Alcohol of the Day: Carlsberg (I know, I'm being unoriginal but there were limited choices)
It's the penultimate day for us here in London. We're running out of time, energy, and money (sort of). But, we press forward. As the British say, keep calm and carry on.
I've been having issues getting to the events on time. This mostly has to do with me having no idea how long it will take to get from here to anywhere, especially on the Tube, and even more especially after getting off the Tube. A lot of the venues, particularly ExCel, are a fair jaunt from the station. It's really well marked with both signs and people, but it's discouraging when you've been walking for ten minutes and you come across a sign or a person that says you're ten minutes away and your event started fifteen minutes ago.
When we got to the table tennis arena, we heard a loud cheer and then people started walking in the opposite direction. It turns out that we had missed the first quarterfinal of the session. That was unbelievable, given that we were about 25-30 minutes late. The second match was an amazingly close one, with the German guy leading 2-0 and the Danish guy coming back and winning 2 sets in a row, and then winning the fifth. We thought it was over, but then we found out that it's best out of 7, which means that in the first match, one of the guys must have crushed the other (and he did: I looked it up later, and the guy from Chinese Taipei, AKA Taiwan, demolished the Romanian guy). The German took the 6th set, so it was down to the last which the German won.
The most interesting part of the match was the audience. The Danish guy, Michael Maze, had the loudest cheering section up front. They would sing and clap between most of the points. And they were really coordinated, singing one song and then a different one. They had a relatively large repertoire, and the reason why I remember the guy's name is because they repeated it over and over and over again. I think it got to the point where the German's fans tried to chime in but they were less impressive. Not to mention the fact that I had no idea what either of them were saying.
"I had a way then losing it all on my own"
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
A Fencing Filibuster
Alcohol of the Day: Magners (it's become my new favourite)
There's something about the events I chose to see. There's been controversy everywhere. If we had gotten the tickets in time to see the Glasgow football match, we would have seen the North Korean protest about the wrong flag.
Tonight we saw fencing, specifically the women's individual epee. And in the second semifinal match, there was more controversy, this time involving the South Koreans. It was between the South Korean girl and the German girl. It was a really close match, and in the end after an extra minute to settle the tied score, there was a technical issue with the clock. It was stuck at 1 second left, which allowed the German more time to score the winning point against the South Korean. We were all wondering how they could have drawn three times in that 1 second, and the South Korean girl was gesturing something to the referee. When the German scored, the South Korean girl took off her mask and started to cry. Her coach was irate. It took a while for the officials to decide what to do, and then they decided to award the win to the German. That's when the South Korean decided to hold the equivalent of a filibuster.
By refusing to leave the piste, she was officially indicating that she didn't agree with the decision. This is totally within the rules of fencing, apparently. Meanwhile, her coach and other South Korean athletic officials launched a protest. The thing was, it had to be in writing. So we all waited while she sat there on the piste and cried some more. The camera guy was trained on her the entire time. Some might think that she was being a sore loser. That would be true if she had actually lost fair and square. But when you lose due to some kind of technical malfunction, then that's not cool.
The announcer kept us informed, including the fact that some kind of payment had to accompany the official letter of protest, and so they were in the process of scraping together some cash, or something. The whole thing delayed the medal rounds by about an hour and a half, and at the end they had to escort her off the piste, which was pretty harsh. And THEN she had a few minutes to get it together and face the Chinese girl in the bronze medal round. By then, everyone (well, except maybe the Chinese) were supporting her, cheering loudly every time the piste lit up green, which signals that she scored a point. But in the end, she lost to the Chinese girl 15-11. So, instead of winning a gold or silver, she got nothing.
I felt so badly for her, and then I felt badly for the referees, who were booed when they were being introduced at the start of the match. It really had nothing to do with them, and booing is just poor form. Still, I felt a little better when the Ukrainian girl beat the German girl and won the gold.
"Light up, light up, as if you have a choice"
There's something about the events I chose to see. There's been controversy everywhere. If we had gotten the tickets in time to see the Glasgow football match, we would have seen the North Korean protest about the wrong flag.
Tonight we saw fencing, specifically the women's individual epee. And in the second semifinal match, there was more controversy, this time involving the South Koreans. It was between the South Korean girl and the German girl. It was a really close match, and in the end after an extra minute to settle the tied score, there was a technical issue with the clock. It was stuck at 1 second left, which allowed the German more time to score the winning point against the South Korean. We were all wondering how they could have drawn three times in that 1 second, and the South Korean girl was gesturing something to the referee. When the German scored, the South Korean girl took off her mask and started to cry. Her coach was irate. It took a while for the officials to decide what to do, and then they decided to award the win to the German. That's when the South Korean decided to hold the equivalent of a filibuster.
By refusing to leave the piste, she was officially indicating that she didn't agree with the decision. This is totally within the rules of fencing, apparently. Meanwhile, her coach and other South Korean athletic officials launched a protest. The thing was, it had to be in writing. So we all waited while she sat there on the piste and cried some more. The camera guy was trained on her the entire time. Some might think that she was being a sore loser. That would be true if she had actually lost fair and square. But when you lose due to some kind of technical malfunction, then that's not cool.
