Paris Day 3 - Amelie Walking Tour and Other Wanderings

Tired. So very tired. Today feels as though it has actually been two days. I am having a difficult time gathering my thoughts to even work on this entry. I want to sleep! I'm ready to go back to Ireland too. Paris has been interesting, that's for sure. Not really my city though. I'd like to come back again sometime and stay closer to the middle of the city, see another part of it. Once I got my bearings in Montemartre I was able to find a few really nice places to walk/shop/eat. Not all was lost.

Do you want to live here? Because that house is awesome.

Elise and I set out for our Amelie walking tour at 9:30 this morning. She had printed off (bad) instructions on how to get from place to place. We got a bit turned around a few times but managed to get through it. We were taken through some very beautiful places and had great weather for it too. It was exciting to suddenly realize that we were at our destination and to recognize things from the movie! Elise was awesome and capable of using my camera, so I have photos of myself from the locations. Yay! We were worried that the Cafe des deux Moulins would be closed (a lot of places are on Monday), but it was open. We went in and had coffee and hot chocolate. Expensive.

Corner of Rue Girardon and Place Dalida.

We ended up in a place that is apparently a tourist trap, but we liked it. Had a nice feel to it if you could look past all of the people milling about. We frolicked around the Sacre-Coeur for a bit before heading back to the hostel. She had plans to go see a few places that I'd already been to, so we parted ways. I proceeded to REST and edit photos. I wasted time and put off leaving the hostel for a few hours. I knew I couldn't sit inside for the rest of the day but believe me it was incredibly tempting. Eventually I dragged myself up and set out to the streets again.

I had a very specific agenda of seeking food and a gift. You know how a lot of things are closed on Mondays? Yeah. It did not make it easy to find this gift. I wandered street after street, some nice and some not, passing closed boutiques and closed souvenir shops that looked as though they'd hold precisely what I was seeking. The shops that were open were really crummy, cheap shops OR disgustingly expensive boot stores.

I am happier than my face is letting on.

Hunger set in fiercely, so I put my epic hunt on pause and stumbled into a promising looking cafe. I ordered a croque monsieur and it came with a salad and fried potato rounds that looked like scalloped potatoes but without the melted stuff. It was tasty and cheese-full. I also had a €4 Coke. I decided I didn't care.

I wish it had been open!

Eventually I ended up back near one of the Amelie locations, Cafe des deux Moulins. That's where I bought this gift for a very special Jenne! After that I ended up back near my hostel, just one street up. There I found a lot of cool shops that were open and had reasonably priced items. I found my necklace at a small shop up the street from those locations though. The woman working there was super nice and helped me decide which one I liked better. I had a big bounce in my step as I picked out a few post cards for Cassidy and then (with great relief) headed back to the hostel again.

When the woman brought me my chocolate chaud it was just syrup and no milk. "I forgot the milk" she says. No kidding.

Unless my bunk mates want to go out for dinner again tonight, I am probably going to stay in. I was absolutely dragging myself around the city earlier. I don't know where all of my energy went!

Oh, last night was a lot of fun. I was originally going to go to dinner with just Tawanda, but then Michelle's date got pushed to later so she decided to come with us. We also invited Elise right when we met her and then Michelle ran into Leigh and invited him. Leigh was acquaintances with a guy named Michael who was bunk mates with a guy named Joe. SO, our humble party of two turned into a rockin' party of seven! It was awesome, and so unexpected! We went down the street a ways to a place that was recommended by the guy working at the hostel. We had a good time with wine and managed to get a few pictures of us all at the table.

Place du Tertre: supposed tourist trap.

Leigh is from Australia, Michael is from England, and Joe is from LA. Another Stater! :P Leigh and Michael walked Michelle to the Metro, Tawanda went to her hostel and Joe, Elise and I went back to our hostel because we were tired. We chatted together for about half an hour or so and then went to bed. It was nice. I said good-bye to Tawanda and Michael in front of the restaurant and on top of a handshake from him, I also received two not air cheek air kisses! That was surprising and cute.

