Drinking Guinness in Dublin = Amazing!

It was quite a nightmare adventure to get to Dublin, but now that I am here I couldn't be happier! I flew Ryanair which is the cheap airline, but it flew out of a different airport in London. I was told it was an hour out of London, but it took my bus over 2 hours to get to the airport. So I missed my flight and had to pay L100 to take the next one :(

But all is well now! Dublin is cool and friendly and there's lots to do! And all that Guinness isn't going to drink itself :) I am staying at a very cool hostel with lots of fun people (though too many Americans). There is an amazing all you can eat breakfast every morning too. I like it so much I booked two more nights here! I took a walking tour of Dublin today with a buddy from high school... and tonight we are doing a pub crawl! I have heard many good things about it, but apparently it is often very difficult to find your way home as you leave the last bar stumbling...

Tomorrow my sister's friend and her husband are going to pick me up and show me around Dublin, which should be really cool as they know the area. My general gameplan is to explore Ireland for a few days after Dublin and make my way up to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Then I will try to take a ferry over to Glasgow, then out to Edinburgh in Scotland if all goes to plan!

So far, I have spent too much money, been late, and gotten lost. But now I am settling in and having an awesome time! I am learning how to live pretty cheap too! Too bad the Guinness is so expensive :( 5.5 euros for a pint! At least at the popular bars... I am posting a couple pictures I took, time for me to get ready for the pub crawl!

-Sean

Landed in London!

Well my adventure has begun with a bang! I volunteered to get bumped to a different flight the following day at the San Fran airport because they were overbooked. But they rejected me because my flight was purchased with Frequent Flyer miles. So what did I get just for volunteering? Free upgrade to Business Class!!! Wow, that was one amazing flight...

I definitely should have planned the beginning of my trip better! It is Wimbledon and London is packed! This is a very expensive city, which I expected. It would have to pay quite a bit to stay here this weekend, so I'm not going to! I fly into Dublin, Ireland tomorrow afternoon and have two nights at a fairly cheap hostel booked for this weekend. I am looking forward to a pint of Guiness with both one of my sister's friends who lives in Dublin with her husband AND one of my high school buddies who's in town, haven't seen him in a long time.

This public transit system is pretty damn complex, though I am figuring it out. I will be back in London in a few weeks, so I definitely don't feel like I'm missing anything by taking off tomorrow. I don't really get jetlagged at all, took one nice shower and I am ready for the trip to begin! I am going to go explore London tonight, then get ready for a fantastic time in Dublin. The Guiness awaits....

Prepping to leave in 2 days!

As promised, I am starting a blog for all friends, family members, and other interested parties to follow me along on my travels as I backpack through Europe for 4 months!

I will be sure to update this blog every couple of days or so using my newly purchased netbook. I will include pics as well for those who want to live vicariously through me.

I fly into London this Wednesday, the 24th!

-Sean