The announcer kept us informed, including the fact that some kind of payment had to accompany the official letter of protest, and so they were in the process of scraping together some cash, or something. The whole thing delayed the medal rounds by about an hour and a half, and at the end they had to escort her off the piste, which was pretty harsh. And THEN she had a few minutes to get it together and face the Chinese girl in the bronze medal round. By then, everyone (well, except maybe the Chinese) were supporting her, cheering loudly every time the piste lit up green, which signals that she scored a point. But in the end, she lost to the Chinese girl 15-11. So, instead of winning a gold or silver, she got nothing.
I felt so badly for her, and then I felt badly for the referees, who were booed when they were being introduced at the start of the match. It really had nothing to do with them, and booing is just poor form. Still, I felt a little better when the Ukrainian girl beat the German girl and won the gold.
"Light up, light up, as if you have a choice"
Sunday, July 29, 2012
If Soccer And Basketball Had A Baby...
Alcohol of the Day: Peroni
...that's what handball is. Actually, it kind of includes ice hockey too. They pass the ball to each other either by throwing or bouncing. They can only travel for a few steps or three seconds. They can dribble the ball but if they stop, they have 3 seconds to pass or shoot. There are penalty shots, yellow cards, and suspensions (usually for two minutes). They have an unlimited number of fouls, so full body contact is encouraged. And it's an incredibly fast game. Observe:
Oh yeah, somehow we got seats directly behind the goal. I flinched once when the ball flew over the goal and into the protective netting.
By the way, Olympic Park is as nice as it appears on TV. And they have the largest McDonald's I've ever seen.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down"
...that's what handball is. Actually, it kind of includes ice hockey too. They pass the ball to each other either by throwing or bouncing. They can only travel for a few steps or three seconds. They can dribble the ball but if they stop, they have 3 seconds to pass or shoot. There are penalty shots, yellow cards, and suspensions (usually for two minutes). They have an unlimited number of fouls, so full body contact is encouraged. And it's an incredibly fast game. Observe:
Oh yeah, somehow we got seats directly behind the goal. I flinched once when the ball flew over the goal and into the protective netting.
By the way, Olympic Park is as nice as it appears on TV. And they have the largest McDonald's I've ever seen.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down"
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Some Close Calls
Alcohol of the Day: Pimm's
It was a little dicey today for travelling. Breakfast took longer than we expected, and there were no taxis available, so we had to sprint to the station to catch our train to London. I had two minutes to pick up our tickets and jump onto the train. Luckily, we made it and now we're here!
Then, once we had found my brother's friend's flat, I took off to the ticket agent will call office to sort out this craziness with my tickets. I still hadn't heard a word from them so my worst fear was that they had mailed the tickets to Glasgow after all.
Once I got there, I queued up for a little while, then when I got to the desk I told my sad story. They took me to "the theatre", which was a waiting area for people who were having issues. I saw maybe 10 or so people sitting around while agents were running in and out of a door. A woman came and wrote down my issues and went through the door. I was sitting in front of a guy wearing a Blue Jays cap, so I knew immediately that he's from Toronto. I asked him how long he'd been waiting, and he told me that this was his fifth time in the waiting room in the last six days. It would appear that the entire thing is an organizational nightmare, and they had messed up his order and so far were just unable to get it fixed. Today, he had come to the office early. They sent him off saying that they would call him when they found his tickets. He hung around the area for a little while before heading back to his house (he lives in London). Then he found a message from them saying that they had his tickets, so he went all the way back. He got his tickets just before I got there at around 1:00, but there was one set of tickets for mens' swimming that had already happened this morning. So now he was waiting to find out what they could do for him.
The scary thing was that while he's been waiting for the past six days, he'd been hearing a lot of stories that were even worse than his. There was a guy from New York who'd found out the other day that his tickets had been mailed to New York the day before. He had to call someone quickly to go and pick up the package and send it back immediately. A family of four from Sydney had arrived and their tickets weren't here and the mother became so frustrated that she burst into tears. For the Toronto Guy, he found out earlier that the tickets he had requested to be mailed to his house were mailed to another person with the same name as him in the US. So now I was getting really nervous. There was a reason why nobody was answering my calls and e-mails.
Finally, after a little more waiting, and after the Toronto Guy had resolved his swimming tickets issue, they came out with my tickets. Everything was there, which was a relief, and the only problem I had was that they had given me two badminton tickets that were not together. They tried to find seats that were next to each other, but they didn't have any left. I figured it was okay, since we were only separated by four seats and will probably be able to work out a switch at the venue. It could have been worse. Toronto Guy had two tickets that were separated by four sections.
"I told ya I was trouble, you know that I'm no good"
It was a little dicey today for travelling. Breakfast took longer than we expected, and there were no taxis available, so we had to sprint to the station to catch our train to London. I had two minutes to pick up our tickets and jump onto the train. Luckily, we made it and now we're here!
Then, once we had found my brother's friend's flat, I took off to the ticket agent will call office to sort out this craziness with my tickets. I still hadn't heard a word from them so my worst fear was that they had mailed the tickets to Glasgow after all.