I have no idea what I'm going to do for the rest of the night or tomorrow morning. Check out is 11 am and my flight is at 3:35 pm. I plan on getting there two hours early and I'll need about half an hour for the metro and about 15 minutes to walk there... so what will I do in the morning? Stare at the buildings and landscape one more time, I think.

Elise and the Sacre-Coeur!

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9:34 am: walking: off on an Amelie adventure with Elise!

10:41 am: walking: Amelie locations!! The metro stairs, specifically.

10:56 am: Cafe des deux Moulins: :O!!!

The cafe lacks Georgette's tobacco stand as well as the glass wall that Amelie writes the specials on. The bathroom door is there though xD!!

12:42 pm: hostel: relaxing and editing photos. I may go on a walking tour at 4.

1:47 pm: hostel lobby: I'm getting hungry.

2:23 pm: hostel lobby: Gosh I am feeling lethargic today.

2:58 pm: walking: finally out, wandered to some really ugly streets, bleargh.

3:19 pm: L'Atelier: found somewhere to eat, just had to get off the busy streets!

Sitting outside on a wobbly chair at a table for one. I'm about three feet away from the street. This area is quiet and nice, my waiter speaks English. I can only see buildings around me but they're nice.

3:44 pm: L'Atelier: this croque monsieur has way more cheese than I thought it would.

3:52 pm: L'Atelier: just ran into Michael from last night. What are the chances?

4:18 pm: walking: in my search for a store that isn't obscenely expensive or incredibly cheap I have stumbled upon the Moulin Rouge.

4:25 pm: ????: further exploration has put me in a graveyard.

4:45 pm: Rue Lepic: FINALLY found a decent shop.

5:02 pm: Rue des Abbesses: bought myself the perfect item to always remember my trip here :)

-MJ

Ireland Day 34 - The Prom Again

That's right, I walked the prom again today! After work the weather was just slapping me in the face and taunting me to go out and enjoy it, so I bussed home and had a snack then set out with my camera! In a way, going a few days without taking a proper photo is a good thing, it facilitates me never taking my camera for granted! It feels so nice to be in hyper shutter mode, and I appreciate the breaks too.

A few clouds were rolling in just as I approached the raging Atlantic, I was a bit miffed but forged on ahead. I was rewarded handsomely! I did not get another portrait, but I did get some really awesome ocean shots. The water was so blue. The sun was low in the sky as well, so shadows were interesting and the light grew more and more intense. So very satisfying.

I strolled on through Salthill and decided I would just head to the city center and catch the bus back. Once I was in the Claddagh there were lots of guys playing soccer so I stopped and watched them for a little bit. Another small group of people were flying a large kite and that was enjoyable to watch too. I wanted someone to hang out with so I sent a text to Geraldine and she wasn't home D: (turns out she was kayaking). Instead I went to the middle arch and watched the swans.

Eventually the magical ten minutes settled in. The buildings across from the Claddagh looked so freaking amazing. Turn on the shutter bug! I sat relaxing next to the water until the sun disappeared behind me, then somehow managed to miss the 9:15 bus. That was pretty awesome. I made my way to Eyre Square and waited 45 minutes for the 10:15 to show up. It was cold.

Now, I eat soup! Tomato soup! It's from a powder packet and it is surprisingly good. I'm also eating chocolate >.> They have chocolate oranges here! I was happy when I saw them. I'm going to edit some photos and then go to bed. I'd like to sleep in tomorrow, but I can't sleep in for too long because my appointment is at 2! Woo! I'd also like to make it to the post office, there is a package waiting for me!

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9:12 am: walking: I have my camera with me this morning but I need breakfast.

9:45 am: walking: Had a mini Irish at a place called Jalapenos. Missing all the nice morning light.

1:58 pm: eyre square center: there are a lot of screaming children in the center today!

2:06 pm: the cellar: oh my gosh it's beautiful outside. I am going to eat my food as fast as I can so I can enjoy the sun and take pictures.

2:42 pm: Spanish Arch: It's actually hot outside! whoa!!

8:14 pm: the prom: watching this guy fly a kite is oddly relaxing.

