I arrived in London today, relatively whole. I had a terrible experience in Dublin yesterday followed by a complete break down. I have decided that traveling to large cities alone is horrible and I will never do it again if I can help it. I can handle the smaller villages and the less extreem accent but not so much Dublin and lets face it, I didn't do well in Cork either. If I hadn't already paid for the rest of my trip, I would have turned around and went home. Obviously, I havent' as I am in London. I am still very proud of myself for hopping on a train from the airport and hoping for the best, not knowing exactly what I was doing. Once I got to Victoria Station, I tried to take a cab to the hotel because yesterday I walked around Dublin for 4 hours and didn't find anything and I didn't want to repeat that. The taxi driver wouldn't take me to the hotel. He told me it was really close. Maybe I am giving up to easy but I didn't think so. I got only slightly lost on my way here but managed to find the closet of a room I have. It is so small that when I go to sleep tonight, I will have to put my luggage in the bathroom; the luggage is currently on my bed.
Tomorrow, I go on a tour to Stonehenge and I am excited about that. Really, I have decided that I will be forever excited about guided tours and people telling where to go and how to get there, even better if they can hold my hand while doing it.
So, a new phase of my trip has begun. As of yet, I am excited about the following things:
1. On my way to Dublin, a local Irish couple told me that I no longer have an american accent but they knew it wasn't Irish.
2. In the Dublin airport, someone from South Africa thought I was Irish (it's helps that I am wearing an Irish T-shirt and told him what the announcement was).
3. I am still alive and I think the stomach virus is slowly moving out.
I really am thinking that worst part of the trip is over. It has to be. If it is not however, I have the phone number for Heather A's uncle and I will not hesitate to use it. I know where the bus station is and I am about to walk there to get a scedule and map so that I can get around a little better.
This trip has been a slap in the face with all the self awareness. I must say, I am not sorry to learn all these things about myself but to learn all your weaknesses in a short time like this it not what I was expecting. But then again, I don't know what my expectations were for this trip.
13 comments:
No wonder your photos and art work are so fabulous. Doesn't the best art, that which has depth and poignancy, often come from loneliness, pain, and self-awareness? You have created superb work, and we here can see that your adventure has been entirely worth it. Hang in there, dear.
Love,
Jan L.
Oh Jo! I am so proud of you for everything! If I could hold your hand for the remainder of the ride I so would. I am with you through your journey!!! I went out and bought a canvas today and some brushes and some paint. Wish me luck! I know I don't have your talent, but you always inspire me. :-)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!! "CHEERS" TO US! We are another year older and another year better! You always wanted to celebrate our birthday without me, I guess you kind of got it, huh? LOL! I bet you'll never say THAT again! Honestly, I really hope that you have a great day and I'll be thinking of you all day long!
Love you!!!!
Julz
Ok...so remember that time I typed you a really long comment and then accidently deleted it before I got to post it...oh wait...that was just now.
I am not going to lie, I have trip envy right now. London is a place for you to do a lot of things that can't be done anywhere else in the world. For example, can you think of anywhere else where grown men will stand and let you insult them without beating the crap out of you? I would highly recommend going to the changing of the guards...it is a real confidence booster.
London was my favorite part of my Europe tour. It is such a culturally diverse place. Just hop on one of the many tour busses and check out the major tourist spots. It will give you some great ideas of things you want to go back and spend more time at.
I just moved out of your house today...I was sad to see it go but I feel that it will be in good hands with Tracy. I gave her strict watering instructions for my grassy knoll. It is the greenest spot in all of St. Cloud right now. Since you are in London, I would like you to purchase a small replica of Stonehenge so that we can erect it in your front yard near the former tree stump.
Have some tea and a scone for me and be sure to stub your toe in a public place so you can yell out bloody hell. Good luck on the last leg of your journey. Something tells me it is will be a great time.
Cheers!
Happy Birthday! Just a bit different from the party last year! Your party this year will be when you return home and share everything with us. Go out there and finish getting more stories and pictures for us to see! I can't wait to be jealous of what you see in London in more than 1 day(that's how quick my tour was). You have to hook Dan with stuff from England so that I can convince him that we need to go.
Enjoy- smile!!!!