Once I got there, I queued up for a little while, then when I got to the desk I told my sad story. They took me to "the theatre", which was a waiting area for people who were having issues. I saw maybe 10 or so people sitting around while agents were running in and out of a door. A woman came and wrote down my issues and went through the door. I was sitting in front of a guy wearing a Blue Jays cap, so I knew immediately that he's from Toronto. I asked him how long he'd been waiting, and he told me that this was his fifth time in the waiting room in the last six days. It would appear that the entire thing is an organizational nightmare, and they had messed up his order and so far were just unable to get it fixed. Today, he had come to the office early. They sent him off saying that they would call him when they found his tickets. He hung around the area for a little while before heading back to his house (he lives in London). Then he found a message from them saying that they had his tickets, so he went all the way back. He got his tickets just before I got there at around 1:00, but there was one set of tickets for mens' swimming that had already happened this morning. So now he was waiting to find out what they could do for him.
The scary thing was that while he's been waiting for the past six days, he'd been hearing a lot of stories that were even worse than his. There was a guy from New York who'd found out the other day that his tickets had been mailed to New York the day before. He had to call someone quickly to go and pick up the package and send it back immediately. A family of four from Sydney had arrived and their tickets weren't here and the mother became so frustrated that she burst into tears. For the Toronto Guy, he found out earlier that the tickets he had requested to be mailed to his house were mailed to another person with the same name as him in the US. So now I was getting really nervous. There was a reason why nobody was answering my calls and e-mails.
Finally, after a little more waiting, and after the Toronto Guy had resolved his swimming tickets issue, they came out with my tickets. Everything was there, which was a relief, and the only problem I had was that they had given me two badminton tickets that were not together. They tried to find seats that were next to each other, but they didn't have any left. I figured it was okay, since we were only separated by four seats and will probably be able to work out a switch at the venue. It could have been worse. Toronto Guy had two tickets that were separated by four sections.
"I told ya I was trouble, you know that I'm no good"
Friday, July 27, 2012
If Only I Had A Hat
Alcohol of the Day: John Smith's Extra Smooth
It's finally here. They didn't have a public screen set up in York to watch the opening ceremony, so our choices were to find an available pub with TV screens, or watch it in our room. But wait...
We found out that not only was there going to be horseracing here in York this weekend, but that there were going to be races tonight, and they were going to show the ceremony on big screens for everyone to see. At first, I was hesitant to go because I had absolutely nothing appropriate to wear for an evening at the races. If only I had a hat! But as it turned out, you only needed to dress up in the grandstand. In the infield, or the course enclosure as they call it, you can wear whatever you like. You can even bring a picnic. So we hopped on a shuttle bus and made our way to the York Racecourse.
The English take their horse races seriously. There were people in the enclosure who were dressed up. Men in suits, women with fascinators and high heels (even on the turf). Of course, we couldn't just sit there and watch the races. My brother made some cautious bets, and of the five of six races that he bet on, he won three times. It was funny because of the horses he chose to place, two of them actually won. So in the end, he only lost a couple of pounds, which isn't too bad.
After the races, they had an 80's music showcase. But as 9:00pm approached, it didn't seem like they were going to show the ceremony yet because the concert was still going on. Also, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up, so it was getting really chilly. After a few minutes, we decided to just head back to the hotel. We missed the first half hour but it sounds like there were some good moments in the beginning. I guess I'll have to YouTube it later, if it doesn't repeat ad nauseum on TV.
But now it's time for sleep. Tomorrow, we're London bound.
"There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply"
It's finally here. They didn't have a public screen set up in York to watch the opening ceremony, so our choices were to find an available pub with TV screens, or watch it in our room. But wait...
We found out that not only was there going to be horseracing here in York this weekend, but that there were going to be races tonight, and they were going to show the ceremony on big screens for everyone to see. At first, I was hesitant to go because I had absolutely nothing appropriate to wear for an evening at the races. If only I had a hat! But as it turned out, you only needed to dress up in the grandstand. In the infield, or the course enclosure as they call it, you can wear whatever you like. You can even bring a picnic. So we hopped on a shuttle bus and made our way to the York Racecourse.
The English take their horse races seriously. There were people in the enclosure who were dressed up. Men in suits, women with fascinators and high heels (even on the turf). Of course, we couldn't just sit there and watch the races. My brother made some cautious bets, and of the five of six races that he bet on, he won three times. It was funny because of the horses he chose to place, two of them actually won. So in the end, he only lost a couple of pounds, which isn't too bad.
After the races, they had an 80's music showcase. But as 9:00pm approached, it didn't seem like they were going to show the ceremony yet because the concert was still going on. Also, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up, so it was getting really chilly. After a few minutes, we decided to just head back to the hotel. We missed the first half hour but it sounds like there were some good moments in the beginning. I guess I'll have to YouTube it later, if it doesn't repeat ad nauseum on TV.
But now it's time for sleep. Tomorrow, we're London bound.
"There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply"
Thursday, July 26, 2012
A River Runs Through All Of Them
Alcohol of the Day: Strongbow
York - our last stop before London. It occurred to me that this leg of the trip has turned into the William Wallace tour of the UK. I've been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and now York. Well, okay maybe the York thing wasn't historically accurate, but it was a memorable part of the movie.