-MJ

Ireland Day 19 - Dominos

Not a lot of pictures today, but we did eat Dominos! I had a buy one get one free coupon that I was anxious to use. Emily arrived in town today, YAY! So we had a girls night in watching Friends, Coach Carter and then Sex in the City while we chowed down on pizza. They arrange the pepperonis here. That was a funny surprise.

They arrange them per slice!

Today was sort of low-key, sort of. Maybe I just think that because I didn't make a lot of on-the-spot updates. Let's review!

Wake up! Go into town. I made a very special shoe swap (Geraldine let Maisa borrow flats so she didn't have to wear heels to the club) and hung out with Owen. We had lunch with Geraldine on her lunch break (they're so cute) and then walked around the square. We ran into Catherine at one point and that was kind of funny. I haven't just ran into someone I knew since I've been here. A little surreal.

I had some errands to run, including getting my wedding shots to Brad and scheduling my tattoo appointment :O I took in a few pictures and was very specific about what I wanted. He didn't write anything down, just a very brief description. I'll see what they draw up and obviously if I don't like it I'll have them change it. August 11th! I'm excited. I know everyone is just so curious to know what it'll be, but surprises are a good thing.

Catherine is lovely inside AND outside ;)

I've been listening to my playlist I made yesterday all day today. I even took my headphones out onto the bus with me! Made things a little more interesting. It was a good time walking around with Owen. Got to know him a bit better. Woohoo for friends! Oh, no restaurants here seems to use sliced cheese, it's all grated. Note to Ireland: it is very difficult to eat a sandwich when the cheese is flying everywhere.

Emily arrived via bus around 2:45 so we met her at the station. I was so excited to see her again! She's awesome. We mosied around and met up with Maisa. Commence more exploring! I didn't take out my camera once because I'm an idiot. A lazy one. Oh well. Just carried around a gradually heavy backpack for no reason. I'm going to be so strong after this trip.

We caught the bus back to the house and hung out over with Catherine for the rest of the night. Today was a good day, relaxing and full of friends (both real people and the TV show! :B)

Moulding around the fireplace at Miriam's.

Tomorrow the girls and I are going to The Cliffs of Moher! Hot damn, I am excited. The video camera is charging and the camera battery is going on next! AHH! The bus leaves at 10:15 and I believe arrives back in town at 5 or 5:30. That's a lot of cliff-y goodness! We also go to The Burren. Mr Martin McDonagh insists I have to go, so I'll be thinking of him while I'm there :)

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10:22 am: home: The weather here is too unpredictable. It said rain and fog so I decided not to go to the Aran Islands. Now sunny and rain? Ugh.

11:24 am: home: Wearing pants that are slightly damp.

12:20 pm: 33 bus: The guy in front of me on the bus has a piercing on the back of his neck.

12:44 pm: Outside of Geraldine and Owen's place: Watching a "clamping" officer trying to determine if he can ticket a parked car.

-MJ

Ireland Day 13 - A Change of Plans

I'm oddly sleepy for 4 in the afternoon. This morning I woke up and didn't feel like going on a bus tour. Before deciding for sure that I had changed my mind, I checked to make sure it wouldn't mess up my entire travel plans. Fortunately, it did not. So today, instead, I went to town, exchanged my broken zippered sweatshirt, took a video of Shop Street, had lunch and then went for a walk down part of The Prom again. The weather changed rapidly from astonishingly beautiful, to overcast, to rainy and unpleasant and then back to partly cloudy with mostly sunny skies. It's thinly overcast at the moment. No weather type seems to last for very long here.

It was a challenge, but I managed to take a fair amount of pictures and do quite a bit of video while I was out. I loaded my backpack with necessary items and continued to rotate through them as the situation required. I dabbled with the idea of going to the aquarium, but I had already spent money on lunch and a CD, so perhaps another time. Instead I admired the ocean from a little remembrance park and met up with Dave for a few minutes after he was done at school. When something is good he says it's "class", which I find funny. I've never heard people say that before. I've heard of something being a  "class act", but never something just being "class". Classy! But not class. Lack of class... not class. I don't know. I learn something new everyday. Oh, and he says that no one here says "neat". Also silly, in my opinion, because it's a great word! I was telling him what a neat guy Martin McDonagh was, and he made sure to let me know that no one says that word xD

