was booked. The second hostel, Globetrotter's, was WONDERFUL. It was clean and quiet, and the people working there were really nice. We did some more touristy stuff on Saturday (Tate Musuem for Modern Art, Millenium Bridge, etc.). We also stumbled upon a really cool neighborhood. My friend, Brian (who goes to Georgetown Law and is studying in London) lives in the area, so he recommended it. There was a great antique market in the winding back-streets of the neighborhood, and we ate dinner at an English pub. That night we bought tickets to Zorro, the musical. It was great, definitely the highlight of the trip. There was flamenco dancing and great music. Totally worth the 25 pounds.

Sunday was London's St. Patrick's Day parade, and we could not have asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the streets were packed with people waving Irish flags (I kept forgetting which country I was in!). The day started going downhill when we tried to make our way back to the airport. After being pointed in about 5 different directions, we learned that the bus we planned on taking does not exist. The alternative was a train, which was not running. So, we had to take an hour bus ride to a different train, a half hour train ride to the airport, and then a shuttle bus from the coach stop. We ended up arriving 35 minutes before our flight, only to be informed that check in closes 40 minutes before the flight. We begged and pleaded, but they refused to let us get on the plane. We had to pay 71 pounds each (about $130) to take a flight from a different airport back to Ireland. So, we got on another bus (which cost 12 pounds), rode an hour and a half to Stansted airport, and found out that our plane was 45 minutes late! Of course. We finally made it back to Shannon airport, and an hour bus ride later, we were back in Galway. We ended up laughing about it in the end, but you better believe that RyanAir will be receiving a letter from me.

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. We thought Rag Week was crazy, but it doesn't hold a candle to St. Paddy's. The day started with a parade and lots of sunshine. The streets were completely packed with people, and almost everyone was carrying a beer. Every bar was full all day. We walked up to Salthill for some of the day (Erin had left her wallet at work, so we had to go get it), and then bar-hopped for the rest of the day. We found a great band at a pub called the Spanish Arch (Erin and I can't escape our love of Spain), so we stayed there for most of the night. Stacy had to catch a bus at 2am, so we called it quits sort of early. Great day overall!

Today, my friend Jameson is coming to Galway to stay with us. We don't have any plans yet, but I'm sure we do some sightseeing. Lauren comes Saturday, and we're thinking of making a trip up north to Belfast (in Northern Ireland). 

Erin was offered a new job today. Remember her first interview at Monsoon? It's a women's clothing store. They loved her when they interviewed her, but couldn't afford to hire her at the time. They called today and offered her a position that pays 10 euro/an hour (1.35 more than she's making). I think she should take it. It's way closer to home and involves fewer hot plates and screaming children. Although, I will miss the discount she gives me when I eat at Coco! She hasn't decided yet, but we'll keep you updated.

Well, my computer is about to die, so I gotta run. Love you all! We'll try to be more consistent about our posts in the future. Expect more pictures soon!

Katie