As we walked around York this afternoon, I realized that there was a river running through all of the cities we've been to: the Liffey in Dublin, the Lagen in Belfast, the Clyde in Glasgow, and now the Ouse in York. And, of course, the Thames later on. They all have a really brown tinge to them, but we did see a seal pop its head out of the water in Belfast, so they're not totally devoid of life. And strangely there weren't a lot of boats in the water, other than the Clyde and the Ouse.
Anyway, you be the judge:
"But if you're too big to follow rivers, how you ever gonna find the seas"
York - our last stop before London. It occurred to me that this leg of the trip has turned into the William Wallace tour of the UK. I've been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and now York. Well, okay maybe the York thing wasn't historically accurate, but it was a memorable part of the movie.
As we walked around York this afternoon, I realized that there was a river running through all of the cities we've been to: the Liffey in Dublin, the Lagen in Belfast, the Clyde in Glasgow, and now the Ouse in York. And, of course, the Thames later on. They all have a really brown tinge to them, but we did see a seal pop its head out of the water in Belfast, so they're not totally devoid of life. And strangely there weren't a lot of boats in the water, other than the Clyde and the Ouse.
Anyway, you be the judge:
Liffey
Lagen
Clyde
Ouse
"But if you're too big to follow rivers, how you ever gonna find the seas"
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Making Sense
Alcohol of the Day: Samuel Smith's Organic Wheat Beer
It was the nicest day ever so far. It was even...dare I say it...hot. I wore my Coldplay t-shirt as a symbol of me missing the concert back home. I was so sad when I found out that they would be in town when I wasn't. It would be the first one I've missed in the past five years or so (I've been to the last 3 concerts). But, as my coworker said to me, "I don't feel sorry for you."
So, I've stayed optimistic up to the very last moment, but unfortunately I've had to miss the first Olympics event. I bought tickets to the women's football match for today in Glasgow (US vs. France and North Korea vs. Colombia). Because of a SNAFU, the North American ticket agent that I bought the tickets from weren't able to mail the tickets to me. I have to pick them up from the Will Call office in London. The problem is that the office wasn't open when I was in London. And even then, I was in London for about 2 hours between flights, so there wouldn't have been a chance to get them anyway. I've been trying to get them to send the tickets to my hotel in Glasgow, but there was just no response. Oh well. I'll have to deal with them once I get there. It turns out that we didn't miss too much anyway, other than the hour-long delay at the beginning the North Korea-Colombia game when the North Korean players refused to start the match because they had displayed the South Korean flag next to their names. I can appreciate why they'd be upset. A bunch of people have asked me if I'm American.
While wandering around the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum, we tried to make sense of the layout. It was kind of confusing, transitioning from art to displays about nature to archeology to technology and then back to art. It was a nice building, but we just didn't get what they were doing.
Why does everything close at 6:00 pm in Glasgow?? The cultural things close around 5:00, which is pretty typical. But then you only have an hour or so to check out the shops and then it's done for the day. I guess the only thing left to do is eat and/or drink, but you can only do either for so long.
"Took a car downtown and took what they offered me"
It was the nicest day ever so far. It was even...dare I say it...hot. I wore my Coldplay t-shirt as a symbol of me missing the concert back home. I was so sad when I found out that they would be in town when I wasn't. It would be the first one I've missed in the past five years or so (I've been to the last 3 concerts). But, as my coworker said to me, "I don't feel sorry for you."
So, I've stayed optimistic up to the very last moment, but unfortunately I've had to miss the first Olympics event. I bought tickets to the women's football match for today in Glasgow (US vs. France and North Korea vs. Colombia). Because of a SNAFU, the North American ticket agent that I bought the tickets from weren't able to mail the tickets to me. I have to pick them up from the Will Call office in London. The problem is that the office wasn't open when I was in London. And even then, I was in London for about 2 hours between flights, so there wouldn't have been a chance to get them anyway. I've been trying to get them to send the tickets to my hotel in Glasgow, but there was just no response. Oh well. I'll have to deal with them once I get there. It turns out that we didn't miss too much anyway, other than the hour-long delay at the beginning the North Korea-Colombia game when the North Korean players refused to start the match because they had displayed the South Korean flag next to their names. I can appreciate why they'd be upset. A bunch of people have asked me if I'm American.
While wandering around the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum, we tried to make sense of the layout. It was kind of confusing, transitioning from art to displays about nature to archeology to technology and then back to art. It was a nice building, but we just didn't get what they were doing.
Why does everything close at 6:00 pm in Glasgow?? The cultural things close around 5:00, which is pretty typical. But then you only have an hour or so to check out the shops and then it's done for the day. I guess the only thing left to do is eat and/or drink, but you can only do either for so long.
"Took a car downtown and took what they offered me"
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Castle of Aaauuuggghhh
Alcohol of the Day: Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
We took a tour up to the Highlands. We started out with six people, but three of them switched buses at Stirling Castle because they were going on a two-day tour. So basically it was the two of us and an Australian girl named Amy for the whole tour, with our tour guide Jaime.
Stirling Castle was pretty cool but we dawdled a bit at the beginning so we didn't really have a chance to see everything. The view was spectacular, which included a clear sight of the Wallace Monument. After Stirling, we made an unscheduled stop at Doune Castle, where scenes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" were filmed. Actually, due to budget constraints, they used the castle to represent four different castles in the movie. They just shot it from different angles. It's not just the coconuts.