Lunch was an interesting time. I finally ate at Neactain's. It was very quiet when I got there and I wasn't entirely sure what the ordering process was. No one said anything to me, but I guess I did something right when I approached the counter with a menu in hand. Everyone was very nice. I ate potato and leek soup. There was a pasta offering but it sounded a bit heavier than I wanted. I also had a coke. It was €2.40, something I didn't realize until after I had consumed it, which is a bit steep if you ask me. It was one of the most delicious cokes I've ever had though, maybe that has something to do with it. The soup was OK, I think a little more sophisticated than I'm used to. I finished it though!

Neactain's was playing some fantastic Irish music so I began asking the employees who it was/what is was. One of the bartenders, a man named Steve, started talking to me about Irish music and feeling me out for which types I liked. He then wrote down a few different artists on a piece of paper and heavily recommended the Waterboys. He asked if I'd heard of them and I said no. He replied with, "You're lucky" and I asked, "Are they bad?" and he said, "No they're fantastic. I'd love to experience them for the first time again". After that I went around the corner to HMV and bought the only album they had by them; a greatest hits from '81-'90. I'm very excited to listen to it. Steve also gave me an EP from a guy that works there named Emmet. I actually met Emmet last week when Brad took me out for a pint. He's moving to London this year, I believe music, so that's great for him! I mentioned this to Steve and he was surprised and told me to tell Brad that he says hello. Such lovely people here in Ireland :)

I'm getting hungry. I wonder what's for dinner? Miriam bought me some peanut butter. It even says "American Style" on the container! That made me laugh. I had toast this morning and it was delicious. I think tomorrow I'll try out a hot chocolate from Butlers Chocolate Cafe, the supposed masters of hot cocoa here in Galway. Fingers crossed that it does not disappoint. I'm going to watch Harry Potter now, me thinks.

Oh wait! At the bus stop this morning I met a French guy named Pierre. He's visiting some friends here in Ireland. I guess he hasn't been here in quite some time because he fell out of contact with a bunch of people he met in '95. Through the magic of Facebook he found them again and is making the rounds in Ireland to reconnect everyone. How great is that? We continued to chat on the bus and he asked if I knew anyone in Paris (since I told him I'd be there for a weekend) and I said no. He offered to meet me for a drink while I'm there if I'm looking for someone to chat with. Very nice of him! I took his e-mail address and I'll be contacting him before I fly out in August. Look at me, makin' friends on the other side of the world!

Ok, toast and Harry Potter time!

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10:52 am: home: It's a gorgeous day. I think I'll walk The Prom again.

11:08 am: bus stop: The weather changes very rapidly here, even more than back home. It's strange.

11:39 am: Shop Street: Met a very nice French man from Paris named Pierre at the bus stop. We had a good conversation and he gave me his e-mail address in case I wanted someone to go out and have a drink with when I'm there for the weekend. :)

12:32 pm: Shop Street: 90% sure I just picked out my new tattoo design.

12:43 pm: Neactain's: Having lunch at Neactain's, finally. Potato and leek soup with bread. There is something strangely comforting about drinking a coca cola.

1:52 pm: A park: Sitting, passing time and enjoying the ocean.

-MJ

Ireland Day 12 - The Prom

Not the fancy dance, but a long walkway along the coast. It was fabulous! Ok, so it would have been better if the sun were out then and not now (thanks Ireland) but I still had a great time. It was overcast/sunny and windy as hell and then it started to mist. By the time I arrived at the Claddach I had to put my camera away. As I stood with a mediocre hot chocolate waiting for the bus, the clouds ran away and the sunshine burst out. I frowned and grumbled as I walked onto the crowded bus. It's kind of a toss up with sunny day photos anyway. Blue skies are beautiful, but I had some interesting cloud formations over the ocean. Which is better? It really depends on what you're going for. I'd like to take a bus trip tomorrow to one of my many desired locations, and since those are full of landscapes it'd be great to have sun and fluffy clouds. I wish someone could come with me, I want to be in some of the photos at all of these beautiful locations :\

Back to my walk though.

