So, after Dublin Jordi and I felt the pull to get back to London. I seriously think that's where my heart belongs. It is so fucking awesome! There is so much to do and it's so easy to get lost and enjoy yourself while you find your way back again! We spent a lot of the last week soaking the city up. We went to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. One of my favorite things to do is play some Thievery Corporation or Nouvelle Vague on my iPod and just cruise around a museum to see every different form of art. We were fortunate enough to see Monet's "Water Lillies," Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," Manets, Renoirs, Rembrandts, Botticellis, da Vincis, Warhols and a fabulous Turner called "The Fighting Temeraire." It may all sound quite boring, but I fully appreciate a good piece of art, especially the impressionists.
We visited the London Aquarium on a particularly overcast day. It was so rad to watch all these kids (with the cutest British accents) asking their mothers if they could ride the seahorses and trying to touch the stingrays. I am fascinated by all forms of sea life (as long as it's behind glass) and was really glad we went to the aquarium. It was a great way to spend a few hours as the wind picked up and it started to drizzle.
One night we went out to a club called The Soho Review to go to a party Perez Hilton was hosting. I know, I know. But he's my guilty pleasure! Jordi and I went with our new Florida friend Allison, and when we arrived we were a little bummed. The line was filled with drag queens and emo kids. Now, don't get me wrong...I don't judge. Just not my scene. I'll leave that party to the kids who slit their wrists the wrong way and dudes that wear more eye makeup than me. I wanted to dance and laugh the night away, and this was clearly not the club that would make that happen for me.
We ended up at this club called Wax. It was supposedly VIP, but it was filled with more douche~bags than Sharkeez on a Saturday night. It seems like every guy out here loves an American girl and will do anything to get laid by one. Except brush their fucking teeth. WTF is up with Brits and their teeth? I don't get it. You would think they would make that extra effort. So getting hit on by guys who claim to work next to the Black Eyed Peas, Nelly Furtado and J.T. got really old really quick for us. I mean, you can claim all you want. But the truth is, what the hell would you be doing in a club as fucked as this one if you really know all these people? Buy some toothpaste and a new pick~up line.
On the brighter side, we were able to enjoy one of London's strongest selling points: the theatres. There are musicals playing on every corner, and we decided to take advantage of this very opportunity. What better play to see than "We Will Rock You" written by the remaining band mates of Queen?!? The play was soooooo fucking awesome. The humor, the song renditions and the acting was so great. Audience participation was a must, as we all know at least a handful of Queen songs. The best part was the tribute to Freddie Mercury, a true legend. He was a gay man who died of AIDS, but his legacy lives on through this incredible play. I was thoroughly impressed.
My absolute favorite part of London was Camden Town. Although some of you may have read that part of it burnt down, the streets are still thriving and are as lively as ever. There is soooo much good shopping, crazy nightlife, and people of all walks of life enjoying the whole scene. No judgement, no hate. Just a bunch of kids like us in one huge place, just out to have a little fun. Camden is a must if you ever make it out to London. I only wish we had discovered it sooner.
Amongst many pints and shots, lots of new friends, and a billion pictures, my days in London have been some of the best in my life. It breaks my heart to have to leave, but I know for a fact I will be back. Mark my words.
We are now off to Paris, the City of Lights. I can't wait to experience a whole new culture and more diversity. God...my life does not suck!
Miss you all! xoxox
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pints in Dublin
Hi everyone! So we are in Dublin and it's out of control! The Irish can really put beer away! We took a train from London to Holyhead in England, then a ferry to Dublin. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to smell the ocean air and hear seagulls. It's crazy how easy it is to take the beach for granted, especially when you live 100 feet from it! The ferry ride was super smooth and we were able to navigate our way to our Bed & Breakfast (called The Parkway House) fairly easily. It was so rad: 3 different Irish people came up to us and asked if we needed help. I know how touristy you look when you're holding a map and lugging a huge suitcase in the rain, but I loved that we didn't even have to ask! I definitely will remember this when I get back home and see someone on the street asking where Balboa Pier is!
That same night, we went to Temple Bar to meet up with our Aussie friends. Temple bar is an area that is highly condensed with pubs and clubs. Our first pint was Guinness, obviously. Sooo good. Now I remember why I came home so fat from England...I drank that shit like it was going out of style. It gets you so drunk though. We watched an Irish band play while we drank and met locals. Dude, people get sooo pissed. Even the adult women have their arms around eachother, swaying their pints above their heads, singing along to the songs. So awesome.
