C∆ITLYN

Quick note for those of you new to tumblr, you can view all pictures full size (complete with stupid captions) by clicking on them.

I’m not doing a great job of blogging this time around. I’m really trying to soak it all in. Once I get back to the States, I’ll be uploading everything from my camera and doing a big travel vlog, so stay tuned for that! For now, the best way to stay following my minute-by-minute adventures is on Snapchat: misspdt. 

On day four I arrived in Dublin. I love Dublin, but I only spent one night there before heading straight to Galway in the morning. I checked into Barnacles Hostel Temple Bar (which was so cool) and took a much needed shower. I headed straight to my favourite pub, O’Neills and was sadly a bit disappointed this time round. I wandered over to Grafton St. right around the time everything was closing and that’s when the sleepiness hit me like a ton of bricks. I walked around a bit more, got some delicious gelato at Gino’s, and then finally gave into the lack of sleep and headed back with just over 15,000 steps on my FitBit for the day. I ended up falling asleep to the sounds of drunken tourists at around 8pm and not getting up until 9am the next morning. 

I gathered my things and ran back to Grafton Street to see if I could find a passport cover like the one I got last time I was in Dublin. I luckily have a very good sense of direction and a fairly photographic memory. I found what I believe to be the shop (Article) inside Powerscourt Centre but it didn’t open until I had to be back at my hostel and on my way to the bus stop. Guess I’ll have to come back! ;) I stopped by M&S to grab some food and continue my search for bite-sized Colin the Caterpillars. The two I’ve been to so far only have the big ones and I just don’t think it’s polite to eat a whole Colin in one sitting on public transport. Even after nearly 13 hours of sleep, I still proceeded to sleep almost the entire journey to Galway. I checked into Kinlay Hostel, which I highly recommend. Side note: I’ve had the best luck with hostels so far. Last time I had a few I wasn’t super pleased with, but every one I’ve mentioned so far I would definitely recommend. 

While waiting for my phone and camera to charge, I booked my trip to the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher for the following day on Viator. Shout out to my coworker for suggesting it to me…it saved me around €10 on that tour alone! I headed to a very highly rated restaurant called The Pie Maker which was the definition of cosy. The food was absolutely delicious and I ended up meeting a very lovely girl there who gave me the run down on Galway. I love meeting locals who genuinely adore with their hometown. Many people don’t have great things to say about where they grew up (myself included) so I think it’s special to find people who do. SHE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT ED SHEERAN WAS IN TOWN. His little ditty about a girl from Galway has brought lots of attention to this relatively small town. I ended up at a pub she highly recommended called the Salt House. I drank my fair share of whisky and chatted with some locals. I decided to quit while I was ahead so I wouldn’t be hungover for my early start to the Cliffs.

Thursday probably deserves a blog post in and of itself, but I already included the pictures so you’re just going to have to endure this long post. First off, the tour company I went with was called the Spirit of Ireland Executive Travel. I highly recommend them because it’s smaller than the Galway/Aran Tour Company (that’s the one you’ll see everywhere) and the tour guide Phil was truly spectacular. We visited the smallest of the Aran Islands: Inisheer. I honestly had never even thought about going to the islands but booked it on a whim and WOW, I’m so glad I did! It was an absolutely gorgeous day. I rode around with a man and his horse (and dog)! Most people from my tour group seemed to opt for the self-guided option either by foot or bicycle hire, which I don’t understand. I always suggest mingling with the locals! Speaking of locals, I met a little boy who thought I was a famous YouTuber! I told him I would subscribe to his channel and to never give up on his dream. Wow! What a cute little fellow. I still can’t believe how clear the water is on the west coast of Ireland. We even saw a dolphin(!!!) as we waited and boarded the ferry back. I definitely was not expecting that! The Cliffs of Moher were spectacular, both by sea and up on land. I even sat on the very edge of the cliff (sorry mom), which was equal parts exciting and terrifying. When I was younger and hiking/camping a lot with my parents, my dad was always the one pissing mom off by standing too close to the edge. Somebody had to take his place! Before this trip, I’ve always planned my travel almost exclusively to/around big cities and I’ve quickly realised how mistaken I’ve been. Mother Nature is one badass bitch and I’m trying to appreciate her more. Huge shout out to everyone who insisted I visit the Cliffs while in Ireland. That tour was more than worth the €40 I paid for it.