Good thing I was shown directions, I would have been lost and confused! But as it were, I went to the Joyces and turned left onto Kingston, then right onto Knocknacarra Rd, then left onto what I can only assume is Salthill. I could see the ocean and The Prom but couldn't figure out how to get to it. I ended up wandering through a traveling RV park and some tennis courts before finally popping out onto a cement walkway.

It felt really good to be on the ocean again. The smell was fantastic, I really took in the moment. Then proceeded to take about a zillion photos. While meandering I was appreciative of having no agenda, just the goal of making it to the city centre eventually.

Something happened to set me back about half an hour though, something good! As I'm strolling past a bench that overlooks the Atlantic, an older man is on his phone. He hangs up as I'm walking by:

Man: Hello.

Me: Hello.

Man: How are you?

Me: Good, thank you. And you?

Man: Good! Where are you from?

Me: Washington State!

And then I walked over to him and sat down. He was very nice and we had a pleasant conversation about Ireland, traveling, photography, the weather, college and doing things that are important to us as individuals. It was really a fantastic little experience. And also.... I got my first portrait! YAY!

We were overlooking The Burren in county Clare and he insisted I had to visit it while I was here. He grew up around there and apparently did a lot of rock climbing in his younger days. He explained that it's a stark comparison to Galway because all of the hills are limestone. There are lots of little villages settled throughout all the rocky slopes and dips and he insists it's one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I'll believe him and go, because he has been all over the world.

Mr Martin McDonagh of Ireland has done a lot of traveling in his day! He lived in the States for 17 years, visiting Ireland about once every 9 months. He went to the University of Minnesota and also studied for a year in Amsterdam. He's been from Pennsylvania to Florida to California. He rode a bus from Paris to Nepal and lived in South Africa for two years. He just finished writing memoirs about growing up in The Burren and is currently having a friend give it a read. I hope to find it in stores someday.

I finally asked him for a photo after explaining all of the projects I hoped to accomplish while here and talked in length about my love of portrait photography. He was extremely obliging and I'm happy with how the photos turned out. The lighting was fantastic, diffused across his face with a turbulent sky behind him. I'm all a flutter remembering how I stared at the light falling around his nose and cheek, bursting to ask him if I could take his photo.

Eventually he had to go, and seeing as we were headed in the same direction, we walked and talked until he arrived at his car. We shook hands, I finally remembered to tell him my name, and then off he went, out of my life but not my heart or mind!

The rest of my walk on The Prom was enjoyable, but there were no other social interactions. I walked to the end of this weird.. cement.. pier, low to the ground.... thing with rocks at the end of it. The wind was rough at the end of it and the sea spray was speckling my camera and me. I attempted a few interesting shots before finally turning back to the shore. It was a great relief when I finally turned a bend and realized I was looking at the Spanish Arch. The walk was nice but I was ready to go back home and start talking about it!

While waiting for the bus to arrive I grabbed a hot chocolate (€2.50 and wasn't that great. The Irish don't put enough chocolate in!) then watched in irritation as the clouds went away and the sun came out (I know I said that at the start of this but I'm still bothered, obviously). The bus was pretty crowded and I ended up sitting next to a mother and her daughter who was maybe 3 1/2 or 4. A little ways into the ride I realize the girl is asking her mother why I'm sitting with them. "There's no where else to sit" the girl says "There's a seat there!" and the mom says "But someone else needs that seat, you can keep sitting with me". Man, leave it to little kids to be so candid that they make me feel like a jerk!

So now here I am, listening to Lady GaGa, window open (it's overcast now which makes me feel better) and blogging about what a good day it has been so far. I'm waiting for Catherine and Maisa to get here, Catherine got a tattoo today and I'm excited to see it! Perhaps I'll get a tattoo while I'm here, I've been wanting another one and this seems like the perfect time! :3 I wonder what's for dinner? I took a ridiculous amount of photos today, it's going to be VERY HARD to decide which 9 or less I post today, it'll be even harder to decide my 365 submission X| What a great problem to have!

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10:22 am: home: What is this? Decent weather? Finally!