We drove through the Trossachs and stopped at Aberfoyle for lunch before heading to Loch Lomond. I've had the song in my head for weeks and weeks in anticipation of seeing it. While it wasn't something wholly spectacular, it is the largest lake (in surface area) in Scotland, so it was something. And the history of the song turned out to be kind of sad.
Our last stop was to take a tour at the Glengoyne Distillery. We sampled 10- and 17-year-old scotch. I'm not usually a scotch drinker, but I have to say that it was really smooth. I could get used to this.
"You take the high road and I'll take the low road"
We took a tour up to the Highlands. We started out with six people, but three of them switched buses at Stirling Castle because they were going on a two-day tour. So basically it was the two of us and an Australian girl named Amy for the whole tour, with our tour guide Jaime.
Stirling Castle was pretty cool but we dawdled a bit at the beginning so we didn't really have a chance to see everything. The view was spectacular, which included a clear sight of the Wallace Monument. After Stirling, we made an unscheduled stop at Doune Castle, where scenes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" were filmed. Actually, due to budget constraints, they used the castle to represent four different castles in the movie. They just shot it from different angles. It's not just the coconuts.
We drove through the Trossachs and stopped at Aberfoyle for lunch before heading to Loch Lomond. I've had the song in my head for weeks and weeks in anticipation of seeing it. While it wasn't something wholly spectacular, it is the largest lake (in surface area) in Scotland, so it was something. And the history of the song turned out to be kind of sad.
Our last stop was to take a tour at the Glengoyne Distillery. We sampled 10- and 17-year-old scotch. I'm not usually a scotch drinker, but I have to say that it was really smooth. I could get used to this.
"You take the high road and I'll take the low road"
Monday, July 23, 2012
Scottish Mist
Alcohol of the Day: Weston's Organic Cider
It doesn't really fall on you, it just floats around in the air. And it's constant. Then someone turns on the tap and it just pours down.
We were in Edinburgh today for a day trip. If the weather were a bit better, we probably could have seen more. But we had to settle for Edinburgh Castle, which was pretty impressive, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse to call on the Queen but she wasn't home.
We walked around Old Town and New Town as much as possible but it was hard to take any decent photos. Plus we were on the verge of saturation.
While we were waiting for the train to come back to Glasgow, we met an elderly lady who needed a little help because her eyesight wasn't that great. There had been some kind of mix-up and she had taken the wrong train, so now she wanted to make sure she was transferring to the right train this time. She was really nice, and she said her name was McTavish, which apparently is an uncommon name but also one that they commonly use at the start of jokes. We chatted for a while because the train was late. It turns out that she was the first female to umpire at centre court at Wimbledon. I looked it up when we got back to the room and there was her name, Catherine McTavish. And, kind of ironically, it was in 1979. Why does this keep happening to me? I keep accidentally encountering famous women at the Olympics...
Tomorrow, we hit the Highlands.
"We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor"
It doesn't really fall on you, it just floats around in the air. And it's constant. Then someone turns on the tap and it just pours down.
We were in Edinburgh today for a day trip. If the weather were a bit better, we probably could have seen more. But we had to settle for Edinburgh Castle, which was pretty impressive, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse to call on the Queen but she wasn't home.
We walked around Old Town and New Town as much as possible but it was hard to take any decent photos. Plus we were on the verge of saturation.
While we were waiting for the train to come back to Glasgow, we met an elderly lady who needed a little help because her eyesight wasn't that great. There had been some kind of mix-up and she had taken the wrong train, so now she wanted to make sure she was transferring to the right train this time. She was really nice, and she said her name was McTavish, which apparently is an uncommon name but also one that they commonly use at the start of jokes. We chatted for a while because the train was late. It turns out that she was the first female to umpire at centre court at Wimbledon. I looked it up when we got back to the room and there was her name, Catherine McTavish. And, kind of ironically, it was in 1979. Why does this keep happening to me? I keep accidentally encountering famous women at the Olympics...
Tomorrow, we hit the Highlands.
"We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor"
Sunday, July 22, 2012
More Calamity Involving My Feet
Alcohol of the Day: Kingfisher (I'll explain...)
Okay, so I was one of those people who saw "Titanic" not once, not twice, but four times at the theatre. And once on a six-storey tall IMAX screen. Looking back, I can't really explain why. Now, I think it was because it was just so ironically sad. Not the fictional love story, but just the whole situation. We all knew how it was going to end. It's like "Apollo 13". The climax wasn't really climactic.
We went to the new Titanic Belfast museum in the Titanic Quarter. They built it right on the slipway where the ship was launched. It looks small from the outside, and from above it looks like a white star. But inside, they packed a lot of stuff in, and the majority of the exhibit has nothing to do with the sinking. So many touchscreens, so state-of-the-art...including a 6-minute cable-car ride. By the end of it, the geek in me was even more sad. The engineering of the thing was really impressive. If only...
Oh yeah, and it reminded me that my parents had just landed in London a couple of days ago and got on their cruise boat in Southampton. More irony.
