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"