11:31 am: home: I don't like having to turn on the hot water before I get in the shower, it requires too much planning :P (The hot water here has an on/off switch, I have to turn it on half an hour before I get in so the hot water heater can warm up to temperature)

12:43 pm: home: Another late start. I'm going for a walk today, aaaaaaaaaaaall alone.

1:51 pm: walking: On my merry way to Salthill! It's windy!

2:02 pm: walking: Just saw a dead little kitty on the side of the walkway, I was about two feet from it. It about stopped my heart it scared me so badly. It also made me very sad.

2:10 pm: walking: Helloooooooooo Atlantic ocean!

3:08 pm: The Prom: Just finished a conversation with a lovely older man. I also got my first portrait!!

3:22 pm: The Prom: The wind just threw sand in my eye!

4:06 pm: Shop Street: A pub is playing Bob Dylan. I'm pretty sure this song is on the CD Steve gave to me while I was still at school. Thanks again Steve!

4:11 pm: Bus Stop: Made it from Knocknacarra to the City Centre past Salthill! I feel so accomplished. Time to catch the bus home.

4:17 pm: Bus Stop: It rained the entire second half of my walk and now the sun is out as I wait for the bus. What gives, Ireland?

**EDIT**

9:48 pm: walking: This is the first time I've been out sans camera. I'm outside for a walk, but don't worry it's light out still!

-MJ

Ireland day 2, Eyre Square!

This morning I woke up at 5:30 and I couldn't fall back asleep. Not sure what was up with that. I got to bed at 11pm, I guess I was just rested? I hopped online to pass the time and hoped Jake would be on. Lucky for me he was :3 We were able to chat until he went to bed, which was nice, then I got ready for the day. I was hungry so I mosied over to Miriam's house to find food, but I'm not familiar with the kitchen and I felt uncomfortable rifling through her cabinets (even though I'm allowed to), so I just grabbed an apple. FYI, apples here are tiny, as are oranges and bananas. Not sure what the deal is with that, unless we do something crazy to ours in the States and that's why they're so huge? Either way, tiny apples!

Our house in Knocknacarra.

At 8 Maisa woke up and by 9 we were back over at Miriam's place. I had cereal there and then the two of us went into town via the number 33 bus! The ride was enjoyable and strange. The roads here are pretty narrow, so sometimes the bus pulls over to allow oncoming traffic to pass. I was very entertained by all of the low walls made of stones and the huge fields of cows. Once we got to Eyre Square we went to the indoor shopping center. Maisa and I both have internships that take place there. We found the location for Photo One studios and I waited there until Brad showed up. Time is a strange thing in Ireland, no one is expected to keep it! A lot of the stores were supposed to open up at 10, Brad's included, but they were closed until around 10:10 or 10:15. I guess that's common.

So! Met Brad, he's a super nice guy, and he gave me a phone to use while I'm here. I met Catherine, a woman that covers the store while he's shooting on location, and I hung around while Brad did a family photo shoot. I chatted with Catherine and had a muffin and a very watery hot chocolate. All in all, a good time! I went to a Vodafone store and added €20 to my phone, then wandered over to Maisa's store. Apparently here when you "top off" your pay as you go phone and you add at least €20, you can get either unlimited phone and text to your carrier, or unlimited texts to all carriers, both for 30 days. I didn't realize this, and the guy that helped me didn't tell me. Maisa and her manager sent me back to the store to get the unlimited text to all carriers option put on. Apparently even if I'm out of minutes I can still text! Pretty fancy :D I had some Subway after that. The guy working there was Polish. It was difficult to order because some of the menu options are different D: They have some wacky Doritos flavors there, and cool ranch is just "cool original".

Neat alley way across from Holland's.

I went to leave for the bus and Maisa said if I wanted to hang around for an hour we could catch it together. I decided to opt for that and so I walked around the Square and took pictures. At 2 I went to the bus stop and found my spot. The bus came, Maisa wasn't there, and then it left. I thought maybe she was running late so I texted her and told her I was still waiting. She responded saying she went to a different stop because she missed the Eyre Square one and thought I was already on the bus D: D: So I waited another half an hour for the next one. I was joined in my seat by an old man who didn't understand the phrase "you're in my space".