That was pretty much it for Belfast. Yeah, we didn't fit in too many things, but we walked a lot. There's two reasons for this: 1) it's a pretty walkable city, and 2) I had no idea how to navigate the bus system. But walking was fine, until it started to hurt today. I pressed on, thinking that it was just because my feet had swelled and my shoes were a little tight. And yes, my feet had swelled, but it caused toes to rub together the wrong way during the walking and I found out later that I was bleeding. Those who saw me a few weeks ago know that I had issues with my right foot stemming from infected bug bites and swelling (again). This time it was my left, so at least it's balanced.
After the quickest flight ever (we started landing after 10 minutes in the air), we're now in soggy Glasgow. Upon the recommendation of the cabbie and my guide book, we had dinner down the street from our hotel at Mother India (hence the Kingfisher). Who would have thought I'd be eating Indian in Glasgow?
"But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more"
Okay, so I was one of those people who saw "Titanic" not once, not twice, but four times at the theatre. And once on a six-storey tall IMAX screen. Looking back, I can't really explain why. Now, I think it was because it was just so ironically sad. Not the fictional love story, but just the whole situation. We all knew how it was going to end. It's like "Apollo 13". The climax wasn't really climactic.
We went to the new Titanic Belfast museum in the Titanic Quarter. They built it right on the slipway where the ship was launched. It looks small from the outside, and from above it looks like a white star. But inside, they packed a lot of stuff in, and the majority of the exhibit has nothing to do with the sinking. So many touchscreens, so state-of-the-art...including a 6-minute cable-car ride. By the end of it, the geek in me was even more sad. The engineering of the thing was really impressive. If only...
Oh yeah, and it reminded me that my parents had just landed in London a couple of days ago and got on their cruise boat in Southampton. More irony.
That was pretty much it for Belfast. Yeah, we didn't fit in too many things, but we walked a lot. There's two reasons for this: 1) it's a pretty walkable city, and 2) I had no idea how to navigate the bus system. But walking was fine, until it started to hurt today. I pressed on, thinking that it was just because my feet had swelled and my shoes were a little tight. And yes, my feet had swelled, but it caused toes to rub together the wrong way during the walking and I found out later that I was bleeding. Those who saw me a few weeks ago know that I had issues with my right foot stemming from infected bug bites and swelling (again). This time it was my left, so at least it's balanced.
After the quickest flight ever (we started landing after 10 minutes in the air), we're now in soggy Glasgow. Upon the recommendation of the cabbie and my guide book, we had dinner down the street from our hotel at Mother India (hence the Kingfisher). Who would have thought I'd be eating Indian in Glasgow?
"But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more"
Saturday, July 21, 2012
In the Land of Giants
Alcohol of the Day: Magners Irish Cider
Today's travels took us to the Giant's Causeway, a 90 minute bus ride outside of Belfast, but the way the bus driver was going it took us less than that. The legend is that the giant Finn MacCool built the causeway from Ireland to Scotland to fight another giant. But anyway, the geological formations were pretty awesome and, more importantly, easy to climb onto despite repeated warnings of risk.
The interesting thing is that similar formations can be found in Scotland. I would never have checked this out had it not been for my Irish coworker. Thanks for the tip Seamus!
Tomorrow, my heart will go on...
"Ordinary people like you and me, we're the builders of their destiny"
Today's travels took us to the Giant's Causeway, a 90 minute bus ride outside of Belfast, but the way the bus driver was going it took us less than that. The legend is that the giant Finn MacCool built the causeway from Ireland to Scotland to fight another giant. But anyway, the geological formations were pretty awesome and, more importantly, easy to climb onto despite repeated warnings of risk.
The interesting thing is that similar formations can be found in Scotland. I would never have checked this out had it not been for my Irish coworker. Thanks for the tip Seamus!
Tomorrow, my heart will go on...
"Ordinary people like you and me, we're the builders of their destiny"
Friday, July 20, 2012
Encounters With Young People
Alcohol of the Day: None (at least not for me)
Our B&B in Dublin is situated steps from the Aviva Stadium, home of the Irish rugby union team and the national football team. So, naturally, we thought it would be interesting to take a tour. We walked around half of the perimeter and couldn't find an open entrance. We went back to our B&B to see if they knew how to get in. They called the stadium to see if it was too late to take the tour and found out that, since they're setting up for the Madonna concert that was taking place in a few days, they're not doing any tours right now. Well boo. But it was likely for the best, because they had the Bruce Springsteen concert there the day we arrived, so it was probable that there wouldn't be much to see in terms of a pitch anyway. Just a bare floor and sound and lighting equipment everywhere.
Our consolation prize was to try and get to Croke Park Stadium north of the city centre in time for their first tour. We made it again with less than a minute to spare. The tour group was fairly large, half of which appeared to be a group of special needs kids and their chaperones. They added some colour to this experience (random statements, some frantic gestures, a lot of enthusiam, etc.). This tour was pretty impressive. They showed a behind-the-scenes video of the facility during championship matches. This stadium hosts the amateur gaelic football and hurling teams. Yeah, I have no idea either. Both games appear to be strange combinations of other sports (gaelic football is like football, rugby, and North American football, while hurling is like field hockey, football, and polo without the horses). But the stadium holds 82,500 spectators, which for amateur sport is fairly amazing. We got to walk through the tunnels, see the dressing rooms, walk out beside the pitch, sit in the announcers' booths, and check out a VIP box. They kept throwing names out that I had never heard of before, but it was kind of cool that the Australian tourist's cousin played on the same team as the tour guide's father.