We arrived back in Galway nearly 10 hours later, so naturally I needed some time to recover. I had planned to spend most of my night in a pub, but I just didn’t have it in me. Once I headed out to dinner and realised it was raining, I was ready to get back into bed. I had fish & chips at the famous McDonagh’s but truth be told, I wasn’t very impressed. I thought it was fine, but nothing worth being famous for. I grabbed gelato once again at Gino’s (sorry Dojo, but they’re my new #1). After I came back to my hostel, I started chatting with two American girls who are spending the semester in Dublin and were just visiting Galway for the weekend. I try not to associate with Americans when I travel (sorry folks) but they were lovely. I solidified plans with the friends I’m staying with while in England and then called it a night.

People always ask me for tips while traveling and one of my biggest has got to be this. Start a blog. Or journal, if that’s your thing. I like this platform because you’re guaranteed not to lose/damage it. You don’t even have to necessarily share it with friends, but write it down. And use the names of things! I found myself asking the two girls I traveled with last time what certain places/things were called (luckily their memory was better than mine). This time I’ve only got my shite memory so I’ve got to do a better job at this! I’m a list maker so I also make lists of things I love and want to try again or things I missed that I want to do next time. That’s my advice to those of you traveling; now onto the good stuff!

Day one was spent fighting jetlag and the one hour of sleep I got on my flight. I arrived to Manchester and took a train into the city. I did a bit of shopping and wandering around until it was time for my train to Edinburgh. This day was pretty uneventful. I arrived at my hostel (St. Christopher’s) and was pleasantly surprised to be staying in a very cosy room with just myself, a kiwi, and 16 Irish lads on a stag do. Honestly. Irish people are the best people you’ll ever meet. They were incredibly polite and their accents were so good that I didn’t even mind being woken up by them at 3 am. American guys would have been a totally different story. I slept nearly 13 hours my first night and got a very late start the next day.

I did a lot of meandering on day two. I did a bit of shopping and ended my night at one of the many pubs of Rose Street called Dirty Dicks. Is anyone surprised that’s where I decided to go? I’ve decided I’ll be expanding my whisky tastes on this trip instead of just sticking to Jameson, so I had the bartender set me up with something I’ve no idea the name of. So much for writing down names! I ended that night relatively early and headed back to my hostel to plan for the next day.

Day three is where things get crazy. I started the day at Edinburgh Castle. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I have a Facebook Live video to prove it! I went to The Elephant House (where JK Rowling wrote the Philosopher’s Stone) hoping to grab lunch, but the line was well out the door. I snapped a picture and hopped on Yelp to find an alternative lunch spot. The Outsider had rave reviews and it was just down the street so I made myself at home in a cosy little corner booth overlooking the castle. After ordering, I decided to catch up on my correspondence (Friends reference, anyone?) and started messaging a friend who had studied abroad in Copenhagen. I told her I was currently in Edinburgh and she said I had to try a place called The Outsider. Go figure!

I had a fantastic lunch and hopped back on Yelp for an idea of where to go next. I ended up on Victoria Street which has lots of great little shops including Museum CONTEXT which was apparently, along with the whole of Victoria St., the inspiration for Diagon Alley. I also popped into The Red Door Gallery which I absolutely adored and recommend if you’re a fan of art! I’m slowly changing the decor of my apartment back home, so I grabbed quite a few pieces for my wall and will definitely be returning next time I’m in Edinburgh. I grabbed a delicious fruit tarte and headed back up to the Royal Mile for a ghost tour of the city. I’m not usually a fan of walking tours because first of all, I have a very hard time focusing and second, I’m not an auditory learner in any way. This one was so interesting though, probably because I’ve always been intrigued by death and weird shit. Or maybe because the tour guide Ryan was a fit Scottish ginger. Who knows!