After the pub, we went to this club called Purty Kitchen. We had a blast! We drank more and danced all night long. The guys our here LOVE O.C. girls cuz of the t.v. shows like The O.C., Laguna Beach, and Newport Harbor. When I tell them I actually went to Harbor, they trip out. They ask if we know the cast members as if there are 17 people that live in Orange County and we all know eachother. They love our accents and do hilarious impressions of us, making us sound like rednecks. Fuckin George Bush.
The next day, hurting from the consumption of 57 pints and 29 shots, we went to the Guinness Store House. Yay! More booze! The factory is really cool and they hook you up with free beer when you go. It's everywhere. Lovin' the black magic potion. This chick taught us how to properly pour a pint of the goodness, and we taught her how to properly down it.
Later that day, we went on a hop-on/hop-off tour of the city. It's a lot more industrialized than I pictured it, but that doesn't really matter when all you really want to see is the inside of the pubs! That night we went to ANOTHER pub to watch the Ireland v Brazil football (soccer) match. Dude, these people take their football seriously! Paint all over their bodies, head to toe green, white, and orange. Shouts, songs, chants. Pints and more pints. It was so awesome to see the camraderie! Needless to say, Brazil won and the Irish (and a few Americans and Australians) went out to get pissed at another pub and a club.
Why did God create beer? To keep the Irish from ruling the world. So true. I have a lot of Irish blood in me, but it's hard to keep up with these people. They drink A LOT, and while we can appreciate that, we are tired of drinking.
I love Ireland (even though you can only understand every third word the Irish say) but I want to get back to London. I feel this pull to be there a little longer. Cash is depleting, liver is barely thriving, it's time to do laundry, and I am the happiest girl alive.
xoxox
That same night, we went to Temple Bar to meet up with our Aussie friends. Temple bar is an area that is highly condensed with pubs and clubs. Our first pint was Guinness, obviously. Sooo good. Now I remember why I came home so fat from England...I drank that shit like it was going out of style. It gets you so drunk though. We watched an Irish band play while we drank and met locals. Dude, people get sooo pissed. Even the adult women have their arms around eachother, swaying their pints above their heads, singing along to the songs. So awesome.
After the pub, we went to this club called Purty Kitchen. We had a blast! We drank more and danced all night long. The guys our here LOVE O.C. girls cuz of the t.v. shows like The O.C., Laguna Beach, and Newport Harbor. When I tell them I actually went to Harbor, they trip out. They ask if we know the cast members as if there are 17 people that live in Orange County and we all know eachother. They love our accents and do hilarious impressions of us, making us sound like rednecks. Fuckin George Bush.
The next day, hurting from the consumption of 57 pints and 29 shots, we went to the Guinness Store House. Yay! More booze! The factory is really cool and they hook you up with free beer when you go. It's everywhere. Lovin' the black magic potion. This chick taught us how to properly pour a pint of the goodness, and we taught her how to properly down it.
Later that day, we went on a hop-on/hop-off tour of the city. It's a lot more industrialized than I pictured it, but that doesn't really matter when all you really want to see is the inside of the pubs! That night we went to ANOTHER pub to watch the Ireland v Brazil football (soccer) match. Dude, these people take their football seriously! Paint all over their bodies, head to toe green, white, and orange. Shouts, songs, chants. Pints and more pints. It was so awesome to see the camraderie! Needless to say, Brazil won and the Irish (and a few Americans and Australians) went out to get pissed at another pub and a club.
Why did God create beer? To keep the Irish from ruling the world. So true. I have a lot of Irish blood in me, but it's hard to keep up with these people. They drink A LOT, and while we can appreciate that, we are tired of drinking.
I love Ireland (even though you can only understand every third word the Irish say) but I want to get back to London. I feel this pull to be there a little longer. Cash is depleting, liver is barely thriving, it's time to do laundry, and I am the happiest girl alive.
xoxox
Monday, February 4, 2008
Truly, Madly, Deeply In Love With London
OMG, you guys! I am in love with London! Jordi and I arrived on January 30th and it has been a whirlwind of awesomness! It was hard to pack my whole life into a 20kg suitcase, but when I arrived at the airport, my bag weighed exactly 20 kilos. So perfect. When we arrived at Gatwick Airport a few hours later, we bought a train ticket to Vitoria Station which is a major tube station for the underground railroad in London. Upon arrival to Victoria, we bought tube passes to last us a few days. When we had lugged our bags underground, the tube was about to leave. Jordi made it on with her suitcase without a hitch, but I got caught behind this Italian family who didn't know to move over for me. The door started to close as I only had half of my suitcase inside and I could not push my way in for the life of me. Jordi was yelling, "Seester! Get on!" Suddenly this little British dude shoves my suitcase in, picks me up with one arm while the other was holding the powerful door open, and thrusts me into the train. It was so fucking funny! I thought it to be a humorous way to introduce myself back into the underground system.