Later in the day, we took the train from Dublin to Belfast. Our car was packed with college kids who were apparently on an ultimate frisbee team and were going to Belfast for a tournament. They were also incredibly well stocked. I don't know if I've ever seen this much alcohol outside of a liquor store. Well, okay maybe, but the speed and quantity that was consumed on a two-hour train ride was staggering. They were nice and all, but it made for a loud journey.
"The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload"
Our B&B in Dublin is situated steps from the Aviva Stadium, home of the Irish rugby union team and the national football team. So, naturally, we thought it would be interesting to take a tour. We walked around half of the perimeter and couldn't find an open entrance. We went back to our B&B to see if they knew how to get in. They called the stadium to see if it was too late to take the tour and found out that, since they're setting up for the Madonna concert that was taking place in a few days, they're not doing any tours right now. Well boo. But it was likely for the best, because they had the Bruce Springsteen concert there the day we arrived, so it was probable that there wouldn't be much to see in terms of a pitch anyway. Just a bare floor and sound and lighting equipment everywhere.
Our consolation prize was to try and get to Croke Park Stadium north of the city centre in time for their first tour. We made it again with less than a minute to spare. The tour group was fairly large, half of which appeared to be a group of special needs kids and their chaperones. They added some colour to this experience (random statements, some frantic gestures, a lot of enthusiam, etc.). This tour was pretty impressive. They showed a behind-the-scenes video of the facility during championship matches. This stadium hosts the amateur gaelic football and hurling teams. Yeah, I have no idea either. Both games appear to be strange combinations of other sports (gaelic football is like football, rugby, and North American football, while hurling is like field hockey, football, and polo without the horses). But the stadium holds 82,500 spectators, which for amateur sport is fairly amazing. We got to walk through the tunnels, see the dressing rooms, walk out beside the pitch, sit in the announcers' booths, and check out a VIP box. They kept throwing names out that I had never heard of before, but it was kind of cool that the Australian tourist's cousin played on the same team as the tour guide's father.
Later in the day, we took the train from Dublin to Belfast. Our car was packed with college kids who were apparently on an ultimate frisbee team and were going to Belfast for a tournament. They were also incredibly well stocked. I don't know if I've ever seen this much alcohol outside of a liquor store. Well, okay maybe, but the speed and quantity that was consumed on a two-hour train ride was staggering. They were nice and all, but it made for a loud journey.
"The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload"
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Things I've Noticed About Dublin
Alcohol of the Day: Jameson Whiskey
First things first - to continue from yesterday, here are a few images:
And here are a few from today:
As we walked all over Dublin city centre today, I realized that I was hearing a lot of different languages being spoken. Particularly French and Spanish. Not a lot of English, not even with the Irish accent.
We were on two different tours today, one at Dublin Castle and one at Old Jameson Distillery, and both of those tours were led by girls with names that I've never heard of before, that were somewhat easy to pronounce but I'm sure I have no idea how to spell. Actually, I can't really remember them right now.
When parallel parking on the road, you can park in any direction you like. Even if it means facing into traffic. I haven't seen this parking technique executed yet, and it baffles me. It also confuses me further when it comes to the direction of traffic in general.
My brother still can't used to the fact that there's daylight past 9:00pm.
It appears that I'm not the only one who's not very impressed with the Dublin bus system. We'll find out what the DART train is like tomorrow. Yeah, two different transit systems...
Last day in Dublin tomorrow. Onward to Belfast.
"And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again"
First things first - to continue from yesterday, here are a few images:
And here are a few from today:
As we walked all over Dublin city centre today, I realized that I was hearing a lot of different languages being spoken. Particularly French and Spanish. Not a lot of English, not even with the Irish accent.
We were on two different tours today, one at Dublin Castle and one at Old Jameson Distillery, and both of those tours were led by girls with names that I've never heard of before, that were somewhat easy to pronounce but I'm sure I have no idea how to spell. Actually, I can't really remember them right now.
When parallel parking on the road, you can park in any direction you like. Even if it means facing into traffic. I haven't seen this parking technique executed yet, and it baffles me. It also confuses me further when it comes to the direction of traffic in general.
My brother still can't used to the fact that there's daylight past 9:00pm.
It appears that I'm not the only one who's not very impressed with the Dublin bus system. We'll find out what the DART train is like tomorrow. Yeah, two different transit systems...
Last day in Dublin tomorrow. Onward to Belfast.
"And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again"
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Glorious Relief
Alcohol of the Day: Guinness (what else?!)
Welcome new readers! And so begins the tour.
Be forewarned: I've been mostly awake for the past 36 hours, so if it starts to go downhill, that would be why.
Getting to Dublin was relatively uneventful. What was great for both me and my brother was stepping outside and feeling glorious relief. For me, I was coming from a place where the humidity made it feel like 43 degrees Celsius. For him, he was coming from a place where the overnight low was 30 degrees Celsius. It was as though we could breathe again.
Not only that, but it rained. A number of times, actually. It felt SO good...