At one point in the tour, Ryan refused to move on until at least one of us spit on the Heart of Midlothian. That’s what you’re supposed to do if you’re displeased with your government, apparently. I eagerly volunteered and he asked where I was from; the entire tour group erupted in laughter. I then very enthusiastically jogged over to said heart, spit with the fury of 2+ million Hilary voters, and turned around with my fists raised in triumph. That was the highlight of the tour for me.

I ended up befriending a Canadian girl named Moira and we headed to a pub on Grassmarket at the end of the tour. We got to know each other and pursued our mutual goal of trying more whisky. Although she’s five years younger than and me spending a semester abroad in England, she and I had a lot in common. We talked about how we both grew up dancing, love doggos, have been wronged by men, and have very similar views on sex and sexuality.

Remember when I said day three is where it got interesting? This is where it truly begins. A group of four friends then sat next to us and ended up asking us to join them. Conor approached us and was definitely the most outgoing of the group. Before too long, he ended up doing a backflip in the middle of the bar - I will definitely be uploading that video later. His friends were Dan, a grad student at the University of Edinburgh, Nicole who’s just returned from 14 months of traveling, and James who is studying Civil Engineering at Edinburgh. We all got on like a house on fire and upon closing the bar down, headed back to Dan & Conor’s where they had a fully stocked bar. We played everyone’s favourite icebreaker, “Never Have I Ever” and got very well acquainted with one another. Dan was the first to surrender and Nicole fell asleep in the hallway shortly after. And then there were four. Moira and Conor, and James and myself. And yes, I phrased that very specifically for a reason.

At one point we all ended up having a press-up competition, among other shenanigans. I guess all the free booze made me quite brave because the next thing I know I was pursuing James pretty heavily. I would say James is a 10, or very close to it. How I ended up pulling this guy is absolutely beyond me. I had no makeup on, hair was a mess, and hadn’t showered in two days. He was 6′2″ and blonde with a killer smile. We had spent most of the night talking to each other and had a lot in common. He was quite shy, which I was naturally determined to crack. Next thing we know, the sun was rising and I had a flight to catch in a few hours.

I’m coming to you three years later from a pub called Dirty Dicks in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is going to be good.

Over the past 34 months, I’ve been working and working and working. I haven’t had a proper vacation since the last time I was on this continent right after I graduated college. I’ve been dying to return to the UK and in November 2016 I decided it had been long enough; I booked a flight back to the motherland.

You see, at the very end of my trip in 2014, I met a really lovely lad named Michael on everybody’s favorite dating app. We’ve spent nearly every day chatting and sending dog memes back and forth. I loved his sense of humor and his fiery red hair. Although I planned to see other friends/parts of Europe, Michael was without a doubt the biggest factor in my decision to return to England.

About six weeks ago, things suddenly fell apart. I’ll spare you the details, but I was left with no place to stay upon arriving in the U.K. It threw me for quite a loop. I considered cancelling my trip, but honestly I desperately need the time off from work. I started planning my Eurotrip sans Michael and well, here I am in Edinburgh. It’s lovely.

Since I’ve got a proper job now, I won’t be spending quite as much time here as I did in 2014 but I’ve got 18 days of uninterrupted wandering all to myself. (Uninterrupted…who am I kidding? I’ve checked my email 17 times since I left the office on Thursday). I’ve decided to focus solely on the U.K. & Ireland this time around and you’re cordially invited to follow me on my first ever solo adventure abroad.

