Belfast to London- June 9-12th

Originally I had planned to take Muna to the Comedy Night at The Empire the night that we went to Dublin when we got back. However, we ended up catching the 10pm bus back to Belfast so that didn’t really work out. It was alright, but Muna didn’t get to see that much of Belfast, physically or culturally. We got back super tired around midnight and just went to bed. The next day we woke up way too early and spent at least an hour or so packing up the rest of my room and getting ready to check out and get to Belfast City Airport. A small regret was we were going to go have a quick drink in the famous Crown Royal pub but we thought we were running late and wanted to have enough time to get to the airport. Stupid us, the bus ride was literally 10 minutes and we totally would have had time. :( that sucked. But oh well.

As we landed in the middle of nowhere airport, Stansted, we didn’t have a place to stay yet. Jamuna’s friend from college was supposed to maybe put us up but she never actually asked her. She was planning that a small hint that we didn’t have anywhere booked to stay would be sufficient to get us a couch. Well, conveniently, her friends’ phone wasn’t working or something and she wasn’t answering. We got on an hourish bus that takes you into the city with no idea where we were going. As we came into the city we passed some shady looking neighborhoods and my sister and I agreed to just stay on the bus as long as possible. When we finally got to Victoria Station we noticed most people getting off so we decided to get off to. Luckily, I am a rather bold person and I randomly asked this girl I had overheard talking on the bus where she was staying in a nice and conversational way like this “ hey, so I see your backpacking to, what hostel are you staying at?” and after she told us I simply asked “do you mind if we follow you? We have no where to stay tonight”. Mind you, it was like 11 pm. I realize now that that could be seen as slightly creepy… lol but at least she was super nice and we followed her to her hostel where we booked for the night. The place ended up being a pretty high ranked hostel; the beds were nice but the bathrooms gross. We ended up staying there the whole time we were in London which ended up being slightly spendy but we met a couple cool people and got pointed in the right direction for the free London tour. We did this nearly 3 hour walking tour where we got to see most of the city and then randomly found this awesome BBQ place where we ate dinner. Inside this restaurant there was a funny statue worth mentioning that was of a cow that had a sign “imprinted” on him that said “eat pork” lol. We got a kick out of it. The next day I don’t really remember what we did with the day but the next notable thing we chose to do was go to this speakeasy pub called Milk and Honey. It’s a super exclusive and underground bar. Jamuna had planned on going there as one of the main things she wanted to do as there is one in New York and also she had been recommended to go by many of her friends. It ended up being on the same random street that our BBQ place had been on but it was unmarked and hidden behind a black door that just looked like a garage or an empty building. It was crazy! I have never been somewhere like that. The theme is “prohibition bar” where the waiters and bartenders still where white shirts, and black pants with suspenders (so cute!). They have some of the best bartenders in all of London and let me tell you, the drinks were pretty amazing. The less amazing part was that the bill ended up being 80 bucks. It didn’t seem bad because it was only 45 pounds or something like that but it converted poorly that day. We were still happy we got to go there though. That was the last notable thing we did in London. After spending the evening with Muna’s friend who finally called us back and still didn’t offer a place to stay, we got a different hotel by the airport to get ready to get on the plane and fly to Paris! The hotel was the same price as the hostel we had been staying at but nicer. But of course, sadly, for some reason our internet wouldn’t work just in our room. So naturally we were unable to book where we were staying in Paris and got the plane without somewhere to stay again… At this point it was June 12th and we finally reached mainland Europe :)

The beginning of a long Journey; Belfast to Dublin- June 6-9th

Now as I referenced above, my sister Jamuna and I have been traveling around Europe for a month. We have been to about fifteen cities and are just now on our way to our last destination of Frankfurt, Germany. First though, I must rewind and start from the beginning. Obviously, we started in Belfast where my sister came and met me while I was still in student accommodation. Since we had free housing we chose to just go to Dublin for the day and then come back. We actually got up early, got on the bus and were in Dublin by midday. We really just walked around the city for a while as our only main attraction was to make it to the Jameson Distillery which I hadnt made it to in my time there. What was especially cool about this was Muna’s friends in the restaurant industry were able to get us free admission! The tour was much less extravagant than the Guinness Brewery Tour but it was still pretty awesome. Jamuna got chosen to be a group participant at the end that ended up being kind of cool. Basically at the end of the tour a group of like six volunteers got to sit at this special table and taste 4 different Whiskeys. I can only remember two of the kinds, there was a Jack Daniels, and Jameson. At the end of tasting they had to choose which one they liked the best and Muna chose Jameson. (Good choice considering we were in their distillery). I had my first delightful experience with Whiskey this day as well where when we got a taster at the end I tried it with Ginger Ale and actually really enjoyed it, surprising since I usually hate Whiskey.