So despite the fact that we were both rather jetlagged, we just plowed forward after dropping our bags off in our room and made our way directly to the Guinness Storehouse. Well, not directly per se. We have yet to get the hang of the Dublin Bus system. We made it minutes before 7:00pm, which was the last admission time. We went through the history of Guinness pretty quickly, then headed up to the Gravity Bar for our free pint before last call. Very refreshing, but given that I hadn't eaten a proper meal in about 12 hours, it didn't sit quite right.
We headed to Temple Bar to have a late dinner, and for some reason I decided to order a Beamish (I couldn't finish it). And then had a Bailey's coffee afterwards (it was free). So yeah, not tipsy but not feeling that great.
I have photos but I really can't do much more posting right now. I'll catch up tomorrow.
"I know I've felt like this before, but now I'm feeling it even more"
Welcome new readers! And so begins the tour.
Be forewarned: I've been mostly awake for the past 36 hours, so if it starts to go downhill, that would be why.
Getting to Dublin was relatively uneventful. What was great for both me and my brother was stepping outside and feeling glorious relief. For me, I was coming from a place where the humidity made it feel like 43 degrees Celsius. For him, he was coming from a place where the overnight low was 30 degrees Celsius. It was as though we could breathe again.
Not only that, but it rained. A number of times, actually. It felt SO good...
So despite the fact that we were both rather jetlagged, we just plowed forward after dropping our bags off in our room and made our way directly to the Guinness Storehouse. Well, not directly per se. We have yet to get the hang of the Dublin Bus system. We made it minutes before 7:00pm, which was the last admission time. We went through the history of Guinness pretty quickly, then headed up to the Gravity Bar for our free pint before last call. Very refreshing, but given that I hadn't eaten a proper meal in about 12 hours, it didn't sit quite right.
We headed to Temple Bar to have a late dinner, and for some reason I decided to order a Beamish (I couldn't finish it). And then had a Bailey's coffee afterwards (it was free). So yeah, not tipsy but not feeling that great.
I have photos but I really can't do much more posting right now. I'll catch up tomorrow.
"I know I've felt like this before, but now I'm feeling it even more"
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Drinking Tour 2012
(Oh yeah, and the Olympics...)
I think I might be one of the very few people in the world who could look forward to going from a place that's hot and sunny to a place that's cold and rainy. But I am. SUPER excited. I'm a week away from Drinking Tour 2012 (with a side trip to the London Olympics). My little brother and I are going to start in Dublin and work our way around to London (hitting Belfast, Glasgow/Edinburgh, and York along the way). As per Vancouver, I'll do my best to blog consistently about my travels. Hopefully I'll be able to type straight...
Any suggestions for must-see places are welcome, but I've already been accused of "over-planning". I can't help it. It's what I do. Ever since Paris 2002, where I experienced the consequences of poor planning, I've made it a habit to efficiently pack as much into a trip as I possibly can without overdoing it to the point of pure exhaustion. I guess my cohorts from the Puerto Rico 2006 trip found that out firsthand. And contrary to popular opinion, I am capable of spontaneity. I just happen to think about it in advance.
Nevertheless, Guinness and Jameson were the very first on the list. I've been told to go to the Giant's Causeway, which I've discovered is incredibly cool and will actually fit into the plan. Of course, I HAVE to see the new Titanic museum. I'm having issues trying to decide which way to go through the Scottish Highlands (can I make it all the way to Loch Ness?) whilst still being able to sample the whisky. I know York sounds like a weird choice, but if you consider that I'm from a place formerly called York, and if you look at a map of Yorkshire, you can't help but notice a lot of familiar names surrounding York (Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby, etc.). So it's kind of appropriate, in a bizarre way. Like going back to the source. And my only goal in London is to buy a proper hat. We'll see what we can fit in between.
"So if by the time the bar closes, and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home tonight"
I think I might be one of the very few people in the world who could look forward to going from a place that's hot and sunny to a place that's cold and rainy. But I am. SUPER excited. I'm a week away from Drinking Tour 2012 (with a side trip to the London Olympics). My little brother and I are going to start in Dublin and work our way around to London (hitting Belfast, Glasgow/Edinburgh, and York along the way). As per Vancouver, I'll do my best to blog consistently about my travels. Hopefully I'll be able to type straight...
Any suggestions for must-see places are welcome, but I've already been accused of "over-planning". I can't help it. It's what I do. Ever since Paris 2002, where I experienced the consequences of poor planning, I've made it a habit to efficiently pack as much into a trip as I possibly can without overdoing it to the point of pure exhaustion. I guess my cohorts from the Puerto Rico 2006 trip found that out firsthand. And contrary to popular opinion, I am capable of spontaneity. I just happen to think about it in advance.
Nevertheless, Guinness and Jameson were the very first on the list. I've been told to go to the Giant's Causeway, which I've discovered is incredibly cool and will actually fit into the plan. Of course, I HAVE to see the new Titanic museum. I'm having issues trying to decide which way to go through the Scottish Highlands (can I make it all the way to Loch Ness?) whilst still being able to sample the whisky. I know York sounds like a weird choice, but if you consider that I'm from a place formerly called York, and if you look at a map of Yorkshire, you can't help but notice a lot of familiar names surrounding York (Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby, etc.). So it's kind of appropriate, in a bizarre way. Like going back to the source. And my only goal in London is to buy a proper hat. We'll see what we can fit in between.
"So if by the time the bar closes, and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home tonight"