Joni,
Traveling like this proves that you have strength, and lots of it. I am sure that traveling alone gives you a lot of self -awareness and maybe shows some of your weaknessess that others may not see, but honestly, I think of you as such a strong person, even BEFORE you left. I am very envious of what you are doing, Joni. And from what I have read from others who love you, everyone is proud of you. You hang in there. Take care!!
Gretchen B.
Heya Girly.HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Yeah, I am not the old one any more! :D So you are in London, one of my all time fave places! Do they still have VAT tax? I went to Camden Market and got 3 pairs of Doc Martins at the Doc store and paid an arm and a leg in tax, so just be aware! I think I paid $100 for the 3 pair and $40 in tax, I was 20, I didn't know any better!
What part of London are you staying in? When I was there we were off of Russel Square and the hotels we stayed in were also teeny teeny tiny, and two of us stayed in rooms about the size of your upstairs bathroom!
Speaking of your house, which is sparkling clean (I cleaned more than Andy, don't let him tell you otherwise, but you would know that anyway...G. Pearl and all that I am!) and handed off to Tracy tonight. Andy and I met with her at around 7:30 tonight and passed off the keys and gave her the 411 about the crazy guy in the gray house and had a UN meeting on if to take the plastic off your windows or not...being that it was almost 90 today and we thought it was a go! I also went into the scary basement (and told her about the wacky step) and showed her where the AC was.
I wish you ate Japanese food, I would send you to this little wacky place that has amazing chicken (I think it was chicken at least)legs that are lime and shrimp flavored. Yes, shrimp flavored chicken...who knows, it was super tasty!
So go to the tower of London if you get a chance, look to see where all of the cool women in Brittan got their heads lobbed off! And then stop to look at the crown jewels, nothing like imperialism to get some nice bling! :)
Have a fab time one the rest of your voyage and have a pint of Carlsberg on your birthday! Maybe a Davidoff too :)
Take care and know that we all miss you and love you and can't wait to hear about all of your adventures.
Oh, this is super funny... Arsenal, Gret and Arnie's cat, licked and tried to eat Andy's hair today. I really hope she puts the pics on FB, it was one of the most bizarre things I have seen thus far in my life! Who knows what is in his hair product!
Hey Jo!
We're back from our long weekend up north and I just got done posting the latest Hanson update. It's late, I'm tired and I didn't even take the time to read your latest adventure (sorry!); HOWEVER, I wanted to wish you HAPPY BIRTHDAY before I went to bed. Being that you are a bit ahead of us - time zone wise - I wanted this to be waiting for you.
I hope you have a great day and are able to celebrate in some wonderful way. I love you, miss you and wish you all things fabulous.
Take care.
Happy Birthday Jo. I hope your day was filled with excitement and joy.
There is definitely nothing wrong with finding out your strengths and weaknesses. It is what makes us, overall, stronger and better individuals.
I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your time there.
Zach
Happy Birthday Joni!
I hope you are find a special way to celebrate your birthday in London. You deserve it! London has always been a place that I want to travel too. I will be excited to see your pictures and hear all about it.
I have been to England 3 times and London only once. I really liked London too. And everyone is very nice and will help you all that you need! What I realized was how crowded it was. What we did was one of the open air bus tours. That way you pay a fee and they take you all over the city. I wish I would have been able to go on the Eye of London but Meme was too scared so we passed it by. I agree with Andy-- stub your toe or drop your bag or something that allows you to say Bloody Hell--- or as my Uncle Billy would say (and this made Meme mad) was Bloody Hell Fire!
Stay strong-- have fun-- Happy Birthday!
Hey Jo! Happy belated birthday! How great is it that you spent your birthday in London? So jealous!
I'm so sorry to hear that your trip has been a bit of a struggle, but as I always say, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". You are someone who always has a good perspective on life, and I assume that's what's helping you through this adventure. Just know that we are all behind you 100% and can't wait to hear your stories! I am proud of you and all you've done on this trip--I'm a big fan of yours!
I'm with Andy and Heather, say "Bloody Hell" at some point on the trip, wear your "jumper" if you're cold, and if someone cuts in front of you in line at the "loo", call him/her a "limey bastard!" Ah, to be British! Have fun!
Happy birthday!!!
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