After the tour we just wondered around the streets of Dublin, let Muna take pictures. We went to this random little bar in a hotel she was recommended that wasn’t that great, where I drank about half a pint of Guinness to commemorate my time there and the fact it would be the last glass of true Guinness I would drink for a very long time. About at this time we started to get hungry but didn’t want to spend a lot so we came up with the idea of Fish and Chips since that’s something Ireland is somewhat famous for. As we walked around Temple Bar (the most touristy area in Dublin), we randomly stopped and asked a bouncer man where the best Fish & Chips were. Instead of telling us his bar, which we expected, he told us about this small take away place called Burdocks. We went there, and let me tell you, he was not lying. We ordered ONE order and literally an entire fried fish was handed to us wrapped in paper and real potato fries. It was incredible! Unfortunately, the weather was pretty cold and we definitely thought it was going to rain on us and there was no seating in this place. We choose to eat on this concrete wall by a park and just dig. It was so good that we decided we wanted more! When we went back the Irish guys laughed at us in their jolly nice way and we ordered “fish bites”, assuming they would be smaller then the giant fish we had just been handed. But no; it ended up being just as much food as the first fish we had bought and once we sat for a minute we were stuffed. Luckily, it didn’t go to waste and as we were walking back to the bus station I gave the whole extra meal to a nice homeless man who accepted it super graciously. That made me feel super good and like it was worth the extra money we accidentally spent. After that we simply headed back to the bus station and back to Belfast for the night before flying to London.

The End of Belfast

I haven’t written my closing blog until now for multiple reasons. First, I would say its probably because when I left Belfast three weeks ago it didn’t feel like I wasn’t coming back. Second, I have been busy traveling with my sister and the amount of free computer time has not been enough for long updates or closings. Third, I am kind of lazy and just haven’t gone out of my way or tried to write. Whatever the reasons, I am now in the process of catching up on what I have failed to write down up until this point. I leave to go back home to Washington in about six days and am currently on a train to Berlin. It wasn’t until I sent my flight information to my best friend that I began to realize that my time in Europe really is coming to an end…

My time in Belfast was incredible and I honestly cannot believe it went by as fast as it did. I feel as if it was the fastest semester I have lived through so far. The lovely friends I made will be my friends forever and I already miss them like crazy. I wish I would have gotten to see more of Ireland and the North, but especially after this holiday, I have come to terms with the fact that you cant do everything. Belfast was different in so many ways from home yet I don’t know if I could even put it into words. Everything from the people, culture, food, drinks, school and well not the weather, but many other things, that the list could go on forever. I learned so much being there that I am pretty sure I still haven’t comprehended everything. I have no idea what going back to the States is going to be like as I finally am so adjusted to everything being European! The lessons and independence I gained from being away is irreplaceable and I know that it will help me forever in my future life. It has been so fascinating to see how other people live in this world and to experience it.

Belfast was probably the best choice of all the cities I could have chosen to go to for study abroad and I have very few regrets. I do wish I would have met more Irish students but other then that it was a great fit for me. I’ll miss the botanic gardens, and the Belfast Wheel. Walking around the city, laughing at all the ridiculous Irish girls’ outfits, bbqs and picnics, even my classes, where I learned about topics I would never have had the opportunity to learn at WSU. Ill miss my new friends, all of whom live in the US on the east coast, so I will have to find a way to see them there. I loved learning about the divided society and seeing the divisions in real life and how it is still present. Overall, I will forever look back on my Study Abroad with happy, sentimental and longing memories. I hope to go back when I can at another time in my life and that I will have the chance to do the things I didn’t get to this time. I can’t believe its over and the fact that I am really moved out of my small little dorm in Elms village is surreal. Lucky for me though, I did not have to leave Europe right away and the following blogs are updates and adventures from my month long holiday around Europe with my sister Jamuna. Thanks to everyone who followed me on here and gave me a reason to write it and reflect on the whole experience. Much Love <3>