Today was another lazy day. We were supposed to meet up with one of my friends, but it didn’t end up working out. We went shopping yet again, and I finally replaced my neck pillow! There’s no way I was going to make it through tomorrow’s flight without one. I got the exact same one I had lost….at good old TK Maxx. We also saw a skirt that retailed at over 3000 USD so that was…that.

We came back, packed our thing, and napped. Trying to fit all my things & make it under the 50 lb. mark was a struggle. We grabbed dinner at our favorite pub and spent the rest of tonight just wandering around again. Harry and his family were walking around all day, yet we still managed to miss them. Tomorrow we go back to America, officially making this the trip of almosts.

It has been a wild ride & I am absolutely not ready to leave. I could honestly do this for a living. Hey, One Direction, if you’re ever looking for a 6th (female) member, I’m your girl. I can’t believe how fast these 5 weeks have flown by…but then again it feels like London was aaaages ago. I’ve met the most wonderful people on this trip & learned so much about myself and the world I live in. One thing’s for sure….this continent hasn’t seen the last of me.

Yesterday (Saturday) we shopped around a bit after some much needed sleeping in. I saw a place called Beaverbrooks…that’s the street I grew up on (minus the ‘s’)! I bought the most perfect boots in this store called Prague. So whenever anyone asks where I got them, you better believe I’ll tell them it was in Prague.

We spent the night wandering around the city. We grabbed a late dinner at none other than TGI Friday’s because it was just about the only thing open. The people there were so nice & there was so much American paraphernalia on the walls! We saw an alarming amount of fights Saturday night, too. The police here don’t have guns obviously; literally all they are permitted to carry is pepper spray. It was nice knowing I wasn’t going to be getting shot at! We were mostly over in Deansgate Locks, so everybody was dressed to the nines. The girls here, man, they wear the highest fucking heels.

We stopped by the hotel the boys were staying at. And yes, it was on Little John St. You better believe we had quite the laugh about that. 😂 There were full on barricades & people camped out, and this was at nearly 3am. By the time we were making our way home, the sun was rising. Y’all, I repeat, the sun was rising at THREE THIRTY IN THE MORNING. What in God’s name?!

Friday was the Big Lebowski. We went to this art supply store to get the stuff to make our signs, and the guy was so nice that he let us make them right then & there.

We started queuing around three and it was perfect timing. We weren’t there so long that we were dying of boredom, but we got there right before a shit ton of people did. The concert was phenomeniall. 5sos killed it…the boys killed it; it was a great night. EXCEPT they didn’t see our signs, so we tweeted Paul (their tour manager/head of security) afterwards. I said we came all the way from America & he didn’t even see our signs…well he finally did because he favorited the tweets. Hahahha I have never been so happy. 😂 You just know they were all sitting around having a laugh about it…

As we were lying in bed, we heard a car drive by blaring Loyal. There it was…the theme song of this trip. Friday, you did not disappoint.

Today was another late start. We went to check out China Town & were massively disappointed. After Canal St. in NYC though, literally nothing else can compare. We did some more shopping, and happened upon this place called Cow. It is basically every hipster’s dream thrift store selling American shit at ridiculous prices. I found that Auburn sweatshirt and just had to buy it. There was also a wicked windbreaker that I bought (there’s a picture a couple of posts down).

We ventured out to this hotel that was supposedly where the boys were staying. We weren’t expecting anything, but it was fun to hang out by the river & look at the hot rowing team. On the way back, we tried to find poster board and happened upon the shelf of ‘Great Tastes of America.’ So funny. We still haven’t found poster board, though.

The trip is starting to slow down, if you couldn’t tell by the lack of pictures. Wednesday was Danielle’s birthday! For her big day, she took an afternoon nap, so kayla and I went shopping in the meantime. 😂 We bought her present consisting of nail clippers and a One Direction gift bag. If you didn’t know, Danielle is disgusted by the sound of nail clippers. Best birthday present ever!