uk

hello folks.

alright, so before we headed off on our big easter trips (nepal, for me), we got a week off for independent travel! when i was considering where to go, i was thinking about how i didn't just want to go somewhere and stay in a hostel and do touristy things, but i wanted to feel comfortable. i have family living in Great Coxwell just 30 minutes outside of Oxford, and i had never had the opportunity to get to know them, so i thought, why not now? i flew into London Heathrow, took the bus to Oxford and was picked up by Lindsay (my second cousin... i think). it was really wonderful, they were so welcoming and friendly, it really felt like i was with Bennetts. i went for a dismal day trip into London, which didn't turn out to be exactly what i was picturing, but that just gives me another excuse to go back i suppose!! it was Easter, so on Sunday we had a big lunch and I got to meet some more family members and then we went for a delightful little walk around Great Coxwell. a really great place. the kind of place i picture myself living in someday. green pastures and gardens galore!

so the original plan after my solo trip there was to go meet a few friends in Dublin. the cheapest option for me was to take the train and then the ferry from Holyhead, so i did just that. i took 5 hours worth of trains to Holyhead and was running into the train station to catch my ferry at the last minute, when i notice that the train station is empty. my ferry had been cancelled and the next one was at 2:40 am. so i had eight hours to kill. i didn't really do anything besides read Dubliners by James Joyce to get myself in the mood and a hell of a lot of people watching. when i finally did get on the ferry, i slept, waking up feeling seasick. i got into Dublin at 6 in the morning, found the hostel and got about 2 hours of sleep before going on a bus tour with my friends and trying to take advantage of the day. everything was perfect, i saw what i needed to see (though i didn't get to go to the guinness factory), did some shopping and then went on a pub crawl that night.

though things didn't go exactly as planned it was a great week with (some) relaxing moments!