Here's where things got stupid (but then better again): I've never had to rely on public transportation before and whenever I'm on a bus I always have someone with me that knows what they're doing and will lead the way. SO, with that in mind, I didn't realize that I had to alert the bus driver to let me off at my stop. I assumed those "stop" buttons were for when people wanted to get off at stops that weren't normally on the drivers route? I don't know. Either way, my stop came and went and I was still on the bus! I sat stupid for a while, the old man leaning on me, before I decided I'd just get off the next time the driver stopped. There wasn't a "stop" button within reach of me and even though the seats around us had cleared this man insisted on being extra close. So on we went, turning left, right and then right again. Finally a woman got up and the bus slowed, I stood up and this man just turned his knees to the right. I was thinking, "Really?!" I practically fell on him trying to get to the aisle. I had probably a mile walk back to my stop and I had my fingers crossed that I had remembered the route well enough! Fortunately I did, because I'm back here now :D

I have some more notes from today:

9:48 am: Eyre Square Center: Met a Polish guy named Lucas; he works at a Subway.

10:07 am: Eyre Square Center: Time is a strange thing here. Shops that should be open aren't. I'm waiting for Brad to show up. I guess it's customary to be late. (That's what I've read, anyway)

12:55 pm: Eyre Square Center: Just bought Subway. They don't have yellow mustard. They have corn though! Also, no ice. P.S. no cheddar triangles, just shredded.

1:46 pm: Eyre Square: I bought a tiny Caramello bar from a corner store called Holland's. Seriously, it's so small.

2:12 pm: Eyre Square bus stop: Waiting for Maisa and the bus home. I spent €55 on a 30 day bus pass, €20 on adding money to my phone and ~€5 on lunch. I have maybe €8 in my purse. *sigh*

2:24 pm: Eyre Square bus stop: Bus stop still. Apparently, "Are you long here?", means "Have you been here long?", not "Will you be here long?"

2:49 pm: On the bus. T.K. Maxx! ???

2:55 pm: On the bus. Starlight by Muse is on the bus radio. Do they play this in the States? I never listen. I feel funny.

3:11 pm: There's a guy on the bus that looks like Danny.

Saw this on my walk home.

3:16 pm: Missed my stop. I apparently don't know how buses work. I'm about a mile away from home. Time to walk.

€1900?!?! They mean business!

3:36 pm: I found a penny! And I managed to find my way back!

It shall hence forth be my lucky penny.

I don't know what a coach is. A huge bus? Who knows.

Clearly I've had an epic day, and it's only 5pm!

-MJ

***EDIT***

I went out with Maisa and Catherine tonight. We did some warm up drinking and then hit a bunch of bars in Galway near Eyre Square. We met so many interesting and fun people and saw a good portion of downtown. The night ended with us making some new friends and eating curry fries, garlic cheese fries, and a fried mars bar. We have plans to watch the World Cup final with them on Sunday! Hurrah for new friends :)

And now, my final updates:

11:39 pm: The Front Door (pub): "Oh no, put on your glasses" .... "You would look good in suspenders"

12:00 am: The Dail Bar: It's 80s night here! Everyone knows the words to "I need a hero"

12:05 am: The Dail Bar: "Do you really have real live cowboys in Texas" and then she swooned when the answer was yes.

12:12 am: The Dail Bar: Maisa can flirt so good even a girl will buy us drinks.

12:40 am: Coyote: The bathroom here has deodorant that you can pay to apply.

12:56 am: Cuba: This bar has video game screen entertainment. Currently? Mario Kart SNES.

1:00 am: Cuba: Someone just asked me if I'd dance with their friend. I said no thank you.

1:17 am: Cuba: Finally danced.

1:34 am: Club K: "How much does a polar bear weigh" "I don't know" "I'm just breaking the ice, my name is Tony"

2:40 am: A Chips Place: Just parted ways with some really nice people. We made new friends! We have plans to watch the World Cup at a pub on Sunday! We're in a cab now.

2:45 am: Cab Driver: "You've got the best approach I've ever seen. Now let's see if your departure is half as good" <- in reference to men not leaving you alone in a club.

-Miranda