When Jordi and I finally made it to our hostel (after getting very lost), we were so stoked. We walked into the Generator and were immediately made to feel at home. The staff is awesome and there are travelers our age everywhere. They make breakfast and dinner, have a club/bar with a resident DJ, a lounge, laundry, and a luggage room. We were a bit apprehensive about choosing a hostel over a hotel, but it was the best decision we could have made. We have met SO MANY people from all over the world. These are people we will be friends with for life, and who can be contacts should we decide to visit them in their home countries. Everyone is on the same page as you: living out of a suitcase, anxious about the unknown yet wide~eyed and excited to learn and travel, and just all around accepting of everyone. I love Newport with all my heart, but I feel so disgusted knowing I will soon have to go back to judgement and fake people. Here, it doesn't matter what you wear, how big your boobs are, who you know, or where you're from.
We are staying in a double, which is 2 beds in one room. It is much more expensive than the dorms (which house up to 16 people), but I feel safer leaving my belongings in a room that is just ours. We stay in a bunk bed, but they're really comfortable (especially after a night of pubs and clubs). The shared bathrooms and showers are well~kept and clean. And the staff are really helpful and nice.
We have been eating in pubs (which almost everyone does here), drinking and dancing our nights away to the best house music. The shopping here is fucking phenomenal, and I have put a dent in my credit card that will take a while to repair. The tube is so fun to ride! It's soooo easy to navigate around the city, and you feel so cool doing it! Aside from the tube, we walk A LOT. I have lost a ton of weight and my legs and ass look great. Haha! I feel healthy and I haven't been this happy in all of my life. Jordi is the best travel partner ever...we laugh all the time. Getting lost is so much fun, and looking for the next cool sight or shop is always an adventure.
We have seen Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, London and Tower Bridges and all of Picadilly Circus among other things. So amazing!
We leave for Dublin early tomorrow morning, and we are going to meet a couple of friends from Australia over there. I can't wait to go to the Guinness factory! We will be there for about 4 or 5 days depending on how our livers hold up! Our plan was to go to Paris directly from Dublin, but we opted instead to come back to London for a few more days. This will cut into our time we planned to spend in France, but it will be so worth it. I could live here! If only circumstances were different...
I really miss you all and hope life is good in the states! Gotta go pack for Dublin...
xoxox, Kati Grae
When Jordi and I finally made it to our hostel (after getting very lost), we were so stoked. We walked into the Generator and were immediately made to feel at home. The staff is awesome and there are travelers our age everywhere. They make breakfast and dinner, have a club/bar with a resident DJ, a lounge, laundry, and a luggage room. We were a bit apprehensive about choosing a hostel over a hotel, but it was the best decision we could have made. We have met SO MANY people from all over the world. These are people we will be friends with for life, and who can be contacts should we decide to visit them in their home countries. Everyone is on the same page as you: living out of a suitcase, anxious about the unknown yet wide~eyed and excited to learn and travel, and just all around accepting of everyone. I love Newport with all my heart, but I feel so disgusted knowing I will soon have to go back to judgement and fake people. Here, it doesn't matter what you wear, how big your boobs are, who you know, or where you're from.
We are staying in a double, which is 2 beds in one room. It is much more expensive than the dorms (which house up to 16 people), but I feel safer leaving my belongings in a room that is just ours. We stay in a bunk bed, but they're really comfortable (especially after a night of pubs and clubs). The shared bathrooms and showers are well~kept and clean. And the staff are really helpful and nice.
We have been eating in pubs (which almost everyone does here), drinking and dancing our nights away to the best house music. The shopping here is fucking phenomenal, and I have put a dent in my credit card that will take a while to repair. The tube is so fun to ride! It's soooo easy to navigate around the city, and you feel so cool doing it! Aside from the tube, we walk A LOT. I have lost a ton of weight and my legs and ass look great. Haha! I feel healthy and I haven't been this happy in all of my life. Jordi is the best travel partner ever...we laugh all the time. Getting lost is so much fun, and looking for the next cool sight or shop is always an adventure.
We have seen Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, London and Tower Bridges and all of Picadilly Circus among other things. So amazing!
We leave for Dublin early tomorrow morning, and we are going to meet a couple of friends from Australia over there. I can't wait to go to the Guinness factory! We will be there for about 4 or 5 days depending on how our livers hold up! Our plan was to go to Paris directly from Dublin, but we opted instead to come back to London for a few more days. This will cut into our time we planned to spend in France, but it will be so worth it. I could live here! If only circumstances were different...
I really miss you all and hope life is good in the states! Gotta go pack for Dublin...
xoxox, Kati Grae
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